Im beging all naturals to give their help- please?

[pureebony]

Its been over a month since the damage occured... please follow the link and look at the 3 pics to understand what I mean...

http://public.fotki.com/pureebony/hair-2010/june-heat-damaged-hair/dsc02648.html

I am very sad about my hair, its breaking severly, everywhere and I dont know what to do, I wish I never went to get my hair pressed, now my hair is so damaged to the point that whenever I touch my hair my hands end up being filled with snapped strands. what am i going to do my hair is short and breaking badly tried protein it only seems to make my hair dryer even with a dc after.

I try to co wash once every week, and on the other days I just spray it with a water based moisturizer shea butter and gel it into a alligator grip clip.

Help me, I cant keep doing this I want to feel beautiful with my hair, its been over 7 years since deciding to go natural and look where I am...

 

[Pandora1975]

I've been there hon. Unfortunately, I'm learning (and I am in no way an expert) that there is never a quick answer. Did the pressing you had done burn your hair? Have you looked at the ingredients in your products? Do you have hard water? Could it be porosity or ph? You mentioned a protein already, so I'd guess that isn't it. I'm in the process of removing sulphates and bad silicones from my routine, and have added an apple cider vinegar to my routine and I am seeing improvement.

http://www.livecurlylivefree.com/home.htm - I use the strand tests on this site before I wash my hair each time to determine what treatments I need. Its annoying and time consuming, but its been worth it. HTH

 

[Truth]

*waves*..first and foremost, I know this is gonna sound harder then it looks but trust me, once u get it down ,you'll be fine.. simply put DONT GET DISCOURAGED OR UPSET.. it only will make it worse.. Be patient and calm... My Question is, what does your moisture content look like??? Do you use a moisturizer and seal with oil, or any form of oil?? any form of leave in?? ( I know you said the shea butter but is that it??) I'm asking because I had this problem before , I was relaxed then, but I'd always stretch 6months, so I dealt with a bit of new growth. And my problem was I was lacking serious moisture... Does your hair like CO washes? ..Once I up'ed the co washes to 2-3xs a week..applied a leave in or an oil.. I noticed the breakage deminishing... Do you manipulate your hair alot? That can contribute to it.. So MANY different things... Especially after a press.... which does nothing but fry n dry, you wanna make sure u restore some moisture back to your hair.. My beautican tells me not to add oil but yeah.. I still add a small amount...and It works! HTH some, If your moisture game is on point then, It could be other things like pandora stated before..

 

[SelahOco]

Hey OP,

I'm sorry that this happened to you! I went to a stylist last summer and he burned my hair OUT in certain sections -- I've had about a 18 month set back. I was so depressed, but I got thru it and you will too

I protective style in braids (individuals and cornrows) so I always have to make sure my hair is moisturized and strong.

Since you've already done a protein treatment (I do mayo), you might need to do an intensive DC. Take your favorite DC and add coconut or olive oil to it. Apply it, and cover your head and sleep with it over night. Right before I DC, I take a mix of ACV and water and pray all over my head. I let it sit for about 30 minutes and apply my DC over it.

If I sit under the dryer, I'll use the home made steaming method the ladies here talk about (I'll bump the thread). But if I really need softness, I'll DC overnight...but adding the olive oil or Coconut oil is key, IMO.

Somtimes I clarify w/ Bentonite Clay...which really makes my hair react well to the conditioning process.

Lastly, I got my ends clipped. I washed my hair, air dried in braids, applied heat protectant and NTM Silk touch and blow dried my hair on cool. Then I had my mom clip my ends so all my hair was even.

It really helped me not to have to look at those straight burned strands. Once it was gone, I felt new...and I set goals for myself.

(((HUGS))) Momma...you'll get thru this. What doesn't kill your hair, only makes you stronger

 

[keepithealthy]

I'm still new myself so I don't want to give any advice that might be more harmful than helpful but I will say maybe you need to add more moisture to your reggie. Hopefully some natural veterans will come in an help you out. Just want to encourage you don't give up. *huggs*

 

[SimplyBlessed]

Ok i'm still a newbie but i'm gonna take a shot at this...

I am in the same boat as u!! (I wish I had pics so u can feel better). The front of my hair is HEAT DAMAGED. Not trained, but HEAT DAMAGED!! I constantly wore str8 hair sew ins for years and by aplying heat to the hair that was left out to blend I have basically perm str8 hair in the front of my head .

It sucks and its short...but with TLC its coming around. Moisture is going to be ur friend!! i've been co washing maybe 1-2 times a week and deep conditioning weekly and I can say I do see a little curl coming out now. Deep conditioning is key. Now I think maybe as the heat damaged hair grows out ur probably going to have to do frequent trims. Thats what I'm planning on doing with the front of my hair. HTH

 

[SimplyBlessed]

oh yea and I forgot....

 

[Nonie]

I just want to offer comfort and encouragement. Yes your hair is uneven and you probably are at a loss on how to style it because it isn't even. But things will be OK. I agree with everyone that you may need moisture. Hair may break because it's lacking protein. But protein by adding strength makes it hard/stiff (think of raw spaghetti and how easy it is to break). Moisture makes it soft and flexible (think of cooked spaghetti) so it doesn't snap. So maybe do that.

I also believe in simplicity. My mom used heat a lot because that's the only way she knew to deal with her natural hair. She doesn't care for long hair so she wasn't worried about damage coz she would just trim it down to the TWA as her hair grew. I introduced her to DCing with heat and using S Curl instead of grease and the change was awesome. Her hair that used to look uneven when she combed it would curl into a perfect afro that looked so healthy. (I'm sure you've seen the pics I keep posting.)

So try moisture conditioning, and then whatever moisturizer you normally use. If unsure, I highly recommend S Curl the spray. Don't worry about the parts that don't curl back to match the rest and that look wavy. I've had that happen when a damaged jheri curl just broke off and I had long wavy ends and nappy roots. I would comb into an afro or back and lift with a pick to look like an afro (trying to create a uniform look) and try to smooth or pat those wavy ends down. If you really cannot work with it, plait it and wig it. Let your hair "rest".

I also recommend baggying. Baggying will help with retaining moisture and keeping your strands happy. I wish I could comb your hair for you. You'd see that the only thing anyone would know is it isn't the length they expected it to be, otherwise no one would know it had any other issues. Trust me, it really isn't that bad. It may be worse than you know, but I would tell you if it really was beyond redemption. It doesn't look that way to me.

ETA: Another thing you could do is wraps or wear hats. It's summer time and if hats are not a no-no wherever you need to be, then plait your hair, baggy and wear a hat or a wrap. I don't spend too much time outdoors so I don't sweat much from wearing a baggy under a hat or a wrap. Otherwise a satin cap can work too if you find Saran wrap uncomfortable. You can make this a fun experience by imagining yourself in a "hide your hair" challenge. And then just take care of your hair from now on. It's growing. Some day you'll have a whole "crop" of healthy hair that you will be excited to chop off the damaged hair coz you just won't be able to stand it anymore. But not now. For now, just baby your hair. And visualize a happier future. Dreams are where great accomplishments start.

 

[loulou82]

I just wanted to send some support your way. Please stay encouraged. How you thought about twisting your hair and then pinning it up or placing the ends in perm rods to curl the ends so the thinness of the ends so look so visible?

 

[music-bnatural-smile]

hey lady... i'm sorry about this happening to you...
i would really suggest that you only straighten your hair by yourself... i let my cousin do mine like once a year and she has her own salon... and i love her dearly... but i am not trusting that often...
http://public.fotki.com/Tdennis44/natural-texture/
my hair is currently very very damaged from heat in the front from pressing...
i would try to stay natural for awhile and work on moisture moisture moisture... we can do it together, i am trying to soak my hair in it...
also i would avoid the petro for awhile, i just used it yesterday and i broke so much hair off brushing after my hair dried
have you tried to use cantu shea butter leave in conditioner? its amazing... i am so sorry though at least yours doesnt look like mine, i cant even wear it curly...

 

[dlove]

I'm really sorry. Been there done that.
Get a trim. Be sure to tell the stylist to leave as much length on as possible.
Nexxus Emergencee for protein DC.
Yes to Carrots mud or conditioner
Two strand twists for the rest of the summer with or without weave
Keep the comb out of your hair unless you are detangling after a conditioner.

 

[redecouvert]

The ladies gave you great advice. All I can say is get some qhemet as well...
It will help you sooo much with moisture, growing your hair and getting it back healthy

 

[*Muffin*]

Even though I'm not natural, I just want to encourage you to continue on your journey. We all have set backs (I know I've had my fair share). For as long as I've been on my haircare journey I should be nearly MBL by now, if not atleast BSL. At first I was mad and felt discouraged, but then I was like "I'm going to learn from this experience and I won't let these set backs happen to me again". So stay strong, girl. Stay on a schedule of regular deep conditioning, pay attention to the protein/moisture balance of your hair, and your hair will flourish .

P.S. Remember: Your hair isn't what makes you beautiful--You are what makes you beautiful. Hair is just the icing, and you are the delicious cake .

 

[pureebony]

Thank you ladies so much for your help, I am really overwhelmed with the responses giving help, I thought no one was going to get back to me so I didn't bother looking at the post... I know silly.

But I think you all are right, my hair needs less styling and more babying so im going to use the comb less, and im going to twist up my hair this weekend coming to prevent manipulation. or just co wash and gather into a clip at the back.

Im just about to co wash and do a baggy treatment (thanks Nonie) using a creame of nature conditioner, oils and glycerin.

tdennis44 we can get our hair back together even keep a post on it- what do you think?

Thank you wonderfully blessed ladies for taking time to help me out,

I just wanted to know also, does anyone have info on chemicals used in hair products, maybe i can help my hair that way too? x