Streching + Breakage + Dryness = TOTAL SADNESS!!

[jayhyde]

Evening ladies...I am extremely depressed when it comes to my hair...my recent hair growth in a little past shoulder length...not the longest I've ever been but the longest since I'VE been doing my hair. It's thick, most ppl can't notice the breakage that I experience. I'm currently practicing stretching, and apparently this year I'm doing it wrong as heck! So far, I've had 4 relaxers this year...2 more than last year!! I've been natural once before...LOVED IT but I'm so much busier now, that my old regimen takes up tooo much time. I'm 10 weeks post relaxer and really really REALLY want to do what I did last year, which was I relaxed on September 5,2010 and didn't relax again until December 29, wore sew-ins, bantu knots, braid outs, twist outs, and individual braids...but the breakage is scaring the freak out of me that I don't want to rick loosing more of my hair!! The nape area of head is completely NATURAL because the hair has SNAPPED OFF

My current reggie for my relaxed hair is:
poo and condition at least once a week
co-wash once a week
deep condition every two weeks.

Products used are:
ORS Olive Oil Relaxer(box)
Creme Of Nature new Argon Oil Moisturizing Shampoo and Condition
ORS Olive Oil hair dress and hair moisturizer
Olive Oil to seal ends
Palmers Coconut Protein Pak and ORS Deep Conditioning Pak(don't know the actual name because I don't have it on hand currently)

Now currently, I'm being a big baby and blaming the breakage on stress
but I will admit, its because of my poor care for my hair recently...I stopped reading the boards and thought I could do it from memory...EHHHHH WRONG...now I'm paying for it.

Any suggestions are welcomed...PLEASE HELP!!!!!

 

[Poohbear]

Do you comb your hair everyday, excessively, or roughly? I know this can cause breakage, especially when you are stretching relaxers and have a lot of new growth.

 

[jayhyde]

I comb everyday, wide tooth comb only...sometimes excessively because my hair is wild when the wind hits it. I was thinking maybe I should switch products...those have been my same products since I started back relaxing in 2009..could you hair actually get used to a product and stop responding? My mom has always told me to switch up my relaxers, but I never listen to her when it comes to my hair because she doesn't have a set regiment and her hair is now beginning to grow because she stopped gluing weave in it after 10+ years.

 

[Poohbear]

I comb everyday, wide tooth comb only...sometimes excessively because my hair is wild when the wind hits it. I was thinking maybe I should switch products...those have been my same products since I started back relaxing in 2009..could you hair actually get used to a product and stop responding? My mom has always told me to switch up my relaxers, but I never listen to her when it comes to my hair because she doesn't have a set regiment and her hair is now beginning to grow because she stopped gluing weave in it after 10+ years.

I think combing your hair everyday and excessively is the problem, not necessarily the products your are using which seem fine. Even though you are combing with a wide tooth comb, you can still pull or rip your hair out with a wide tooth comb. When you are new growth, it's best to comb when your hair is wet. If you are combing your hair while dry, you risk breaking your hair at the demarcation line (where the natural new growth and relaxed part of your hair meets). Maybe try rollersetting your hair, keeping it in a bun, or maybe even doing twistouts/braidouts so you won't have to comb through your hair.

 

[JeterCrazed]

Is your hair course or fine?
How do you mix your relaxer?
What kind of brush/comb do you use?


Sent from my HTC Inspire™

 

[jayhyde]

Is your hair course or fine?
How do you mix your relaxer?
What kind of brush/comb do you use?


Sent from my HTC Inspire™

My hair is slightly coarse....my edges are fine, they snap so easily, always have even when I was natural. I mix my relaxers normal as describe by the box. And I rarely brush my hair, but I use a shower comb to detangle in the shower under running water, but when I'm moisturizing my hair or styling, I used a wide tooth ConAir comb..

 

[jayhyde]

I think combing your hair everyday and excessively is the problem, not necessarily the products your are using which seem fine. Even though you are combing with a wide tooth comb, you can still pull or rip your hair out with a wide tooth comb. When you are new growth, it's best to comb when your hair is wet. If you are combing your hair while dry, you risk breaking your hair at the demarcation line (where the natural new growth and relaxed part of your hair meets). Maybe try rollersetting your hair, keeping it in a bun, or maybe even doing twistouts/braidouts so you won't have to comb through your hair.

I've experienced the most breakage just recently, when I let a friend of my put flexi rods in my hair...it was because I didnt think I could comb the curls and my previous relaxed hair was getting so tangled, I washed my hair, did a protein pak, but I think I left it in too long, because it was about 3 hours later when I washed it out. My hair was HARD...and still tangled..I went back over it with the Argan Oil Intensive Conditioner by Creme of Nature, and same result...something told me to just use the Argan Oil shampoo and it worked great, detangled my hair, but I ripped so much of my hair out...and it wasn't like regular shedding...it had the skin tags attached...I was so sad and embarrassed about that.

 

[~NanCeBoTwin~]

Try adding some ubber moisturizing conditioners and only combing in the shower full of the thick moisturizing conditioner. When I'm stretching I know at the 12-13 week mark that I will loose all of my hair if I comb any other way then in the shower during my co wash. My favorite Co Wash conditioner is Aussie Moist and AO HSR both are very thick and moisturizing. AO HSR can also be used as a DC, per the bottle it is to be done on dry hair and my hair LOVES it.