Help!! Breakage and rollersets!

[jebbie128]

Okay, I have almost shoulder length 4ish textured hair and I keep having breakage every time I comb my hair (even with just my fingers).
I deep condition, I don't flat iron or use heat more than once a week, and it keeps happening. Any suggestions? I've also tried using the Aphogee 2-minute protein treatment and deep conditioning, using sulphate free Burts Bees shampoo, and make sure to apply leave-in conditioner, air dry, and use a heat protectant spray (Beyond the Zone from Sally's) before flat ironing at 370 degrees with a ceramic flat iron (Sedu 1.25"). I'm 6 weeks post and its driving me crazy. I don't want to have to get a trim every 6 weeks but at this rate I'll be at ear length by March. My hair acted better than this when I used Nexxus Therappe and Humectress and Affirm Lye relaxer ever 9 weeks. Now I use Vitale Pro High Comfort (applied by the stylist) every 9 weeks. Could her combing the relaxer through my new growth be the problem?

Also, it takes me FOREVER to dry my hair in a roller set, even when I use the red rollers (about 1.25" diameter) even on high heat (more than an hour and a half). What is wrong with my hair? Is there anything I can do to shorten drying time? Am I just impatient and that is normal drying time? I keep seeing on the boards and on youtube that it should take around 45 minutes. I'm only using diluted lottabody and no other products. I want to join the rollersetting challenge for next year, but if its going to take that long each time, I doubt that I'll be able to stick to it with my schedule.

 

[Shoediva]

Perhaps you may want to go back to using your nexxus product. Then tell your stylist that you are noticing a lot of breakage with the relaxer product she uses. Are you using Aphogee & DC during the same wash? If so, you may be overdoing it. As far as dryer time, Im 4a/b and when my hair was long it always took close to 2 hours to get my hair dry. Even when I cut my hair short above ear length and would get a wrap. I would sit still have to sit under the dryer for 90 min. I just chalked it up to the density of my hair t-h-i-c-k.

Perhap when u rollerset and are taking your hair down you can hold your hair taught and dry it with a blowdryer (no comb) and then pincurl as you go for those areas that are not dry.

 

[LivingDol1]

my roller set hair is never dry in under 90 minutes. i need 90 min to 2 hours all the time. i'm ok with that because under a bonnet dryer, it would take 3 hours. everyone's hair is different.

you could take out the rollers half way into your drying time and just pin the hair as it was rolled and dry that way. I do that for the last half hour because the inner most layer of my hair is damp sometimes. i need the air to get all the way through.

or use mesh rollers instead of magnetic ones...

good luck!

 

[Esq.2B]

What kind of leave-in are you using and what kind of DC?

 

[nissi]

sounds like you need a bit of protein if it's popping off in your fingers. try aubrey organics gpb conditioner (health food store or vitamin shoppe) it's a light protein that will still give you some moisture. hhg!

 

[Minty]

Was the Vitale lye or no-lye? I had this issue, and I used protein - breakage, and I used moisture - breakage....and then I used more moisture (aubrey's Honeysuckle Rose) products with ceramides (Nexxus Humectress + the leave in mist) and a garlic treatment (Alter Ego - Garlic) and more moisture on the hair (JBCO castor oil/jojoba oil) on the ends/length of hair, and left the hair alone. No flat ironing or blowdrying. At night I'd baggy the ends by misting w/Nexxus Humectress mist and seal w/castor oil. It takes a minute but no more breakage on the ends.



I hope it helps.

 

[Minty]

also a ACV rinse maybe helpful too, esp. if there is cuticle damage.

 

[longhairlover]

my hair is dry in 40 mins on 60 degrees. but when I would try the red rollers for a tighter curl my hair also wouldn't really dry like i'd like it.

for your length the purple rollers would be good and dry faster depending on your dryer.

for the breakage try alternating with heavy moisture one wash week and protein shampoos the next wash week to get a good amount of both moisture and protein.

 

[jebbie128]

my roller set hair is never dry in under 90 minutes. i need 90 min to 2 hours all the time. i'm ok with that because under a bonnet dryer, it would take 3 hours. everyone's hair is different.

you could take out the rollers half way into your drying time and just pin the hair as it was rolled and dry that way. I do that for the last half hour because the inner most layer of my hair is damp sometimes. i need the air to get all the way through.

or use mesh rollers instead of magnetic ones...

good luck!

Do you attain the same kind of smoothness with your sets with this kind of roller? My hair is relaxed straight, but there are a few areas that were underprocessed (by accident) that don't air dry straight.

Thanks

 

[sharifeh]

my hair is dry in 40 mins on 60 degrees. but when I would try the red rollers for a tighter curl my hair also wouldn't really dry like i'd like it.

for your length the purple rollers would be good and dry faster depending on your dryer.

for the breakage try alternating with heavy moisture one wash week and protein shampoos the next wash week to get a good amount of both moisture and protein.

what would you recommend as a protein shampoo?

 

[jebbie128]

Was the Vitale lye or no-lye? I had this issue, and I used protein - breakage, and I used moisture - breakage....and then I used more moisture (aubrey's Honeysuckle Rose) products with ceramides (Nexxus Humectress + the leave in mist) and a garlic treatment (Alter Ego - Garlic) and more moisture on the hair (JBCO castor oil/jojoba oil) on the ends/length of hair, and left the hair alone. No flat ironing or blowdrying. At night I'd baggy the ends by misting w/Nexxus Humectress mist and seal w/castor oil. It takes a minute but no more breakage on the ends.



I hope it helps.

also a ACV rinse maybe helpful too, esp. if there is cuticle damage.

@HijabiFlygirl Thanks. I'll try the baggy/condition condition condition idea. Have you tried Porosity control? I tried ACV rinses before but didn't notice a difference. That was before the most recent breakage though.

sounds like you need a bit of protein if it's popping off in your fingers. try aubrey organics gpb conditioner (health food store or vitamin shoppe) it's a light protein that will still give you some moisture. hhg!

@nissi I thought of that. I thought that the 2-minute reconstructor from Aphogee would do it but it didn't. Do you think I should try the Aphogee 2-step? I'm kind of afraid it will make it break more if its brittle.

What kind of leave-in are you using and what kind of DC?

@Esq.2B I use Lacio Lacio leave-in along with a little serum (the Proclaim glossing polish with olive oil). For DC I used the "ApHogee Intensive Two Minute Keratin Reconstructor " and sat under the dryer with a shower cap for about 15 minutes, afterwards I conditioned for about 5 minutes with Neutrogena Triple Moisture Daily Deep Conditioner while I finished my shower.

I can only think it has to be something with the new shampoo/conditioners (I tried the Redken All Soft Poo/Conditioner at the suggestion of my stylist before the last round with the Burts Bees raspberry shampoo and deep conditioning) OR maybe something about how she puts in the relaxer. My old stylist from back in the 90s used the Vitale Pro High Comfort (lye) and it turned out great, my hair was thick and healthy for years. But she rarely combed it thru while relaxing. The stylist I had before who used the Affirm Fiberguard with lye didn't comb it thru either now that I think about it. I've only gotten a relaxer from my new stylist twice (once in early August and once the day before Thanksgiving) and I had box braids in between the relaxers (I waited about 3-4 weeks after the relaxer to put them in). My hair is usually really resilient to heat, I wonder which is causing the problem.

This is what my hair looks like now
(hopefully I attached them righterplexed)

 

[Chevelure618]

Now I use Vitale Pro High Comfort (applied by the stylist) every 9 weeks. Could her combing the relaxer through my new growth be the problem?


Vitale relaxer is what completely damaged my hair. AFter the second touch-up with it is when I started healthy hair care. Use Affirm LYE fibreguard mild.

Also rollersets don't work for everyone. If I do it consistently I always get broken areas on the top of my head. Rollersetting and flat-ironing is too much heat.

Try to get into braidouts or airdrys with a scarf on method.

 

[hillytmj]

I don't have a lot of anti-breakage tips, but I can share my rollersetting tips (I do it weekly).

• I have never, ever, ever been dry in a rollerset in less than 1.5 hours. I really think the thickness of your hair determines the dryer time.
• Your dryer makes a difference. When I was APL, it took 2.5 to 3 hours to dry under a tabletop dryer. Buying a professional dryer significantly decreased dryer time. The Pibbs didn't work for me (bought and returned it several times). I have a Highland Dryer that has worked wonders.
• If your hair is still taking 2+ hours to dry, you may need to check your porosity levels. I have to use Stabilizer Plus every 6-8 weeks to maintain a good hair Ph-balance or my hair will take more than 2 hours to dry.
• Setting lotion helps me dry faster. Using plain water on my hair took longer to dry, and my hair was limp and thirsty-looking.
• I use a mix of the red and purple rollers (depending on which section of hair I'm rolling). The gray ones don't work for me because my hair comes out poofy. A stylist told me you have to flat-iron your roots if you use the gray ones because there's not enough tension in the roller to get the hair smooth.

Hope this helps!

 

[amber815]

Do you attain the same kind of smoothness with your sets with this kind of roller? My hair is relaxed straight, but there are a few areas that were underprocessed (by accident) that don't air dry straight.

Thanks

I exclusively use the mesh rollers and I have a couple underprocessed areas and I LOVE them. Magnetics take too long to dry on my head....