new thread
Hey guys, I been thinking about shaving my head and starting over even though I've finally hit about the 16 month mark. In my opinion my hair is really damaged and that's what's making it grow wierd and not look right. Alot of it is really dry and broken right now and I'm shedding to the point of getting bald patches at my widows peak area. But, before I do something drastic is there any other way to fix my hair without having to start over from a clean slate?
Don't cut your hair!Just try using some oil repairing shampoos and conditioners,don't comb your hair so much and you can also try some jojoba oil.Shedding a lot is absolutely normal at this point,and you're not the only one with dry hair problems,trust me :).Peace and I hope I've helped.
I wouldn't cut it all off yet, bro. Try some deep conditioning treatments. That may do the trick. I was 17 months into growing from a mohawk when I cut all mine off. I wish I didn't, but my hair was in pretty bad shape because I used an old electric trimmer to cut my own hair. After cutting it I wondered why I didn't try a treatment first... I was pretty PO at myself. Give a treatment a shot first and see how that goes. Good luck.
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Splat
Well, I'm relatively new, only been growin' my hair out for a few months now, but one thing I don't quite get, what advantage do you get from cutting your hair and starting over again?
Personally, I'd wait until the hair was long enough to do something with, whether pony tail, pull behind the ears, whatever point is long enough for you to manage easier. At that point, as your hair grows, just keep trimming your hair until you're left with just your healthy hair, and grow out to your target point?
Like I said, I'm new here, but this makes sense in my mind, any one have a good reason that'll contradict this logic?
Post some photos, Mike and tons of encouragement and advise will pour in......."starting over" is rarely necessary or advised.
WWT
Why why oh why?
Hi. When I found this thread, it was a bit of a shocker that you are going to lose all the time you had been growing out your hair. What I would do is to give your hair some time, and trim away the damaged ends.
Start over only if your hair problem gets a lot worse and you cannot find any other solution. Make sure you try all the solutions before you resort to cutting.
Regardless
Cutting it won't stop the shedding, you know ?
And I assume you took care of your hair, until now. So a little damage is part of the process, and starting over won't resolve the problem.
Dry hair ? Try different routines (shampoo, conditionner, etc)
Broken ends ? Have a little trim may solve the problem
Bye
Vivien
If your hair is "really damaged", do you have a new plan when you continue to grow it? If not, you should prepare for the exact same results.
I doubt that every inch of your hair is damaged. Ask people you know who have great hair for information about their stylist. A professional can help evaluate your hair and give you suggestions on how to best reach your goal. Those people with thge great hair themselves can tell you what they do on a daily basis to help prevent damage.
Few people who want long begin with a shaved head.
Get the hair you have in better condition, then continue from there. (A slight "dusting" trim might work wonders.)
Good luck!
In addition to what's already been said, what do you think has caused the damage? Have you been backcombing your hair? Really frying it with a blow-dryer? Have you had it bleached? Used a hair iron daily?
I would guess that you've done none of those things. Your hair looks like it might have a little wave in it, and those of us with wavy hair can also get frizzies. Depending on the relative humidity, how your hair lays, and the length of your hair, those frizzies can look a lot like damaged hair. I've found in that case that a little jojoba oil goes a long way to making that condition look better.
Also, some people, myself included, have a different texture of hair right near the hairline. For me that means hair that's finer and curlier than the rest. Strange but true. If so, that hair can look "damaged" compared to the rest of your hair, and it's right there out in front.
Hope that helps,
Chris
Thanks for all the advice guys. Yes my hair does have a wave to it so I've been using a hot iron on it about 3 times a week after washing which probably has fried it to some extent. The shedding mostly concerns me because of the amount thats coming out. I'm getting actual bald patches on the sides of my head. My family does have a history of thyroid disease which makes you have dry hair that falls out, so that may be something to look into because all these hair problems are lumped on top of alot of other physical symptoms I've been having lately.
Just leave your hair alone - using a hot iron three times a week is not good news especially if you have a family history of problems.
Throw away scissors, strengtheners, hair dryers etc etc....
Agreed!
By the way, did you know that using a hair drier can burn your hair, even though your head feels comfortably warm? Your hair do not have heat receptors. I don't use those things, since it also saves money in addition to my hair.
Regardless
The flat-iron is very damaging, it will dry-out and damage hair. You are better off letting it grow, and trimming damaged ends as needed. Scroll up and look at DavidN's post. He used to use a flat-ron, and suffered damage as a result. He chose to not shave it off and start over, by do what he could to reverse the damage and encourage new healthy hair growth.
Also, please get that thyroid checked. You need blood work for T3, T4 and total, plus get a scan with update. At the time I joined the hyperboard, last summer (Aug 07), I had recently been diagnosed with Hashinmoto's Thyroiditis. I had been suffering from increasingly thin and brittle hair for a few years, my ponytail circumference barely was an inch. I had cut my hair back to chin-length, because it was so straggly. I was taking synthetic thyroid, which wasn't effective enough for me, so I switched to Armour natural dessicated thyroid hormone. My hair is so much better, I am just past 21 inches, I grew over 9 inches in a year, the average rate is 1/2 inch a month, 6 inches total.
Your hair is already thin, dry and brittle; if you have a thyroid condition. Flat-ironing is the worst you can do. I do highlight my hair, to minimize any damage, I always use leave-in conditioner. Redken hair Butter Treat is what I use. A bean-size dab worked through the length of my hair to the ends. I then blend a dime-size blob of aloe vera gel in my hands, and work it through my hair from roots downward. Aloe Vera is a humectant, it helps hold moisture in. Worked through damp hair, it not only keeps hair from drying out, it actually attracts necessary moisture to hair strands. Flat-ironing actually strips vital moisture from hair.
If you do find out you have a thyroid condition, it will be at least 3 months before you notice anything from the medication. Be sure to see an internist or endocrinologist. Most internists can treat common thyroid conditions, and will refer you to an endo if they can't. I am under the care of an internist. You will notice a lot of new hairs called 'baby hairs' growing in, after you have been taking thyroid hormone. It may look like you have the frizzies. Use a non-alcohol based hair gel, such as Pantene, to control these. Those 'baby hairs' are new growth, and you want to take good care of them. My first 'baby hairs' grew, and have now reached my shoulders, while original length creeps towards shoulder blades. It makes my hair look somewhat layered, because there are different lengths. I have even newer hairs at chin-length. My hair is much thicker at the base of head, than at the tapered ends.
In a nutshell; stop with the flat-iron, don't shave-off in order to 'start-over', get your thyroid checked.
It would be a waste to start over, all that long waiting for nothing. Just look carefully at your current routine and change some thing. I read you used a flattening iron, get rid of that asap. Also condition your hair often and maybe get a small trim if that is needed.
Last time I had a buzz cut when when I was in grade school, maybe even into my early high schol years, --- I can't remember, it's a looooong time ago. My father forced me and my 4 brothers into have our annual, "easy-to-get-dry-after-going-swimming-haircut" We were given no choice in the matter. I hated those shaved heads with a passion!
Yes, I'd LOVE to go back in time to my early teen years again and, "start over" with life... I'd do things so differently: for one thing, as soon as I could leave my father's house and his stupid hair rules, I'd unhesitatingly grow my mane down to my knees!!!!!!! In real life, however, even though I did leave home at age 18, I was a bit timid about growing my hair out all at once (even though I secretly yearned to do just that), and so only grew my hair out in little incriments, --- instead of grabbing the bull by the horns and "going for the gold!"
Man, I'd kill to be your age again... My hair was so much thicker & fuller and had such a nice color! I want to "start over" again, too!! BUT.... that's not what you were refering to in your original comment, was it (Lol)??
Unlike you, I'll gladly skip the buzzcut, thank you. You don't realize how lucky you are to have such a nice full head of hair like you have right now. In 20, 10, or even as quickly as maybe only 5 years from now, most males start experiencing some degree of hair thinning, MPB, and/or a receding hairline...
My advise? Skip the shaving of your head part, --- you can save that for when/if you're turning 80, or bald at 30 (like a lot of my friends my age have told me they did at 30). Trim off only what's absolutely necessary to remove split ends (they usually only split a maximum of one inch in length), no more.
Time is precious. And right now your wonderful, youthful hair appears immortal and indestructable; but, it is NOT.... Keep it as long as possible, and grow it out as quickly as possible, NOW, while you're still young... There might come a day when Mother Nature might not offer you the luxury of such an option!
Long Lox 4ever (or at least until it falls out!),
Ken in San Francisco
WELL SAID KEN! GROWING HAIR WHEN YOUNGER IS THE BEST TIME. YOUR HAIR APPARENTLY IS AT IT'S MOST THICKEST, AND FASTEST GROWTH RATE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 15 - 25. I'M GROWING MY HAIR OUT AGAIN AFTER 20 YEARS OF HAVING SHORT COLLAR LENGTH HAIR. I'M 38, AND STILL HAVE A FULL HEAD OF HAIR BUT MANY GUYS MY AGE I GREW UP WITH DON'T. CHEERS, DUNCAN FROM AUSTRALIA
I totally agree. I had mine clippered off when I was 25, having been growing it for three years. It was the worst mistake I ever made. It took me over 10 years to get round to growing it again. I've grown it back now, but it doesn't grow anywhere near as quickly as it did when I was younger. The awkward stage took forever this time.
Try to reduce the amount of stress in your life, eat a better diet and condition regularly. Try a deep conditioning treatment and I'm sure you'll notice a difference in your hair. Then, if you're not happy with the condition of it, get a trim, because chances are any damage is at the ends. You're a good way through the awkward stage now. Do you really want to go through all that again?