Naturals, how do you knock out those ssk?????

[southerncitygirl]

dusting several times a yr, stretching my hair and regularly moisturizing and sealing several times a week. i don't rid of them completely but def see less of them.

 

[coolsista-paris]

Nonie : there was a difference on your picks. im definetly gonna try dusting more often.

The middle hairs seem more ripped off than the rest (ive already dusted last week). But should i keep doing this till i get everything setled? i mean, i don't have to chop off a lot to get back in the game, do i? it is fustrating

 

[Nonie]

@Nonie : there was a difference on your picks. im definetly gonna try dusting more often.

The middle hairs seem more ripped off than the rest (ive already dusted last week). But should i keep doing this till i get everything setled? i mean, i don't have to chop off a lot to get back in the game, do i? it is fustrating

If you haven't dusted for a long time coolsista-paris, you may initially have to cut a lot to get rid of the damaged ends. The black and white image of a split I posted shows how splits look when they are 1/10 of the size of this tiny little line: -

So imagine how horrible they must look by the time you are noticing thin ends. IMO splits should be dusted before your eyes can see them... That is when they are so small and when you can hope to leave full strands that can withstand regular styling. So think of dusting not as a way to repair a problem but a way to catch it before it exists.

If you cut too little and don't remove the damage you have now...like if you trim at C below, notice to the left of that line how bad the hair left would look. Those tears will continue to travel further up the strand. The cut at A is better but even then, only the second strand from the top seems to have all the damage removed. If you didn't want to cut more than A, then you'd have to dust very soon so that the damage doesn't get as ugly as before. But if you did trim off all the thin ends, then you'd have strands that are stronger and so they have a chance of taking some time to get that ugly.

Because I dust every 8 weeks, I can see how well this is working on my ends. My strands are longer and they are full all the way to the ends:

And because I dust regularly, I only need to cut a tiny little bit. If you then seal and protect your ends (I don't do this coz I'm lazy and hate product on my hair), you may even find you don't need to dust as often as I do.

I don't believe in Search and Destroy because you'd need a magnifying glass to study every strand to see if it's whole or not. Just because you don't see a split doesn't mean it's not happened. I mean, if splits can happen at the scale of that black-and-white pics, then clearly you can't rely on eyesight.

I magnified a photo of my own hair to show that even when a hair doesn't look split it could be coz the other half of the split broke off.

So unless you are measuring the thickness of the strand along its length from roots to tip, how can you tell by S&D that what you're looking at is a whole strand?

Also make sure you use a new pair of sharp scissors for cutting hair. Paper scissors are blunt and will damage your hair because they will give you a rugged end that is just ready to split.

 

[coolsista-paris]

Nonie: thanks so much for all your great advice.you are totally right. i once tried searching to destroy, i got pissed in a second. its so hard to see those split ends. sometimes they look good but the end is split a tiny bit, that you need to do a 500 % zoom on it. so i gave up..im already lazy on doing some stuff so that is definetly not for me. Ive dusted but not enough. I now understand whu my middle hair is thinned. The rest of my hair (front, back) are good. So i dont want to cut just the middle when its already shorter than the rest (i now understant it must be because of split ends). this year : ive found the moisturizer that works for me.
blow dryer on low seems to work (ive done it just once and on one section...came out good).
ive finally found a better method to make my hair soft after shampooing AND im gonna dust more that i ever did before.

 

[Southern Belle]

This is really anoying me more and more. My hair is now softer and well moisturised after finding the right method for myself. BUT is it because of ssk that i feel like im not growing hair fast?

I mean, when i was young my hair was long thick and grew so fast.
guess what: my aunts always used to hot comb my hair! i was with straight hair 90 % of the time!

so what is going on? im so confused, im asking myself if i should straighten more often.....blow dry on low heat? im lost!

second thing : 2 years back i had damage which makes my middle hair shorter and thinner than the rest. Now that my longest layers have FINALLY reached APL,do i really have to cut everything (i trimmed already this week, and a month ago)

HELP ME LADIES : im so lost, pissed off even though apl has come...erplexed

I don't have any advice, but I just want you to know I am in the EXACT same boat as you, and I could've written this post verbatim.

I'm also wondering whether I should become a straightened natural to retain more length.

I'm coming up on 2 years natural (next month) and when I see other naturals on here that BC'd with me, I'm nowhere NEAR where I think I should be. It's discouraging.

I'm gonna go and read the rest of the thread now, but I just wanted to say I'm glad you started it. Hopefully we can get some good feedback - for both our sakes.

 

[Lucia]

Keeping my ends moisturized and protected mostly PS styles or if I see it down I moisturize at night I wear a satiny bonet nightly
I also dust on a regular schedule every 4-6 months I don't cut alot I self trim 0.5-1 inch maximum.

 

[Aggie]

I think it was LynnieB who suggested that I do a light blow drying every now and then to stretch the hair and control the SSKs and that's what I will do. I can't deal with another setback. In addition, I will be detangling two or three times instead of once a week.

 

[Kn0ttyByNatur3]

Taking some of these into consideration. SSks kill me sometimes.

 

[*C00KIE*]

Let me get this right. SSks, is formed because your hair may need a trim, due to split ends. This makes since why blowdrying would help, it would smooth down the split ends, Of course this would be a temporary fix?

 

[coyacoy]

Oil rinsing and stretching on cool blow dry every time i wash has helped tremendously in getting ssks under control for me. My strands are fine and easily curl up on themselves and others. I sometimes blow dry in low heat....upped my protein usage to mitigate potential damage since incorporating heat

 

[Arian]

Borrowed from another board:

I seek and destroy. In other words....I find them...separate the strand away from the hair....and cut it about 1/4 to 1/2 inch above the knot. That single strand is dehydrated and rubbing agains the grain loops and knots it as it were.

Therefore I make sure to wet my hair, add a moisturizer, comb it with my fingers, shake it, and let it drip dry.....in the curl clumps and clusters that form. If my hair is twisted...and I find a knot at the end....I either attempt to get the strand with the issue or I just clip the end of the twist. Then I wet it and let it drip. In clusters....your hair protects itself...strength in numbers kinda thing. When combed thru....the hair tries to curl even though the curl pattern has been disrupted...so you have all these single strands trying to curl and not working together to do it...the result is knots and tangles. When you add water....and moisturizer...and then use your finger....you are reintergrating the singles back into the group. Shaking it sends it back to the clusters. Drip drying....you will notice the water clings to the spirals and flows down to the end....making the curl clump. Hair is happy when it socializes with other hairs. If the ends are having a parting of ways....not clumping....I gently push the hair up with my hand once or twice like I'm scrunching but without a towel. I don't use silcones or heavy petroleum products.

 

[coolsista-paris]

I don't have any advice, but I just want you to know I am in the EXACT same boat as you, and I could've written this post verbatim.

I'm also wondering whether I should become a straightened natural to retain more length.

I'm coming up on 2 years natural (next month) and when I see other naturals on here that BC'd with me, I'm nowhere NEAR where I think I should be. It's discouraging.

I'm gonna go and read the rest of the thread now, but I just wanted to say I'm glad you started it. Hopefully we can get some good feedback - for both our sakes.

Southern Belle : lets get those good ends and thickness back ! This is fustrating ...im gonna go slow on getting rid of the damage .dont wanna cut à lot just like that and end up sl again after staying stuck à year with that length

 

[FearlessNik]

I just cut them off. Not method to it because I'm not suck on length. I have no prob cutting a chunk off.

 

[Arian]

For anyone, how often do you find yourselves cutting out the SSKs? Each wash day?

Sent from my 4G Thunderbolt using LHCF app

 

[faithVA]

For anyone, how often do you find yourselves cutting out the SSKs? Each wash day?

Sent from my 4G Thunderbolt using LHCF app

I primarily take care of them when I dust every 8 to 12 weeks. If I notice a strand with SSKs is causing a problem while I am untwisting my hair or it is very obvious I will take care of it when I notice it.

Giving too much focus to them would make me crazy and I wouldn't be able to enjoy my hair.

My wash days are long enough without adding another step.

 

[LovelyNaps26]

Chime on Youtube, who as hip length hair, says she really doesn't trim them off. I've come to adopt that view as well. My hair is 4a/4b and ssks are inevitable. unlike split ends i don't think they sabotage length retention. too many splits can lead to ssks so getting rid of splits keep ssks under control. I cut some out every once in a while when i get annoyed seeing them but I haven't been that vigilant. I'm MBL and still retaining so I've learned to coexist with ssks. maybe when i reach my length goal and all i'm doing is maintaining i'll trim them out every month but really that would be for me b/c to the naked eye my hair looks fine with them

ETA: I'm vigilant about keeping my ends moisturized and stretched (this is key!) and I wear protective styles and practice low manipulation 90% of the time. I think this has likely been helpful.

 

[Arian]

^^Thanks to you both for answering. I think this is the approach I will take as well. I hope the OP sees these last few posts to ease her mind as well.

 

[BillsBackerz67]

I think they only really serve as a problem if you plan to wear to wear ur hair in a sleek and straight flat iron. a few single strand knots here and there are nothing to worry about, but when ur hair is laden with them and ur trying to rock straight hair it looks horrible

 

[classychic1908]

I find that keeping my hair well moisturized and smoothing my strands with gel to encourage clumping, helps keep the ssk at bay. HTH