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I keep getting pissed off because my ends are always in the process of splitting or have those weak ends that break off all the time. And the thing is I just got a big time trim a month and a half ago. 1+ Inch came off all the hair. It was in bad shape. But now i notice that the same stuff that happened before is happening again. That is, ends getting weak and splitting off. My question is as follows? If i take very good care of my hair, aka, conditon and shampoo not straighting blah blah, can taking a shower with hot water damage hair to that extent? Please any help is appreciated, a fellow long hair comrade is asknig for help. Oh and by the way, does most of you comb ur hair when it's wet or let it dry as is outta the shower. Thanks
Question to you - what kind of shampoo do you use? How often do you wash?
Hot water is said to open up the hair shaft, as it, under magnification, resembles overlapping shingles proceeding downward along the hair shaft. By opening up the hair shaft, it is said that this can make the hair rougher and more prone to breakage. Supposedly, cooler water keeps the shaft sealed tight.
As for combing, the only time I comb my hair is when wet. I think your hair is somewaht longer than mine - I have not caught back up yet - but it is curly, isn't it? I find that after washing an thoroughly conditioning that I almost never get tangles or snags, although many would say that combing wet is a bad thing. But, the thing is, this is the only time I can comb my hair, as I am unable to do do after it has dried, since it is all curled back up and then would just be a big afro were I to comb or brush it then.
If you just had a trim, and are getting rough, breaking ends already, then I don't know what a solution is unless you are just being too rough with you hair or washing it too much.
Hot water does not damage hair. Hot water opens the top layer of hair called the cuticle, which will then let in shampoo molecules to clean it. Then conditioner leaves molecules to leave the hair moisturised and close the cuticle scales, which is what gives you smooth hair.
Good tip is to use colder water after conditioning to help close the cuticle and hot water whilst shampooing to open it.
Hope this helps.
have you straightened or bleached your hair before? remember since hair is dead as soon as it grows out of your scalp, any damage done to it is usually permanent unless you cut it, or protect it with some special conditioner made for damaged hair. If you straighten your hair before and decided to stop, your hair will be very fragile. Hot water is no problem unless its so hot that it burns you. Water hot enough to cause hair damage will most likely cause second degree burns anyways.
Hey, I know it feels great to take hot water showers, specially in the winter...
But it's a MUSTN'T if you want healthy long hair =( So please don't use hot water on your hair anymore, this way you'll see your ends improoving, I'm mostly sure =) And give a try at oiling your ends as well, ýou can chose from a big variety of oils such as almond, cocunut, olive... I use sweet almond oil and works fine, I just did an oiling right now =P When I wash my hair, I use lukewarm water, as I've seen recomended to long hair on every hair care site I visited, and then, when rinsing off the conditioner, I use the coldest water possible (yes, even now in the winter lol). I simply tilt my head back so that the cold water won't touch my body than squeeze it out. It's not as dificult as it seems and my hair defenitly gets much softer and shiney! This is because the cold water closes the cuticles of the hair so they lie flat, keeping it protected =) And you can always take hot showers without washing your hair =P I do that all the time lol. Simply tie your hair or bun it, and don't let the water get to it =)
As for combing, I do use a wide toothed comb to detangle when my hair is wet. If I don't to this, I won't be able to do anything with it when it dries, because my hair is slightly wavy, so it won't tangle if I don't detangle when wet. If you are really gentle it won't cause any damage =)
Good luck =) And don't forget, practice makes perfect =D
I actually shampoo and rinse with hot water, and then, when I use conditioner, rinse that out with cold water. And on conditioner days only, I only use cold water. As far as my hair is concerned, I haven't noticed any damage. In fact, my hair looks a lot healthier when I do this. It really depends your hair. Hot water dries your hair out somewhat, so if you have naturally dry hair, you might want to avoid shampooing with hot water. However, you might want to try luke warm, if shampooing with cold is unbearable.
As for combing, I do. But again, I blow dry (cold setting) my hair, since I have school and I don't have time for my hair to air dry.
Extemely hot water past 95 degrees to the point of boiling can cause your hair's molecular bonds to be destroyed almost to the point of frying.