So why are your ends stringy when...

[It~Can~Grow]

you're growing out your hair and stretching? If my ends are not 'see through' today, why does adding stretching and my hair growing cause those ends to look stringy in 3 months?

Let's also say that I haven't really had any splits.

Inquiring minds wanna know :scratchch

 

[Sui Topi]

I wanna know too...its really only soo visable when my hair is wet and I hate it lol

 

[mzhotniz86]

maybe cause the texture of the newgrowth and relaxed ends are different. also having newgrowth in different areas of the head. some of the ends may be hanging lower than others (giving it the appearance that your hair is uneven). does that make sense...a little?

 

[It~Can~Grow]

I've seen this topic before, but never an explanation as to "why" this occurs.

My hair is not uber blunt, but it's not stringy either (well as of the Dec photo..I haven't checked since the challenge started) and wondered if it was an inevitable fact that everyone "that does not trim" gets the stringies during growth=length?

 

[foxieroxienyc]

I've read about this somewhere, I think it was Cathy Howse's book where she spoke of reasons not to trim one of them being because as relaxed hair grows shrinkage at the roots occurs giving the ends an appearence of being thin - caused by the different amounts of shrinkage at the roots in various areas. But once you relax, it will all even out - provided there's no breakage or damage in the first place.

 

[Miss*Tress]

See What Causes Thinning Ends for an in-depth explanation.

 

[_belle]

I would think that every single strand in your hair grows at a different rate & shrinks a different amount, so after gettin a relaxer, they are all starting from the same place (scalp) & are "stretched out" so it looks even. when you have new growth, on strand is a little curlier than the next so it gives the appearance of bein uneven when it's not, it's just not stretched out like when it is relaxed

 

[Dposh167]

^^^YES...i agree with the ladies.

thats exactly why i got in the habit of only trimming/dusting when my hair is freshly relaxed or when my roots are completely straight.

 

[Babychoc]

See What Causes Thinning Ends for an in-depth explanation.

^^^Thanks. This was very helpful.

 

[Sui Topi]

maybe cause the texture of the newgrowth and relaxed ends are different. also having newgrowth in different areas of the head. some of the ends may be hanging lower than others (giving it the appearance that your hair is uneven). does that make sense...a little?

For me its more like the relaxed ends just clump together and hang leaving like a split right up to my new growth. I maybe haev 3 inches of new growth stretched...Reading the other posts, it makes sense though..shrinkage....a love hate relationship

 

[It~Can~Grow]

I've read about this somewhere, I think it was Cathy Howse's book where she spoke of reasons not to trim one of them being because as relaxed hair grows shrinkage at the roots occurs giving the ends an appearence of being thin - caused by the different amounts of shrinkage at the roots in various areas. But once you relax, it will all even out - provided there's no breakage or damage in the first place.

Thanks, FRNYC - that does make sense.

 

[mzhotniz86]

For me its more like the relaxed ends just clump together and hang leaving like a split right up to my new growth. I maybe haev 3 inches of new growth stretched...Reading the other posts, it makes sense though..shrinkage....a love hate relationship

yes it definitely is lol .

 

[It~Can~Grow]

See What Causes Thinning Ends for an in-depth explanation.

Good Gosh Almighty!!! Is there anything that Audrey (Sistaslick) hasnt written about ?

That girl is awesome and what a great, great article.

Thanks - MTress

 

[It~Can~Grow]

I'm sorry...you guys may have seen this a million times, but it was sooo powerful for me that I have to include in this post.

Excerpt from SSlick:

When relaxers are rinsed out of the hair, the active creme passes over previously relaxed ends and starts to work on them in a process I like to call "chemical run." This type of damage to the ends happens as a result of not protecting the ends during the relaxing process. Depending on how often you are relaxing (lets say every 8 weeks), this happens to your ends every 8 weeks. Each time this process occurs, the cuticle becomes more and more degraded resulting in thinner (and in some people, redder) looking ends. The best way to guard against this type of thinning is to coat the ends in an oil or conditioner prior to relaxing. When you rinse your relaxer, your ends will be shielded against further chemical exposure.


Sista this is priceless!! Going forward I will NEVER relax w/o applying oil - really midway all the way through the ends.

Thanks, Thanks and THANKS

 

[GypsyGoddess]

I'm sorry...you guys may have seen this a million times, but it was sooo powerful for me that I have to include in this post.

Excerpt from SSlick:

When relaxers are rinsed out of the hair, the active creme passes over previously relaxed ends and starts to work on them in a process I like to call "chemical run." This type of damage to the ends happens as a result of not protecting the ends during the relaxing process. Depending on how often you are relaxing (lets say every 8 weeks), this happens to your ends every 8 weeks. Each time this process occurs, the cuticle becomes more and more degraded resulting in thinner (and in some people, redder) looking ends. The best way to guard against this type of thinning is to coat the ends in an oil or conditioner prior to relaxing. When you rinse your relaxer, your ends will be shielded against further chemical exposure.


Sista this is priceless!! Going forward I will NEVER relax w/o applying oil - really midway all the way through the ends.

Thanks, Thanks and THANKS

Thanks so much for posting this question!
The bottom portion of my hair has appeared thin for quite some time and it has really puzzled me!


I received a relaxer re-touch on last week and although I do see some growth, my ends look very similar to the 3/08 pic in your siggy. My ends are not damaged, meaning they are not splitting (I have them trimmed every time I receive a re-touch), but they do look thinner than the upper portions of my hair.

Have you had a chance yet to oil your ends prior to relaxing? If so, I'd love to see your updated pics. I'd also be interested in your particular procedure: what type oil you used, if you began at the middle of your length, etc.

If you haven't had a chance to try it yet, when you do, please post a pic so we can observe your progress. I will definitely do this the next time I receive a relaxer re-touch.

I wonder how long it takes to correct this problem. . .

THANKS ALSO TO SISTASLICK!!!!!

 

[The Princess]

great post, I notice this too, after 3-4 weeks my hair looks thinner, bun looks smaller and im like dang did all my hair fall out in the last week. Then when I relax it looks like it all came back. So it has to be from the NG shrienking the relaxed hair. Makes since.

 

[Hot40]

you're growing out your hair and stretching? If my ends are not 'see through' today, why does adding stretching and my hair growing cause those ends to look stringy in 3 months?

Let's also say that I haven't really had any splits.

Inquiring minds wanna know :scratchch

Wow you had a lot of growth in three months
any secrets?

 

[january noir]

maybe cause the texture of the newgrowth and relaxed ends are different. also having newgrowth in different areas of the head. some of the ends may be hanging lower than others (giving it the appearance that your hair is uneven). does that make sense...a little?

That's it! There was another thread about this too and that is the conclusion we came up with.