NEWBIE BREAKAGE QUESTION!!!

[EightiesBaby]

Hi everyone,
After a few months of lurking I finally paid my $6.50 and now I'm going to take full advantage of it . My main problem with my hair is breakage. Ive been bunning, deep conditioning twice a week and moisturizing and sealing 2x a day. Ive seen a difference in the breakage since the beginning of my journey but i still have some long strands and short pieces of breakage, especially when I touch my ends. It may not seem like alot but to me every strand counts. What I want to know is, is it possible to have absolutely NO breakage or can we just control it so that our hair doesn't break so much?
THANKS FOR YOUR RESPONSES!

 

[SouthernStunner]

IMO you will have some breakage. I mean its gonna happen if you are going to touch your hair in any way. I think it is just about controllig the amount of breakage.

Pls someone chime in if you have a better answer.

 

[Aireen]

Well I got to a point where I had no breakage, only shedding. If I ever did have breakage it would only be around 1-3 strands. I will tell you trimming definitely helped me along with the deep conditioning, moisture/protein balancing, stretching relaxers, low manipulation, protecting my hair at night, and just keeping it simple in general. Anyway so maybe you need a trim to get rid of the weak ends that can't hold up, sometimes you need to let them go because there's only so much you can do. Oh and giving it sometime while being on your regimen helps too because eventually the breakage will gradually decrease.

 

[jamerichameleon]

I don't think it's possible to have no breakage at all. There are lots of things you can do to keep it to a minimum like having a good regimen and wearing low-manipulation styles, but there is bound to be a little bit of breakage at some point.

 

[NaturalBoss]

I definitely think you can get to a point where you have very minimal shedding. My hair used to shed/break a lot but I see very few strands now. One thing I highly recommend is not combing your hair except when it has conditioner in it.

Are you relaxed or natural? The reason I'm asking is because if you are relaxed, maybe relaxers are too harsh for your hair.

 

[lovelexi]

Split ends could cause the short pieces of broken hairs. Happened to me when I touched my ends and for the first time I really looked at my ends. Saw some split ends and when I touched the strand the ends would just snap off. If its not that then clarifying and maintaining moisture/protein balance should help. It has helped me so far. But either way I think breakage is inevitable.

 

[LittleLuxe]

I'm currently at the point, and yes i do say this with caution where I...knock on wood am having practically no breakage. Maybe 1 strand a day, sometimes 3, but nothing like the filling of the sink I used to deal with.

In my opinion I think it's about taking it slow and figuring out something that worked. I went from not using protein at all (and getting breakage) to using too much (and getting breakage) to now having almost none. I've narrowed down my products as much as possible, I've got a steady regime, I perform wet/dry tests to make sure my balance is good, I only moisturize 1x a day + sealing, only wash & deep condition 1x a week.

Do you think that could be the problem? I'm not sure if you're natural but deep conditioning 2x a week plus moisturizing 2x a day could be too much for your strands. I used to slather on the moisturizer thinking my strands needed it but when I really reduced, boy did things turn around.

 

[EightiesBaby]

Im relaxed. My last relaxer was about 3 weeks ago, I recently realized that I may have been using too much moisturizer. I use Hawaiian Silky and I used to use about 5 pumps, i not cut down to about 2. Im not sure if thats what the problem is though, I may need a trim.

 

[LittleLuxe]

You have to be careful with Hawaiian Silky (Humectants) for some people they're great but some folks, myself included, just felt like I couldn't control the amount of moisturization I was getting and decided to ditch it. Since you are getting breakage I'm going to say cut down to only moisturizing 1x a day and since you're using Hawaiian silky I'm going to say you don't really need to seal with oil, I could be wrong but that's what I think.

 

[chiconya]

What completely halted my breakage was not moisture it was Aphogee 2 min reconstructor and Aphogee serious 2-step every six weeks. All that moisture had my hair coming out in clumps when wet. Oh and a professional trim. You have to find a moisture protein balance.

Your hair may respond to light or heavy proteins.

Maybe you should go light like Aphogee, Keraphix, or Motions reconstructor, if that doesn't work go heavier like maybe Duo Tex, Motions CPR or Aphogee 2 step.

 

[coco8257]

This exact thing happened to me when i started my journey a few months ago i couldn't put my hand in my hair without a thousand little pieces coming out i was doing everything you were moisturizing, deep conditioning, and protective styles and it kept coming out. Then i found out all i need was protein i mixed 2 eggs with a half a cup of yogurt and some conditioner and oil left it in for and hour or two washed out with cold water(or else the eggs will cook and you'll have little pieces in you hair) and deep conditioned afterward absolutely no hair came out. Maybe what your missing is protein you can make it at home or you can buy aphogee 2 min reconstruct or other brands, I'm sure if you search somewhere on this site they've talked about the protein/moisture balance Hope this works for you.

 

[DRJones]

I was experiencing the same thing, I tried different oils to seal with but my ends would just absorb it and it would remain dry and brittle while the rest of my hair felt moisturized and soft. I started to baggy my ends at night and now a week later my ends are thriving. I don't add extra oils in the bag, I just seal my ends like normal and baggy it. It traps whatever moisture my ends have and helps it stay on longer without it being absorbed too much. I honestly haven't seen any broken pieces of hair in the last few days, my ends feel just like the rest of my hair now.

 

[EightiesBaby]

I have tried Aphogee.erplexed I have the reconstructor, 2-step and the keratin spray. Im getting a trim this weekend to see if that may be the problem. I just hope I dont need too much cut

 

[divachyk]

I don't have time to read all responses (at work) so forgive me if I'm repeating what's been said -- breakage is inevitable. When I first joined LHCF a few months ago I had a good bit of breakage. Now the breakage is minimal and under control. Most times I experience breakage b/c I get in a rush and too rough with my strands. However, I control it by moisture/protein balance. I mix a little (1tbsp) of Aphogee 2min in my weekly DC. This alone has controlled my breakage. I also use HE LTR split end protector daily in my m&s process. This has a little protein and cones and helps my hair tremendously. Some are protein sensitive but I find that my hair likes protein in small, continous doses.

 

[chiconya]

OP Check this thread out on breakage and protein moisture balance.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=84746

 

[ScorpioBeauty09]

Well first off welcome to posting! I'm still newbie here too lol. Excellent question OP! And thanks for the responses ladies! I'm glad I read this thread, I've actually been wondering the same thing. Is it possible to have no breakage whatsoever or is some inevitable? I just got in the habit of keeping my hair off my shoulders by PS-ing and keeping my silk scarf on when I'm in the house, moisturizing daily and using a shampoo/conditioner designed to limit breakage and already I'm not seeing as many short hair coming out of my head. I think not combing my hair as often as I did really makes a difference.

 

[lilsparkle825]

Hey there, and welcome!

I'm like a few other posters in this thread -- I have gotten to the point where I have virtually no breakage. It's really only when I finger comb with my rings on or am too rough detangling that I break a few strands, but it's a FAR cry from back when I first got to LHCF and I would have hair all over the sink. I would say make sure your protein and moisture are balanced, like others have suggested....but also GIVE IT TIME. I don't know how long you've been on your journey, but for me it took a few months for my hair to be 100% healthy and recover from all the damage and stress. Hopefully you can look back in a few months and this breakage will be obsolete.