Thin see through ends to cut it not

**Manda12345678** · November 20th, 2017, 04:03 AM

To begging last October a hairstylist chopped my hair just below shoulder length and gave me a fringe and silly layers , not what I asked for (they never listen) now today the longest part of my hair is an inch below bra strap maby a little more and the layers are below shoulder now , my problem is I had a major hair shed a few weeks ago it has slowed down now thankfully but still loose a bit , now the ends of my hair are very thin and see through look in and quite fluffy , I don't want to loose my length but hate the ends I don't know weather to cut or not. Also all of my hair is very brittle dry and breaking of it's awful even the new growth looks unhealthy and extremely dry
i don't colour my hair anymore it's been 2 and a half years since I last coloured
i wash twice a week most
i have a filtered shower head
take biotin zinc and vitamin d
i don't use heated tools
i have had my bloods done and all ok
i started using a cleansing cream shampoo sulphate free
and I use Pantene conditioner without that my hair is so unmanageable
oils make my hair shed like crazy so I stopped that
sorry about the long post just looking for a bit of advise as doctors are useless so was my dermatologist
thanks in advance

**enting** · November 20th, 2017, 04:25 AM

How are your diet and stress levels? Those can also contribute to dryness and brittleness, even if nothing shows up wrong on blood tests. Did they just order a general blood count and vitamins/minerals, or did they also order blood tests of various hormones? I ask because an imbalance in thyroid hormones is quite common and can easily affect hair quality, but it's not always ordered.

I wouldn't cut just yet. It sounds like you would have the same problem with hair in not great condition, but then it'll be shorter, too. Benign neglect outside of actually washing and conditioning it might be in order. If there's a way you can style it during the day that is gentle and hides your ends away from sight, that may be good for both your ends and your peace of mind. There's always those fake-bob hairstyling tools. That would protect your actual thin ends and make your "ends" look thicker while you figure out what's going on without actually having to cut anything off. A bunmaker might also be a good way to protect your ends while keeping them out of view. I'm thinking of this sort of thing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Womens-Bow-...K1wE6knR6PZw_g I've never tried it myself but it looks gentle enough.

Is there anything that could be sucking moisture from your hair? Are you using anything that is a humectant in dry weather? Do you have a satin sleep cap or pillowcase? I'm just tossing out ideas here of things that might help you troubleshoot. If oils are bad for your scalp, what about teas or aloe? Are your skin and scalp also dry, or do you have scalp oils, they're just not helping your hair?

**Manda12345678** · November 20th, 2017, 04:37 AM

Originally Posted by enting

How are your diet and stress levels? Those can also contribute to dryness and brittleness, even if nothing shows up wrong on blood tests. Did they just order a general blood count and vitamins/minerals, or did they also order blood tests of various hormones? I ask because an imbalance in thyroid hormones is quite common and can easily affect hair quality, but it's not always ordered.

I wouldn't cut just yet. It sounds like you would have the same problem with hair in not great condition, but then it'll be shorter, too. Benign neglect outside of actually washing and conditioning it might be in order. If there's a way you can style it during the day that is gentle and hides your ends away from sight, that may be good for both your ends and your peace of mind. There's always those fake-bob hairstyling tools. That would protect your actual thin ends and make your "ends" look thicker while you figure out what's going on without actually having to cut anything off. A bunmaker might also be a good way to protect your ends while keeping them out of view. I'm thinking of this sort of thing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Womens-Bow-...K1wE6knR6PZw_g I've never tried it myself but it looks gentle enough.

Is there anything that could be sucking moisture from your hair? Are you using anything that is a humectant in dry weather? Do you have a satin sleep cap or pillowcase? I'm just tossing out ideas here of things that might help you troubleshoot. If oils are bad for your scalp, what about teas or aloe? Are your skin and scalp also dry, or do you have scalp oils, they're just not helping your hair?

thank you for replying my stress levels are good now I was bit stressed I think that's what caused the shed but okay now.
i have a silk pillowcase I don't dind it's made a difrence
my diet isn't the best as I had a eating disorder for 13 years and still struggle a lot better now though it's only been the last 3 years my hair has changed ,
i had blood work done for certain , thyroids etc and was all good
i usually just twist my hair n cup it back low so I don't use any bobbles either
I have aloe heat but never used it what can I do by using that ? Will it help scalp or hair the one I have in little squeeze tub. And it's pure aloe
i feel really depressed as since I stopped all the bad hair habits like colouring heat etc my hair has gotten worse
thanks for replying so fast

**Sarahlabyrinth** · November 20th, 2017, 04:48 AM

I have long see through ends too from losing hair some years ago. I am about to begin doing micro trims every month to gradually eliminate them without losing noticeable hair length, it works well, you could try doing that. There is a micro trimming and maintaining thread here, you could do some reading up on it.

**enting** · November 20th, 2017, 05:08 AM

Microtrims are a great way to slowly thicken the ends, I agree. As long as it doesn't call your attention more to how thin they are and make you remember your dissatisfaction with them, you could give it a go.

Some people find that massaging their scalp with aloe helps the way oil does for others, but because it's not an oil it doesn't cause shedding for those who are oil sensitive. You may wish to try gentle scalp massages even with just your hands and no added gel/cream. For myself I find that aloe on my lengths makes it feel softer, less brittle. I mix mine with oil, but there's a chance it could help your hair all by itself. It's one of those YMMV things that helps some, doesn't help others, but I think/hope there isn't much risk in trying it.

**lapushka** · November 20th, 2017, 05:25 AM

Bra strap is quite a bit of length already, so congrats on that!

Do you know why you shed that much? My first recommendation was to see your doctor and have some bloodwork done, but you did that and it's fine.

Maybe the cleanser you're using is not agreeing with your scalp. Sometimes people can shed bucket loads when not only oiling, but also when CO-washing (conditioner on the scalp). Why? Nobody knows, but it happens. It can also happen when you wash sulfate-free. So I'd take a look at that new cleanser and maybe go back to what you were using before.

Good luck!

**Manda12345678** · November 20th, 2017, 05:45 AM

By microriming do you go to the salon or do it at home your self ?
i only recently changed to a cleansing shampoo without sls so I don't think that what caused the problem with the shedding I don't find my hair as dry as soon as I've ringed it out ,
i will try the aloe Vera , do you put it in and rinse out ?
ive here's about apple cider vinegar to but unsure on what that does to the hair ?
does anyone else have frizzy thin ends when reaching bra strap ?
i have a gew splits not many it's more dry and frizzy than anything else
I don't know how to post pictures as it would probly help
I was thinking about just feathering the front to tidy up and maby a tiny bit of the length
All In all my hair has thinned by 40% but I'm more concerned about the health where it isn't growing healthy atall
thank you all for your advice

**CindyOfTheOaks** · November 20th, 2017, 05:56 AM

Originally Posted by Manda12345678

By microriming do you go to the salon or do it at home your self ?
i only recently changed to a cleansing shampoo without sls so I don't think that what caused the problem with the shedding I don't find my hair as dry as soon as I've ringed it out ,
i will try the aloe Vera , do you put it in and rinse out ?
ive here's about apple cider vinegar to but unsure on what that does to the hair ?
does anyone else have frizzy thin ends when reaching bra strap ?
i have a gew splits not many it's more dry and frizzy than anything else
I don't know how to post pictures as it would probly help
I was thinking about just feathering the front to tidy up and maby a tiny bit of the length
All In all my hair has thinned by 40% but I'm more concerned about the health where it isn't growing healthy atall
thank you all for your advice

please? You aren't twisting it like a wet cloth to remove water are you ?

**enting** · November 20th, 2017, 06:09 AM

I microtrim at home by myself. There's a whole thread about microtrimming and maintaining here: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...ad.php?t=75468

There are probably threads on how people use aloe, as well. You may want to do a search for it. When I use it on my length I leave it in until the next wash, but you may find that you want to use it differently. Play around with it if you want to, try it before washing, after washing, sometime in the middle... you are definitely not obligated to try it in any fashion.

Apple cider vinegar is a mild acid which helps close the cuticle of the hair. This makes the hair less grabby or velcro-ey for those that use it and like it. Not everyone's hair likes it. I find that for me it makes my hair less tangly and it helps bring the oils from my scalp farther down my hair. The first few weeks that I used it, my hair was so greasy! and my hair was usually pretty dry and brittle. It balanced out after that initial period of time. Most people use it as a diluted rinse after washing their hair. Some rinse it out, some use it as the final rinse and let it dry in their hair. There are definitely a number of threads on this topic as well.

My ends are always dry and frizzy and tangly no matter what length I have, it seems. The last 4-6 inches were unhappy back when I was BSL, they continued to be so at TBL. I just trimmed back to somewhere between BCL and TBL because it was so thin and tangly. I am probably doing something wrong to make it so, but above that point my hair seems pretty happy. I am very prone to splits in addition, but I have a lot of territory that is just dry and crunchy. Microtrimming has helped me get to this point and not just chop off those 4 inches every year only to stay at the same false terminal year after year. When I trimmed tiny bits more frequently my ends were happier. I hadn't trimmed in many months and finally realized this week that I had to do it or the yucky bits would take over more of my length. Keeping my hair covered with soft scarves and hats has also helped protect it and I credit a lot of my newfound ability to gain length to keeping it covered and protected from sun, wind, dust, and contact with other things.

If frizz is very much a problem, it's possible that your hair is curlier than you think. Do you know about the curly girl method? Even if it's just wavier/wurlier than you think and not curly at all, the CG method may help it be its best.

The only things I can think of to help hair from the inside when one is otherwise healthy is to increase protein intake and increase circulation to the scalp. Circulation can be aided with getting exercise, massage, or warmth.

Edited to add: Bra strap length is a length that is prone to damage by being rubbed against things. Many people have difficulty with their ends at this length.