I'm Losing it (my hair) literally...Help!

fatalbeauty

I'm having the most frustrating experience with my hair (4a). I decided that I was going to take care of my hair myself (no more salons). So....I did my research, put together a regimine, got up the courage and off I went.

The problem is, my curls are breaking off! It's growing, but constantly breaking off at the ends. Simply finger combing causes small clumps of curls to break off the ends :sad1:

My bi-weekly routine for the last 3 months is as follows:

Hot oil treatment (EVOO covered with a cap and a warm towel for an hour)
Wash (Shea Moisture)
DC (30 mins to 1 hour)
Rinse, add leave in
Seal w/Jane Carter Solution Nourish and Shine
Protective Style (Flat twist/Two strand twist combo)

I was doing a protein treatment along with this at first but it left my hair extremely hard, even after DC. After DC I usually just finger comb my hair but it still comes off right on my fingers. I'm not thinning at all, no history of hair loss in my family....It's just breaking off at the ends just as fast as its growing.

It's frustrating enough to make me want to run to the salon for a sew in ASAP....but I'm seriously trying to hang in there.

Any advice would be welcome. Thanks Curlies!

Firefox7275

Welcome! Sometimes old hair is just too damaged from past abuse to be salvageable and needs to be cut off, hair is dead so can only be temporarily repaired. Which deep conditioner and leave in are you using?

Are you being SUPER gentle with your twists? I don't really understand the concept of protective styling, it's all manipulation and forcing the hair into an unnatural shape which potentially stresses the hair and causes mechanical damage.

Do you know your hair properties, and have you considered having a hair analysis? Komaza Care are very detailed, will tell you what type of damage you have and how far up the hair it is.
Komaza Care HAIR ANALYSIS Service - Rave! - Long Hair Care Forum

fatalbeauty

Hey FireFox, I'm thinking that you may be right. I colored my hair about a year ago and the ends that still have color are brittle and a completely different texture than the rest of my hair.

As far as protective styling goes, I find that I lose more curls with daily manipulation of my hair vs. leaving it in a twisted style for a week or two.

I'm using Shea Moisture conditioner and Cantu leave in.

Firefox7275

That does sound like the issue, the protein structure of the colour treated ends are so damaged even basic manipulation is making them snap off. Sadly the solution to hair that far gone is to cut it off.

Maybe try different conditioners, coconut oil is king for colour damaged hair because it penetrates reducing protein loss and increasing elasticity. The oleic acid in olive oil is also believed to penetrate but there is no evidence it helps protect from further damage (protein loss) as lauric acid in coconut oil does.

Your routine is wall-to-wall shea butter, that mostly sits on the surface but doesn't penetrate or 'nourish' hair. If you like buttery type consistencies you might look for products rich in tucuma butter, babassu oil or palm kernel oil, all are high in lauric acid and contain some oleic acid so will penetrate.

Other beneficial ingredients for colour treated hair include hydrolysed proteins (as you know), ceramides and panthenol. Komaza Care offer products with these and other beneficial ingredients that are also the correct pH for hair.

nettie4lyfe

Welcome, you may need to use a protein treatment. Aphogee 2 minute reconstructor helps alot, or the deep conditioner followed with there moistuizer treatment does wonders for breakage. I sometime add evoo, honey, and eggs and mayonaise (the eggs add natural protein ) to my Shea Moisture masque weekly. Yes, I agree coconut oil is excellent, grapeseed oil also has Vitamin E in it as well.

Sent from my HTC Desire C using CurlTalk App

swishtut

Theres a thin line between ho much moisture and protein you hair needs. It will break if it doesn't have enough of either. If you have been using a lot of butters maybe you could wash them out with a non sulfate shampoo. If it were me id use a 50/50 apple cider vinegar water mix to clarify. Clarifying will get all of the goop off you hair. Then use a protein treatment like recommended above, or spiral solutions protein treatment, or shea mosture anti breakage mask, or even Aubrey organics GBP conditioner, which is lightweight. Then use a moisturizing conditioner, not a butter like Deva curl heaven in hair or spiral solutions deeply decadent (it does not detangle. It is a moisturizing conditioner) or some other water based moisturizing conditioner. After that you can use your butters like bee mine or as i am. I would pre poo with coconut oil after this n a regular basis, and clarify with the vinegar mix once a month. If your hair was hard after the protein and the moisturizing conditioner you either needed a different conditioner or another treatment.
Is hard when you start out. On youtube heyfranhey has some excellent tutorials. You may not want to use the same products but you can se the came kind of products and follow her steps. I found the information a tremendous help and I've been natural for years. However i cut off all of my hair one year ago for a do-over and i am retaining more length and have more hair now then after years of being natural. I found that using products that are more natural, keeping on to of moisturizing, and protective styling will help you keep,your hair on your head.
Also check out the natural haven blog if you haven't already, and product reviews from denimpixie. They're both about the science. And grow it by chicara)??

Firefox7275

nettie4lyfe wrote: »

Welcome, you may need to use a protein treatment. Aphogee 2 minute reconstructor helps alot, or the deep conditioner followed with there moistuizer treatment does wonders for breakage. I sometime add evoo, honey, and eggs and mayonaise (the eggs add natural protein ) to my Shea Moisture masque weekly. Yes, I agree coconut oil is excellent, grapeseed oil also has Vitamin E in it as well.

Sent from my HTC Desire C using CurlTalk App

Sorry but egg proteins are too large to penetrate or adhere to the hair, they are useless as a protein treatment.

rababe

Many hair care products are designed to help maintain thick and healthy hair or enhance thinner hair. However, some hair loss is largely attributed to the bad consequences of a great number of shampoo or products contained chemicals. No offence to the hair care products, here a few hair care methods are also offered to help you to thicken your hair.
1. Handle your hair gently. Avoid using narrow-toothed brush and comb it when too wet.
2. Avoid heating your hair. Blow dryers, straighteners or curling irons will dry the hair out, which you should try to get away from it.
3. Don’t wash your hair everyday. Some people are used to wash their hair everyday, however, their hair doesn’t shine at all. They are confused! The secret is that they damage the natural oil that your hair has produced to protect your hair.

russtym

Hi, Just joined and browsing around the site. I saw your post and had just read another article Hair-raising discovery in pursuit of a cure for baldness | Thicken Hair
you never know if this will be available in the next five years and give us a way forward