Hi everyone! So I had posted on here end of August because of a horrific hair disaster ( http://www.hairdyeforum.com/index.php?topic=14395.0 ) and I got some really lovely responses from you! You are all so helpful and sweet, definitely helped calm my nerves. Basically a girl at a salon turned my hair an orange to yellow ombre - really terrible, totally damaging. I went to another girl who fixed the color but totally gave me a butchered hair cut! I had to cut so much length off just because I thought the hair could not be salvaged, but this girl also cut really awful layers and thinned my hair at the bottom?! That's the last time I go to random people in Kiev (I'm from Washington DC but live here for work).
So anyways I end up with an okay color (which after a few washes turned out pretty cool because I had a lot of dimension in my hair from it being colored so many times haha!) but a really bad haircut. So in October I went back home to my stylist and had him take off a bit more length (to take out the thinned ends) but I also told him I missed my ombre/warmth in my hair...he didn't want to ombre me again bc he said it would be terrible for my hair but he said he would do balayage. I went for it and really liked it (the color has faded but its still pretty).
Anyways now my issue is that I just want my long hair back (used to have waist length). I've been taking fish oil, biotin and folic acid every day since the beginning of September and I feel like my hair has grown (I see my roots!) but I'm not retaining any length because my hair breaks a lot!! Obviously I have read that breakage is from overprocessed hair...but this hair has basically been processed only 3/4 times(is that a lot?) --- 1st time was ombre in May 2013, I took quite a bit off the ends in the Fall 2013, then ombre in May 2014, then the horrible disaster of August 2014, and then some balayage October 2014. I feel like when I had long virgin hair I had some breakage/fall out too? I will say I feel like this is more breakage and it's not long strands that naturally occur daily...it's like little pieces -def breakage.
I brought back with me good shampoos/conditioners (I don't trust the stuff in Ukraine lol) and deep conditioners (Redken extreme in a blue jar, Loreal 5 step total erasing, and Macadamia). I wash my hair about twice a week and will use a different condition of those 3 each time. Sometimes I use the conditioner that matches my shampoo (Biolage color last). I don't heat style my hair (really trying to refrain) so I keep it natural, and I don't plan on coloring any time soon. Oh! I also trimmed the very very ends last week myself...like juuuust where the split end started / the hair was totally fried).
Can you guys give some insight on why my hair is breaking? Am I using deep condition TOO much? Or do I need to step it up a bit more and incorporate oil masks or something to add more moisture/protein? Any suggestions on what I should personally do with my hair to make it grow long? Should I keep trimming just a teeeeeeny tiny (once a month?) bit on my own to take off the damage? My longest layer (uff these layers are so bad!) is just at/past bra strap length, then i have a layer like at armpit length, then another right past my neck). I'm going on my annual girls vacation to Greece in August 2015 and would love to have my old hair back. Hair disaster happened right before this past August's trip and I felt so conscious the entire time 🙁 Of course it's not going to look totally the same but at least close to? I would just be so heartbroken if come next August my hair is the same length bc it keeps breaking! Sorry for the long post!! 😮
Posted : December 15, 2014 3:17 pm
If your hair is over processed (and yes, 3 or 4 times is a lot) you will get breakage at the ends of long hair. It is unlikely you will see much growth until all the over processed hair has been cut away. You can either do it all in one go, or just keep getting regular trims every month and keeping the length the same.
I know this isn't what you want to hear, and I understand how you feel as i don't feel comfortable with my hair any shorter than mid back.
Once a hair is damaged from processing the cuticle doesn't lie flat which allows it to dry out. This causes further damage, and parts of the cuticle flake off. Just regular washing and styling will then cause further damage because your strands are like velcro. Hair cannot heal because it is dead once it leaves the scalp, but you can patch up the missing parts of the cuticle with protein treatments and silicones. Reconstructors such as Joico Deep Penetrating reconstructor are helpful, and consider a keratin treatment that seals the cuticle down. Products that contain a lot of silicones can also help to make the hair feel stronger, but long term silicone use can actually make the hair drier.
Wash as infrequently as possible in cool water. Consider CO washing instead of shampoos. Keep all styling to a minimum, definitely no heat styling,and keep hair plaited or up as much as possible, especially for sleeping.
I have great success with Argan and coconut oil as leave in treatments to stop my ends drying out. They both penetrate the hair (unlike other oils) so can help to prevent any further protein loss.
If your roots are in good condition you could try extensions. They can give you extra length and also disguise the heavy layering you dislike.
Posted : December 15, 2014 4:27 pm
Unfortunately if your hair is at the stage of breaking already all you can really do is cut off the damaged parts to a bit above the worst of the breakage. It will hurt to lose the length now but it will mean your hair will be able to grow without breaking and you'll get healthy long hair back faster
There's only so much that products can do once your hair is already damaged.
Haha wicked pixie definitely beat me to it 🙂
Posted : December 15, 2014 4:30 pm
oh noooooo, this is so sad and definitely not what i was hoping to hear 🙁 alas, thank you Wicked Pixie and Marthakins 🙂
maybe i am naive and trying to make light of the situation but i've been doing the "pull test" with hair strands...and half the time it snaps right off and makes that awful noise and the other half it's completely strong and doesn't break! so i'm hoping not my entire head of hair is totally damaged? i'm just so sad to cut off so much hair at once...so i don't think i have the heart to go to a salon and do a cut, but i'll just trim the ends of the hair on my own. and continue to do that every 4-6 weeks i suppose.
i am getting back on my hot oil treatments (have one in now lol) and am ordering the joico k-pak deep reconstructor, as well as the Aphogee reconstructor and the two-step protein treatment. i will be mindful of how many times and how often i use these products though so as to not overload on protein. in all honesty though, with me refraining from heat tools, not washing often, trimming here and there and doing treatments (whether natural olive/coconut oil or salon) do you think i can get some integrity and length back to my hair by next summer?!
also would you call this short hair? to me it's so short! haha i think my mom is more heartbroken over my hair...i went home for thanksgiving and all she kept saying was "oh my gosh sally every time i look at you all i can think of is the beautiful hair you used to have" sorry for the pose/outfit...was trying the dress and hairstyle for new years!
Posted : December 15, 2014 8:34 pm
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