new thread
... and encouragement.
Hi everyone. I do not post that much but I read everyday. I have finally reached 11 months of growth (Which is a record for me). I would never have come this far if it wasn't for everyone's update pics which I find very inspiring everytime I feel like hacking all my hair off. Thanks everyone for that.
My hair is generally in very good condition except for the fact that it is so dry. I have a very slight trim about 2 months ago because of split ends. I now have a whole lot more. I REALLY don't want to go for another trim but I am scared to leave the split ends. I heard that they travel to the root and damage your hair. I pulled on both sides of the hair and it did split quite far up...
What do you think I should do? I am starting to think my hair is just not suited to being long because I do everything from oil treatments to not washing and it is stil extremely dry.
Thanks everyone
Hey Kyle,
Great to see youi back posting again!
RE. split ends...
In all the time I've seen my own splits, I have never, I'll repeat: I have NEVER seen split ends split all the way up, "to the roots"... But, I can't claim that I've inspected "every" person's head of hair on the planet, either (lol)!!
Everybody is different, --- and their hair different with it. Whenever I shampoo (which is about twice a week, on average), I use even MORE conditioner afterwards (including some leave-in). I prefer Avalon Organics all-natural hair products, which you can get at Whole Foods grocery store (if you have them in South Africa, Trader Joe's, or any Health Food type store.
I used to get professional hair trims to get rid of the split, broken, damaged, or just generally fry & rough-feeling ends. I went in to have this done about once or twice a year, no more often than that. Recently, due to my hair being long enough now, I have not been to see a professional hair stylist for more than 3 years now, because I use the "Searcfh & Destroy" method myself.
Applying a little bit of beneficial oil onto the ends also has helped me PREVENT a lot of splits; but, unfortunately has not "entirely" eliminated them, either...
Eventually, you WILL find your own path of what works best for you and your hair.
You have WONDERFUL hair!!! Don't ever be fooled into thinking you can't continue to grow it long... Just try out different suggestions that sound good to you, and see which ones bring the best results, --- and have FUN!!
- Ken in San Francisco
(n/t)
Hi Kyle;
Your hair looks great, so try not to over-analysis. I have always thought the split-end fuss is a bit overdone.
Try putting your hair in a pony tail and just treat the ends heavily with oil, jojoba or even some pomade.
Good Luck and keep us posted.
WWT
Maybe this will help, maybe it won't, but I've recently figured out that if I put my hair in a mini-tail (whatever fits at this point) and then put oil/leave in conditioner on the tail part that seems to work better than doing it while my hair is loose.
Also, my hair seems to be softer on the days that I tail it, apply the oil/leave in conditioner (to the whole length, not just the tail), and then leave it in a tail for most of the day. Perhaps it's because the hair is closer to my scalp and picks up my own natural oils better. Even though my hair only has a year's worth of growth, I often apply oil/leave in conditioner to the whole length of it from hairline to tip vs. just the ends. I'd rather have to shampoo a bit more frequently than deal with dryness.
Keep persevering and I hope you find a good routine.
Mouse
Have you tried any deep-conditioning or 'hair butter' products? Do you use any leave-in conditioning products or natural oils? You may have to experiments to find the right product for you. Do you live/work in a dry environment, that might be contributing to your problem?
Carol