hair talk

I am 24 years old and I have been experiencing hair breakage for years now, and my hair always seems to stay the same length. I have tried all sorts of hair vitamins and deep conditioners but nothing seems to work. If anyone knows anything that might work please let me know!

Thank You

I get my hair relaxed about every 4 to 6 weeks, and I get it trimmed every time I get it relaxed. I usually wash it twice a week and I use Kera kare hair products(hydrating detaingling shampoo and humecto creme conditioner). It just keeps breaking and I don't know why, I'm thinking about trying exotic allure hair vitamins. Anyone have any suggestions?

pmorris1 wrote: I dont think I've ever had a protein treatment. The only reason I relax my hair so often is because of the fact that my hair doesn't take perms very well, so it doesn't get that straight. My hair is about shoulder length and I flip it, but I don't use heat on it every day. I usually wear it in a clip. So what's your advice on keeping my ends healthy.

Hmmm, have you tried stretching your relaxers though?  I would recommend you wait at least every 8 weeks between relaxers.  4-6 weeks of newgrowth is really not that much (though it can feel like it)  and its virtually impossible to avoid overlapping when you are relaxing just that bit.

I really do think you should add protein to your regimen.  Relaxers break down the protein (structure) of your hair and these treatments will feed some of this protein back into your hair.  The frequency of your relaxing really indicates to me that your hair is probably very protein deficient.  Begin with a lighter treatment like aphogee 2 min reconstructor, AtOne Botanicals, or LeKair.  If you are having serious breakage then you can go ahead and try the aphogee treatment for damaged hair, this will stop breakage in its tracks. This heavy treatment should only be used every 6 weeks.

You will probably only need to do protein treatments twice a month, but deep conditioning should be a weekly event.  Maintaining your hair is really about maintaining a balance between protein and moisture.  Too much protein can be bad--'over structurizing' your hair and making it rigid . . . and too much conditioning can make your hair oversoft/mushy, weak, and lose its ability to withstand breakage.

As far as your ends go, you have to make a point to protect the last 2-3 inches.  They are the oldest parts of your hair and will dry out the fastest.  Dry ends= breakage.  Make sure your moisturizers are really moisturizers--- they should not contain petrolatum or mineral oil.  Apply your water based moisturizer throughout your hair and then apply an oil to seal it in.  The oils will coat the hair and trap the moisture in- but if you use them without a moisturizer or before one- it will seal the moisture out and lead to dryness.  Always add your products to your ends first and work your way up to insure your ends get the most.

I wear my hair in protective styles... meaning I wear styles that do not expose the ends of my hair.  When you leave your hair out in the open hair everyday all day... the ends will dry out and will definately break off.  Anything left out in the air for an extended period of time begins to dry out-- hair is no different.  This is why we so many of us with shoulder length hair that won't seem to grow past this length.  The ends of the hair are just rubbing back and forth across cotton shirts and blouses causing severe splitting damage and breakage.  I wear a bun 99% of the time.   I believe this is the key to preserving my length.  Keep the heat to bare minimum!!  For sleeping,  use a satin scarf. HTH

Sistaslick wrote: cookiesnkream wrote:   [QUOTE=cookiesnkream]  using a non sls containing shampoo like neutrogena triple moist penis/tests  huh?

That's what I said, too. Huh??!

cookiesnkream wrote:       hey, thans sistaslick ,, i got some of my own good info out of that,, i was wondering about protein ,, do u think the garnier is enough protein or do i need more,, ( i use the 3 minute mask ),, do u know whether the salerm protein balsam conditioner is enough,, also how do i do a protein conditioning,, do i need heat and then to follow up with a moisture conditioner... myhair is doing great now but i dont want to xperience breakage down the line becuz of not using enough protein    ..... ???

I never tried the Salerm conditoner so I don't know the strength of protein that contains.  I do know that the garnier mask you are using is probably a light protein- and if your hair is responding well (which you say it is) then keep using that.  I think its  easier to tell if your hair needs protein when it is wet rather than when its dried. If you get to a point where your hair feels:  mushy, overly soft, and/or stretches then breaks easily when its wet--give it more protein.  Your hair should still feel strong when wet.  That's how I can usually tell when my hair needs protein.   And on the flip side, it is easier to tell if you need more conditioning when your hair is dried.

I use Aphogee 2 min reconstructor, leKair or AtOne Botanicals for light protein and use ORS Mayo or the Aphogee Treatment for Damaged hair for milder/heavier protein treatments.  Different treatments have different requirements as far as heat is concerned--you just have to read the instructions for whichever one you choose.  Do follow any protein treatment up with a good deep conditioning.  The protein treatment will harden your hair--that is how it strengthens it/adds structure to it-- the deep conditioning will return the suppleness to you hair for a final touch. HTH.