Hair breakage
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Forum Description: All the old Hair Talk Messages...
URL: https://talk.hairboutique.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12852
Printed Date: April 04 2025 at 4:18pm
Topic: Hair breakage
Posted By: Janet
Subject: Hair breakage
Date Posted: January 12 2000 at 1:18am
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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
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Replies:
Posted By: Karen Shelton
Date Posted: January 12 2000 at 1:18am
Dear Janet....I am glad to hear that you have been growing your hair long. Congratulations. It is a lot of work...but in my opinion...worth it.To answer your question about hair breakage...there is several things that can happen to cause hair breakage.Hair is extremely sensitive to changes going on within the body, and it is often as a result of these internal problems that hair loss or breakage can occur.Breakage and/or hair loss can therefore happen because of a sudden change in the diet, unusual or new stress in your life (death of family member, new job, divorce, etc) changes in the weather (temperature changes from very hot to cold) or inferior products (shampoos, rinses, gels, etc.)It can also happen from excessive use of styling tools such as hair dryers, blow dryers, curling irons, curlers, crimpers, etc. Hair coloring, bleaching or chemicals can damage the hair as can the wrong brushes, combs or picks.Some people have naturally more fragile hair than others. It sounds like you may have to take extra care of your hair because it may be more fragile.When I decided to grow my hair long...I had to redo everything regarding my hair care. I switched to the best hair care product that worked for me (Aveda). I stopped blow drying my hair completely except maybe 6x a year for very special events. I learned how to finger pick my hair and use only the finest pick (Efalock). I also stopped brushing my hair except when absolutely necessary and only using the best brush (Battalia). I never brush my hair when it is wet, I never use silicon or heavy gels and I wash my hair every single day and let it air dry.I never use curlers, rollers, crimpers or other hair devices. I stopped coloring and/or perming my hair in any way except light highlights about 4x a year done by Jim Butchee and VERY carefully and VERY little is highlighted on my hair. I let the natural blonde grow back.It was a BIG switch. But you can see the results on this site. I am not sure what your current hair habits are, so hair breakage can result from a variety of factors.Do you blow dry your hair? How often? Do you use a brush, a comb and what kind? How often do you brush your hair. Do you color it or perm it or use any other types of chemical treatments? What products do you use? Do you cover your hair in the summer and winter? How often do you have it trimmed?These are all factors that will impact how long your hair grows and how fast and how healthy.Let me know more specifics and maybe I can suggest some causes and solutions.RegardsKaren Shelton
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That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger or drives you totally insane. :-)
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Posted By: Jessica
Date Posted: January 12 2000 at 1:18am
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
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Posted By: Janet
Date Posted: January 12 2000 at 1:19am
Karen,I appreciate the time you took to respond. You asked about my routine...I try to wash my hair every third day. Someone told me not to overly wash. I spray on a detangler and my husband uses a large wooden comb to comb it out. I am currently using the Laurie Davies products. My hair is a natural blond. I never blow dry or use anything artificial to clip my hair. It gets a very gentle and light body perm about twice a year, and do not have it highlighted. I have professional trims about four times a year. It is now evenly cut across my back, and doesn't look scraggly. I only use a scrunchy to pull it back in a behind-the-neck ponytail. I do brush it and find there's a lot of broken hairs in the brush when I finish. This happens no matter how hard I try in being careful. Admittedly, my brush may be suspect. It's not like the one you recommend.You really have me curious. Are you pictured on this site? Anyway, I am greatful for your help.Janet
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Posted By: KAREN
Date Posted: January 12 2000 at 1:19am
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
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TAKE CARE WITH YOUR HAIR!
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