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My biggest problem used to be headbutts with the school I go to. Now with college not too far off and freedom, I'm realizing something extremely disappointing: my hair is horribly damaged.
Maybe it's genetics. My mom's family has great hair, but my dad's brother went bald at 20 and my dad followed at 30. But even his hair is nowhere near as broken as mine.
I don't have a camera, so I'll try to describe it. Most of it is fine, but the very top layer, as I speak, is pure frizz and feels rough and broken. I just washed it and most of its still wet, but if I rub my hand across the top, the frizz sticks straight up. It doesn't seem to retain water. I went outside and the wind completely mangled it. I'll try to get pictures up soon.
I don't know why it's so damaged. My current routine is to wash every 3 to 4 days (which is tough; I also have a dandruff problem and my scalp is very itchy). I'll wet my hair with warmish water, rub shampoo through and massage my scalp, immediately rinse it out, then put in conditioner and leave that in maybe about 7 minutes before I rinse with cold water. I comb it immediately with a wide-toothed comb and let it airdry. I use Redken extreme shampoo and conditioner usually, but today I used some Paul Mitchell shampoo and the only conditioner we had (Redken but for color-treated hair; not mine).
I used to always get layered cuts and my hair was decently healthy. About three years ago I got a really bad skin condition on my forehead (dry, scaly skin -- I still kind of have it). Around this time I also got bad dandruff, so I switched to Head and Shoulders shampoo. I was very ignorant back then and didn't condition. This went on for no more than 6 months I believe. The dandruff problem went away (it's acting up again now) but in hindsight, all I needed to do was wash more frequently (before then, I probably used to wash only on weekends -- once a week basically).
Since then I haven't done anything too extreme to my hair. I rarely blowdry. I've straightened maybe four times my entire life and that was months apart (and it felt/looked so great). When it got really damaged, I had it cut in layers by a dependable stylist. It was fine for a few weeks but today after I washed and the top layer frizzed up majorly like it used to and now I'm majorly depressed again. I've wanted to grow it long since third grade, but I don't know if it'll ever be possible.
I'll try to get pictures up soon, but please, what can I do? I have two more years before college, so I'm willing to cut it shorter than it's ever been and start over, but I felt like I did that a few weeks ago. What am I doing wrong to make it so damaged?
First off welcome to MLHH. Without seeing good pictures it would be difficult to judge how much and what kind of damage you have. Read through our links page here. http://www.mlhh.org/links.html to see if there is anything helpful. My first thought is not to trim/cut until the damage can be properly assessed. You may need only to change your routine or get an oil treatment or some such. As for me, blow drying,straightening and such are ways to damage hair. This is not the consensus of all here at MLHH though. Hope to see some pic's soon.
Hi!
I have the same problem.
I used to have a huge dandruff problem for several years. I had to wash my hair every day or i would scratch myself all night.
The scalp was greasy and the ends dry.
I started using Alpecin double effect. Don't know if it is available outside Germany or how it might be called in your area. But it really helped. It is against dandruff and hair loss. Don't know about the hairloss, but it really stopped the dandruff.
My hair is also broken. The hair on the top of your scalp is often damaged because it is not "hidden" underneath other hair like the one at the back.
I use stiling mousse from my hair dresser as it doesn't dry your hair too much. Put it into wet hair, braush it back and make a ponytail until your hair is dry. It keeps the short broken hair down and it doesn't look frizzy.
I can't see any mistakes in your routine. Thin hair tends to break. I have cut it short in order to start anew a few years ago, but it will most likely happen again. So just keep on with your caring routine:)
Benny
Finally I have a picture. This represents what the damaged top layer looks like. Usually I can make it lie slightly more flat, but this is not at all an exaggeration if it's the least bit windy. So what should I do? The rest of the hair is more or less healthy.
Also, a question. People with much shorter hair in the front have more "fluid" hair. They lean over and it has a swoosh effect. Almost everybody I know has this. My hair has about the same wavy consistency, but it seems thicker and more rigid. Any reason why?
This is most certainly an odd problem. At first, I thought what you were describing sounded kind of similar to a phase my hair seems to be going through, but having seen the picture you posted, this no longer seems to be the case.
The very top layer of mine is sort of frizzy and wild, but definitely isn't doing anything like what yours is. Basically, my hair becomes very dry whenever I use shampoo, even though I condition afterward. It's doing better over time as I refrain from shampooing as much.
I'm probably going to try a different brand soon (currently using Suave, just 'cause it's what my sister's got.) That's pretty much all I can think of to suggest for you. I've had a formerly-longhaired friend recommend Herbal Essences, for example. Try a bunch of different things and see if you get any improvement.
Lemme know if you figure anything out. :)
Like I said, I've seen frizzy hair, but over the years, mine has seemed to be
getting much worse than anything else I've ever seen. My hairstylist, whom I
trust, recommended a kit for beginning-to-bald hair (I told her about my dad
and about the weird front/top layer). I think it was called Nioxin or
something. I'll continue to experiment with different combos of product and
stylings (gel in it after shower, comb it back and let it dry that way, etc).
If anybody has more specific advice or experience with whatever problem this
is, I'd love to hear it. Otherwise, just wish me luck please and thanks for the
great site!
try this
http://www.brandsonsale.com/cg-003751.html
thats what i use .. my mom side has beautiful hair and my dads side has unfavorable hair and it fell out when he was in his 20s... i am almost 22 and i have more hair than he ever did and it grows nicely as well.