PDA

View Full Version : Desperate times!



dawnrader
August 6th, 2012, 07:32 PM
Oh boy have i done something to my hair!

I'll give you the timeline so hopefully someone might have an idea as to what's going on with my hair as im close to taking clippers to it!

Christmas: I buy a tangle teaser
April: I get a 1in trim
May: I hennaed
may-now: i've experimented with different shampoos/conditioners

What i'm finding is i have more split ends now since my trim than i did in the 2 years i didn't get it cut...

My hair is shiney, smooth and as curly as ever BUT it's tangling like crazy. I joined a curly forum hoping to get some help but pretty much all that was said was use loads of products if you want your hair curly.... I don't use products, i have a wash and go lifestyle.

The shampoo experiments have been using cone free/SLS free products, my current shampoo has sls and conditioner is cone free.

What on earth has caused all these splits?

I'm at the end of my long haired tether!

jojo
August 6th, 2012, 08:22 PM
Hair ages, as it gets longer its normal to find more splits, especially if you wear it down, think of it like hanging a sheet on a washing line, if it's left out for 4-5 years the average age of waist length hair, it's going to exposed to weather and stuff and will weaken. Do you wear your up at all? My hair splits too, maybe trying a little oil on the ends and bunning it will help? Also the sebum which your scalp produces finds it harder to reach those long ends, so they dry and split, a deep conditioning treatment once a week will help.
I use a BBB and find it very helpful in keeping my hair reasonably healthy.

dawnrader
August 6th, 2012, 08:42 PM
Hi Jojo, thanks for the reply.

I have my hair up most of the time, either braided or in buns. I use EVOO on the ends of it to keep them from tangling.

What's surprising me is the sheer number of splits ive got not long after getting it cut, it's not something i would expect it to do. I try to keep my hair in good order.

I have naturally curly hair and a BBB would turn me from slight fluff to full blown candyfloss in an instant.

I was told on the curly forum that my hair was dry (i'm not convinced, it's really smooth and shiny), i'm in the UK do you know of any deep conditioning treatments i could use?

In saying that, i've used SMT a couple of times recently too although i don't see/feel any difference after i use it.

jojo
August 6th, 2012, 09:54 PM
Hi dawn rader,
A really good conditioner my favorite is by tigi moisture maniac, it can be used as a deep conditioner too and alway I go back to it. Another is by neutrgena called Tripple nutrition that ones really good too, especially on dry hair days, my hairs fairy slippery and it's fine so it breaks if I'm not careful. My hairs also wavy and my routine is I wash using Vatika egg shampoo, my hair really does well with protein and I finish off with a moisturising conditioner, redken clear moisture I've just bought from eBay it's really nice but I do prefer the tigi one! I do normally 2 DC a week and I use a heat cap. Trimming wise I cannot go longer than 6 months or it starts to break, you could try conditioner washing only, SuperDrugs, wilkinsons, boots for the conditioners if you pick up there own make there nearly always conefree and less than a pound, you could try this for a bit and see if you see any improvement or you could do a teeny trim. If you go to search and put in Faye's trimming method there's a demonstration on how to do this.
For the deep conditioners try eBay or amazon, you can normally pick up the tigi one salon sized for say £15 but it lasts a long time, though they didn't have any on the other week, that's why I ended up buying the redken one! But yeah when all else fails a dc wins! There's also coconut oil to do a dc with too, just make sure you get it out with conditioner only no water or you will get the greasies, just massage it in, leave 10 minutes and rinse and repeat! Baby oil is also excellent on hair you only need a few drops on damp hair, it's helped in reducing split ends for me and quite a few others! Good luck you will work out a routine which works for you, look around too for member with similar hair and see what works for them, that's what I did when I first joined!!! Good luck and welcome x x

lmfbs
August 6th, 2012, 10:01 PM
My hair gets mad tangles when it's dry. If my hair isn't sitting on the verge of being over moisturized, it knots, tangles and splits. If you're not seeing a difference with a SMT, you might need to clarify before you do it. It's possible you have buildup that's stopping it from absorbing into your hair.

I can't recommend any conditioners, sorry, but what works for me is to heavily oil with coconut oil, then coat my hair in cone-free conditioner (I use cone free because it's really cheap). I put a couple of spoons of heated honey into the conditioner and leave it on usually 3-4 hours. I'll do it as soon as I get home from work, then rinse before bed. The conditioner helps you wash the oil out, and you can just rinse and you're good to go. YMMV, but that's definitely the best method I've found for my hair so far.

Good luck!

Natalia
August 6th, 2012, 10:27 PM
My hair is shiney, smooth and as curly as ever BUT it's tangling like crazy. I joined a curly forum hoping to get some help but pretty much all that was said was use loads of products if you want your hair curly.... I don't use products, i have a wash and go lifestyle.

im not a curly nor do i have an explaination for the splits other than hair being hair after being on your head for so many years, general wear and tear. but if you want to try something quick when you get out of the shower try using a bit of your regular condish as a leave in. i use HSR and two others that way.

dawnrader
August 6th, 2012, 10:51 PM
Hi Natalia, I've been using my cone free conditioner as a leave in, stopping the shower, adding it to my hair and squeezing out the excess. That's not been working either.

I guess i'm going to have to go back to the hairdressers and get another trim, the splits aren't helping my tugs.

I was using a different leave in but it was full of cones and the conditioner i have now is one i've been hunting for for years.


Excuse my ignorance here, is a clarifying shampoo the same as using a sulphate one?

x

gratitudinous
August 6th, 2012, 11:07 PM
Is it possible your last trim was done with less than perfectly sharp scissors? A dull pair of blades can rough up the ends of your hair by 'smashing' them (for lack of a better word) before cutting through, causing damage and later, splits. The solution is another trim with freshly sharpened scissors.

I hope you figure it out, good luck! :flower:

akilina
August 6th, 2012, 11:22 PM
I must ask- how good of quality were the shears?
If you use dull shears on your hair, it can spell disaster. Just the same, if a hairdresser cut your hair and their shears were not precisely sharp, this can cause problems later on because the cut was not clean and precise.

Madora
August 7th, 2012, 07:41 AM
As other posters have mentioned, if your S and D shears are dull, when you use them, you'll just be creating more white dots, which lead to splits.

Splits are usually the result of dryness or mechanical damage.

It sounds like you need to clarify. When you clarify your hair, it strips the hair of all buildup. Neutrogena Anti-Residue Clarifying shampoo has received good reviews here.

After you use the clarifying shampoo, you should do a conditioning treatment. I use mineral oil (also known as baby oil).

Here's Ktani's article on the benefits of MO:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=225

MO is also a great detangler and helps tame the frizzies.

You might also be interested in Ktani's article on using catnip rinses to combat splits:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=118

Bottom line: Be careful when using too many conditioning treatments, leave-ins, oils, etc. You may be doing your hair a disfavor by putting too much on it. The hair needs to be moisturized, of course, but too much stuff might be working at cross purposes. Less is more really works!

deltadeliquent
August 7th, 2012, 08:14 AM
Silly question, and a little off topic,but...
How can you tell if your shears are dull?
I am using a pair about 20 years old that we're used for my kids hair cuts for about 8 years and then my bangs once I a while.
They cut ok, I guess, no split ends or anything.

dawnrader
August 7th, 2012, 09:07 AM
I must ask- how good of quality were the shears?
If you use dull shears on your hair, it can spell disaster. Just the same, if a hairdresser cut your hair and their shears were not precisely sharp, this can cause problems later on because the cut was not clean and precise.

I got it cut by my dads hairdresser who was fantastic and only took off an inch when i asked her to, some areas she barely took anything off. I didn't ask her at the time when she last got her scissors sharpened. I think i've learned a lesson here and will ask the next time.




Is it possible your last trim was done with less than perfectly sharp scissors? A dull pair of blades can rough up the ends of your hair by 'smashing' them (for lack of a better word) before cutting through, causing damage and later, splits. The solution is another trim with freshly sharpened scissors.

I hope you figure it out, good luck! :flower:

I'm beginning to see a pattern here and i agree i think it may well have been the hairdressers scissors that were blunt.
Before this cut it was 2 years since i saw a hairdressers blade, and i know fine well his would have been sharp enough to give a gnat a haircut! The problem with going back to him is he's about 300 miles away and wouldn't stop at an inch! (he's a school friend of mine and has an aversion to log hair!)
At the time of my latest cut she mentioned my hair was in great condition and there were hardly any splits, which surprised her as it was 2 years since my last cut.



As other posters have mentioned, if your S and D shears are dull, when you use them, you'll just be creating more white dots, which lead to splits.

My S&D scissors are sharpened within an inch of their lives so thankfully im not making it worse.



Splits are usually the result of dryness or mechanical damage.

My hair doesn't look or feel dry however i posted a pic on a curly forum and they said it looked dry *shrugs* I don't use a dryer and only straighten my hair maybe once every 2 months so i can get an accurate idea of my length.



It sounds like you need to clarify. When you clarify your hair, it strips the hair of all buildup. Neutrogena Anti-Residue Clarifying shampoo has received good reviews here.

After you use the clarifying shampoo, you should do a conditioning treatment. I use mineral oil (also known as baby oil).

I've used baby oil on my hair before, before i found this forum, and it makes my hair crunchy so i stopped using it. I'll read Ktani's post and see how i go from there


Here's Ktani's article on the benefits of MO:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=225

MO is also a great detangler and helps tame the frizzies.

You might also be interested in Ktani's article on using catnip rinses to combat splits:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=118

Bottom line: Be careful when using too many conditioning treatments, leave-ins, oils, etc. You may be doing your hair a disfavor by putting too much on it. The hair needs to be moisturized, of course, but too much stuff might be working at cross purposes. Less is more really works!

In a normal washing session my hair gets shampoo, conditioner and that's been it, possibly a little leave in conditioner depending on how it's been before the wash. I use EVOO in the ends but it's not a regular thing.

I really need to find a good deep conditioning treatment that i can stick with and going by what the others have said, i need to get another trim but with super sharp scissors, it's the only thing i can think of that i've done drastically different in the last 6 months.


Thank you all very much for contributing to this thread, it's been incredibly helpful!

nic
x

CurlyMopTop
August 7th, 2012, 09:18 AM
Hi Natalia, I've been using my cone free conditioner as a leave in, stopping the shower, adding it to my hair and squeezing out the excess. That's not been working either.

I guess i'm going to have to go back to the hairdressers and get another trim, the splits aren't helping my tugs.

I was using a different leave in but it was full of cones and the conditioner i have now is one i've been hunting for for years.


Excuse my ignorance here, is a clarifying shampoo the same as using a sulphate one?

x

My first thought was the trimming shears until I read this. It's possible that the splits were already there, but disguised by the cones in your old leave-in. Coney leave-ins (coney products in general) have the ability to disguise and hide split ends. It's not uncommon to discover damage soon after giving up cones. I'd go for another little trim and just keep your ends well moisturized like Jojo said. You might have better luck with oils than I (my hair hates all oil).