HAIR SHEDDING!!! Too Much Moisture???

[gabulldawg]

My hair is shedding!!! Everything had been going so well! Shedding used to be a signature for my hair, but when I joined this board and started really taking care of my hair it had stopped shedding for a while! I'm thinking it may be because of too much moisture! I had been cowashing almost daily and then would use a moisturizing leave-in conditioner afterward. anyway, my question is, how do I decrease the moisture without ruining my hair?? I have already eliminated cowashes altogether. Should that be the only thing that I should change? Also, does anyone know how long it would take for me to figure out whether cowashing was the culprit of the shedding or not (i.e., no more shedding)? TIA everyone!

 

[tenjoy]

im not sure, since i dont co wash. maybe all that hot steam and moisturizing from the condition is opening you pores and causing u to shed. I think it is because your combing more in the shower after you condition. Then again if your hair has too much moisture it will feel all mushy when its wet. try some protein like keraphix. you need to balance both.

 

[gabulldawg]

im not sure, since i dont co wash. maybe all that hot steam and moisturizing from the condition is opening you pores and causing u to shed. I think it is because your combing more in the shower after you condition. Then again if your hair has too much moisture it will feel all mushy when its wet. try some protein like keraphix. you need to balance both.

Hmmmm... My hair isn't mushy when it's wet - at least I don't think so. I also use protein once a week as a prepoo (ORS hair mayo). Do you think I should use protein more often than that? Like maybe twice a week?

 

[the_UnPrettiest_pretty]

I'm sorry this is happening to you honey and you'll get through it. I'm pretty sure it's nothing major right now (as shedding is natural) and you shouldn't worry your pretty little head about it. I'm no expert, but, your shedding could be seasonal, or it could be due to a major change that you're undergoing such as birth control pills, hormonal imbalance, stress, your diet, thyroid issues, a certain product that you're using, etc. I'm going through the same thing, but I'm not worrying about it b/c I know it's either one of those mentioned above, or it's seasonal. I'm just letting my hair do it's thing because stressing about it will only make the situation worse. But, in the meantime, I'm also trying to find triggers for the shedding, like certain products I am using on my hair or the things I may be putting in my mouth, etc. If it gets to be a major concern, then I'll consult with a dermatologist. I hope everything gets better for you though

 

[tenjoy]

I agree it could be seasonal! I wash every 14 days, but lack of protein would cause breakage, is it bulbs at the root? Is it breaking at your new growth?

 

[tocthesunrise]

I agree it could be seasonal! I wash every 14 days, but lack of protein would cause breakage, is it bulbs at the root? Is it breaking at your new growth?

^^^what does it mean if its bulbs at the root??

 

[gabulldawg]

I guess I need to look closer at the hairs. I haven't noticed any white bulbs. Are the white bulbs good or bad?

 

[aurora3140]

The little bulb on one end means that the strand came out from the scalp which would make it a shed hair. If there isn't a bulb on either end, then the strand is breakage. If you're having a lot of shedded hair, then your problem is likely one of the ones Miss-Cherokee mentioned. If it's breakage, then it's probably due to manipulation, or a protein-moisture imbalance.

 

[gabulldawg]

The little bulb on one end means that the strand came out from the scalp which would make it a shed hair. If there isn't a bulb on either end, then the strand is breakage. If you're having a lot of shedded hair, then your problem is likely one of the ones Miss-Cherokee mentioned. If it's breakage, then it's probably due to manipulation, or a protein-moisture imbalance.

Ahh okay. I think mine is actually breakage then! I can see how my hair may be improperly balanced. I really think my hair gets a lot of moisture and I think I only use protein once a week. Does that mean I may need to step up the protein? If so, how? Should I DC twice a week? Now that I think of it, I think my hair does kind of slow down on the shedding after my protein treatment (if that's possible -- maybe just wishful thinking). I manipulate my hair fairly regularly, but I don't think it's too much. Maybe it is, though. That's why I'm getting cornrows today and plan on wearing half wigs during the winter.

 

[aurora3140]

You said you stopped co-washing? Maybe see how your hair reacts after a week or two. If you were co-washing daily and you experienced breakage, then eliminating or reducing the frequency of the co-washes may be the only change you need to make. If the breakage continues, you might have to up your protein. Also, you might need to clarify if you've been doing a lot of conditioner washes. A lot of build-up on you hair might lead to breakage as well.

 

[girlyprincess23]

The little bulb on one end means that the strand came out from the scalp which would make it a shed hair. If there isn't a bulb on either end, then the strand is breakage. If you're having a lot of shedded hair, then your problem is likely one of the ones Miss-Cherokee mentioned. If it's breakage, then it's probably due to manipulation, or a protein-moisture imbalance.

interesting, what I thought was sheddage a while back was actually breakage!! Well that explains why the protein and moisture stopped it immediately!!

 

[aurora3140]

interesting, what I thought was sheddage a while back was actually breakage!! Well that explains why the protein and moisture stopped it immediately!!

The same with me! Before I read on this site about the difference between shedding and breakage, I thought the hairs in my comb were shedding because they were long, but there wasn't any bulb. I found out that they were actually hairs breaking at the demarcation line and I needed to be more gentle and keep that point moisturized.

I love all the information here on LHCF!

 

[PuffyBrown]

bumping....
to agree with what everybody is saying.

 

[lollyoo]

HOW ABOUT TOO MUCH protein- most regular conditioner has protein in them and i think ORS mayo is to strong to be used weekly (egg, mayo etc).
the reason i said this is that you said your hair is not mushy.
how often do you deep condition with moisturising deep conditioner, will suggest doing biweekly moisturising conditioner for the next 2 weeks, no co washing, no ORS.
hope you sort this out soon.
check out sistaslick article may be you can determine exact problem.

 

[gabulldawg]

HOW ABOUT TOO MUCH protein- most regular conditioner has protein in them and i think ORS mayo is to strong to be used weekly (egg, mayo etc).
the reason i said this is that you said your hair is not mushy.
how often do you deep condition with moisturising deep conditioner, will suggest doing biweekly moisturising conditioner for the next 2 weeks, no co washing, no ORS.
hope you sort this out soon.
check out sistaslick article may be you can determine exact problem.

Thanks for the info. I only use the ORS once a week. Anyway, I went to my stylist yesterday to get cornrows. She noticed certain areas in my hair where there has been breakage. She was saying that she thinks it's because my extremely overprocessed hair is breaking off from my newer more healthy processed hair. Then she was showing me how thin the ends of my hair are compared to my roots. So I guess that could be the culprit. If it is, I would have no choice but to put up with it indefinitely or cut it. I don't know if I'm ready for cutting it yet, though.

 

[silverlotus]

Thanks for the info. I only use the ORS once a week. Anyway, I went to my stylist yesterday to get cornrows. She noticed certain areas in my hair where there has been breakage. She was saying that she thinks it's because my extremely overprocessed hair is breaking off from my newer more healthy processed hair. Then she was showing me how thin the ends of my hair are compared to my roots. So I guess that could be the culprit. If it is, I would have no choice but to put up with it indefinitely or cut it. I don't know if I'm ready for cutting it yet, though.

Sorry, but I wouldn't put much weight in your stylist. My ends are weaker than the rest of my hair and they are not breaking off. The only way I can see this happening is if you are rough-handling your hair. I looked at your fotki & your ends look great, you sure don't need a cut.

Have you read Sistaslick's breakage article yet? The best way to figure out what you need is to do her strand test.

I pretty much agree with what lollyoo said. Start d/cing with a moisturizing conditioner. I don't think cowashing alone was providing your hair with enough moisture.