This Is Probably A Dumb Question But....

[lizjoseph]

Would having "Hand in Hair Syndrome" cause any damage to my hair? I can't seem to stop playing with my newgrowth (I think I underprocessed the middle last time when I self-relaxed).Whenever I'm online searching, I always catch myself doing it inadvertently. Part of me thinks that it's good and that I'm giving myself a scalp massage. The other half is thinking that I might be manipulating my hair/ roots too much. What do you ladies think?

 

[B_Phlyy]

Yes, it may damage your hair. I had terrible HIH syndrome in hs and overtime I picked a bald spot in my hair. It's since grown back, but every now and then I do catch myself still picking and I try to immediately stop.

 

[*Michelle*]

Make sure your nails are WELL groomed. Fingernails and cotton pillowcases can be the death of hair! Wishing you well in your endeavor to break the HIH syndrome!

 

[hOnii]

I have a bad habit of doing this too. Ohhh how i love to feel my new growth :-( But this constant manipulation causes unnecessary breakage, and this is why I try to keep my hair wrapped & covered by a scarf until I am ready to go out.

 

[Tamrin]

I currently suffer from it. As a matter of fact Im picking now.. its really bad i have a bald spot the size of a dime it used to be 2 inches wide thand to bt i drew most of it back

 

[LaReyna756]

I just noticed a couple of weeks ago that I'm developing this too. It started a couple of days ago, when I noticed some breakage around my temple-area. Since then, I catch myself rubbing that spot. After reading hOnii's post, I'm going to try to wear my bonnet around the house more until I break this habit.

 

[lizjoseph]

Whew!! Well, at least I'm not the only one. I think that's a really good idea HOnii. I will have to remember to keep my hair under wraps when I'm in the house. Thanks for your responses everyone!

 

[cheetarah1980]

I have a horrible case of HIH disease, but it's never caused any ill effects that I can see. I don't pull at my hair, I just massage my head a lot. I just love the feel of my hair so it's hard for me to keep my hands out of it. I've stopped trying.

 

[CurlyGirly327]

Maybe the reason you like playing in your new growth is because you like the feel of your natural texture... I know that the feeling of well-conditioned, strong napps is nothing like relaxed hair, even when it's in good condition.

 

[SweetCaramel1]

a friend of mine has this. she pulls the crown of her hair when she's thinking too hard. it's like a nervous condition. it's very thin and broken off. wearing a ponytail or hair pulled back may help you avoid this.

 

[Minx]

It's funny that you posted this because I was just thinking about this myself.

I took my twists out over the weekend and have yet to put them back in, due to time contraints.
This is finals week and between studying for and taking exams, I just have not had the time nor the energy!

Meanwhile, I am addicted to sticking my hands in my head.

I am a 4a/b, and I constantly mess with my teeny tiny coils.
They wrap around themselves, and sometimes I find a little knot at the end of my hair and you know I just gotta try to untangle it.
However, if it does not untangle, I end up snapping it off!erplexed

But to answer your question, I do not believe that putting your hands in your hair, in and of itself, is a problem, especially if you're just doing it to cop a feel every now and then

But I do believe that excess rubbing, pulling, snapping off ends, scratching of the scalp, etc. may have damaging effects over time if done consitently.

That's why, for me personally, I must keep my hair put away.
HIH leads me on a hunt for tangles and knots,or sends me to the bathroom to pick out my fro,wich then leads me to destroying my precious coils, which make my efforts on LHCF null and void.....

dk

 

[Hidden_Angel]

thats why I have braids in my hair! if i didn't then id STAY in my hair