HELP !!Doing everything right (Still Breaking)

[kizzylonghair]

Ladies,

I have been trying to grow my hair for the past 2 months. I have NEVER cared for my hair as I do now. I have soaked you all your info an Hair regemines, Vitamins regimes, Protective styles. Developing my own regimes.
My hair is def growing faster due to vitamin intake. (Never grown so fast) However I am still experiencing breakage. Am I expecting to much never to see breakage again (theres no Bud girls)
I am close to quitting!!!!! Please help I bet there are others ladies going through the same thing and would like to know

My main question to you who are retaining length and have length, did or do you still experience breakage?

What did you do to overcome it?

In your opinion how much breakage is normal?

Or any other comments you have on the subject

Thank you

 

[pink_flower]

Hey! Sorry to hear about ur frustrations

What is you regimen? Do you use a protein conditioner regularly? I think its a good idea to incorporate a protein conditioner since is stregthens the strands and helps bind moisture to the hair. Some popular ones our Nexxus Keraphix or Aubrey GPB

I experience breakage from time to time but its usually when Im manipulating too much. My hair is thick and tangles easily so I have to be careful. Protective styling is a good way to remedied this, for me at least.

Also keep in mind that healthy hair takes patience( I still remind myself everyday ), if you hair was severely damaged it may take a little more time. But no one receives long healthy hair overnight,so just keep "babying" your hair and I promise you will see results.

 

[shawniegee]

What condition are your ends in. Usually when my hair is breaking it's time for a trim or my ends are dry. It takes a while to know what your hair likes. There a lot of products recommended on the board that didn't work for me. There's great advice on this board but you have to get to know your hair and be patient.

 

[Isis]

In the past, my breakage was from heat , especially blow-dryers, curling irons and hot combs. No heat, air drying, not combing except on wet hair on wash day, washing 2x/week, keeping my hair and ends moisturized is what stopped the breakage. The main thing for me was leaving all heat alone and I saw no more breakage almost right away.

You may want to take a close look and see if you can pinpoint when you see breakage and look at the connection with something in your regimen, which could be a product or an appliance. Is your home dry? If so, a humidifier would really help.

BTW, your hair is very beautiful!

 

[kizzylonghair]

Thanks Pink Flower,

My hair Regimen

I wash every 3 days, always do a treatment, then deep condition under a hooded dryer for 20 minutes. Although I still feel I struggle a little with my hair when it is wet. I have tried all the suggestion made for drying but I find that they are just to unmanageable (ie Braid outs etc) I hate grease near my face.
I wrap (Try to be gentle ) then I dry under a hooded dryer. I wear my hair protected up in a pony soaked with activator.

Shampoo

Keracare
Redken Extreme Shampoo

Conditioners and Treatments

Keracare Humecto
Motion Critical Repair
Redken Extreme Condition
Redken Extreme Protein treatment
Redken Extreme Reconstructer

Moisturizers

Motions Moisture Plus
Soft and free with Jojoba Oil (Curl Activator)
WGO Oil

Vitamins

GNC Hair, Skin and Nails,
1000 mcg MSM
20mg of Biotin (You did read it right)
GNC Amino Acids 1000
1000ucg Evening Primrose Oil

Maybe my regime needs a little shake up, I will try your suggestions and try to be patient. You are right my hair was far from perfect when I first started so maybe I do need a little more TLC. I will hang in there. Will let you know how I get on Please feel to comment on my regime

 

[Chinagem]

Do you use a heat protectant on your hair? It may be beneficial to add one in since you blow dry every 3 days.

 

[kizzylonghair]

Thanks Chinagem,

I use a dome dryer to dry my hair and dont use protectant. May that be the problem. I usually do my hair in the evening after work when I have no plans to go out.
So I could really air-dry. What do yo think ?

 

[webby]

I may have missed it, but I don't see anything stating the cause for breakage. Is it due to a chemical: relaxer, texurizer, color? Or is it from treatment: protein, too much heat, not enough moisture?

If you are over using the protein, you will most definitely get some breakage.

I only had breakage once or twice in my life and that was due to a bad relaxer in each case. I did recently have a lot of shedding (post-partum), but it stopped immediately when I started using Keraphix and emergencee, but I never use this products back-to-back. These products are great, but must be used with care and caution. I always alternate between a deep moisturizing conditioner and a protein.

If your hair is breaking due to a chemical process, you may need a few good trims to remove the damaged hair. There is no way to undo damaged hair; you can only maintain it while the new, healthy hair grows in.

HTH

 

[kizzylonghair]

Webby,

My hair is relaxed been relaxed for years, my breakage is at the ends.
And now you have mentioned I have been using a lot of protein products thinking they are the answers to my prayer. Didnt know you could aver use protein. I may be in need a trim also

Thanks ladies just more stuff to narrow down why my hair is breaking.

 

[webby]

Yes, you can overuse protein.

Try letting up on the protein, get a dusting (the tiniest amount of hair chipped off of your ends), before you get a real trim. Then start using a moisturizing conditioner for the next two washings. If you feel as though you still need a protein treatment...try it on the third washing.

BTW, although you have had your hair relaxed for years, it can be over processed. That's what happened to me. My stylist decided to take a phone break while the relaxer was ON MY HEAD

 

[kizzylonghair]

Webby

No Way !!! Some professional that it. One of the first things that I done was sack my hairdresser, we had become friends over the years in a salon then she would do my hair in her/my home. Big mistake so many corners cut.
I just couldnt understand if she was supposely looking after my hair so well ( She says) Then why over the years did I near retain ANY hair. It has been the same length for years.
I have now to a new salon that DEF know what they are doing, i will only go for a relaxer or a special treat to get my hair done.

I am quite capable of looking after my own hair just need to stop the breakage.

 

[webby]

I am quite capable of looking after my own hair just need to stop the breakage.

I bet you're good Try what I suggested...maybe someone else will have a better idea, but let us know what you do to get the breakage under control. Good luck!

 

[GodMadeMePretty]

I agree with the possible overuse of protein. Protein strengthens the hair, but it can also cause your hair to become dry and brittle with overuse. Dry and brittle will most certainly lead to breakage.

 

[nurseN98]

I agree with everyone on the protein. You have a lot of heavy duty deep conditioners that you are using. Maybe you can do protein just once or twice a month and the rest of the time do a regular, moisturizing deep condition.

I don't know anything about any of the products you're using but you may want to check how much silicones are in them. Thinking back to when I was relaxed, I remembered that there was a time when I started using different products and I started having to clarify every other time I washed because the silicone was piling up and I think it was keeping my hair from being moisturized properly. Finally I went back to my product staples which did not have as many cones in them and my hair was much better. Good luck!

 

[BklynHeart]

Do you think it will help if you cut the washing down to once a week? Some people's hair can't handle it.

Have you tried rollersetting it instead of wrapping? Its less tension on the hair.

If it's not that, did you start out with damaged ends? My hair became damaged in 2001 due to a hair color and after I cut some hair off it behaved perfectly. Like some of the women mentioned, maybe you need a good trim.

 

[simplycee]

Just my two cents but are you on any type of birth control? When my hair was breaking I couldn't figure out the cause. I did everything, moisture, protein, deep conditions the works. In frustration I mentioned it to a friend who is a nurse. In passing she asked me what kind of birth control I was using. I told her and she told me that could be the root of my problem. Sure enough after a consultation with my gyn and a little online research I discovered that this was a side effect. Lucky for me I was able to switch to something else that worked better for me.

I was also thinking that the combo of evening primrose and flax seed oils help moisturize our hair from the inside out. Are you taking any of these?

Just thought I would throw this in since you are trying everything else.

 

[kizzylonghair]

BklynHeart Thank you,

My ends have always been a problem, Maybe I could try and cut down on the washing, at the this early stage I do need to look at my regime as it does seem to much benefit as it is. I have tried to rollerset but by the time I comb/part my hair and wrap it around the roller its looks like I loose lots of hair.

Simplycee, Thank you

I am not any contraception, however I am talking evening primrose but only for the past 3 weeks. Maybe I will get the benefits soon.

I am gonna have a look around and see if there are some moisturizing products reccomended. I am such a PJ

 

[BklynHeart]

Good luck Kizzylonghair! I know how frustrated you are. Ever since I used L'Oreal Smoothvive in June my hair hasn't been the same. I shed alot as well.

Oh, I just thought of something, have you changed your relaxer recently?

 

[sengschick]

Well my hair is well pampered and healthy and I still see broken hairs. I've just decided that these ends want to break, need to break, whatever. My goal is to cut them off once I get to a length when I won't miss them. But I stopped obsessing over them, my hair isn't thinning out @ the ends. I don't think they are caused by anything other than the fact that they were abused before I found the board. And when I think about the shedding, breaking that other ppl have I know it's really no big deal. I'm talking 3-6 hairs (8 is alot for me and I freak) and the same number of shed hairs daily, so what am I complaining for?

Anyway, the ends are the driest part of my hair. Since the baggie method didn't work for me, I'm trying heavy hot oil treatments for the winter. I'm actually letting my hair dry w/all of that oil on it and I've only seen 1-2 hair over the past 3-4 days (which is major ). So think of ways that will work for you that can keep those ends hydrated. I also of course don't apply direct heat to them often and keep them in protective styles. But I know exactly what u mean about the unruly ends. It seems that only a stylist can get them to act right b/c they don't even str8en well for me w/heat.

 

[kizzylonghair]

sengchick, Thank you

Just checked out your album, Your hair is the bomb!!!!!
Ur Right I am obsessing about my hair 4 months ago I thought the hair I was losting was totally normal,IT WAS NT.
I dont think that the baggie method worked for either but who am I to judge only used it a week.
I am thinking that drying my hair under a dome dryer twice a week is not good what do you think ?

 

[Supergirl]

Hi Kizzy,

When I see posts like this, I always ask this question: What were you doing to your hair before you started your healthy hair regimen? You say you started two months ago, but before that what was your regimen and how did you treat your hair?

With two months of TLC then really the inch of hair closest to your scalp is the only portion of your hair that was not exposed to whatever your previous hair treatment was. So in other words, you still have hair on your head from the time period before you started your healthy hair regimen. So, if there was lots of heat and infrequent conditioning before 2 months ago, remember that the hair that was subject to that is still on your head and it will take some time before you see serious improvement.

Hope that helps. Good luck

 

[BAILEYSCREAM]

Webby,

My hair is relaxed been relaxed for years, my breakage is at the ends.
And now you have mentioned I have been using a lot of protein products thinking they are the answers to my prayer. Didnt know you could aver use protein. I may be in need a trim also

Thanks ladies just more stuff to narrow down why my hair is breaking.

Too much protien will make your hair dry and stringy. Well, this is my personal experience of using too much protein. Any little manipulation and the hair just snaps, like spaghetti.

At the moment, I am having the same problem you are having.

I think you should do more oil treatments - both pre and post shampoo. Also, I am drinking lots, and I mean lots of water as well as massaging oil into my scalp every night. This all seems to be helping.

 

[Poohbear]

Thanks Pink Flower,

My hair Regimen

I wash every 3 days, always do a treatment, then deep condition under a hooded dryer for 20 minutes. Although I still feel I struggle a little with my hair when it is wet. I have tried all the suggestion made for drying but I find that they are just to unmanageable (ie Braid outs etc) I hate grease near my face.
I wrap (Try to be gentle ) then I dry under a hooded dryer. I wear my hair protected up in a pony soaked with activator.

...

Maybe my regime needs a little shake up, I will try your suggestions and try to be patient. You are right my hair was far from perfect when I first started so maybe I do need a little more TLC. I will hang in there. Will let you know how I get on Please feel to comment on my regime

You don't have to use grease for braidouts.

Also, I see you said wrap then dry under hooded dryer... do you wet wrap? Maybe that could be a reason for your breakage. I have fine textured hair and I tried a wet wrap once. After I let the wrap dry, when I unwrapped it, I was getting little broken hairs which I knew were the ends of some of my hair. See, I was trying the wet wrap because some ladies here had success with it. Then I posted a question about getting breakage and found out I used too much leave-in before wrapping it. So if you want to continue wet wrapping, make sure you don't use too many products in your hair and be gentle as possible when wrapping & unwrapping it. HTH!

Here's are some links about wet wrapping:
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=13340&highlight=WET+WRAPhttp://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=13340&highlight=WET+WRAPhttp://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=13340&highlight=WET+WRAP
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=5796

 

[kizzylonghair]

You don't have to use grease for braidouts.

Also, I see you said wrap then dry under hooded dryer... do you wet wrap? Maybe that could be a reason for your breakage. I have fine textured hair and I tried a wet wrap once. After I let the wrap dry, when I unwrapped it, I was getting little broken hairs which I knew were the ends of some of my hair. See, I was trying the wet wrap because some ladies here had success with it. Then I posted a question about getting breakage and found out I used too much leave-in before wrapping it. So if you want to continue wet wrapping, make sure you don't use too many products in your hair and be gentle as possible when wrapping & unwrapping it. HTH!

Here's are some links about wet wrapping:
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=13340&highlight=WET+WRAPhttp://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=13340&highlight=WET+WRAPhttp://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=13340&highlight=WET+WRAP
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=5796

Poohbear,

Thanks for the advice on wrapping, I will be needing it. I am going to relax my hair this week, Cant wait!!. So may go back to wrapping for the first few weeks as I love the results. But I will be more careful !
As for my breakage, I have mininal breakage. So glad that has gone.

Kizzy