Why does my shorter hairs seem more damaged?

[Zhennni(:]

Hello everybody! I have layered hair and my longest layer is very healthy. It is not frizzy, it feels soft and looks smooth also. However, my shorter layers look frizzy and have more split ends on it :( I don't get why this happens because my short layers should be my unpermed virgin hair, and I tried trimming it but it always grows back "damaged" :( I don't know what to do now because I am trying to grow out my layers but I also have to keep trimming because they look so frizzy and damged:/

[Ravenwind]

I have the same problem. I think it's because since the shorter ones are mostly on top they're more exposed to environmental damage.

[Zhennni(:]

It sucks because it looks like you have frizzy,damaged hair when actually most of your hair is in good condition >;( Does anyone know a way to help this?

[akilina]

I think maybe just oiling frequently and treating your hair right without heat would help keep it from feeling so bad. Sometimes benign neglect works the best. It is what I've been doing the last few months.

The same happens to me as well! What is weird for me is that my very shortest layers feel really thick and healthy but the layers through the interior are thin and weird and damaged. It has caused a horrible disconnection between my layers and length.
I don't really know how to fix that problem but to cut it, yet the problem just arises again sometimes D:
The reason mine is like that is from past damage from bleaching last year. I did a big chop a year ago so it cut off alot of it but there is still some remaining I am working on growing out.
It sure is a never ending battle for me I really need to learn how to leave my hair alone.
For now I just have to wait for all the really damaged hair to grow out and be trimmed off.

[Zhennni(:]

I think maybe just oiling frequently and treating your hair right without heat would help keep it from feeling so bad. Sometimes benign neglect works the best. It is what I've been doing the last few months.

The same happens to me as well! What is weird for me is that my very shortest layers feel really thick and healthy but the layers through the interior are thin and weird and damaged. It has caused a horrible disconnection between my layers and length.
I don't really know how to fix that problem but to cut it, yet the problem just arises again sometimes D:
The reason mine is like that is from past damage from bleaching last year. I did a big chop a year ago so it cut off alot of it but there is still some remaining I am working on growing out.
It sure is a never ending battle for me I really need to learn how to leave my hair alone.
For now I just have to wait for all the really damaged hair to grow out and be trimmed off.

Oiling does help alot, it used to look even more frizzy! I bleached a small section of my hair long time ago, but I cut off all the bleached part already so I dont know what it is still damaged:( and it is not only the bleached section thats having problems, but ALL my short layers in general. So strange! I dont know whats causing the damage

[MeowScat]

Same thing here! I have always noticed that my shortest hairs are the most damaged. I assumed it was because they were the broken off hairs.

What helps is a good ole S&D on them. It takes time but it's worth it.

Deep conditioning and oiling those fragile ends helped a lot!

Good luck and have patience. Don't give up!


:)

[Slug Yoga]

Hm, can you think of anything in particular that might be damaging hairs that are at that length? Like do you wear glasses, could it be getting caught or abraded on jewelry (earrings, necklaces), etc.?

[Iolanthe13]

It could be from the way you wash your hair. The hairs at the crown used to be my most damaged, because I'd stand with a really hot shower head basically blasting them. That area is still my worst area, but it has benefited a lot from updos.

[fridgee]

Do you spend a lot of time outside? The top layer is most exposed to environmental conditions, such as wind, sun and salt spray, so that might be an issue. Also do you wear your hair up when you sleep and/or sleep on a silk pillowcase? It could be friction from moving in your sleep, again affecting the top layer more. You could try wearing your hair up more or damp bunning to protect the top layer and add moisture.

My top layer is the most damaged because I used to straighten it to give my hair the appearance of being neat, while leaving the layers underneath unstraightened (but still blow dried straight). The top layers also get played with more when my hands are idle which adds unnecessary mechanical damage.

[lilliemer]

I also could not figure out what was damaging my hair as I had stopped heat styling for over a year and did not dye or perm my hair, yet was still getting tons of damage and broken hairs. I finally saw a pic of someone with a ponytail breakage halo with a ring of short broken hairs at the same level where I placed the ponytail elastic. I was putting my hair up with a metal free "ouchless" (yeah right) elastic in the same place every day and this was breaking off the hair. I gave up doing this a few months ago and I think the breakage is ever so slowly migrating downwards but it's going to be a while before it grows out entirely.

@iolanthe13 -- What kind of damage do you have from the shower? I have a big change in texture at the crown (from medium/slightly coarse on the rest of the hair to really coarse/porous and wiry) and wondering if the shower may be the culprit as I too am a fan of soaking my head in blazing hot showers.

[Iolanthe13]

@iolanthe13 -- What kind of damage do you have from the shower? I have a big change in texture at the crown (from medium/slightly coarse on the rest of the hair to really coarse/porous and wiry) and wondering if the shower may be the culprit as I too am a fan of soaking my head in blazing hot showers.

Well, the rest of my hair is fine/medium, and henna-ed, so my damage probably looks a little different from yours, but it sounds similar. But the hair near my crown is frizzy, rough-textured, and more porous - when I used chemical dye, it would fade there first. I think there are splits, too, but I can't see them because the layers are too short. The rest of my hair is quite smooth most of the time, though wavy/curly. I think the crown hair is drier, because it certainly hates protein.

So far, I'm finding that using cool water on my hair and nice hot water on my body really helps. You can turn warm-ish water on your hair after the cool water, just briefly, if you're feeling too cold, and it might not be so damaging. At the moment, the real damage starts about three inches down, not right at the crown, so I think my carefulness has helped it. Of course, it could be a totally different sort of damage in your case, so no guarantees!

[jacqueline101]

I have the same issue my short layers seem damaged. I oil every day and it helps I think the short hairs get the most damage due to their fragile nature.

[jojo]

do you wear pony tails at all? the elastic can cause damage further up the hair! and what kind of brush are you using? just trying to figure out the cause!

[Ravenwind]

It sucks because it looks like you have frizzy,damaged hair when actually most of your hair is in good condition >;( Does anyone know a way to help this?

What I do is after I towel dry my hair for about 20 minutes after the shower, I put a little bit of coconut oil through my hair and let it air dry. There's a MAJOR difference when I do that. :)

[luxepiggy]

It's probably because the shorter layers are on the outside, so they are susceptible to a lot more weathering than the longer, inside layers. A silk pillow cover might be very helpful here, as would washing your hair upside-down.

[lilliemer]

Well, the rest of my hair is fine/medium, and henna-ed, so my damage probably looks a little different from yours, but it sounds similar. But the hair near my crown is frizzy, rough-textured, and more porous - when I used chemical dye, it would fade there first. I think there are splits, too, but I can't see them because the layers are too short. The rest of my hair is quite smooth most of the time, though wavy/curly. I think the crown hair is drier, because it certainly hates protein.

So far, I'm finding that using cool water on my hair and nice hot water on my body really helps. You can turn warm-ish water on your hair after the cool water, just briefly, if you're feeling too cold, and it might not be so damaging. At the moment, the real damage starts about three inches down, not right at the crown, so I think my carefulness has helped it. Of course, it could be a totally different sort of damage in your case, so no guarantees!
It is good to hear that your change made a difference! My crown is also full of splits, I can just barely see the ends if I pull them towards my face (layering) and they make me CRAZY! The texture is also like wire. I will see what happens with turning down the heat a bit in the shower. In the hot weather this is easy, in the winter not so much. High-altitude, tight ponytails/buns (ballerina style) also probably have not helped as I mentioned above. I have discontinued that too.

[Zhennni(:]

It's probably because the shorter layers are on the outside, so they are susceptible to a lot more weathering than the longer, inside layers. A silk pillow cover might be very helpful here, as would washing your hair upside-down.

Yea I am probably not washing my hair the right way :/ I can't get my fingers on my scalp properly when all the wet hair is covering it! whenever I try to do that I feel like I am tugging on the wet hairs . That might be why! how do you wash your scalp without tugging on the hairs ?

[beachgirlla]

Same problem here, this driving me crazy, I have seen more damage lately on my right side compared to the left side, of course all of them at the shorter outside layers, I'm desperate to find a solution :(

[Slug Yoga]

Yea I am probably not washing my hair the right way :/ I can't get my fingers on my scalp properly when all the wet hair is covering it! whenever I try to do that I feel like I am tugging on the wet hairs . That might be why! how do you wash your scalp without tugging on the hairs ?

Yeah, wet hair can be heavy as it gets longer. If you're washing your hair in the shower, maybe it would work better to try washing your sink in a bucket/the sink/the bath/some kind of container? That way you could dip your head in and the water would make your hair float and take most of the weight off. You could hold your head just out of the water and give your scalp a good scrub before rinsing in the container or in the shower. Just an idea.