How are you NOT shedding any hair strands?

[Fine 4s]

I need to show ya'll some pics b/c some of you ladies are claiming to shed 6 (six) hair strands which is phenomenal, and I can't quite believe!

If I wash after 2 weeks or more I shed a fistful of hair. If I wash and detangle weekly, I still lose a nice big ball of hair. Sometimes I wet my hair and TRY to put some detangler before the washing process and then detangle again after deep conditioning. Is that too much manipulation? Most of the time I do not use a detangler because A) I'm too cheap to use a product only to give me slip which I will then rinse off (I feel like I'm wasting it- is it crucial to my process?) and B) Water works OK.

I don't usually untangle my hair during the week. I try to do a no-manipulation regimen or at the most a low-mani. Works VERY well for me. I don't know what length I started in 06 (somewhere near APL+ I think) but when my hair is under running water, it reaches my ribcage. Is that a length, RCL? In any case, the real proof will be during the summer time when I blow dry it.

My hair is natural 4, fine and dry and tangles quite a bit. I can't untangle wet or even damp hair it must be FULLY wet, like under the shower wet. I don't get folks who claim that coconut oil helps detangles or any other butter for that matter!

I'd love to hear from you naturals for advice (all 4's). What are you doing. Nappity4b what's up?

BTW, how do you know if it's shedded hair and not breakage or vice versa? I mean I know how to tell, white bulb at the end versus none. But do you really look at EACH strand? I tried doing that but I gave up after 50 lol. I have a mixture of long broken strands and shedded hair. Not as much short broken pieces but the long ones with no bulb. So sad...

 

[winterinatl]

I know a lot of it is seasonal. I'm not losing much hair no because it's the dead of winter.

You might try braiding up in sections and washing in sections, to decrease manipulation and breakage while washing. I haven't done that, but I know others have with great success.

 

[Fine 4s]

I know a lot of it is seasonal. I'm not losing much hair no because it's the dead of winter.

You might try braiding up in sections and washing in sections, to decrease manipulation and breakage while washing. I haven't done that, but I know others have with great success.

That's how I wash my hair actually in sections. Although I read a post where someone posted NOT to wash in sections. I should have asked her why. It could have been a mistake...

My hair growth/rentention rate is acceptable though but I'm wondering if I could do better.

 

[ShiShiPooPoo]

I shed a lot too. I just contribute it to low manipulation actually. When I wear a lot of protective styles I get a ton of shedding I believe it is the hairs that would have fallen away but get bound up in the bun or whatever I am wearing.

For me it is a natural process so I don't try to control it too much unless I feel like my hair is falling out (been there too).

 

[JustKiya]

I shed plenty - significantly more in the winter than in the summer. I don't worry about detangling my hair until I'm about to style it - so I take it down from the previous style, DC, clean, do whatever else (henna, etc), and THEN, I put some conditioner in it, and detangle, then rinse, then style again.

Oils and butters don't do a thing for detangling my hair - I need conditioner and/or water - and I usually don't like using water alone. On dry hair, I have to use a water based 'conditioner' in order to comb/detangle.

RCL = Midback, I would think - almost waist, really.

I usually look at just a portion of my hairs to compare broken/shed, so that I can get an idea of the proportion of each once I'm all done detangling, etc.

 

[glamazon386]

I think we all shed hairs we just may not notice it. Hairs shed all the time not just when we're combing or styling our hair. Also, with naturals a lot of times the shed hairs get caught in the bulk of your hair so you don't see them come out until you actually comb.