Is this HEAT DAMAGE???? (PICS INCLUDED)

[tailormade84]

(i might start cutting in about an hour so please respond )

The story: my first year (2007) as a natural i pressed my hair straight almost daily. when i finally decided i wanted curls (2008) the varying degrees of heat damage made it hard to tell where my curls really began and ended so i just randomly chopped away erplexed. Two years later, Im still lost so ladies i come to you for help....Is this (pic below) heat damage????

just for a control, i am a 4B natural and this is how my curls look in the rest of my hair....

p.s. i already got a little anxious and started cutting......i don't feel like what i cut was true natural curls....they seem too straight erplexed

so ladies, what do you think???

 

[melissa-bee]

It think it still looks nice, but maybe you could cut like half an inch to get the straight ends off, if you haven't done so already. But if that was my hair i'd leave it.

 

[OneInAMillion]

Don't cut too much!

Did you wash, shampoo, and condition?

I can't say if it's heat damage, but one way for me to see if my hair has lost its curl is after I use a protein treatment and then do a moisturizing deep conditioner. I find that my ends curl up after these, but after just a shampoo, by ends are less curly. If they didn't curl, then I would suspect heat damage.

Your hair looks really healthy to me though...

 

[gymfreak336]

I'm not really sure. Maybe you should wait until your hair is dry to see what curls the most and what doesn't. What conditioner are you using? You probably just need a fortifying treatment. Your hair looks beautiful btw...

 

[Ms. Feliz]

I thought 4b didn't have a curl pattern? I'm confused. Your hair is pretty though.

 

[TamedTresses]

I can't tell either. Hopefully, someone will be able to give you better advice.

 

[tailormade84]

Don't cut too much!

Did you wash, shampoo, and condition?

the pics are after i used shampoo and a protein conditioner (i am currently DC'ing with a moisturizing condish.)

Maybe you should wait until your hair is dry to see what curls the most and what doesn't. What conditioner are you using?

strong proteins are a bit too much for my hair so im not sure if i can do a fortifying treatment without suffering too much breakage. I use HH Long-term relationship (which is a light protein condish in my book) and i DC with a moisturizing condish (various ones - im on a 'use it up challenge'). One my dry hair, those curls just fall apart - i have to braid those loose curls to hold my twists,whereas, in the back where i see the tighter curls, my twists hold just fine.

I thought 4b didn't have a curl pattern? I'm confused. Your hair is pretty though.

4b has a curl pattern, its just a very very VERY tight/small curl pattern


Thanks to all the ladies who replied so far for your helpfulness and compliments

 

[MizzBrit]

your hair doesnt look 4b at all to me..just a highly textured 4a..at least not when wet..its none the less gorgeous..i dont see any heat damage..does that section feel any different?

im browsing your fotki and i see you use henna..could that possible be loosening your hair?

 

[tailormade84]

your hair doesnt look 4b at all to me..just a highly textured 4a/its none the less gorgeous..i dont see any heat damage..does that section feel any different?

It doesn't feel different it just behaves differently when I attempt my 2-strand twists - it doesnt form a cute little, tight curl at the end like the rest of my hair, it just has this weak "C" curl that comes loose easily

p.s. you see my avatar? trust me, its 4b....i took those pics on freshly washed hair....my dry hair is sea of loosely defined curls lol

 

[DDTexlaxed]

It didn't look damaged to me. Maybe that is the way your hair looks wet. ITA that your hair looks gorgeous!

 

[gimbap]

My heat damaged hair was completely STRAIGHT, yours seems to curl still. Like the other ladies said, do a protein treatment.

BTW, your hair is gorgeous. I'd say you were 4a too. Even your avatar looks like 4a to me. Hair typing is so confusing!

 

[PhonyBaloney500]

Why do you need to cut it off? It doesn't look super drastically different from the rest of your hair. At least it's not bone straight. Is it because the twists don't hold (was confused by your post)...

 

[tailormade84]

Why do you need to cut it off? It doesn't look super drastically different from the rest of your hair. At least it's not bone straight. Is it because the twists don't hold (was confused by your post)...

I want to cut it off because i think it heat damaged and i hope that once i do cut it off then all my curls will look the same - it drives me crazy to have that random patch of loose curls....i have always suspected them of being damaged - especially when i consider how tight and bouncy my curls in the back are

and yes, it is super frustrating that they do not hold twists and i am tried of curling them just to have them look like the others

 

[LivinMyLifeLikeItsGolden]

you have pretty hair...i wish i had your heat damage

 

[Ms Lala]

It doesn't look damaged to me. I have some hair that is looser than other parts. I think that's normal.

 

[Chaosbutterfly]

That section does look a little loose, but I don't think you should cut yet.
Have you tried a mild protein treatment? Maybe they'll perk back up.
Or maybe henna is loosening it up.
What do you when you straighten your hair?

And for the record...I'm gonna join those who say that you are not a 4b.
I saw your pictures and read "4b", the first thing I thought was come on, son.
You look closer to 4a to me. Even your avvie doesn't look 4b.

 

[sharifeh]

just wanted to say your hair is very pretty!!

 

[maysay]

Stop cutting!

First, you look 4a to me. And I think since you think you're a 4b, you're assuming that your looser coils are heat damage.

Second, as my hair has gotten longer (it's 4a), the coils have started to stretch out more when wet. Some parts, especially the ends, look like s-shaped curls. It's not heat damage (I never use heat), it's just the way some coily hair starts to look as it gets longer.

I think if you keep cutting, you'll be cutting away healthy hair that isn't heat damaged.

 

[Southernbella.]

Honestly, I'd need to see it dry and shrunken before I could make a determination. All hair elongates when wet, and most people have some looser areas than others.

 

[Adaoba2012]

I don't think its damaged either...some peoples hair is a different texture in different parts of their head and I think that might be the case with you...don't chop! and I don't mean to jump on the bandwagon but I too think you are a 4a lol sorry

 

[lovelyone80]

doesnt' look damanged and it does'nt look 4b even in your avy or other pics. more like 3c/4a.

 

[tailormade84]

UPDATE: So after the first trim I pictured I did not do any more cutting. Thanks for all your advice ladies!!!

p.s. I am so a 4b!!! lol The pictures shown are of freshly washed uncombed hair that was in small twists for a week - so the curls are still in tact....when i comb out my hair and wash it it looks like this ...

check my fotki! im a 4b

 

[song_of_serenity]

Please stop snipping off your hair. You aren't a 4b and are cutting off what may be your actual texture!
ETA
I saw your newly posted picture...can you please show what your RECENT hair looks like washed? If it has those ends just hanging limp, then yes, it may be heat damage, if not, that's just how your hair is!

 

[tailormade84]

im browsing your fotki and i see you use henna..could that possible be loosening your hair?

I do henna, but it has been more than a month since my last henna. Also, those pieces in the front have always been loose (even before I decided to henna)

Have you tried a mild protein treatment?
What do you when you straighten your hair?

I have tried a protein treatment and it remains loose
I don't straighten my hair anymore, but when I did I did use hair protectant, but i used way too much heat

can you please show what your RECENT hair looks like washed? If it has those ends just hanging limp, then yes, it may be heat damage, if not, that's just how your hair is!

That pic was from this summer...my hair hasn't changed much since then...I don't think

But I officially give up the fight of trying to claim 4b...clearly I am outnumbered - from now on i'll just call my hair fluffy

 

[hair4romheaven]

Love ur hair by the way. I'm trying to type my hair it looks like that when dry but when wet there is not curl pattern more like a zig zag wave type pattern. I guess I'll never know till i BC.