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View Full Version : stringy hair, ends sticking together like velcro??



hairhelp121
July 27th, 2012, 08:50 AM
hi everyone, i hope i can get some help here... i have pretty long hair for a guy (about 9 inches past my shoulders) and recently i've noticed that it has got very 'stringy' - as in, when it air dries naturally or whatever, it isnt like a curtain of hair, its hair clumped together into strands? and if i take two of these big strands and seperate them, all the hairs unravel from eachother and look like velcro being seperated. it makes my hair look really unhealthy.

so what i did, was buy the same deep conditioner that the salon i go to uses. it's one that you have to put heat on your hair after you put it on. when i get my hair cut there, they put it on, and when they blow it out and straighten it makes my hair look shiny, full and very soft and it looks like a straight curtain like it should.

so the other day, i used shampoo on my hair, then washed it out, then parted my hair and finger combed some deep conditioner through both 'sides', getting all of the hair. then i poured hot water on a towel and placed it over my head so the heat would make it work. i waited like 5 minutes then washed it all off, and it made no difference to my hair. when it air dried it looked like i hasnt used a conditioner at all, the hair air dried into strands/looked stringy.

if anyone could give me advice on this it would be great, how do i cure stringy hair /velcro ends and why would the conditioner make no difference to my hair? :(

Alvrodul
July 27th, 2012, 08:58 AM
Welcome to LHC

This sounds like buildup.
What your hair needs, is to get rid of the gunk that has accumulated. You need a clarifying shampoo, one that is specially formulated to do this. It is one that can be rather harsh, so it is not something that is recommended for daily use.
When you have clarified, I recommend that you follow up with a SMT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128). Then your hair will be lovely, soft and shiny again.

jacqueline101
July 27th, 2012, 09:03 AM
I agree you need to clarify your hair.

hairhelp121
July 27th, 2012, 09:13 AM
thank you for the replies, and thanks for the welcome Alvrodul :) i actually bought Redken Hair Cleansing Cream Shampoo last night as i heard it was a good clarifier and I should clarify occasionally, i didn't know it would cure stringy hair too, so that's good - i had to buy it from an online shop so it'll take a few days to get here... i'll use it and then try the SMT thing... :)

Amber_Maiden
July 27th, 2012, 09:57 AM
clarify your hair. definitely sounds like buildup.

Nini
July 27th, 2012, 10:32 AM
It won't hurt to clarify once in a while, but it might just be that's how your hair works too. My hair has always done this.

If you don't mind using shampoo's with cones or leave-in serums that contain silicones that might help you get the look you're after:)

sun-kissed
July 27th, 2012, 10:41 AM
I agree with the clarifying suggestions.
Also, I have found that finishing my showers with a cold water rinse makes a huge difference in how shiny it is and the silkiness. If I forget and just wash it with warm water, it is visibly dull, feels different, and is velcro-like on the length until my next cold rinse. Perhaps you could give cold water a try, if you haven't already?

Dovetail
July 27th, 2012, 10:53 AM
Oh welcome!

Also, i totally agree with the cold water (buurrr!)

Let us know how the clarifying goes! If you use a lot of products with -cones in them then youll get buildup. Some people go cone free, some dont (luxepiggy uses cones and has LOVELY hair) its all about trial and error and what works for one might not work for the other.

Also, if you wash your hair with just the calrifying shampoo, let it airdry and then take a picture we can do a hair typing thread and you can find out what to put into those little dashed lines under your name. It really helps to know your hair type and people can give you better advice! (of course you can go back after the picture and condition/moisturize your poor clarified hair)

hairhelp121
July 27th, 2012, 11:21 AM
thanks again for the advice everyone, its very appreciated :) and Dovetail, i will see about taking a pic right after a clarifying shampoo, it'll be interesting finding out what my hair type is :)

Kyla
July 27th, 2012, 11:38 AM
I definitely agree with the clarifying advice. My hair also looking stringy or odd sometimes when it's too dry though, so what I also do it just wet the ends, put some slightly watered down conditioner in it (just plain condish, no deep treatment) and let it air dry. It looks like a charm.

Dovetail
July 27th, 2012, 11:43 AM
:) Im excited to see how it turns out!

From what I've gathered here, when your hair starts acting wacky and things that worked great stop working it usually means you have build up. :3 I try to remind myself of that beacuse before i joined here, if i had velcro ends id go get a ....trim... :o but now I just give it a good scrubbing.

Humbug454
July 27th, 2012, 02:38 PM
If you haven't clarified before then definitely do that before trying anything drastic.

Clarifying once every few weeks / when you feel you need to and you should see a vast improvement :)

nobeltonya
July 27th, 2012, 04:01 PM
Have you tried oiling your hair? My hair likes heavy coconut oilings at night, and washing in the morning.. I also noticed a significant improvement on dryness, sticky ends, etc when I started nicely conditioning after shampooing, and using GF Sleek & Shine Intensely Smooth leave-in cream. :disco:

hairhelp121
July 30th, 2012, 11:24 AM
hey everyone,

i've got an update and it isnt good! my clarifying shampoo arrived (redken hair cleansing cream) but i dont yet have the ingredients for a SMT so i used Aussie 3 Minute Miracle conditioner instead... i put on the clarifier, lathered it and washed it off, then put on the conditioner and wrapped a hot towel around my head in a turban and waited like 6 minutes.

when i was washing it off, my hair felt strange, sort of 'squeaky clean', it just felt weird to touch. when i got out of the bath i could comb my hair easily, no tangles, but i did shed a *lot* of hair, so i decided to let it airdry

bad news, it has airdried in the same way it was doing before i used the clarifier - very dry with 'frizz' everywhere, stringy, and hairs sticking to eachother when i seperate a large section. can anyone advise me on this? i'm going to get the ingredients for a SMT and try again but i'm confused why the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle thing made like no difference whatsoever... maybe i didnt put on enough or something... bad-quality pic below, see how gross and curly the ends are?

http://oi46.tinypic.com/2z8w2gh.jpg

^ that's how it looks when it airdries - if i blowdry it i get pretty much the same thing but poofier

it feels like my hair has absolutely no softness or moisture at all, and just doesn't 'flow freely' as long hair should, it's just so annoying and lame. it looks great when they do it at the salon because it looks like a silky curtain but its been dry as crap recently.

Dovetail
July 30th, 2012, 11:31 AM
Hm. Maybe doing some conditioner as a leave in? When I clairfied it sucked ALL THE mositure out of my hair, and it was horried until I rewashed with CO. Or, try some damp oiling on your length? I hope one of the others can help you! It looks like you have at least wavy 2a-ish hair, so maybe check into the curly"girl" method. Wavy and curly hairs need a lot of moisture to be happy.
There are thread in the mane section for each of these (curly wurly, wavy wurly, conditioner oil, curly girl method)


Also, blowdrying can also cause a lot of damage if you use it with the heat :c so youll have to consider that aspect as well.

Anyhow! Im sure one of the more experianced members can help :3 unfortunately hair is a lot of trail and error.

lechatn0ir
July 30th, 2012, 11:32 AM
your hair seems slightly wavy. i would suggest oiling and see how it goes because carrier oils are better conditioners/moisturizers than any synthetic conditioners bought at a store. My hair loves coconut oil. Maybe try coconut oil or olive oil to start off with since those are popular oils here at LHC. Good Luck :)

earthnut
July 30th, 2012, 11:36 AM
I'd do a deep conditioning or deep oiling (like with coconut oil). That'll help the dryness. You can also try olive oil or another liquid oil on your length. Just a little and work it in well.

You can also try using a little conditioner as a leave in, but you might end up with clumping again. For some curlies and wavies, clumping is a goal! But not for others. But it doesn't hurt to try and see what works for you.

Do you comb or brush your hair?

BTW, you look like you might be a 2, but a behind-the-head shot would be best if you want us to hair-type you.

hairhelp121
July 30th, 2012, 10:24 PM
i definitely think i'm a 2, my hair is certainly wavy when it dries, and often tends to curl at the ends, like it doesn't dry straight

i'm interested in trying a deep oiling treatment, i've never put oil on my hair before. i'll get some cooconut oil, any recommended threads on this forum about first-time deep oiling? i wouldnt have a clue what to do, lol... do i use a clarifier again beforehand, too?

im kinda confused on 'leave-in' stuff though.. like, what would the difference be between shampooing and conditioning like normal, and shampooing and conditioning but using a leave-in conditioner too? is a leave-in something that can bring only benefits?

@dovetail thanks, i'll check out those threads :)

@earthnut yes i do comb it, quite a bit, but if it isn't straightened it still looks like the pic i posted above, wavy and with curly ends.

hairhelp121
July 30th, 2012, 11:19 PM
also just as a quick question... i'm unclear on what i should do to my hair now after using that clarifier and conditioner last night - it's very dry and coarse today, should i try CO washing it tonight and see if that gets some moisture back in it? i know nothing about hair apart from bits and pieces i've picked up from here :p

CurlyCap
July 30th, 2012, 11:39 PM
also just as a quick question... i'm unclear on what i should do to my hair now after using that clarifier and conditioner last night - it's very dry and coarse today, should i try CO washing it tonight and see if that gets some moisture back in it? i know nothing about hair apart from bits and pieces i've picked up from here :p

You've just clarified so your hair is as clean as it's going to get. Now you need to work on moisture.

A quick trick while you wait to do a deep treatment is to
1. Co-wash. Ie, wash your hair using conditioner instead of shampoo.
2. When you get out of the shower, take a small amount (you can always increase it another day) of conditioner and work it through your hair. This will let the conditioner work over a period of hours, prevent flyaway, hold in moisture, and provide definition. This may cause your hair to dry morewavy than straight, but right now you are working on getting more moisture into your hair. Styling can come later.

Hope that helps.

salamander
July 31st, 2012, 12:35 AM
When you leave your moisturizers on your hair longer, they have more of a chance to work. Some of the most effective moisturizers take longer to soak into the hair, like oil, so leaving them on for a few hours has a stronger effect.

For deep oiling, I like to wet my hair down, load up with as much oil as I can get into it, put it under a shower cap, then put on a warm hat and leave in there for as long as possible, at least three hours and up to overnight. Then I wash my hair as normal. If this doesn't get you the results you like, try the same thing with different ingredients next time, like conditioner, honey, pure aloe gel, mayonnaise, etc. Different hair likes different things, so experimenting is key.

If you just want to do something really fast tonight, get your hair wet then take a small amount of oil, like half a teaspoon for all of your hair max, work it in, and leave it. Be cautious, a lot of people's hair can't take much oil as a leave in!

earthnut
July 31st, 2012, 10:58 AM
i'm interested in trying a deep oiling treatment, i've never put oil on my hair before. i'll get some cooconut oil, any recommended threads on this forum about first-time deep oiling? i wouldnt have a clue what to do, lol... do i use a clarifier again beforehand, too?

im kinda confused on 'leave-in' stuff though.. like, what would the difference be between shampooing and conditioning like normal, and shampooing and conditioning but using a leave-in conditioner too? is a leave-in something that can bring only benefits?


I never clarify before deep oiling, but you can if your want. You can use a conditioner or oil for a deep treatment (any conditioner or any penetrating oil (saturated or monousaturated) will work). What I do is coat my hair well with the stuff, let it sit for about 30 minutes (I usually take a bath, or bun it up and do other things), then rinse it all out thoroughly. For conditioner you can just rinse, for oil you may want to use a little bit of shampoo to get rid of excess.

A leave in conditioner is just conditioner that you leave in the hair and don't rinse out. There are special leave in conditioners, or you can use whatever conditioner you have. I usually just work in some conditioner really well and don't rinse it out. Or you can condition as usual but don't rinse as much as you usually do. Usually, you rinse out all the conditioner. That's the only difference.

Alvrodul
July 31st, 2012, 11:37 AM
I agree with leaving the moisturizing treatment on for longer. When I do a SMT, it is on my hair for at least half an hour. I leave it on for as long as I can stand, which means that at times it will be on overnight - I usually cover the hair with saran wrap and wear a woolen cap over it.