Fine Hair & Damage

[chrissy-b]

I tried searching the archives for info, but it kept making me log in over and over and over...and never let me search. I apologize if this topic has already been covered.

I have very fine, fairly straight hair which is prone to splits and some breakage once it's BSL or longer. For people with similar hair, I have two questions:

1.) What have you found that is most beneficial to protect your hair from this type of damage (i.e. oils, treatments, WO, certain handling methods, etc.)?

2.) What have you found that creates this type of damage (brushing, handling, protein, oils, etc.)?

Currently, I CWC 2x a week, CO on the other days, use a leave-in and coconut oil daily, cassia 1x a month, protein treatment 1x a month, brush my scalp with a BBB (or my new wood bristle brush) most evenings before bed and do a heavy oiling or SMT every couple of weeks. I also wear it up everyday. My hair is doing great right now but it's only at SL and I'm concerned I'll have the same problems I had before at a longer length.

Any info would be much appreciated!

[Riot Crrl]

You're doing just about everything I would do. Were you doing all of this last time it was longer? If your habits of shampooing the ends, brushing the ends, color treating, etc. were much different then it's probably going to be a different ball game this time around.

[MemSahib]

Chrissy, when I read your post the first thing that strikes me is how often you wash your hair after some fashion or another. When mine was short I had to tame flyaways with mousse and spray if I washed daily or even every other day. Now I have gradually moved to a weekly schedule. I realize I am many years older than you and that my scalp is not producing oils like it used to, but my hair certainly is happier than it once was. At least for me, less wet handling helps keep the ends nice. I have also used scalp washing with good success in the past although that is not my current regimen.

[morgwn]

First, just a tip about the archive: you have to log off this site before you can log onto the archive site and then just check that box for keeping you logged on. Then when you're done on the archives, log back onto this one after you log off the archives.

It sounds like you're doing all the good things for your hair and your hair type. I just always make sure that I use a very wide-toothed comb if my hair is wet and then comb my hair gently before I use a BBB on it to smooth out the oil. I also have found that my hair does much better when I only wash it twice a week (as even being wet makes it weak), typically just doing CO, and if I need to get my hair wet between those two washings it will just be water.

[chrissy-b]

Chrissy, when I read your post the first thing that strikes me is how often you wash your hair after some fashion or another.

This is one thing that concerns me too. I want to slowly taper off the amount I wet and CO my hair, but I tried it a few weeks back and my scalp broke out something fierce. It's pretty hot where I live right now and I'm hoping that once the weather is cooler I can give it a try again.

Riot Curl: No, I didn't treat my hair as good then, it's true. I hope you're right and I won't have the same problems.

Thanks for your help and advice!

[Delila]

I gradually moved away from daily cleansing/wetting my hair, and nowadays only get it wet about twice a week. Also, I do everything I can to avoid manipulating my hair while it's wet, not even combing it til it's dry. Seems to help.

Other than that, I don't brush my hair at all anymore, just finger comb when dry and only use a wide toothed comb once it's already detangled.

Gentler cleansing is a plus, but for me, gentler handling has been key to making changes in my hair.

[Deborah]

I too agree that washing less frequently would probably be helpful. It simply means less 'wear and tear' on the hair. I wash once a week, once in a while twice a week, but never more than that. I have not used regular shampoo for about five years now. I think that helps too. If your scalp is really oily you might try scalp-only washing on an as-needed basis. There was a lot written about that some years ago on this board. It basically means gently washing just the scalp, while holding the rest of the hair out of the way. This can protect the older, more fragile ends. I find that stroking just a tiny bit of shea butter on the last 6 inches or so of hair, right after washing, also helps protect those ends.

I hope you glean something useful for your own hair very soon!

[harpgal]

chrissy, I have extremely fine hair and one thing that has really helped me in controlling breakage is to comb very, very slowly. Also do not whip the comb off the ends. Tilt the comb so the teeth are pointed slightly upwards and move slowly down the length. When you encounter a snag, stop and pull the hair apart with your fingers, and start with the comb again.

Fine hair is a challenge but when you get it to super lengths, it is very satisfying.

[frizzinator]

If you do not have anything to remove from your scalp or hair, do not brush. I was a firm believer in the bbb everyday, but I tried not brushing and I've lost a lot less hair. I'm saving hairs and counting them; it's fairly easy to do if the hair is worn up everyday. For many, many years I lost an average of 60 hairs a day. I've been brushing once every 3 weeks for the past 6 months, and without brushing I'm losing 10 hairs a day, and I was combing and brushing very carefully during all those years, by starting at the hem and working my way toward the scalp.


I never would have believed it. I thought for sure the quantity of hair lost was not related to brushing, but if you just try not brushing, you may experience exactly what some of us have experienced. It's remarkable. I'm not refering to just the hair you see in the brush, but the total quantity of hair lost everyday.


Scritching, massage and preening moves sebum a lot better than the bbb, although, if you are trying to remove sebum, the bbb might help. I think scritching removes almost anything on the scalp, and it's good for just about everyone. When reducing washing, be sure to scritch everyday.


If you are WO, I highly recommend combing before the rinse and not flipping the hair over to wrap in the towel. It's important to keep the hair in the same direction when it's wet and not combing ...not even finger combing. Let it completely dry before combing, and you'll lose less hair. The tangles fall out when the hair is completely dry. If you have to leave the house, just clip it up with a huge jaw clip, then take it down whenever you can to allow it to dry.

I haven't used water or anything else on my hair for nearly 10 months. My hair still gets a few tangles. Wearing it up everyday helps reduce tangles dramatically. Wearing a silk scarf (in addition to using a silk pillowcase) with the hair loose inside for sleeping has also helped eliminate a lot of tangles.


Be cautious when trying new hair toys. When they are new and I'm learning exactly what they can hold is the time when I break hair. If you're going to wear a ponytail, don't use elastics, but use hoisery instead. Wear updos in different places so the same spots on the hair don't get bent and twisted too frequently. Twist loose, it takes a bit of practice, but it can be done.


Wear the hair up to eliminate damage from wind, seatbelts, chair backs and the hinge on sunglasses. Little snarles and tangles are easy to ignore, until your hair gets longer, and then you will not want the halo. I really like the buff to completely cover my hair in many different situations. So "treat your hair like old lace", fine hair really breaks easily.

[Poppy Seed]

- Comb, very gently, and only when dry. Save the BBB for times when you REALLY need to smooth the top of your head, don't brush right through to the ends.
- Wear up much more than down, keep the ends tucked in and vary where you put elastics or slides etc.
- Washing less frequently (or as infrequently as possible), and/or use scalp washing to stretch the time out.
- Keeping the hair in the same alignment when washing and combing.

All brilliant advice from previous posters, pretty much how I do it too.

Just wondered though, maybe with the monthly protein and the monthly cassia and daily leave-in and daily oiling is all too much for it? I know that for some people too much product - even of 'good' variety - can play havoc with the ends. FOr example, my ends feel quite brittle if I use oil too often (ie after every wash) so I go for oiling every second or third wash. That works out to be approximately once a month.

Protein treatment has also been noticed to sometimes have a detrimental effect on hair. It just depends on your hair type. Also, have you experimented with using different oils? Again, I know that for different people different oils work better or worse. Or no oils at all, and just cassia? Or just the leave-in?

How do you sleep with your hair? Do you tie it up somehow, or have a hair friendly pillow case (e.g silk), or put it in a sleep cap? Hair can get quite mussed during the night, especially if you're a restless sleeper which damages the ends too.

Hope some of that helps, or gives you ideas... GOOD LUCK!