Setbacks- how'd you recover?

Stacia82

Stacia82

New Member
Whether you ran into a stylist that chopped off too much, over/under processed a relaxer which led to breakage, suffered from heat damage, tight weaves, or don't really know how the setback occurred, most of us have had one at one time or another. What worked for you to get that thin spot filled in? Or that breakage repaired? How did you turn your setback around?
Tips and pics appreciated!!

TIA!
 
Heat damage is something that is a reoccurring problem with me either due to my hands or a stylist (mostly due to the stylist). The top of my head tends to get heat damaged a lot because the pattern is slightly looser than the rest of my hair except for the nape. I have transitioned that area twice by going heat free and learning how to do stretch my hair with minimum heat. Last yr, I got a weave with leave out (keep in mind that I transitioned out the previous heat damage so I was practically damaged free in that area). The stylist felt that since my hair is natural that she must use high heat on my hair. She used the babybliss titanium flatiron on 50. When she did my leave out, I felt that something was wrong so I grabbed the flatiron and saw the temp in which I turned it down to 30. She said my hair wouldn't get straight, I'm like I could get my hair straight at 340-360 using a ceramic tourmaline iron. She flatironed my sides (this is how I prevent my edges from disappearing by leaving them out). The first wash solidified my assumption that my top leave out was heat damaged. I got so fed up that I didn't even care anymore and kept having that part out with every weave I wore that yr (4 ). Ironically enough, the area never broke off but kept growing. I did up my protein treatments in that area plus I skipped blowdrying and went straight to flatironing. Then in November, I made a closure wig because I wanted to take better care of my hair and I have not used a flatiron since and I occasionally blowdry when my hair is almost completely airdried. I'm transitioning the area again by keeping up with my protein and moisture. Hopefully by the end of 2014, the heat damage will be completely gone.
 
Breakage...slow growing crown...combination of rough handling on my part and heat use.

The fix - in progress

I've had to cut off the lower layers in order to even them out better with my pitiful crown area. Sabotaging any length achievement I hoped to have.

I've decided to not depend on heat so much for straight styles, but this is difficult.

I'm babying my hair, gentle handling to include bone combs and section-by-section detangling.

I'm a FREAK about deep conditioning several times per week.

M & S - I rejected this because the oils I tried seemed to give me strawlike hair. I've discovered JBCO to be very softening and it gives my fine hair some "weight" and definition. I can only use a teeny-tiny little amount applied to the length and none closer to the scalp/root, but it's a keeper.

Waiting longer to do relaxer touch-ups, though NOT stretching.

Accepting that reaching goals takes time and patience rather than being bummed out about how my hair isn't where I want it to be currently.
 
Setback: matted locks
Result: had to cut several locks of hair
Recovery: only time and patience
 
I went and got a Mohawk. It grew back to APL within a year and a few months. I recently got another Mohawk because of breakage and the top part is APL and the sides are growing back in just like the first time. You can't be afraid to do what ya gotta do.

This pic is from the first Mohawk and the grow back.
 

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Epic thermal reconditioning fail, left my hair shredded and wiry and sticking out instead of lying flat, now it's not curly or straight. It's very dry and splitting and breaking. Started with Indian hertbal powders, then got lazy, so now I'm fixing with a little chop to MBL, weekly oiling overnight, then heavy protein followed by deep moisture treatment, acv rinse, leave in and heavy sealing, bunning and trimming gradually until all the chemically NOT straightened hair is removed. Been in hair rehab for almost two months and recovering well.
 
I had a texturizer once which I loved. Once it started growing out, I didn't feel comfortable doing my own touch-ups, so I went to my old stylist who by the way was really big on not getting your hair bone straight. I told her to just texlax my hair and not to leave the relaxer on long. She agreed, but lo and behold she got my hair bone straight! Not only that, but my hair was breaking and shedding like crazy. She had me coming every 2 weeks for treatments and wash-n-sets, then it was every week. All to no avail. She didn't recommend anything of value.

One day I was fed up so I researched online to find out what really goes on with over processed hair. I kept reading about moisture and some other things I can't remember now, but being the PJ that I am I was sure that I "may" have something in my cabinet to maybe cure this. In one of my cabinets I found some Infusium 23 (old, but still) and some Aphogee protein reconstructor treatment. I used both of these and my breakage and shedding stopped instantly! I never had anymore problems. Every other week I used the protein reconstructor, and the Infusium I used every week after shampooing and deep conditioning. I eventually went natural and got all of my hair shaved off anyway, but I did cure that problem on my own.
 
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Thanks for the responses! Previous breakage has left me with a VERY exaggerated W shape in the back of my hair. I'm thinking protein treatments, increased dc, njoy sulfur mix, and better diet will get me back to normal. I'll slowly trim until that part catches up. I guess patience is key!
 

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Osha said:
Epic thermal reconditioning fail, left my hair shredded and wiry and sticking out instead of lying flat, now it's not curly or straight. It's very dry and splitting and breaking. Started with Indian hertbal powders, then got lazy, so now I'm fixing with a little chop to MBL, weekly oiling overnight, then heavy protein followed by deep moisture treatment, acv rinse, leave in and heavy sealing, bunning and trimming gradually until all the chemically NOT straightened hair is removed. Been in hair rehab for almost two months and recovering well.
Click to expand...


I've heard that a lot about TC and the key to maintaining a healthy one is to moisture condition. It's not truly about the protein but infusing the hair with moisture with the first wash and thereafter.
 
I had a setback in 2011 because I kept flat ironing my hair - specifically in the top area. It was sooo short from heat damage. About 2-3 inches and the rest of my hair at the time was a little past shoulder length. Anyway, I weaved my hair up keeping all of it braided and hidden away and I used the DMM. I also used sulfur mix in my hair (my own concoction). Within 6 months my hair had doubled in growth. You couldn't even tell I had an issue with that part of my hair.
 
TraciChanel said:
I had a setback in 2011 because I kept flat ironing my hair - specifically in the top area. It was sooo short from heat damage. About 2-3 inches and the rest of my hair at the time was a little past shoulder length. Anyway, I weaved my hair up keeping all of it braided and hidden away and I used the DMM. I also used sulfur mix in my hair (my own concoction). Within 6 months my hair had doubled in growth. You couldn't even tell I had an issue with that part of my hair.
Click to expand...

What is the DMM? I'm hoping the middle part of my hair will fill in as well. You didn't have to trim your hair at all?

TIA
 
Stacia82 said:
What is the DMM? I'm hoping the middle part of my hair will fill in as well. You didn't have to trim your hair at all?

TIA
Click to expand...

The deep moisture method. Basically I braided my hair (specifically for weaving) and saturated it with conditioner and sealed it with shea butter before sewing my weave in. And no, I didn't have to trim my hair. If the breakage occurred in the back, I probably would have. I only trim my hair once a year. So I trimmed the ends all over way after the top of my hair had grown back.
 
Heat damage due to me being lazy and leaving my tresses in the hands of a stylist. What helped me was protein treatments and the burning method.
 
Stacia82 said:
My breakage was due to me doing a corrective of a under processed relaxer. My hair fell out in the middle (weakest part of my head) shortly after.
Click to expand...

I keep contemplating doing a corrective on the section of my hair that is way under processed but reading things like this keep me from doing it.
 
I got a weave back in 2002 and it was all kinds of wrong. I bought the wrong hair, the lady GLUED the hair to my own natural hair, and I couldn't detangle the hair AT ALL WHATSOEVER

after 3 weeks I had the lady take it out. I lost half the length and my hair was gone. I had to cut about 4 inches of hair and start all over again.

I stretched my relaxers and never got a weave again. I abused my hair a few more times after that LOL I eventually transitioned to natural and haven't experienced a set back in 6 years *crossing fingers*

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF
 
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