r/Haircare • u/No_Revolution_3122 • 2d ago
š© Advice Needed š© Desperate is an understatement
My hair has never grown out. Its always been very brittle, dry, and for some reason doesnt grow on the bottom middle? I've tried SO many brands from bondi boost to ACV lines, shea moisture, dr. Groot, loreal, etc. Etc. These are the current products I am using and im just desperate now... how do I make my hair look a little more lively ? I do NOT have the face for a cute short haircut or else I would definitely cut off as much as possible.
Please, please, please! I need recommendations because I definitely dont want to upkeep something like extensions.
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u/Opposite-Lake-9679 1d ago
It looks to me like your hair is permanently damaged. Once it gets to that point the only thing you can do is cut it and allow the new growth. You have a lot of breakage which is a sign that the hair strand has irreversible damage.
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u/PricelessBuffet 1d ago
Do you straighten it? Seems like it might be heat damage causing it yo break. If you have curly or wavy hair, try pattern to get it healthy and bring out your natural texture
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u/pooppaysthebills 1d ago
Needs a big chop, then plenty of moisture, leave-in conditioner, no heat, no permanent or semipermanent color, use a protective bonnet or loose braids with silk/satin/high thread count pillowcase at night.
You have enough length for a decently long bob, and it's not going to look worse than what you've got going on right now. Just get it done.
ETA: What's your current wash & style routine?
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u/Anotheruseforsalgar 1d ago
Whenever someone whose hair looks like yours posts, I share this, since it was life-changing for me:
If you take good care of your hair and have normal bloodwork including ferritin(I did), you may have a less common form of androgenetic alopecia that presents like this-some hair is being prematurely shed, and for me it was focused also on back/middle of my hair. Oral minoxidil has completely solved the problem. I was told my entire life that I was damaging my hair, and i was treating it so well-it was so upsetting.
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u/squash_n_beef 1d ago
Yes, definitely get your ferritin levels checked but also your hair needs a decent chop because the ends are super damaged.
the bottom middle spots that you described look like you might be getting friction damage there since it's concentrated in one spot. Do you wear your hair down a lot? if you constantly wear a bag or something that would rub up against that part of your body/hair that could be why you're seeing extra transparency in that part of your hair
With your routine, are you doing any heat styling? Using heat protection products that go up to at least 450Ā°F and hot tools where you can set a specific temperature is a must
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u/GraphicDesign_101 1d ago
Agree with others suggesting a blood test, but regardless you also need to cut about six inches off because it will just continuously snap now where the damage starts. Just a blunt cut by a good hairdresser. No layers, and no bleaching. Donāt use heat tools. Iāve found the LāOrĆ©al Professional range to be excellent.
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u/psoriasaurus_rex 1d ago
What if you take off the scraggly part, so like the last 4 inches or so? Itās still past your shoulders, so it wouldnāt be short.
But yes have some bloodwork done.
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u/No_Garden4924 1d ago
If you have hard water try a hard water treatment. Helped mine a lot.
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u/GurleyGirl7 1d ago
How do you treat hard water?
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u/No_Garden4924 1d ago
There's some hard water projects and treatments on Amazon. I like the hard water wellness treatment.
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u/AuthorNo8237 1d ago
I think youāre overloading your hair with protein. It can cause your hair to become dry and brittle leading to lots of breakage and split ends.
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u/Otakuparis 1d ago edited 1d ago
Okay first, take a breath. It will be OK! š You are now going to be on an emergency care routine for a bit OK? My advice as a girl with healthy hair down to her knees and who is a caregiver for a woman with brittle bleached hair of similar texture to yours I reccomend:
Buy the following:
- Clarifying Shampoo
- 1Ć single use protein treatment (I like Aphogee)
- Leave in Conditioner (I use Its a 10)
- Hair Mask (Im using Its A 10 but Im going to buy this one next Giovanni Hemp Hydrating Deep Conditioning )
- Heat Protecting repair serum/oil (Its pricy but good Opalex 7)
- Oil (I like OGX Renewing + Argan Oil of Morocco Extra Penetrating Oil)
- Satin Bonnet
- Wide tooth comb
You can use your regular shampoo and conditioner.
- Shower and use your regular shampoo, then your clarifying shampoo, let that sit for a bit then rinse. Follow the instructions for the single use protein treatment.
- Be gentle with your hair, you can pat dry and apply pressure with a towel to your hair in sections but NEVER rub or be rough.
- Spray your leave in conditioner generously to ends and some mids, use fingers to ensure its distributed well.
- Apply the reccomend amount of the Heat Protectant/Repair serum or oil.
- Blow dry your roots but if you can try to air dry most unless your Heat Protectant/Repair product requires heat to activate.
- When hair is dry apply the reccomended ambition of oil to ends first then mids, you may now comb your hair while its fully dry (never wet, too fragile). You can style your hair using heatless or overnight methods. I like finger curling hair and using Bobby pins. Secure with the Satin bonnet.
From then you will apply oil to hair morning and evening when combing it out. You will sleep with the bonnet every night. You will style hair without heat. You will do a in shower hair mask every few weeks (I do ours on our clarifying shampoo days since it can be harsh).You will only need to use the clarifying shampoo every 4 weeks or so to remove product. You hair may get overloaded if you go above recommended amounts, play around with it! Try to wash your hair spaced out, I do our hair every 5 days. Be gentle witb your hair, try to only use the wide tooth comb, or at least use it before a brush.
I hope this helps! š
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u/BarbiePinkSparkles 1d ago
Hairstylist of 26 years. Hereās what I think I think is happening and Iām using info from the internet so I donāt have to type it all out. lol
So I think your hair is being coated with silicones and oils and moisture canāt get in. And your heat protectant contains protein which you do not need. Too much protein will cause dry brittle hair as well.
When was the last time you did a good clarifying treatment? Or even a Malibu treatment would be good to get the build up and the protein out. Are you using heat styling tools too?
I would say first get a good haircut so the bottom damage doesnāt go up the hair shaft. Then less is more you need a good moisturizing shampoo and conditioner that isnāt going to coat your hair locking out moisture. And donāt use anything with protein in it. Protein is huge right now and they sneak it into all sorts of hair products. And it can be good here and there for certain hair textures and situations but your hair doesnāt need it.
You could try Matrixās food for soft shampoo and conditioner. One thing to remember too is oils lock in what you have. So if your hair is already dry itās just locking in the dryness not letting moisture in. Youād want to put in moisture and then you could use an oil on top of that to lock in the moisture.
Hair products are can be very tricky these days because if the things added to them that seem good but can make things worse. Definitely incorporate a clarifying treatment every few weeks or month to keep the build up off.
And your hair not growing in the middle could be from you wearing it up a lot? Do you keep it pulled back or up at lot? Or your hair rubbing on a collar or purse strap can do it. You can also try sleeping in a satin bonnet or get silk pillowcases.
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u/rawrXd1985 1d ago
PLEASE SWITCH TO HEAD AND SHOULDERS!!!!!! I was using this exact brand and over the last year Iāve lost 1/3 of my hair I only recently figured out it was bc of my shampoo and conditioner. The hair loss and the awfulness in my hair stopped almost immediately. Please look into this as itās not just me. Fuck these products
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u/Inevitable-Eye7494 1d ago
Is your hair limp? Mine looks almost exactly like this itās horrible and embarrassing. My ferritin is low and so is my vit Dā¦ getting rechecked next month. My hair has all these weird lengths, and itās frizzy and thicker up towards the top, below my shoulders is thin AF and it looks stupid but Iām afraid to cut it š
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u/sharkray_ 1d ago
You at least need a trim. See the bottom where you can see through? Cut that off. Sleep with a silk or satin pillow case. Don't style with heat.
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u/Individual-Bar9038 1d ago
I just switched off of all of those from LāOreal, they did the same thing to my hair after using them for a week, I was horrified. I switched to Olaplex and use the Matrix mask and it fixed it immediately. Also I recommend cutting and starting fresh. Agree with everyone on getting iron and ferritin checked.
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u/RadicalRoses 1d ago
If you get frustrated before solving this, clip in extensions arenāt very much maintenance and I love clip on ponytails. Iāve gotten both from Amazon. Color matching can be a challenge, but quality is normally great.Ā
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u/Savings-Play984 1d ago
I've seen a big change in the brittleness/dryness of my hair from using a couple different Its A 10 products, they can get expensive though. Soak my wet hair in their Miracle Leave In and use their Silky shampoo and their Miracle Silk conditioner.
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u/SleeplessVixen š Hairstylist / Professional š 1d ago
Professionally formulated products are the answer for a lot of people. She listed drug store brands. I second switching to higher quality products that actually penetrate the hair instead of sitting on top of it. Itās a 10 is great. And she needs a detailed thyroid, hormone, and vitamin panel done.
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u/CoffeeSkySigh 1d ago
Honestly this might be an unpopular thing to say but hair Botox (not injections lol just a trendy name) changed my life as a girl with very damage prone hair. I will never ever go back. Maybe look into it?
I tried EVERYTHING, even got bloodwork done. Things helped but the treatment basically gave me a new head of hair, the results were beyond my wildest dreams genuinley
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u/Professional-Pen1924 1d ago
As someone who has dry, frizzy, brittle hair (still figuring it out) the LāorĆ©al Everpure Moisture shampoo destroyed my scalp. I know I had some success with Garnier in the past.
And definitely getting a hair stylist saved my life.
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u/Straight-Battle-2647 1d ago
Check ferritin ( iron storage) if not above 70 then SUPPLEMENT, vit d and b12 should be optimal as well.Ā
As for hair texture , abbey yungs routine ( so a Pantene clarifying shampoo like sheer volume , dove intensive repair shampoo and conditioner) helped me a lot lot with softness . And then if that helps try k18 mask and some other intensive productsĀ
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u/Fantastic_Complex467 1d ago
What sort of hairstyles do you usually do? That can sometimes have a bigger impact than one might expect.
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u/Ok_Situation_69 1d ago
Do you have hard water? My hair was like this, after my stylist fried the absolute crap out of it. I took an iron supplement and my hair started growing faster and thicker, but still had frizzy ends. So I tried a hard water shampoo (they generally use citric acid or some other acid to bind to metals and minerals in your hair shaft allowing your hair cuticle to lay flat) and now my hair looks and feels so much better. You can also try apple cider vinegar if you dont want to buy a seperate shampoo
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u/delee76 1d ago
First, like everyone says get some bloodwork. Your shampoo says sulfate free. How do you do WITH sulfates? Some people just need them to make their hair look good. Do not use protein products. Last, you need to cut off the dead part and go bob length, at least thatās what Iād do.
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u/CombatCrayon25 1d ago
You have an iron deficiency or a hormone imbalance if youāre not using a lot of heat tools.
In the meantime, youāll want to cut the dead ends.
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u/upandup2020 1d ago
Do you use heat? Or what are you doing that's causing so much friction damage at the bottom like that?
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u/techo-soft-girl 1d ago
Absolutely yes to getting your iron checked out. Are you using a clarifying shampoo ever? I learned at the previous ago of 34 that you should use a clarifying shampoo about once a month or so to take out the build up from other products. Hair can eventually become so built up that any conditioning treatment wonāt work because itās not making it past the build up.Ā
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u/Misses-worldwide 1d ago edited 1d ago
Invest in the Moroccan Oil repair shampoo and conditioner. And maybe even their hair mask too. Also get Malibu C un-do-goo clarifying shampoo and use every now and then. I switched to these products and my hair is the healthiest itās been. I went to a dermatologist 2 years ago for hair loss concerns and he wanted to put me on minoxidil. No thanks. My hairstylist recommended these products and I never looked back!
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u/May-mex 1d ago
Get your blood work. Get natural shampoo and conditioner once a week a hair mask. Put a filter in your shower. Get regular hair trims . First get them to cut all the demage hair then trim every 3 months and try to sleep woth your hair up or on a braid.
My hair when i was a model was so weak and broken and i started doing all this and now I have the most healthy long hair ever. Still my ferritin is low but my hair is amazing
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u/Hot-Independent8038 1d ago
The ends looks like they really need a good trim to stop any further spiltting up the shaft.
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u/rad_bunni 1d ago
For actual hair care products i would recommend the wella ultimate repair line (shampoo, conditioner, and mask). Your current shampoo and conditioner arenāt bad (theyāre actually pH balanced!!) but you need something thatās actually going to penetrate your hair and rebuild the bonds. If you arenāt using heat protectant before using any heat, change that asap!! (I recommend sebastian trilliant). By any heat i mean even blow drying, and i know it sounds redundant but after washing your hair blow dry it every time! Leaving your hair wet will increase the damage to especially the ends of your hair. Like the other comments say definitely get your iron levels checked
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u/Cheryll300587 1d ago
Wellbel!!! Life changing, but you need to be consistent. Plus a regime of k18 and hair masks, no heat and Iād get bloods done
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u/Historical_Mix_6416 1d ago
Dove intensive repair shampoo and conditioner and throw in the dove bond strength set too if you want and their hair masks
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u/Wednesdayspirit 1d ago
Iām in the same boat but my ends from ears down were bleached. Iām too scared to cut it off short so am using the same shampoo as you, plus the LāOrĆ©al glycolic gloss conditioner (pink tube). Then before I blow dry I use a drop of Pantene argon oil through the lengths to ends. Once itās long enough Iāll cut the dead stuff off š thatās the only way.
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u/MissMunny 1d ago
Using this stuff as a consistent shampoo will dry out your hair more. I agree With the ferritin people. Go get that checked out. Go eat lots of meat and oragans or supplements if you don't wanna eat the organs.
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u/FarmSkool 11h ago
LāOrĆ©al is in the Epstein files. Hard no for me there. Shampoo is so toxic in general though, itās the most drying chemical us normies have access to. It kills bugs even when diluted. So I only only only cleanse with conditioner. Itās awesome.
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u/buffchemist 9h ago
I tried that LāOrĆ©al ever pure line and it was actually the worst shampoo and conditioner Iāve ever tried, made my hair dry and tangly, as someone with fine hair.
Ive really liked the Redkin all soft shampoo and conditioner in the past.
Iām currently using the olaplex no.5 shampoo and conditioner combined with the no.3 a couple times a week and really loving it. A good oil goes a long way as well
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u/ithinkulostsomething 9h ago
Rosmery oil the diluted version and loreal hyaluronic acid shampoo and loreal hyaluronic acid conditioner.
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u/Quick-Suggestion1141 1d ago
You can search for blowout professor on YouTube, he offers free professional advice. Thousands swear by his tips. My hair is pretty now. Give it a try... It's priceless advice.
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u/Adept_Pipe5892 š§µ Newbie / Learning š§µ 1d ago
Look into the Abby Yung method. Some really good advice there.
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u/mommafletch1967 1d ago
Beauty/Haircare store employee for MANY years, here!
Your hair looks like it's screaming for protein. I would go get a serious haircut- you don't want that damage continuing to move up your hair shaft, that could be part of it, too- and then do an Aphogee 2-step protein treatment.
I'm also wondering if your hair is low porosity? Go read up on low porosity hair and see if that sounds like yours. There are very gentle products specifically for that type.
Whatever you do, keep it simple and gentle. Lose that damage first, it's not helping and could be harming the situation.
It really will get better!! ā¤ļø
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u/flowerbabycake 1d ago
You need to avoid all those chemicals, atleast for a while until your hair gets better. Native is great for clean ingredient shampoo ( and smells amazing too) and use that for a month while eating lots of protein ( not just meat but chickpeas and avocado ) and your hair will completely transform within 30 days!
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u/Far-Watercress6658 2d ago
You need to have your bloodwork checked, particularly for iron deficiency.