Dry, Damaged or Build Up?

[raingirl]

How do I tell if I have damage, dryness, or build up?

The bottom two inches of my hair are always dry and crunchy. This isn't new, it's been like this for years. The only time it's not is the first few weeks after a trim.

When I brush or comb the ends, they are smooth, but because my hair is so fine, it tangles and knots up almost instantly after I let go of my hair.

I do have a lot of split ends at the bottom as well.

I've been trying to moisturize more lately and it hasn't helped. Oddly, the other day I put coconut oil on the ends only before bed, and as I was finger combing the oil in, my hair behaved extremely odd, as if it had massive amounts of static (static=dry to me, why would it do this with lots of oil??) It was the most strange thing I've ever seen - oily hair all sticking up static like, almost like the strands had a repellant charge against each other!

I want to try S&D but I think I need an official trim first to clean it up before I start that. Should I try that and re-evaluate after a while?

I wash with a SLS free shampoo and condition daily. I sometimes CWC, and I do use a leave in spray (Infusium) which I've not had any issues with before.

[NataschaB.]

Do you use cones?

Maybe mineral oil (baby oil) could help your ends. Mineral oil is good at sealing in moisture in hair :)

[nobeltonya]

The only times my ends get like that are either with build-up from too much coconut oil or cones [in which case I wash w/o oil, usually about once or twice a week] or it needs a trim. :disco:

[raingirl]

The ends are dry no matter which shampoo or conditioner I use. I've been using products in this line for about a year now: http://www.live-clean.com/

Recently I tried Ice Shine for fun (it was on sale) to see if it would help, but the ends are the same.

Last trim I had was in the spring where she took a few inches off to get rid of layers and make the cut more straight. I went from BSL to APL in that cut.

[nobeltonya]

Is there a reason you use SLS-free shampoo? Maybe your hair likes sulfates.. mine does. But I use SLES, not SLS. I wash daily, but I use a lot of conditioner [Aussie Miraculously Smooth], some leave-in [GF Sleek & Shine Intensely Smooth cream] and heavily oil with coconut oil almost every night.

[EtherealDoll]

You could try to put shea butter on the ends. It saved my hair after bleaching.
Also, if you want to try S&D, then you don't neccessarily need to trim before. You can S&D right away, just make sure you have good scissors.

[Madora]

If I were in your position, I'd get a good trim first and get rid of the split ends.

Also, try limiting your oiling or whatever, including conditioner use. Your hair may be rebelling against too much stuff on your strands.

Make keep a hair journal and write down what you use and when you use it.

After the trim, I'd clarify then condition (keep it simple).

Mineral oil (used by itself) is very helpful for conditioning your hair and detangling it as well. Use it sparingly..not more than 4 drops (less, if you have short hair). It also helps tame frizzies and leaves your hair soft, shiny and supple.

[raingirl]

I use SLS free because I have lots of thinning and I was worried it was causing my hair to fall out. Since switching though...not seeing much of an improvement. But then again, my ends were always dry on normal shampoo as well.

I'm leaning towards a trim then. I have a wedding and bridal shower to go to in two weeks so it's time for a clean up. Then with all the new things I'm learning here, hopefully I can keep the ends from drying out.

A side question on oil though - I don't think I get it still. It never absorbs into my hair...which I presume it's supposed to do? Even with only a few drops, it makes my hair cling together and get stringy.

[ravenreed]

I can't see an ingredient list, but I bet you have protein overload. For some reason, the natural lines all seem to have protein, which is why I gave up on them.

ETA: If it is protein overload, stop using coconut oil and switch up your shampoo and conditioner for something protein free.



The ends are dry no matter which shampoo or conditioner I use. I've been using products in this line for about a year now: http://www.live-clean.com/

Recently I tried Ice Shine for fun (it was on sale) to see if it would help, but the ends are the same.

Last trim I had was in the spring where she took a few inches off to get rid of layers and make the cut more straight. I went from BSL to APL in that cut.

[nobeltonya]

Have you tried different oils? Maybe coconut oil isn't agreeing with your hair? As for the thinning, do you oil your scalp? If not, you should try it and massage nicely. I noticed a significant improvement in the overall thickness of my hair when I started regularly massaging and oiling my scalp and length nightly. Of course, my hair likes coconut oil.. soaks it right up. But maybe you could try a different oil.

[HairySherry]

Do you oil your hair when it's wet or dry? I find that oils absorb into my hair much more easily when it's wet or damp than when it's dry. I've also found that putting straight coconut oil onto my hair makes my ends super crunchy. A mixture of coconut oil and argan oil (I use an inexpensive "argan oil substitute" of sorts, but it still does the trick) works much better for me. Sometimes I even add in a few drops of EO if I'm feeling fancy and want my hair to smell a particular way, but that's by no means necessary. The oil mixture is much less crunchy on my hair. I'd also like to try mineral oil but I have so much blasted coconut oil to use up first! A dab of jojoba on my ends works nicely as well. I can't really speak to protein issues or anything like that b/c I haven't delved into those things yet, but it might just be the coconut oil? It's worth a shot to switch up your oil and see if you get better results. Good luck! :)

[jojo]

If I was you I'd chop all the dried ends off, no shampoo, conditioner or miracle treatment is going to make them feel better and will prevent you from retaining any growth, sorry to sound so negative but the positive side is once there gone, the gone and your growth will take off and with the help and support off the members on here they will be a thing of the past!

[Arakazi]

I agree with Madora and jojo. Unfortunately I have to take there advice (about the chop too :(. But a clarify makes a big improvement to you hair!

[Greenfire]

There are a couple of tests you can try to determine if your hair needs protein or moisture. Its basically an elasticity test, here's a great visual that explains it.http://www.verticalsinhair.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=66&Itemid=93 As to damaged, you can determine that by looking for multiple breaks along the shafts, white spots and splits. This you'd need to s&d, or take advice from others on here how to live with it. Build up, you could do some washes with shampoos meant to clarify, might take a couple washes. I'd try the test first and do a lot of reading on here before you try something!

[missannie]

Infusium is horrible on my hair! It makes it seems dry and fly away. Have you tried to not use that for a few days?

[Ravenwind]

Have you tried clarifying? Doing that might help :)