Scab hair!!!!!!!!!!!

anonymous_1037

Eww i hate, it is making my journey to natural really hard. Is there anyway to fix it, also what can i do to stop having scab hair?

NaturallyCurlyVixen

I don't think there is anything you can do. I think you just have to wait it out. Maybe try conditioning it to soften it? I hope this helps.

mariag002

I'm a little confused as to what "scab hair" really means. I had an awful dream last night that I had scab hair and I had to cut my hair bald LOL

Anyway, how many inches of scab hair do you have? I look at my hair and I sometimes wonder if there is such a thing and how many inches of this type of hair do I have. I really don't want to cut my hair again.

mariag002

Oh by the way, I found this article on Naturallycurly.com
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlcolumns/articles.php?id=400

Q: Can you address the phenomenon known as 'scab' hair? How exactly does the relaxer impact hair that has not grown in yet?
DIANE: Apparently 'scab' hair is the terminology that the lay girls have given to leftover relaxed hair that has not completely been cut off when growing out one's natural hair. Frankly, I wish people wouldn't use the word when they can easily cut off all the relaxer or simply use natural sets and products to create beautiful styles while going through the process. Most often, the remaining relaxer acts as a curly buffer, which visually makes the hair look texturized with the proper products. (The word scab in the medical world is a term for dried skin that forms over a wound to protect the skin while the healing process takes place.)
Why not take this healing time to appreciate the growing-out process and use natural sets described in Chapter 8 of 'Textured Tresses'?
The demarcation line where the relaxed hair and natural hair meet can be affected while natural hair is growing in. Depending on one's curl pattern, there may be a considerable amount of breakage. That's why using deep penetration and moisturizing conditioners are very crucial during this period. There are a few options. You usually have about five to eight months before you'll have to cut hair completely off or if the hair is wavy and curly, you can slowly cut the relaxer out.

And links to threads from other websites on the subject:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forums/showthread.php?mode=hybrid&t=43129&highlight=scab+hair

This one is more on the "controversy" of scab hair and whether it really exists:
http://www.nappturality.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=85793

FallOutCurl

I was about to ask the question what is scab hair but mariag002 explains it perfectly. thanks

multicultcurly

The only cure is to wait it out. I realize that some people say there is no such thing as scab hair, but for me it is hair that is neither relaxed nor the natural texture; it's almost a dry, unruly hybrid. In the meanwhile, baby your hair with moisture, take vitamins, eat protein, drink lots of water, etc and your hair will eventually return to normal.

mixed_beauty85

thanks for posting! i had no idea what scab hair was either until i read this thread

violets

multicultcurly wrote: »

The only cure is to wait it out. I realize that some people say there is no such thing as scab hair, but for me it is hair that is neither relaxed nor the natural texture; it's almost a dry, unruly hybrid. In the meanwhile, baby your hair with moisture, take vitamins, eat protein, drink lots of water, etc and your hair will eventually return to normal.

Yup, this is exactly what scab hair is...
Its that piece of hair that never really takes the relaxer well. It grows and feels different than the rest of your hair.
I didn't know I had scab hair until after an inch or 2 of scab hair I started to feel my hair grow in softer. Its not relaxed hair, but it isn't your real hair either. It grows after your relaxer ( mine was in certain spots only). After you start to feel your hair grow soft, then you realize...oh that was scab hair!

jenniferohjenny

I have to add my 2c & say that there is no such thing as "scab" hair. mariag002 posted a good link that basically explains that. If people want to use that term to describe the hair @ the demarc I can live w/ that but there is no such thing. I'm ITA w/ what that link says (paraphrased) that a topical chemical like a relaxer (especially if it was applied correctly --- to the hair & not the scalp, will not affect the new growth since hair is produced from the follicle. Thankfully, I've never had an issue w/ this phenomenon.

I have to concur w/ the others: moisturize like crazy and when you get a length that you are comfortable with, cut the hair off.

Curlydoll

Although I don't like the term "scab hair," I do believe the concept is very real. Many people I know who have transitioned said that their hair became softer and more manageable as it grew out. Some even did a BC, and then did another BC after 1 year (or more), let new hair grow in, and said that the new hair felt softer than the old hair.

I believe that relaxers can leave residue on our scalp/below the surface that may affect the growth of our new, non-relaxed tresses for longer than we would like. I think of scab hair, more like "scar" hair. When you have a scar, it sometimes takes longer to go away, and sometimes it heals really quickly. It just depends on the person. In the end, if you don't relax for a while, your virgin hair should come back to it's natural state and the residue of the relaxers eventually goes away, I believe!

SashaBReal

I Believe there is a such thing as scab hair because my hair is a 3c I know because I was natural for a whole year. Now I went back natural 3 months ago and its not the same texture that it was yet. It's dry my curls are not as defined and it sucks lol but I have to wait it out...

NubianPrize

I'd had curly perms since 1981 & decided to quit & go natural after getting breakage last year. Last touchup was October 2008. Did the BIG CHOP myself in Feb 2009 & now have an inch or so long afro. Anyhow the new hair that started growing in right after the last touchup is some NASTY STUFF:evil:.The texture is weird,wiry & won't act right. Not like my normal soft 4a/b texture.I called it ALIEN HAIR:evil2:... wanted to take a John Deere to it.Now I see I'm not the only one with this mess & it's called "scab hair":pukeleft:. An old pal had the same thing happen to her after she quit curly perms.I've been using CURLS products & Cantu leave in conditioner plus coconut oil & unrefined shea butter. Also been taking heavy duty vitamins with extra biotin & MSM.I've noticed recently that there are spots of newer growth appearing now that are nice shiny little s curls & more like my natural texture. They're scattered thru my hair along with the scab mess so I guess I'll just have to keep moisturizing & conditioning my hair till it gets long enough for me to trim that mess off & still have a decent afro. I don't like my face with very short hair so I'm wearing a nice wig till I can wear it out.

desert flower

I have seen a lot of friends with this issue, both with curly perms and relaxers and my cousin, who used to bleach her hair. I thought they were imagining it at first too and that it was just frustration with two textures, but my cousin showed me the difference between the textured hair, scab hair and newer growth...wow!!

I think it is, as another poster said, that some chemicals get on or under the scalp...after all, it is skin and things do sink in. I wonder if it could also be damage that has happened to the follicle...could that affect the growth?

What has really helped some of my friends is constant scalp massages, often times with coconut oil, in order to keep the scalp happy and baby that new growth from the first minute.

NubianPrize

Thanks. Glad to see someone else has seen this happen to other women friends. I'm still following my regimen,including daily scalp massages,etc. I've also added ORS fertilizing serum & Dr Miracle's temple & nape balm for thinning areas & they're filling in nicely. For some reason the temples have very little scab hair, & the newest new growth is starting to look more normal.

SwtSabi

:lol: I learned something new, okay am going to try n see if I have any such problem. My hair has been acting up since my last curly perm which was in sep2008.

Since then I had a lot of growth but they all r not the same texture. The side of my head and the back have the same type of curls with the new growth in a very corkscrew shape but very dry n thin.

The new growth in my front is in an S-shape curl and very soft with moisture.

But the thing that surprised me most is me getting new baby hair if I can call it that on the back of my neck which is 3 inch's and growing.:happy7:

Anyways I don't think I have the scab hair since I don't know my natural hair type but with your posts then there is a possibility my mixed texture is caused by previous curly perms.

brown_eyedgal20

Love it when I learn something new. Although I though the scab word really meant scabs...like sores...
Great to know it is not that. I think that would be even more horrible.

Flashdance

OH Lord me 2! I thought it was a way for describing someone who had really, really sore & flaky scalp- like...psoriasis...in the head...:eye::evil2:

It's a relief this is just lay terminology...I think I have scar hair & this makes sense now...especially because there were always some parts of my hair which did not take as easily as other parts to a relaxer....Even when I was did the relaxers, it was pretty frustrating.

afrodominican1

Scab hair is very real. I chopped my hair down to maybe 1/4 of an inch and as my hair grew in certain spots the texture wasnt curly or relaxed. It was dry and rough. I read in my mom's cosmetology book that relaxers sometimes damage the hair follicle causing what does grow to be dry, rough, and resistant to moisture and products. Once a person starts to take care of the scalp the follicle heals and healthier hair will grow in. In my case as my hair grew in I had to cut it like 3 times before i completely stopped seeing scab hair in certain areas. my hair just kept growing scab hair until my scalp got healthier. After cutting, cutting, and cutting my fade finally had a chance to grow because scab hair was no longer being produced and i could see and feel the difference in my hair texture.

Flashdance

Mm, good to know Dominican. Relaxers do so much damage physically & mentally. Reminds I just saw a friend whom used to be natural. Now it very much looks she has a relaxer back as well as color-after quite a while of being 'natural.' :sad:

Hakim Nuraldin

mariag002 wrote: »

Oh by the way, I found this article on Naturallycurly.com
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlcolumns/articles.php?id=400

Q: Can you address the phenomenon known as 'scab' hair? How exactly does the relaxer impact hair that has not grown in yet?
DIANE: Apparently 'scab' hair is the terminology that the lay girls have given to leftover relaxed hair that has not completely been cut off when growing out one's natural hair. Frankly, I wish people wouldn't use the word when they can easily cut off all the relaxer or simply use natural sets and products to create beautiful styles while going through the process. Most often, the remaining relaxer acts as a curly buffer, which visually makes the hair look texturized with the proper products. (The word scab in the medical world is a term for dried skin that forms over a wound to protect the skin while the healing process takes place.)
Why not take this healing time to appreciate the growing-out process and use natural sets described in Chapter 8 of 'Textured Tresses'?
The demarcation line where the relaxed hair and natural hair meet can be affected while natural hair is growing in. Depending on one's curl pattern, there may be a considerable amount of breakage. That's why using deep penetration and moisturizing conditioners are very crucial during this period. There are a few options. You usually have about five to eight months before you'll have to cut hair completely off or if the hair is wavy and curly, you can slowly cut the relaxer out.

And links to threads from other websites on the subject:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forums/showthread.php?mode=hybrid&t=43129&highlight=scab+hair

This one is more on the "controversy" of scab hair and whether it really exists:
http://www.nappturality.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=85793

Uh, didn't you ladies read this? It explains that there really is no scab hair.

ayotal

i have to say that i agree that 'scab hair' (although some may not like the term) exists.

i am nearing 5 months post-relaxer, and the first 2-3 inches of my new growth had no pattern and were crinkly wiry and bent at weird angles. some had curl, but most were just really wiry and hard. this newest inch or so that has grown out is softer, shinier, and has a pattern. it is also finer and not wiry. perhaps the line of demarcation for some exists in inches, and not abrupt change.

maybe for some, they are mistaking their natural texture for 'scab hair' but I don't believe that's true for everyone, and I certainly don't believe it's true for myself, as the texture change is very real.

:computer:

NubianPrize

ayotal wrote: »

i have to say that i agree that 'scab hair' (although some may not like the term) exists.

i am nearing 5 months post-relaxer, and the first 2-3 inches of my new growth had no pattern and were crinkly wiry and bent at weird angles. some had curl, but most were just really wiry and hard. this newest inch or so that has grown out is softer, shinier, and has a pattern. it is also finer and not wiry. perhaps the line of demarcation for some exists in inches, and not abrupt change.

maybe for some, they are mistaking their natural texture for 'scab hair' but I don't believe that's true for everyone, and I certainly don't believe it's true for myself, as the texture change is very real.

:computer:

It sure is real & I'm still dealing with it. My hair has grown out about 2" since I did the BC in Feb,altho I've done some trimming since then. My situation is exactly like yours & there are weird effects still turning up. Today I found a very long strand...about 4" long on the left side of my head. It had a part zigzag part 4a texture & was longer than any other strand near it. The 4a part was closest to my scalp. I'm seeing more little coils & can feel them down at the roots. I've talked to several others who've had this weird hair grow in after years of perms.

ayotal

NubianPrize wrote: »

It sure is real & I'm still dealing with it. My hair has grown out about 2" since I did the BC in Feb,altho I've done some trimming since then. My situation is exactly like yours & there are weird effects still turning up. Today I found a very long strand...about 4" long on the left side of my head. It had a part zigzag part 4a texture & was longer than any other strand near it. The 4a part was closest to my scalp. I'm seeing more little coils & can feel them down at the roots. I've talked to several others who've had this weird hair grow in after years of perms.

yeah, some parts of my hair feel like there's more of my natural pattern than others, but all of it has the 'scab hair'. I also have extra long wiry zig-zag bits in the midst of shorter parts. My natural hair is coming in at s shaped 4a and 3c curls.

System

I agree with the scab hair "myth" being a reality.

My daughter's hair was permed when she was younger. She's now been 100% natural for about 4 years and her hair is down a little past her shoulders.

The hair on the last inch or so is harder, scratchy, dry and tangly no matter what I do with it. The rest is soft and curls beautifully into tiny little 4a coils and 4b zigzags. The only "cure" is to cut it off, but I'm waiting for her hair to grow out a bit more before I do that.

Mixed Chica

So How do you get rid of scab hair?

Is scab hair like split ends?

NubianPrize

Mixed Chica wrote: »

So How do you get rid of scab hair?

Is scab hair like split ends?

Folks tell me to let my hair grow out,keeping it as conditioned & healthy as possible.Then when your hair gets long enough to wear out or work with,you can have the bad scab hair,which would be the ends, trimmed off. I'm wearing a wig til mine grows out & is a lot healthier.

I figure wearing a wig will give all my hair a chance to rest from styling manipulations & exposure to the elements.Plus I don't have the daily hassle of wondering what it's gonna look like that day. Right now it's a short afro & that's not a good style for me. I also have some thin nape spots that are filling in nicely but haven't caught up with the rest yet.

Scab hair is WEIRD. Before I learned that term, I called it ALIEN HAIR. It's not my normal texture which is fine textured kinky curly type 4a/b. This alien/scab stuff is very dry,crinkly,has a distorted angular almost non existent curl pattern & does NOT respond too well to products. It was the new growth that grew in right after my last perm. My last one,a curly perm, was in October 2008. Then I noticed the weirdness coming in when it was time for a touchup in January. I decided to go natural & never got the touchup.The richest oils & butters from Qhemet Biologics & CURLS,pure raw unprocessed shea butter or coconut oil, jojoba oil & Wild Growth oils often seem to just sit on top of that bad hair & not penetrate & soften it but the hair that grows in under it is nice & soft & has my original curl pattern.

JustKitty6

Well now that I know what scab hair is I have to say I believe it to be true. SMH Whenever I'd get a fresh relaxer which was like 2x a yr, my first inch of new growth would be crazy rough and not the soft baby curls I normally have. but maybe it wasnt scab hair because eventually it would smooth out... I'm so lost:dontknow:

Yaya24

I did my BC on 6/5/09, and have experiences the weirdest knotting and dry uncooperative NG in some sections.. I just BC'd AGAIN (6/20).. took off about another 1/2 an inch.. I am hoping that this will help with my scab hair.. (which I do feel is a real, real thing).. in some sections of my hair, I am not experiencing the mess, but in others, I have the most unruly dry brillo pad feeling hair..

dezdamona

Yaya24 wrote: »

I did my BC on 6/5/09, and have experiences the weirdest knotting and dry uncooperative NG in some sections.. I just BC'd AGAIN (6/20).. took off about another 1/2 an inch.. I am hoping that this will help with my scab hair.. (which I do feel is a real, real thing).. in some sections of my hair, I am not experiencing the mess, but in others, I have the most unruly dry brillo pad feeling hair..

Same here~ A patch of brillo!

Mixed Chica

Yea I think I have some scab hair I have been transitioning for 7 months and 1 day and so I'm sure there is some scab hair there.

I think I will start wearing a wig tho because right now I'm wearing braids and its takes me so long to braid my hair plus I'm not the best braider so I think I will get a wig or two.

I never wore one tho kinda nervous about that.

Has anyone tried yarn braids ?

Oh and I think I wanna try a hair concoction with honey bananas, and maybe oils and avocado...I think this works best for me because of the recession and I am really getting to know my hair.

still doing my research tho.

I'm so happy my bald spot is clearing up I have been taking photos every month and I am seeing some improvement.

lisabrown070109

:sign5: you;re right that would've been a nightmare for me..

mariag002 wrote: »

I'm a little confused as to what "scab hair" really means. I had an awful dream last night that I had scab hair and I had to cut my hair bald LOL

Anyway, how many inches of scab hair do you have? I look at my hair and I sometimes wonder if there is such a thing and how many inches of this type of hair do I have. I really don't want to cut my hair again.