Help! Stagnet in Hair growth. Natural 4b

[Lute]

Hey Ladies I hope all is well. I'm kinda torn on what to do.

Since growing out my hair 2 years ago. and decided to stop wearing extensions. and wear my hair out in twists. I noticed that my ends have splits with some going alomst 1.5 midshaft splits.

I havent trimmed my hair for over a year now. And been avoiding protein like a plague. I also did the hair strand test.. and I see my hair strands are floating with what looks like air bubbles on the strand. Should I do an intense protein treatment.. like mixing megatek and aubrey.. or the do either one straight. Or even do the aphogee treatment... But I dont have a hairdryer but a blow dryer.

I also shed alot..so i'm not sure if this contributes my stagnant hair growth.

 

[song_of_serenity]

You really need to trim, firstly. If you have splits, you have to get rid of them, they'll continue to go up the shaft and then eventually break, which is hindering your progress.

I'm not one who knows about the protein thing, but I'm sure someone will help with that. Your hair is definitely growing...it's just breaking off before you can keep length and getting rid of those splits is the first step. And you can find ways to prevent them, too.

 

[Nonie]

You will hardly seen any progress if you do not trim or dust your hair. Even people who bun 24/7 find their hair thins or breaks if they don't dust or trim somewhere along the way. The one time I saw my hair show steady growth going from one inch to about 6 in one year and then from that to about 9-11 inches in another year was when I was dusting my hair every 6-8 weeks. My hair was thick from base to ends and I got the longest hair I have ever had in my life.

There's nothing that can repair split ends, not even protein so as Song of Serenity said, you have to get rid of the ends that are split. If you don't, they will just rip off and leave your hair weak enough to break off. And this stagnancy of which you speak will continue to be your truth.

 

[Lute]

Should I go for a trim..or should I do it myself.. I havent went to anyone in years..to do a trim.... I'm worried I may not cut it even.

Also if I do trim.. should i blow out my head and do the trim.. or do it damp. or air dry and then cut my hair dry.?

 

[song_of_serenity]

Are you natural?

It's really hard these days to find someone you trust to trim your hair...If you don't know what you're doing, I'd say look around and find a stylist (who knows how to work with natural hair and won't blow fry it, which may harm!!) who can trim off what you need.

Given how far you say the splits are, you may loose some length...but like Nonie, it will be one fall in order to rise up and grow far!!

 

[Nonie]

OP, I so don't trust stylists but I also know you won't be able to do a good trim unless your hair is long enough or you to look down at it and trim.

Is there a family member you trust who could be your eyes for you and listen while you guide him or her on how much to trim? S/he could give you feedback of how it looks and you could decide if you want to cut all that s/he says is bad or do it in steps that you can swallow.

 

[Lute]

Are you natural?

It's really hard these days to find someone you trust to trim your hair...If you don't know what you're doing, I'd say look around and find a stylist (who knows how to work with natural hair and won't blow fry it, which may harm!!) who can trim off what you need.

Given how far you say the splits are, you may loose some length...but like Nonie, it will be one fall in order to rise up and grow far!!

Yeah, Im a natural. And its true what Nonie.. says.. I've been holding onto length rather than forgetting on health.

OP, I so don't trust stylists but I also know you won't be able to do a good trim unless your hair is long enough or you to look down at it and trim.

Is there a family member you trust who could be your eyes for you and listen while you guide him or her on how much to trim? S/he could give you feedback of how it looks and you could decide if you want to cut all that s/he says is bad or do it in steps that you can swallow.

Gonna ask my bf to help with the trim. Besides the split ends I see ..bits and peices of my hair. And even though they say natural should focus more on moisture.. I plan to use Aubrey GPB.. or maybe something a bit stronger.

 

[Nonie]

Yeah, Im a natural. And its true what Nonie.. says.. I've been holding onto length rather than forgetting on health.

Gonna ask my bf to help with the trim. Besides the split ends I see ..bits and peices of my hair. And even though they say natural should focus more on moisture.. I plan to use Aubrey GPB.. or maybe something a bit stronger.

If you're gonna do it weekly like I do, Aubrey GPB is good. It's got a nice balance of moisture and protein. I've never done a strong protein so couldn't comment on that. But because I've heard of hair getting brittle and breaking from it, I prefer to err on the side of caution and use a reconstructor instead of a pure protein. And GPB works very well for me.

 

[HauteHippie]

You def need to trim off the split ends. You may want to take a garlic supplement for shedding. If you get the odorless gel kind you can throw some in your shampoo as needed (if you use poo). I always hear that naturals should focus on moisture, but I still use a little protein (I like Giovanni Smooth as Silk conditioner. I'm a sucker for the brand.) and I think it's prevented split ends. I search for them, but rarely ever find them.

 

[AfroKink]

I'm currently trying to fix the same issue. Sometimes I have a strand of hair that has 2 inches worth of bubble splits going up it. Now its easy to do a 2 inch trim, but the problem is that same hair strand might only be 5 inches long, where as the rest of my hair is 12 inches long. So I'd have to trim off 9 inches to get rid of splits that are on short hairs.

So I've opted to trim regularly. 1-2 inches every 3 months and 'search & destroy' to snip out the splits that are on short strands. I'm hoping to be split free by the end of the year.

Of course I'm also trying to prevent splits by increasing the moisture level in my hair. Baggying with Hawaiian Silky has been very helpful in this department.

All the best!

 

[HauteHippie]

I'm currently trying to fix the same issue. Sometimes I have a strand of hair that has 2 inches worth of bubble splits going up it. Now its easy to do a 2 inch trim, but the problem is that same hair strand might only be 5 inches long, where as the rest of my hair is 12 inches long. So I'd have to trim off 9 inches to get rid of splits that are on short hairs.

Hi! I'm just wondering if you use a little protein? I have fine strands, but I noticed a huge improvement in my hair when I started using Nexxis problems years ago. I was hooked on Therapee, Humectress, and Emergencee. I didn't know it then, but Emergencee is a protein treatment. I was relaxed back then. Now, I'm natural and I use more natural products/lighter protein. Anyway, I hope that helps.

HHG to both of you!

 

[amalacoils83]

I've been natural since 2007, and had the same problem, until I became a "born-again" natural and changed my thought process on being natural. I did not think my hair type retained length, I secretly wanted my hair to look and do what it never intended to do, and I was the model of "what not to do" with my hair, until 2010.

Thanks to LHCF and doing my research I've read Ultra Black Hair Growth by Cathy Howse and Grow It by Chicoro and corrected my mindset and regime when it came to my natural hair. It's all about detangling, cleansing, conditioning, moisturizing and protecting. If you want more PM me and remember water is the only thing that moisturizes, oils, creams, butters seals and always protect your ends. Trim when necessary and don't rush it takes time, your hair will always grow. I have seen results, I had a minor setback with a stylist but I learned my lesson and I am moving forward.

Hope that helps!

 

[Tiye]

Your hair growth seems stagnant coz it's breaking off at the ends as fast as it come in at the roots so technically your hair is growing fine but because your strands are weak you aren't retaining it. I also have 4b hair and I had the same problems with my strands as you describe splitting going all the way up the shaft, etc. What I did over the course of a few years (this was back in the 90s so I don't remember specific dates) was gradually cut all of the damaged (split) parts off. I began a vitamin regimen (at the least take a good multi-vitamin and do some research to find out whether you need to take b-complex) and cleaned up my diet. This combination of things worked for me because I haven't had split ends since then.