Hair breakage

I've heard a lot of people say mango butter caused their hair to be dry but I've never tried it.  If your hair feels okay using that then continue use but if not I would try something different. 

Okay.....so you get regular trims.....the only other thing that I would think it might be is the heat.  You may be using heat too often.  Have you ever thought of trying styles that require no direct heat so your hair can get a rest or maybe stretching your relaxer or growing it out and being natural?  Do you blow dry as well as flat iron?  My hair gets fragile with blow drying and that's why I don't do it.  Sorry to ask so many questions, just trying to help as much as I can. 

Yes, I would talk to a doctor about bc pills just to be on the safe side.  Did you experience breakage before you started taking that particular bc?

 

TwinkletOes23 wrote: after i followed my hair regimine mentioned above my hair turned out soft and pretty but still with breakage not as much buti dont want there to be any could this be relaxer damage ?

Sorry if you've already mentioned this but how often do you get trims?  You should probably trim some of those damaged ends off because that's why they are breaking.  Like cmesweet said, the damage is probablly from your past regimine.  But by following a better regimine you hair will be much healthier, especially after you get those bad ends off.

If you ends are really damaged this may only be a temporary fix but castor oil is good for ends.  It is a humectant and is very moisturizing.  A lot of people swear by it for stopping/reducing breakage.

after i followed my hair regimine mentioned above my hair turned out soft and pretty but still with breakage not as much buti dont want there to be any could this be relaxer damage ?

I second what everyone was saying about the absence of moisture in your regimen...  The same thing happened to me - I thought I was doing everything right and I was getting frustrated that I was still getting breakage...  Then I figured out the culprit - LACK OF DAILY MOISTURE.  So I made my own daily moisturizer:

distilled water/glycerin/Emu oil/alcohol-free aloe vera gel/and a moisturizing conditioner (w/no protein in it)... 

Talk about SILKY, MOISTURIZED, and STRONG!!!  My hair has made a complete turn-around! I still see a couple broken strands every now and then, but NOTHING compared to what it used to be.

Be careful with the long term daily use of the Hollywood Beauty Carrot Oil, because there is protein in it.  I was using it everyday thinking it would stop my breakage, but it made it worse due to the protein in it. My hair is "protein sensitive".

Oh... and don't worry so much about mineral oil and petrolatum in your conditioners or oil moisturizers - Pokahontas is right, you are rinsing them off.  And whatever stays on is somewhat beneficial in that it will smooth and protect strands... Only be concerned if you are applying a product directly to your scalp, because you don't want to clog the pores.  Alot of ladies with long, healthy hair SWEAR by Vaseline (petrolatum) on their ends.

 

 

 

Edited by NoNapNique

for clarifying- i reccommend sally's generic version of Nexxus Aloe rid- i used this for the first time last weekend and it was very moisturizing and brought my hair back to life. Very pleased. also i totally agree with everyone else- you need to deep condition weekly with a thin, plastic cap under heat for 45 mins to an hour. Some really good deep conditioners are Queen Helene Super Cholesterol treatment, Lamaur's bone Marrow, also i use a dominican "roostertail" of miss keys 10 en 1, rivas silicon mix and emergencia. for protein i add Jherri Rhedding's 100% natural protein conditioner to the dominican "roostertail". for shedding i use either queen helene garlic shampoo or Nutrine Garlic shampoo and nutrine garlic conditioner. Shampoos that i like are Salon Care Shampoos and Conditioners that can be purchased at Sally's Beauty Supply. I also like Aussie Moist, Tresseme- the one anti-breakage one, and a shampoo concentrate that i got at www.thechemistrystore.com (i also like their vitamin fortified hair conditioner too). for moisture- i use a glycerin/aloe juice/distilled water/rosemary oil spritz. I also add liquid aloe vera and glycerin to my conditioners-since i have hard water. to oil my scalp i am currently using rosemary oil diluted in coconut oil but i also have evening primrose oil, sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, castor oil, jamaica black castor oil and grapeseed oil on hand. I use the castor oil/jamaica black castor oil for ends treatments/pre-shampoo treatments( i sometimes use heat for 10-15 mins prior to shampooing). Hope this helps.

Using your conditioner w/ a plastic cap and blow dryer should work fine.  Also, do you have a microwave?  You can mix up a batch of conditioner, extra virgin olive oil and/or other goodies like shea or coco butter (there are great recipes for stuff like this in other threads) and heat in a microwave.  Then you can apply the warm mixture to your hair, cover and let it sit for a while.

None of the styling products that you mentioned are moisturizers.  They contain tons of cones (both the Herbal Essence smoothing creme & Brilliant Brunet serum). Cones make your hair feel slippery and slick but they coat your hair in the process and contribute to dryness.  Some cones (don't know which ones) build up and require a stronger shampoo or clarifying ACV rinse (I think?) to remove. Also, the Herbal Essence has protein as an ingredient.  Too much protein can actually be bad for your hair and lead to breakage. The Pantene oil moisturizer has mineral oil, petroleum included in the main ingredients (these coat and suffocate your hair) and has cones and protein.  No wonder your hair is breaking.  Not sure about the V05 Heat Tamer ingredients, but you are right to use a heat protectant of some sort whenever you flat iron. 

Replacing a couple of these products (Pantene especially) with a good moisturizer & natural oils (shea butter, olive  or carrot cream, Elasta QP Mango Butter / Hollywood Carrot oil or just plain Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the market) should make a big difference. 

In my case, I gave up styling products with cones as they really tend to dry out my hair.  Everyone is different though.  Try eliminating one product at least (Pantene) and replace with a better moisturizer.  See if that makes a difference. Good luck!

Definitely listen to the ladies on this board will.  They really know their stuff.  

I agree, it sounds like your hair needs clarifying to remove the buildup from styling products, and is also craving moisture.  For this, I think using a decent clarifying shampoo and deep conditioner once a week or every other week would help.  Add a natural oil or butter to your regimen (olive oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, coco, mango, etc..) anything natural to add shine and improve health of hair.  All the products you listed that you use have harsh ingredients in them and will not improve the health of your hair.  Used sparingly or along with natural oils or butters they are fine but used exclusively and they will build up and dryout your hair.

Definitely give up the Pantene oil moisturizer.  Elasta should be an improvement.  There are other really good moisturizers that have been mentioned on this board (there are several threads you may want to look up).  Also, using a flat iron is fine, but you may want to find alternate ways to style your hair in order to reduce the frequent use of heat which is very drying.  This will definitely make a difference in your overall hair health. 

Also, which of the silk 2 products are you using.  I have never heard of this line but it looks like a decent salon line. 

If there's no white bulb, you're probably experiencing breakage like you first thought.
You're right to think of your hair health first, it doesn't matter how good a product makes your hair look if it's making it fall out of your head!
Find an inexpensive moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, double processing your hair can make it super dry.  Dove is good, so is Aussie Moist...it's all a matter of finding what works best for you.
And you may want to cut back on the flat ironing, even though you use the vo5 spray (I use it too!) the heat (especially on level 5) can make your hair even more brittle.
If you want your hair to shine, try a natural oil like castor or grape seed...they also help make it stronger. Just use a little bit or you'll end up one greasy mess.     Good luck!

                  if it's shedding you will see a white bulb at the and of the strand.

TwinkletOes23 wrote:  Quote : Brillant Brunette serum has cones in it.   hmmm never thought of that is it bad for your hair i like it because it give the illusion of shine to my hair is there another type of serum i should use

Yeah, I love the shine also and I have been guilty of using products with cones in them just for that reason.  That's why I make sure to clarify with acv if I've been using them.  The thing about cones (and mineral oil) is that they coat the hair strand and prevent moisturizers from getting through, so in the long run it dries your hair out. 

Like Sistaslick said, you may want to try a different moisturizer with no mineral oil in it.  I buy mine online from Oyinhandmade.  It's called whipped pudding, and I also use olive oil.  They also have a product called Shine and Define that works real well and has no cones but it's not a serum.  I don't think I've been able to find a serum without cones in it.  I think Elucence has one though but I've never tried it.