Hair sadness

[hairconvictions]

So, since no one IRL understands how frustrating this is, I had to come to my LHC friends.

I joined LHC a couple months ago when I was living overseas and my hair started growing quickly and getting really healthy.

Since I moved back home and have been showering with the different water, my hair has been breaking constantly, is rediculously tangled at all times and hasn't grown a millimeter since returning home the end of July. It has gotten to the point where I have to use tonnes of cone conditioner just so my hair won't rip out when I FINGER COMB it. :( This makes me very sad. Especially when I looked at my ends yesterday and they were FULL of spots and split ends. Up until we moved back I could barely ever find a split end- my hair was super happy. I don't know what to do. *cry*

[DancingQueen]

I feel for you. This is how my hair acts on vacation, I can't imagine how it is at home! There is nothing to do but try to experiment with new ways.

Have you tried oiling? Especially coconut oil have great recommendations, but oils in general should give your hair plenty of moisture and make it stronger. I can see you live in a cold place. In winters, my hair becomes more impossible, and hats are always a good idea. Preferably one where you can fit all your hair in (it is possible with very long hair as well; you just need to find the right one).

Putting your hair up might also help - buns and braids are pretty popular I think. This will prevent tangles and protect your ends. And you might want to trim off the splits so it doesn't damage your hair further.

I really hope you find a way to help it. I will be crossing my fingers for you. :)

[kaydana]

I think you can buy water filters for shower heads. It would depend on exactly what the issue with the water is, but it might help to resolve the issue slightly.

[battles]

Can you try to find out the type of water where you lived previously versus where you live now, whether the water is hard or soft?

My hair tends to act the same way I unless I use conditioner or an acidic rinse (diluted ACV or white vinegar), and we have hard water here.

I'm not sure, but maybe your hair just doesn't agree with the wash method along with the water?

[MeowScat]

I agree, maybe invest in a shower head water filter. I'm going to get one soon since I've heard great things about them.

The way I can tell that I have hard water is the white calcium deposit spots that have dried on the shower door, tub and faucet.

My Mother In Law has soft water so conditioner and body soap takes forever to rinse off. In fact, it feels like nothing ever rinses off.

S&D your splits and white dots and do some deep conditioning treatments and / or oilings for extra moisture. Wear updos as much as possible and buy a satin pillowcase or satin sleepcap (they're only a few dollars, I love mine!)

I'm sorry your hair isn't happy, it's frustrating when that happens. :mad:

[Natalia]

i dont know your location but it sounds like you have come home to hard water. The leftover chlorone from sanitizng the water can be troublesome as well. Chlorine is easily dealth with by getting a shower filter they run between 15 - 50 usd depending on how fancy you want to get they have them at many hardware stores. For hard water the minerals are tougher to remove so the easiest plan is to do an acid rinse at the end of your wash. Maybe try the recipe for miricle water on here if vinegar or citric acid dont work. You can get a shower softener to remove them but they arent cheap. Im getting one when i move to an appartment but its an investment.

Finding a leave in your hair likes could go a long way in helping tangles. im partail to monoi since my hair hates jojoba and is so so about typical coconut oil. Im also working through my small stash of giovanni direct which is awesome darn formula change.

[gratitudinous]

I had the same issue after moving to a new house with hard water.
The only thing that's worked for me so far is to use gallon jugs of treated water to wash my hair, and only allow the treated water to touch my hair.
My recipe is 2-4 teaspoons of bottled lemon juice to one gallon of water.
Here's the archived thread on using citric acid and vitamin C to treat the water (http://www.longhaircommunity.com/archive/showthread.php?t=51184)
And another member who's had success (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=94090)

[Madora]

Perhaps catnip rinses for splits might help your problem.

More about it here:

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

Also, to help keep your hair moisturized, you might want to investigate using mineral oil (aka baby oil). Here's a link:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=225

Also, how do you detangle? Proper detangling goes a long way to keeping your hair healthy.

Another link:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=230

Once you get your water filter in place, you might want to consider clarifying your hair with a clarifying shampoo to remove any buildup. Be sure to condition afterwards.

Perhaps the products you are using are contributing to your problem? Try diluting your shampoo and your conditioner and see if that helps.

Lastly, try and keep the products you use to a minimum. Sometimes hair that is tangly, etc, is the result of too much stuff on the hair. The products do not interact well with either other, resulting in difficult hair.

You might want to keep a hair journal of what you're using and for how long to find out what works for you. Good luck!