Hey guys, I was wondering if it is always true that damage will travel up the hair if you do not cut it? I take ridiculously good care of my hair, and I have about 8 inches of damage left (17 inch total length). I just really want to maintain some length and do this gradually. Also, if anyone has suggestions for shampoos, conditioners, ect. to minimize breakage that would be awesome. BTW, for those of you growing out damaged hair too, it is so rewarding to see how healthy your hair really is.  Later,

Tracy

Hello Tracy,

Could you tell us a bit about your hair? Such as your hair type, what color hair, what caused the damage, etc?

This link contains a table which will help you to determine which hair type you have:

http://tinyurl.com/a8s2c - http://tinyurl.com/a8s2c

 Karen Marie

Aww, Tracy, I feel your pain.  I'm growing out hair that's still recovering from extensive color treatment and bleach after almost a year.

Yes, damage will travel up the hair if it's not cut off.  Elizabeth gave good suggestions on how to minimize it, but obviously the only way to get rid of it completely is to cut it off.  Not all at once, since you want to keep your length.  What I've been doing to get rid of damage is cutting off my own individual split ends when I see them.  If you don't do that already, I'd definitely recommend it.

Good luck with your hair! 

Thanks for the replies! And yes, since I was 14 (i'm now 20) I have not given my hair a break once from permanent dye (dying my entire length every month!) It's any wonder how I still have hair really. I lost a lot of my hair (fell out) from so much dying, but its finally growing thicker and healthier with just scalp massage alone. My hair is straight as a board,med- thick, slightly fine(not too fine, really) and naturally very light/dark blonde. The problem I'm having though, is (when I test my hairs durability) yes, it does 'stretch' well before it breaks, but it seems squishy, & mooshy lol., not as strong as I'd like it. Maybe I'm conditioning too much? Do any of the products they say help breakage really work?  Oh yeah, and once I get my hair all grown out and healthy, I want to do the unthinkable.... go blonde . But, i want to do it in the healthiest way humanly possible. I have enough blonde in my hair to where I shouldn't need too much, but I'll stay in the salon from when they open till when they close if it'll save my hair, any suggestions on that? Thank you guys!

Tracy