I decided I have "scab hair"....(PICTURES)

[HeavenlySkies]

So tomorrow I will be going to fantastic sams to get my hair cut off...I'm going to flat iron it tonight and ask them to cut all of the red off. I'm not sure how many people believe in the whole scab thing but I think the color difference is just too drastic for that hair not to be affected...not saying that my real hair texture is supposed to look like Chili or someone because the red is near the ends now. Anyway for those that do think scab hair is possible what do you think the issue is with my hair? Is this natural or would you assume it's scab hair and get it cut too? To me the hair is rougher more prone to tangles and of course the difference color. What makes it more believable is the hair is like bright orange/red and then gradually gets brown towards the roots...anyway let me know!

Before I cut it

Now that I cut it...will have the hair people finish it.

 

[brucebettye]

I don't know if that is scab hair but my hair turns blond and red towards the ends similar to that. But my hair has always done this every since I could remeber. But once you cut it off your hair won't tangle so much. Sometimes we need a fresh cut or trim.

 

[HeavenlySkies]

Well I've never been natural before so lol I'm assuming my natural color isn't orange what sold me on the whole scab hair thing as I stated above was the gradual color change. Like the hair that's less affected is DARK BROWN then RED BROWN then ORANGE.

 

[Barbie83]

ummm WTH is scab hair??



I've been meaning to ask this for weeks.

 

[HeavenlySkies]

Q: Can you address the phenomenon known as 'scab' hair? How exactly does the relaxer impact hair that has not grown in yet?
DIANE: Apparently 'scab' hair is the terminology that the lay girls have given to leftover relaxed hair that has not completely been cut off when growing out one's natural hair. Frankly, I wish people wouldn't use the word when they can easily cut off all the relaxer or simply use natural sets and products to create beautiful styles while going through the process. Most often, the remaining relaxer acts as a curly buffer, which visually makes the hair look texturized with the proper products. (The word scab in the medical world is a term for dried skin that forms over a wound to protect the skin while the healing process takes place.)

My understanding it's new growth that's affected by the relaxer even though the relaxer was never directly put on the hair. Like the hair that grows from the scalp has somehow been affected by the chemicals so they say the first hair that grows can be a different color, texture and more rough than new growth that grows later.

 

[shamarie]

IMO ur hair color on the ends are pretty. I hope I dont offend anyone but I hate that phrase, "scab hair", it sounds gross.

 

[HeavenlySkies]

Well what I'll do is just say I need my ends cut if the ends are bad then they can go but I'll save myself another major setback because if I tell them red they might think the redder brown and not the obvious. So I will just go for a trim we will see how that goes. I'll keep yall posted. And thanks Sha.

 

[JayAnn0513]

DIANE: Apparently 'scab' hair is the terminology that the lay girls have given to leftover relaxed hair that has not completely been cut off when growing out one's natural hair.

That's not it at all...

scab hair is the hair that 1st grows in after one stops relaxing. It is often a different color or texture that hair that grows in later. Basically if you believe in scab hair then you believe that long term relaxing affects hair that hasn't even gown in yet. it has nothing to do with left over relaxed hair that hasn't been cut off yet. You can shave your relaxed head bald and still have scab hair once your hair starts to grow back in.

 

[NikStarrr]

I think a lot of times what people think is scab hair, is actually slightly textlaxed hair from when they use to relax. People tend to BC at what they think is the demarcation line of natural and relaxed, but usually some of what looks like natural hair actually has some relaxer on it, it's usually not bone straight because the person decided to transition and that last bit of hair wasn't overlapped with relaxer like it usually would when getting a retouch.

 

[BlondeByDesire]

Thanks for defining this for me, I trully didn't know what it meant. I'm thinking scab on scalp or something.

 

[Vonnieluvs08]

ITA with everyone else. I also have this insight. We all need to trim our hair from time to time since that is the oldest part of our hair and has been through the most. Even if we baby it and it doesn't split it still has some damage (dry, brittle, etc) just from being exposed and needs to be cut away. I think it's cool that your hair grows out in different colors naturally (I think that's what I've gathered). Don't let them get to happy with the scissors that you lose all your progress.

 

[♥Lamaravilla♥]

OP, are you saying you have never colored your hair? That's a HUGE difference....

 

[NerdSauce]

I know not everyone believes in the existence of scab hair, but I think I had some of it on my front edges (where I had sustained relaxer damage.) There were parts of my edges that didnt grow back for... I wanna say almost a year.

When I went natural and they were growing, they used to come in really strange (feeling different from the majority of my hair), and break a lot. At first i thought my edges were maybe just naturally more cottony than the rest of my hair, which is mostly sort of satiny.. but they've changed over time as well. I didn't have it all over my head though...

 

[HeavenlySkies]

OP, are you saying you have never colored your hair? That's a HUGE difference....

Nope never colored it. I BC'd the straight hair off and that is what was left. I can probably find a picture during the transition...found some pictures from the day I BC'd.


This is what I was left with after the bc. The Red all over I'm assuming is the scab part. I transitioned 7 months so maybe the "real" newgrowth was just coming in (the dark brown).

​

 

[Addy3010]

Well i was going to say that your colored hair may have just taken a beating from coloring. But since you DONT color your hair i think that is very unique, for your hair to grow in like that. Has your hair always done that? If it never done that, i may begin to believe in scab hair, cuz i am STill not sure about scab hair, but if it is causing you problems i think the cut or trim that you are getting will be better for you and your hair. Good luck

 

[Lyoness]

woow that is a huge colour difference!! I noticed that the relaxer brought out various colour shades in my hair and that the ends of my hair were always lighter than the top. I just assumed the ends were lighter than the top due to them being exposed to the sunlight for longer(my hair bleaches out easily).. I've never seen that difference before!! I like the colours!!

I do think scab hair exists but I also think natural hair takes awhile to adjust after being released of the weight of the longer ends... The feel of your ends could also been affected by the type/sharpness of the scissors used to bc also..

In other words it could be a combination of various factors

 

[chebaby]

i dont think thats scab hair. if you feel there is a difference(which i cant tell) in texture, im sure its from the color. but i think scap hair is from left over relaxer.

 

[HeavenlySkies]

well im at the aveda salon right now getting a cut and rollerset so i will post pix later nevermind they just told me the rollers wouldnt stay so they are gonna blow dry and marcel iron some curls.

 

[Bulletproof]

I can't wait to see your photos.
The color difference in your hair (which you did not do with hair dye) is soooo dramatic that there has to be a reason and scab hair sounds logical to me.
Did they mention at the salon whether they thought your ends were damaged and if so what did they say caused damage? That is a few good inches of color so I hope you got a really cute cut.

 

[chebaby]

im still confused. so was your hair that color when you were relaxed? or are you saying that when you chopped your hair off it just started growing out of your scalp that color.

 

[SouthernBeauty]

Thanks for defining this for me, I trully didn't know what it meant. I'm thinking scab on scalp or something.

I did too!!!

 

[HeavenlySkies]

im still confused. so was your hair that color when you were relaxed? or are you saying that when you chopped your hair off it just started growing out of your scalp that color.

I used burgundy revlon rinses before but they had no ammonia or peroxide in it. After I chopped the relaxed ends the hair that you see is what was left. My hair was jacked after the salon visit I dont know what kinda style it was just big and poofy curls so I'll flat iron my hair and post pix. After the stylist was finished I threw a headband on it cause I wasnt walking outside like that.​

 

[msa]

scab hair is the hair that 1st grows in after one stops relaxing. It is often a different color or texture that hair that grows in later. Basically if you believe in scab hair then you believe that long term relaxing affects hair that hasn't even gown in yet. it has nothing to do with left over relaxed hair that hasn't been cut off yet. You can shave your relaxed head bald and still have scab hair once your hair starts to grow back in.

The bold makes sense. The chemicals in the relaxer can be absorbed in the fatty layers of the scalp so I'm sure the hair that first grows after your last relaxer has been "relaxed", at least a little bit. The color difference could be from that.

 

[chelleyrock]

Anyone know how long scab hair can grow in for once you've stopped relaxing? (Is this a dumb question?)

I'm currently 10 months post relaxer (hope to transition for 2 years).

Thanks

 

[zenith]

Wow! This explains a whole lot with what i have been going thru. After a texurized my twa now that i'm growing in my hair i have 2 textures, The hair from the root is all soft but halfway the texture is rough and dry.
Do i need to trim it away?

 

[HeavenlySkies]

You might ^^ But most of us black women have more than one texture on our heads anyway. When the instructor at the Aveda place was telling the student about my ends she asked me if I had colored it or when my last perm was and I told her over a year ago and she said "Oh that must be the leftover relaxer" as if I never big chopped or something lol but it has to exist because she said the hair can still be affected (newgrowth) she just didn't say a name for it.

 

[chiprecious]

I wouldn't call it scab hair. Maybe the color simply overprocessed your hair. Everyone's ends, natural or relaxed or more fragile so you have to be extra careful when coloring your ends. They really should the last thing to receive the color. Color is going to tend to be lighter on the ends (more fragile and porous) and near the scalp (due to heat generated from your head).

Nothing going to changed the color unless you did slightly ash brown over your ends only. However the rough feel of it could be semi corrected by a heavy protein (only on ends) and DC your butt off for a few weeks.

However visually, I think it's cute.

I don't use my cosmetology license much but HTH.

 

[chiprecious]

The bold makes sense. The chemicals in the relaxer can be absorbed in the fatty layers of the scalp so I'm sure the hair that first grows after your last relaxer has been "relaxed", at least a little bit. The color difference could be from that.

ITA and I hate that people don't accept that like any chemical, it does get absorbed and until it's gone from your system or that area, it's still going to have some consequence.

 

[MonPetite]

^^^I didn't believe in it when I first went natural. I went back to relaxing for a few months (after a year of being natural), then BCed again.

My hair is a COMPLETELY different texture with all new characteristics. I never would have believed it, if I had not experienced it. My hair follicles had CLEARLY been affected by years of relaxing (and my relaxed hair had looked great! I thought it meant everything was A-OKAY on my head!).

I have a feeling my scalp healed during the year enough that the three relaxers I got in between going natural again (As I transitioned for a couple months), that when I went natural again, they were healthy enough despite the brief return to relaxers to push out hair closer to my true texture.

 

[Kranbery]

The bold makes sense. The chemicals in the relaxer can be absorbed in the fatty layers of the scalp so I'm sure the hair that first grows after your last relaxer has been "relaxed", at least a little bit. The color difference could be from that.

That sounds terrible. How long does it stay there?