Ends breaking off- advice and support needed :(

[toodramatik]

Hey. Well I'm not much closer to my goal since I joined (:'() but lately I've noticed that despite the fact that I'm not abusing my hair, the ends are breaking off :(. They bend at right angles and just 'snap' off if I touch them. I go on S & D missions but even though I don't have splits, I think just about every hair on my head has the "white dot" syndrome.

I feel like it's never going to grow. ever, since my growth just snaps off.

I C/O pretty much every day, wash in hot water (could this be the reason?) and put a leave in silk treatment on my ends. I use a wide toothed comb for tangles, don't blowfry, haven't flat ironed in ages, am very gentle with tying and styling and everything.

Why is this happening? :(. And what can I do to stop it? It's frustrating me and I want to say.. "you know what, stuff this. Stuff long hair. I'll cut it back into a bob and flat iron it and abuse it all I want because at the end I'm getting the same result".

[Nevermore]

I'd try washing in tepid or cool water, as well as looking at how tightly/with what you tie your hair. Do you wear alot of braids, where the ends would be tied? The silk treatment might be the problem too, I think (but don't take this as gospel until others chime in) silk=protein and too much protein can lead to hair that breaks easily.

eta: Do you have old damage, heat/dye/bleach/wet brushing/whatever, on the ends? I have some old heat damage near the ends from blowdrying when my hair was shorter. I noticed in your album/start length that you had a bob when you started growing. Perhaps your hair is just trying to self trim the damage away.

[eadwine]

Try cutting down on the washing, and please stop using the hot water, warm is warm enough. :)

How does your hair feel otherwise? Dry? Other? Do let us know.

[Riot Crrl]

It might be the silk leave in. What are the ingredients?

[Aisha25]

Well first hair is showing all past now that you have stopped bad treatment. After you start to take a care of it it will show much more healthier hairs but it does take it's time dear. Wash with warm cool water hot water will weaken hair strands. Also you can oil every other day and braid alot if you can if not then just up and not touched alot. Ok it will get better I promise it just takes a time,patience and lots of love.
Aisha

[toodramatik]

It's not dry. I have a pretty oily scalp and thus my hair is OilyCity after about 3 days of not washing.

I tie my hair in a ponytail with
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/6779/31072008bt3.th.jpg (http://img213.imageshack.us/my.php?image=31072008bt3.jpg)

[EvaSimone]

First of all how long has it been since you have had a trim?
No matter what I do if my hair needs a trim even a half inch, it will get white dots all over. My normal amount of time where I need a trim is between 6 months and a year. After that no matter what happens I will have white dots and breakage on the ends. It sounds terrible but honestly 1/4-1/2" isn't all that much and it will probably make your ends feel about a gazillion times better.

Also do you use cones or are you cone free?
If you have cone buildup that could add to damage....

One thing you can do to help is to add lots of moisture but to me it sounds like you probably need a trim.

One way to add moisture is to use a leave in on damp hair and maybe some oil or whatever you like then put your hair in a bun or ponytail and put a sandwich baggy over that. Sometimes I'll do that and leave it overnight. That really does help with moisture.

At the risk of becoming the protein police on the forum, does your hair feel dry and crunchy? You could have too much protein and the cure for that is more moisture.

I would also stop with the hot water rinses, I know they feel really nice :D but they literally suck the moisture out of your hair. I rinse my hair with warm water because I really don't like cool water but I definitely don't use hot water!!

HTH and I am sorry that your ends are behaving badly it can really be frustrating trying to figure out what our hair wants!

[toodramatik]

Silk Leave in Ingredients:
Water, Alcohol Denat, Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Mica, Polyquaternium-11, Amodimethicone, Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl, Hydrolized wheat protein, Sweet almond oil, panthenol, Polyquaternium-10, dimethiconol, Trideceth-12, Cetrimonium chloride, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, CI77891

And I use cones. I'm going to switch over to cone-free this weekend and also cut out the hot water. As for oil, does anyone have any recommendations of one that doesn't smell too bad? I don't think I want olive oil in my hair

[eadwine]

I tie my hair in a ponytail with
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/6779/31072008bt3.th.jpg (http://img213.imageshack.us/my.php?image=31072008bt3.jpg)


Do you ALWAYS tie it in a ponytail? Then that could be a cause as well.

[Riot Crrl]

Silk Leave in Ingredients:
Water, Alcohol Denat, Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Mica, Polyquaternium-11, Amodimethicone, Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl, Hydrolized wheat protein, Sweet almond oil, panthenol, Polyquaternium-10, dimethiconol, Trideceth-12, Cetrimonium chloride, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, CI77891

And I use cones. I'm going to switch over to cone-free this weekend and also cut out the hot water. As for oil, does anyone have any recommendations of one that doesn't smell too bad? I don't think I want olive oil in my hair

I can't believe this is marketed as a leave in CONDITIONER. Well I do believe it, but you know what I mean, I was speaking in hyperbole.

Leaving the subject of cones aside for the moment, the two main ingredients are:

Water, (and then) a drying alcohol. Please get rid of this product.

[Aisha25]

Silk Leave in Ingredients:
Water, Alcohol Denat, Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Mica, Polyquaternium-11, Amodimethicone, Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl, Hydrolized wheat protein, Sweet almond oil, panthenol, Polyquaternium-10, dimethiconol, Trideceth-12, Cetrimonium chloride, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, CI77891

And I use cones. I'm going to switch over to cone-free this weekend and also cut out the hot water. As for oil, does anyone have any recommendations of one that doesn't smell too bad? I don't think I want olive oil in my hair
You can try coconut oil mixed with almond oil and use on scalp that will help. Forgot to say also you can try Vatika oil if you can get it.

[EvaSimone]

I can't believe this is marketed as a leave in CONDITIONER. Well I do believe it, but you know what I mean, I was speaking in hyperbole.

Leaving the subject of cones aside for the moment, the two main ingredients are:

Water, (and then) a drying alcohol. Please get rid of this product.

Ditto!!!! :D

[chrissy-b]

Silk Leave in Ingredients:
Water, Alcohol Denat, Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Mica, Polyquaternium-11, Amodimethicone, Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl, Hydrolized wheat protein, Sweet almond oil, panthenol, Polyquaternium-10, dimethiconol, Trideceth-12, Cetrimonium chloride, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, CI77891



Yup. It's that flippin' leave-in. I got the same results when I used a similar product.

Ditto thrice. Get that out of your home. Try a deep moisture treatment and maybe some oil instead.

[Curlsgirl]

If you don't like the smell of coconut oil you could get the refined kind, no smell. Hope it gets better! Remember when you go no cones you could see some damage that was covered up with the cones so don't freak out at first. Just add moisture and keep treating it well and maybe a small trim can make a huge difference and keep it from breaking off further.

[bex487]

The damage you see might also be old blowdryer/flat iron damage. Unfortunately you may juts have to wait it out and get trims and stay at shoulder length for a bit until you have healthy hair.

[lora410]

I agree with the rest, and remember before you switch to no cones clarify first.

[FrannyG]

Another voice agreeing with the advice about that leave-in. Cones of course, aren't necessarily bad in themselves. However they do require that you clarify and moisturize regularly.

Also, having an oily scalp does not mean that your hair is not dry. Dryness is a lack of moisture within the hair strand, (i.e.water), not a lack of oil. Oil can seal in existing moisture to some extent.

With the current length of your hair, I'm thinking that you might find it difficult to apply a small enough amount of coconut oil to your hair.

I might suggest jojoba oil. It doesn't have a discernible odour, and it's fairly light weight.

Don't worry, your hair will improve with time. :flowers:

[sipnsun]

The coconut oil I use has no smell at all and washes out very easily with a diluted shampoo. I haven't tried c/o so that might also work. It's organic coconut oil and they are gel capsules sold at Vitamin World. One capsule is a perfect amount for a heavy oiling. I just use a pin to poke a small hole and use how much I need. The bottle has 120 softgels in it but I there is no price on it and I can't remember how much I paid.

Someone on LHC posted a link to a website about coconut oil and it's advantages. One article said it will get into the cortex (center layer) of your hair and make it stronger. So if you are having a lot of breakage, this might be beneficial.

[Stagecoach]

Hum, well I wouldn't rush to cut the hot water... I use hot water and don't have problems with it.

What I would take a look at is the leave in and the frequency of your washing. If the leave in has cones it could be building up and making the hair suceptable to breakage that way.

Also, you might consider trying Catnip tea rinses for a while. I and several others have found them to help a lot in the strength department.

[podo]

Something I saw only mentioned in passing - the frequency of your washings.

Try to go to every other day, and then maybe every 3 days.

I don't think a lot of this advice will benefit immediately, but it's all good for your hair. :)

[Calista]

I see you are at shoulder length. Does this actually mean your ends are touching the tops of your shoulders? This is a very damaging length, so you might want to keep your hair up as much as possible until it is well past your shoulders.

[spidermom]

My hair won't grow without trims, and I've tried in the past. It breaks off instead. I'd advise regular small trims, such as a 1/4 or 1/2-inch trim every 3 months. Be careful that the stylist agrees to your goal of future length and trims only a small amount.

[girlcat36]

Cones caused my hair to break off for years. I had no idea that was why until I joined a hair forum in 2006. I was seriously trying to grow my hair from 1991 until now, but it kept breking off around BSL. I did not color, blow fry, brush or do any other damaging things to my hair. I treated it very well. I did use lots and lots of cones, and always had 1/2" to 1" peices of broken hair when I combed it. Since going off cones, my hair never breaks off in pieces like that anymore.

[detritus]

Cones and protein both cause my hair to break off too. If you haven't tried cutting out cones yet, it might be time to give it a try. Not everyone reacts that way to them, but many do so it's worth a little experimentation to see if your hair is better without them. Even if you find that your hair likes cones, I'd get rid of that silk leave-in. Alcohol, cones, and protein do not a good leave-in make. I like camellia oil mixed with a little aloe on my ends--I didn't really like the smell of coconut oil and it made me break out. I've been doing catnip rinses lately too and that seems to make my hair silkier and less tangly.

[Arctic]

I also wanted to say, what FrannyG already said: Oily scalp doesn't mean your hair couldn't be dry. Hot water also can make your hair drier AND scalp oilier.

I understood you used to blow dried and ironed your hair? This could be a heat damage you see now (as has been said earlier). And alcohol denat. definitely is not good for hair.

If you do decide to clarify (as I think you should before you switch to cone free products), I advise not to use baking soda, but a clarifying shampoo. It's much gentler for your hair and works better than baking soda. At least that was my own experience.

Oh and I second calista, the hair rubbing against your shoulders might have something to do with your brakage too! Small claw clips were my friends at that length :)

Good luck!

[willowcandra]

your leave in (apart from the alcohol) also has wheat protein in it. Do you normally get on with protein? Mine gets really tangled and the ends get really damaged with protein.

Like others have said, it might be better to get a teeny trim and use some oil instead.

[LongForLife]

Silk Leave in Ingredients:
Water, Alcohol Denat, Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Mica, Polyquaternium-11, Amodimethicone, Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl, Hydrolized wheat protein, Sweet almond oil, panthenol, Polyquaternium-10, dimethiconol, Trideceth-12, Cetrimonium chloride, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, CI77891

And I use cones. I'm going to switch over to cone-free this weekend and also cut out the hot water. As for oil, does anyone have any recommendations of one that doesn't smell too bad? I don't think I want olive oil in my hair


Ok, few issues. First the cones actually would make my hair "oily" after just a few days. Now that I do not use them, it can appear perfectly clean for a week without getting greasy looking.

As far as the white dots/breakage. 2 things I suggest there. First off, the Propylene Glycol in this product is a drying irritant! It is not even supposed to be on our skin, and yet is found in so many of our products. This can weaken hair and cause drying at the ends, hence breakage. Same with the alcohol as others mentioned. Also I highly recommend a GOOD vitamin/mineral supplement. (not the junk Wal-Mart kinds) This will change the strength of hair amazingly.

[Riot Crrl]

the Propylene Glycol in this product is a drying irritant!

I don't think I agree. It is derived from petroleum, but I can find no sources that it is drying. Of course anything can be irritating to anyone.

Anything is possible, but the alcohol denat in this product is a much more likely culprit in my opinion.

[LongForLife]

http://antiagingchoices.com/harmful_ingredients/propylene_glycol.htm

Here is a link to a good site on Propylene Glycol. It is supposed to keep things from drying out, but if you read down to the bottom it explains how it actually dries skin out. I did some research on this before and basically it pulls moisture from below the surface of the skin.... anyway point is, it can be drying and irritating to skin, so I don't see why it wouldn't be to hair as well. Chemicals are not designed to be put on or in our bodies, and yet they are all the time...
I do agree that the alcohol is part of the problem, as I said before. But the Propylene Glycol could be an issue as well. I focused more on this, because everyone already mentioned the alcohol. And if she goes to look for another product, it could be helpful to her if she could get one without either of these things.

[LongForLife]

"They can easily penetrate the skin, and can weaken protein and cellular structure. "

This quote in itself is disturbing. Weaken protein and cellular structure... hmmm maybe to the hair as well? I'm sure they focus on skin more. But who knows, makes sense to me, that it would effect hair in the manner that I described.

[LongForLife]

"Alcohol Denat: Ingredient Information

Denatured alcohol. Alcohol, a very drying and irritating solvent and dehydrator that strips your skin's moisture and natural immune barrier, making you more vulnerable to bacteria, moulds and viruses. It is found in many skin and hair products, fragrance, and antibacterial hand washes. "

Yuck. It's amazing to me, how many of these nasty chemicals are put into our products. I have become a label nut. I read over every darn label with a fine toothed comb anymore... lol

[Riot Crrl]

http://antiagingchoices.com/harmful_ingredients/propylene_glycol.htm

Here is a link to a good site on Propylene Glycol. It is supposed to keep things from drying out, but if you read down to the bottom it explains how it actually dries skin out. I did some research on this before and basically it pulls moisture from below the surface of the skin.... anyway point is, it can be drying and irritating to skin, so I don't see why it wouldn't be to hair as well. Chemicals are not designed to be put on or in our bodies, and yet they are all the time...
I do agree that the alcohol is part of the problem, as I said before. But the Propylene Glycol could be an issue as well. I focused more on this, because everyone already mentioned the alcohol. And if she goes to look for another product, it could be helpful to her if she could get one without either of these things.

But even according to that site, whose pot seems a little cracked to me frankly, it's a humectant.

http://cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient_details.php?ingredient_id=51

It is a known irritant but that is for skin as far as I know. It will not happen for all users. The OP is not complaining of a skin irritation but hair breaking. This is more likely to be from alcohol denat than propylene glycol in my opinion.

[LongForLife]

Well, sorry but the web site you posted means nothing to me, as I know the FDA to be crooked and out of their minds. So frankly any info coming from them means nothing to me. I dig deeper and look to "real" research.
And like I said... I already thought the alcohol played a part, but felt the need to mention the other, as I didn't want her to go get a product without the alcohol, only to find the issue not necessarily resolved due to Propylene Glycol. I was only trying to help.

Secondly. Propylene Glycol DOES dry out skin, and I have my own proof, as it dried mine so badly that it was peeling. It took me 2 years of testing and trying things off and on, to find the culprit, but I did. So, my technical thought would be, that since I KNOW it to be drying to skin, it might very well have those effects on hair. Yes, it is supposed to be a humectant, but it is also a chemical, and if you do some research, can effect things in a wide variety of ways.
Anyway, there is really no point in explaining all this. I just wanted her to be aware of the "possibility" of this as part of the problem.:shrug:

[Isilme]

I think the protein might be a problem. And the ends brushing against your shoulders too. And you know what? I used to use hairfriendly fabric scrunchies all the time, but in the same place every day, year round. Try to make different styles and use different tools. You should be able to take lots of small (hairfriendly) claw clips, twist sections of hair and fasten in small curls to your head.

[FrannyG]

It just occurred to me to ask--do you comb or brush your hair when wet? A lot of damage can occur from trying to comb or detangle your hair when it's wet. If you can, try waiting until your hair is dry or almost completely dry, then detangle with your fingers. Then and only then use a comb.

This was the single best piece of advice on hair care that I've learned at LHC.