Are there ladies here with severely damaged hair?

[locabouthair]

I'm do.

I go to the dominican salon just for a wash and set and the stylists is like OMG, what happened to your hair It's that bad.

I had three areas that were really broken off. My nape and both of my sides.

My nape was COMPLETELY gone and it has grown back. Not the full 6 inches it was before but it's like 3 inches now. Right now I'm focusing on the sides, which are growing slowly,

What helped with my nape was not perming it for a year and moisturizing at least once a day. I am doing the same thing with my sides. I am aiming for health now. I'll have to wait until 2010 to focus on length. Ahd I want to eat healthy and drink more water, I'm sure that will help as well.

What caused the damage? I went to stylists that didnt wash out the relaxer properly leaving me with bald patches. And my left side is damaged from when I was natural and she burned that area off with the pressing comb, and it hasnt grown back since Needless to say I'm fearful of stylists. I started doing my own relaxers now.

For about three years now, I've had badly broken patches. This year my hair will be healthy again.

Anyway, I just wanted to start a thread for those who are going through the same thing. We gotta keep the faith

Share your reggie or any tips you have

 

[livesoundtech]

Me!

I've had three stylists give up on trimming my hair because they couldn't work with it. Every time I go to a salon, I get into the same conversations:

"Wowww your hair is severely overprocessed. How often do you perm?"
"I don't perm."
"Yes you do, clearly."
"No, I really don't."

"You should get this taken care of."

"You should get a BKT!"

and the funniest...

"Are you part Irish? I heard that Irish people have hair like this."

LOL. My hair is severely damaged because I dyed from root to tip with permanent dye every 3-4 weeks... for over 8 years. Many people think dyes are safe, but look at the ingredients! Using dyes so often (and going root to tip each time) can be just as damaging as using relaxers too frequently. My natural texture was loosened tremendously and is now a 2c/3a... but in a non-desireable way. I miss my curls!

 

[KAT25]

Before you know it your hair will be growing stronger and longer in no time!! I have had several bad salon experiences myself and have just finally found staple products and my hair is looking better and better every day. I have found stuff my hair likes and I am taking better care of my hair and that is a key for me..

Good Luck with your journey

 

[loulou82]

I don't have damaged hair but I've had a stylist mess up my hair by over processing a color job while in college. I went home to my regular stylist who cut off all the damage and started me with a chin length bob. I had weakened edges last year from not properly caring for my hair while in weaves but thankfully I found the hair boards and decided to transition around that time. No looking back now!

 

[locabouthair]

^yeah I heard dyes can loosen your hair texture. Just like a relaxer can make your hair lighter.

Are you planning to cut it, in order to start over?

 

[Lucky's Mom]

I don't think I have damaged hair now - But - I did.... and The relaxer overlapping and the heat tools killed my hair....

I have been there - and I think that there are lots of ladies who WERE there at one time!!!

LCHF is about support - and I love that....

You will be successful!!!!!!

 

[livesoundtech]

^yeah I heard dyes can loosen your hair texture. Just like a relaxer can make your hair lighter.

Are you planning to cut it, in order to start over?

I've been chopping off a few inches at a time, but I'm trying to keep my hair as healthy as possible so that I don't have to cut it in 2009. I haven't dyed my hair in 20 weeks... I don't know if that would be called 20 weeks "post" since I never used relaxers... haha but anyway, it's really weird because once in awhile I find really thick, curly, healthy strands of hair and I ask myself if my hair will ever grow in healthy and strong again. I guess we have to hope for the best!

Have you found any products that help with your damage? Are you planning on starting over?

 

[Blu217]

My hair is about BSL and I have issues with hair loss. Several months ago the hair at the crown completely changed texture, became brittle and broke off. The hair in the back and around the damage is very healthy, long and strong. I am growing out my crown very carefully but it feels sooo different from the rest of my hair and I'm not even sure what the issue is; it's never done anything like this before. The strands are thick and snap easily. They look overprocessed, perhaps because the hair there is so thin.

I'm having trouble addressing the problem because I don't know what's at the cause of it. That's my "severe damage." Fortunately, most people think I just have layers.

 

[locabouthair]

I've been chopping off a few inches at a time, but I'm trying to keep my hair as healthy as possible so that I don't have to cut it in 2009. I haven't dyed my hair in 20 weeks... I don't know if that would be called 20 weeks "post" since I never used relaxers... haha but anyway, it's really weird because once in awhile I find really thick, curly, healthy strands of hair and I ask myself if my hair will ever grow in healthy and strong again. I guess we have to hope for the best!

Have you found any products that help with your damage? Are you planning on starting over?

Yes I am definitely starting over. I cut about 2 inches last month. And I have another 2 inches to cut. I really want my hair longer but I dont want thing ends, so they will have to go. I'm just gonna keep cutting until the damaged parts are even with the rest of the hair.

Im still looking for the perfect conditioner, but I do like Cream of Nature shampoo.

Do you think you will ever dye it again?

 

[locabouthair]

My hair is about BSL and I have issues with hair loss. Several months ago the hair at the crown completely changed texture, became brittle and broke off. The hair in the back and around the damage is very healthy, long and strong. I am growing out my crown very carefully but it feels sooo different from the rest of my hair and I'm not even sure what the issue is; it's never done anything like this before. The strands are thick and snap easily. They look overprocessed, perhaps because the hair there is so thin.

I'm having trouble addressing the problem because I don't know what's at the cause of it. That's my "severe damage." Fortunately, most people think I just have layers.

I think I remember you posting pics, your hair grew back very healthy

The bolded describes my hair, I have coarse strands that snap when they are dry/ need moisture.

 

[Blu217]

I think I remember you posting pics, your hair grew back very healthy

The bolded describes my hair, I have coarse strands that snap when they are dry/ need moisture.

Hey--yeah, I definitely made a lot of progress in the regrowth department! I think the hair loss caused a lot of changes in my hair in that area tho, so I've had myriad new issues to combat since then. I've been moisturizing the crown area, giving it lots of TLC and it is growing out, but it's so fragile and feels so hard and rough. I just hope this isn't a permanent thing...

 

[TeeKay21]

I had the EXACT same damage as you loca. I am still growing out the sides as well. I have finally figured out what caused all my troubles.

My hair was above shoulder length and didn't make a nice bun so I wore it down. I rarely used heat (I used caruso rollers and heat cap for DC only) and still my hair slowly began to break off in huge sections to where it was almost bald on the sides and at the nape.

The culprit? ARIZONA! Well, that an the military. Having early morning physical training in harsh dry heat in the summer and harsh dry cold during winter, coupled with windstorms, hard water, relaxers and sweat from all the PT was just killing my poor strands.

I was moisturizing daily, doing DC's 1-2x's weekly and still my hair was like a brillo pad. Now that I have been on a personal bun-it-up challenge my hair is healthy, there's almost no breakage and average shedding. The sides are still at chin length, but the top and back are at collar length. Now I'm just gonna keep trimming it at this length until it all catches up.

The added bonus is that bunning makes my morning routine sooooo easy, plus I have to wear it up for work anyway. I just roll outta bed, slap on my phony pony and hit the road

 

[caribgirl]

Me, Loca!!

It has almost been 18 months since starting my hair journey and I can still see areas that are fighting hard to recover!! My hair is like yours, Loca- it lives for moisture! It also likes protein a lot- sometimes erplexed. I used to think that I had some fungal issue as my hair would break at the exact same location on my scalp for years!!!!!!

I decided that cutting off all of my hair would not help. Mind you, I tried that in 2005 and it grew back with the same issues- Severe DRYNESS!! I have not cut my hair since then and realized that daily moisturizing, deep conditions, lite weekly protein treatments, and protective styles are a must to recover from my dry brittle hair issue.

The most severe damage is at my crown and hairline. I find that moisturizing these areas 2-3 times a day really makes a difference. These areas are a totally different texture than the rest of my hair and need special treatment desperately! My crown is now a bit passed NL which is a great improvement for me. It was about 3 inches in length before babying the area.

Slow and steady win the race. I think consistency with what works (i.e regimen, hair products) is a sure recipe.

 

[Tamrin]

Hey--yeah, I definitely made a lot of progress in the regrowth department! I think the hair loss caused a lot of changes in my hair in that area tho, so I've had myriad new issues to combat since then. I've been moisturizing the crown area, giving it lots of TLC and it is growing out, but it's so fragile and feels so hard and rough. I just hope this isn't a permanent thing...

Blu217 Im confronting the same issue as you. That rough part in the crown. I DC moisturize. I keep getting the same result. more rough dry brittle hair. I may even try steaming.

 

[tbaby_8]

I am still trying to repair the damaged that I received this past summer (2008). My relaxer was over processed and the stylist rinsing it out supposedly (sp?) forgot that she just gave me a relaxer and decided to scratch my scalp. I had to tell her that she was hurting my head. When I got out of the shampoo bowl, she had a handful of my hair in her hands from her so called shampoo. My hair hasn't been right since. I just recently went from a super thin mid back length to a somewhat thin shoulder length.

I have been deep conditioning with moisture, but my hair is fine and I forgot that I needed a little more protein. So now I am adding back the protein and hopefully that will help. I too have a broken spot in my crown and have no idea where it came from, probably stress. I am trying to baby that spot too. Don't worry. As long as we keep encouraging each other we can do this.

 

[MsCounsel]

My hair is about BSL and I have issues with hair loss. Several months ago the hair at the crown completely changed texture, became brittle and broke off. The hair in the back and around the damage is very healthy, long and strong. I am growing out my crown very carefully but it feels sooo different from the rest of my hair and I'm not even sure what the issue is; it's never done anything like this before. The strands are thick and snap easily. They look overprocessed, perhaps because the hair there is so thin.

I'm having trouble addressing the problem because I don't know what's at the cause of it. That's my "severe damage." Fortunately, most people think I just have layers.

I am in the same boat!!!!! My crown and front are in crazy mode and have been for the last several months. I am going back to the same products that helped my hair before but I think I am also going to incorporate MN. I have to be patient but it is very frustrating. My sides and back are awesome. I am pushing for waistlength and trying to wait it out.....

 

[pear]

My hair is about BSL and I have issues with hair loss. Several months ago the hair at the crown completely changed texture, became brittle and broke off. The hair in the back and around the damage is very healthy, long and strong. I am growing out my crown very carefully but it feels sooo different from the rest of my hair and I'm not even sure what the issue is; it's never done anything like this before. The strands are thick and snap easily. They look overprocessed, perhaps because the hair there is so thin.

I'm having trouble addressing the problem because I don't know what's at the cause of it. That's my "severe damage." Fortunately, most people think I just have layers.

Wow the EXACT same thing happened to me. I posted about my problem area in another thread yesterday!

About 6 months ago I started noticing that the hair (especially in the crown area) just changed texture. It is now Xtra dry, coarse and brittle. No matter how much moisturizer, deep conditioner or what I do to that area, it still stays dry. The new growth in that area is much thicker and more unruly which is making it very difficult for me to try and stretch my relaxers past 6 weeks. No matter how gentle I am with that area, I always end up with at least 1 or 2 broken hairs.

I still go to a stylist for relaxers and trims. She just trims that area shorter so it looks like I have layers but I would love to figure out what happened and how I can get that area healthy again.

 

[Prose Princess]

Me! I had four breakage areas, now I'm down to three. Well, kind of. My crown was constantly breaking off and was only about a half an inch long at most. My scalp was exposed and it was awful, my self esteem was so low. I tried some pretty ridiculous things to get it to grow back. I paid $120 for some "Scalp Med" because I thought I was balding (which didn't work for any of my breakage areas by the way, I will regret that purchase forever), I tried relaxing that area in between my already too close together 6 week relaxers, then I completely shaved that area off , which may have helped, but I allowed my mother to relax it when it was only about a half inch stretched. Then finally I found this board and figured out that the only thing it needed was some MOISTURE!!! So I started putting water and/or conditioner on it and sealing with oil twice daily, and it has finally started to grow in thick and healthy. It's still only about 3 inches (with shrinkage) now though.

My nape and temples were broken off/thinning too, but unfortunately I didn't pay quite as much attention to them as I did my crown so they haven't seen much progress. My nape is starting to thicken up since I have been stretching my relaxer, but my temples haven't budged. So that's where I am right now. If you go to my fotki you can see how bad it was in my crown. My self esteem was at an all-time low. But now that I've found this forum and know how to take care of my hair, I couldn't be better, and I'm aiming for BSL by the end of this year (I'm planning on growing my hair out first and nursing my other three breakage areas back to health along the way...I don't feel like waiting for swangin' hair! )

 

[morehairplease]

First, thanks to the OP and all of you ladies for this thread! Currently, I am nursing my hair back to health(yet again it seems) from a corrective relaxer gone wrong two weeks ago. Unlike previous times, I would just big chop and start over(this was easier for me b/c I wanted the quick fix) but this time I am determined to nurse my hair back to health. My scalp still has sores/raised lesions and boy do they hurt. What I have been doing is apply oil to my scalp daily to help with the itching/dryness I am having. Hopefully, when I visit the derm he won't diagnose me as having permanent scalp damage.

 

[livesoundtech]

Yes I am definitely starting over. I cut about 2 inches last month. And I have another 2 inches to cut. I really want my hair longer but I dont want thing ends, so they will have to go. I'm just gonna keep cutting until the damaged parts are even with the rest of the hair.

Im still looking for the perfect conditioner, but I do like Cream of Nature shampoo.

Do you think you will ever dye it again?

I will NEVER dye again. For so long I had this bronze/reddish hair and nobody even believed that I was Sicilian/Mediterranean. I miss my dark hair and I can't wait for it to be all natural again.

I really love Herbal Essences LTR for cowashing... and for shampoo I've been using Tresemme Thermal Recovery. I haven't found a perfect shampoo yet =/