Hair breakage

Janet....Yes...I am pictured on this site. If you go to the Hair bookstore section.....my picture is there. It is also in the Gallery...there are 5 shots of me (starting at #29) there as well. Click Here to see one of my pictures in the gallery.Your hair routine sounds pretty good since you do not blow dry your hair. I might be somewhat suspicious of the perms since sometimes they can dry the hair even if it is not all that noticeable initially. Can you cut back to just one perm a year instead of two? Would you consider other methods to produce a wave? I will braid my hair when it is wet and let it air dry. When I undo it...there are waves everywhere. Also I use old fashioned rag curlers and pin curls. Gives me curls with no damage to the hair.I am familiar with Laurie Davis but I have not used it myself so I can't really comment on that. The wooden comb may or may not be a problem depending on how smooth the teeth are. The Efalock pick is mostly plastic with a little bit of wood thrown in the mix to absorb moisture and prevent static electricity. It is a low risk pick for hair tearing and used and highly recommended by Jim Butchee.What type of detangler do you use? Does it have silicon in it? I can only think that maybe you are getting some buildup from the detangler. You may want to try another one and alternate use.The brush could definitely make a difference in hair tearing. If the brush has hard knobs on the end...it can rip and tear the hair. The Montclair brush is also acceptable and I have used that along with the Battalia brush. I would limit your brushing to a very bare minimum because brushing can damage the hair.Philip Kingsley in his book recommends against brushing unless absolutely necessary. I personally brush my hair only rarely because I don't want to damage it in any way.I use the Aveda Curressence spray and spray it on my hands and fingers and then "finger" pick my hair. This prevents even the remote possibility of tearing anything with a pick. The Efalock pick is manufactured in Germany in such a way that the teeth are carefully fused to avoid rough spots that can tear and rip.The only other thing that might add to breakage is dietary things. I have found all the different forms of seaweed in either food or supplement form to work well in adding strength to my hair.As far as washing...I wash my hair every single day. I find that for my hair type...it gets way too dry if I wait more than 1 day to wash. It also ...in my opinion....makes for a very healthy scalp. Everyone has an opinion on how often to wash and it has to be whatever you feel most comfortable with.If you do not want to increase the amount of trims....you might want to consider what I do. Once a week I use a professional trimming scissors and carefully snip just the split ends I may find on my hair. I do this while I am watching TV or hanging out. It helps keep the split ends to a minimum between my 8 week trim cycle with Jim.Hope this helps Janet. Feel free to ask more questions. It is great that you care about doing the best for your hair.Regards,Karen

Janet,I had problems with my hair breaking off when I was trying to grow it. I switched to the Phyto products for hair loss and it made a big difference in helping my hair. I am not sure that product is right for you....but it helps to have a high quality hair care product.Good Luck.Jessie

I am nearing 40 years old, have been growing my hair for about six years. It used to be very short, but at my husband's insistance, I grew it. It is now about 24" and my intention is to grow it to at least waist length. I get it trimmed about every two to three months. My bangs are short.My problem is that my hair is delicate and breaks easily. Is there anything I can do to strengthen it? I'd like to hear from Karen; she seems to have a good understanding of how to care for longer hair. And, any other women who have the same problem.Thanks, Janet