Recovering from a Setback Support Thread

[Likeyouneverseenme]

I had a bad Dominican experience where my hair was totally messed up afterwards.
It was entirely too much heat and my hair came out in clumps.
It was in early June, now mid August, my hair is reverting back to it's original state, not 100% but it's getting there.

The best remedy for me was heavy protein to stop the breakage and then do daily DC's to re-moisturize the heat-damaged hair.
Now, that I have been dilligent and baby'ed my hair for nearly 2 months it's softer, stronger and seemingly thriving.
Don't panic and cut all your hair off just because you experienced terrible heat damage or chemical damage, your hair might just bounce back.

 

[IDareT'sHair]

Don't panic and cut all your hair off just because you experienced terrible heat damage or chemical damage, your hair might just bounce back.

IA: Your First Instinct is to Panic. And grab the scissors and cut the rest completely off.

I did not cut my hair all off although 3/4ths of it came out. I just conditioned my hair, took care of it, combed what I had left over the "spots" and "patches" and went on.

Eventually, once it's grown out, I will even things out.

 

[Chrissy811]

This is a good thread. Here is my info.



Setback: Hormonal imbalance that left my hair dry and thin.

Effects: Thinner, dry dull hair

Plan of action: A good trim to even it up. Weekly dc, protein every 2 or three weeks. Using MTG mixed with Ayurverdic oils. Protective styling i.e. half wigs, ponytails and buns, sealing ends with shea butter.

Also working with a naturopath, supplements and change in diet.


Estimated date of full recovery: December 31s hope to have good pictures to post.

 

[BostonMaria]

Just wanted to leave a note of encouragement to all you wonderful ladies!!

And reading these posts reminds me that I need to keep it simple and stop experimenting so much. I wish you all speedy hair recovery and happy growing.

 

[Aggie]

This is a great thread Nayeli. I am a little tired tonight so I'll come back and read it all tomorrow and post what I think is a setback for me.

 

[locabouthair]

My setbacks were back when I was natural and the stylist pressed my hair and burnt off some parts. Most of the parts grew back except the left side which remained broken off.

My other side was not washed out properly during the relaxer process and broke down to the ng. That was when I went to the stylist. It has grown back three inches but still shorter than the rest of my hair so I'm cutting it.

Final setback is my fault because I decided to wash out the relaxer in the shower instead of the sink like I usually do and I guess I didnt wash the nape out properly and it broke off to the ng. But it's growing back.

What am I doing to grow it back? This week I will be cutting my hair to ear length because the broken sides make it look very uneven and thin. The top of my hair is full but then ends have to go

I'm wearing a half wig like my siggy says and just taking care of my hair underneath. I'm trying to be patient and not become obsessed with it. I'm not doing any length checks until December because my hair grows slowly. I'm trying to eat better also.

Basically I'm doing a low manipulation, low heat (maybe once every 3 months), try to keep my hair moist and thats it.

I cant remember the last time my hair has been healthy. Im so tired of people asking me what happened to my hair I get frustrated at times but I know I can get it healthy again.

Thanks for starting this thread OP!

 

[Pooks]

Great thread OP! I started a thread not long ago with Setback to Comeback stories, there's some great inspiration over there. There's definitely a pattern with setbacks, I'm gonna try and determine the things that worked best for me at the start of my HHJ and leave it there, n cut out some of the extras.

 

[Aggie]

Okay I promised I'd come back and update what I thought was a setback for my hair was and here it is:


Setback #1:
Switching from regular strength lye to regular strength no-lye relaxers pre-lhcf. This was a big mistake beause it made my healthy hair very dry, dull and brittle and after joining the site, I switched back to lye relaxers. Unfortunately, the no-lye relaxed ends were still hanging on my head. And even though it was growing, I could still see the difference in the hair textures between the lye relaxed hair and the no-lye relaxed hair. It was so obvious to me, but not so obvious to other people.

Setback #2:
Cowashing my fine relaxed hair far too often and using sulfate rich poos which further dried out my hair. I also did not use enough protein treatments on my hair to keep it strong.

Effects: Duller, thinner, breaking, porous, drier hair.

Plan of action:
-Switched to lye mild relaxers because of my fine strands and using porosity control conditioner for better moisture retention,
-now transitioning to texlaxed hair for thickness,
-cowashing only every 7-10 days with my hair in big braids to reduce breakage,

-I am using mostly sulfate-free poos and sometimes replacing poos with conditioner washing,
-I am using more natural organic haircare products and wayyy less commercial products,

-I use more beer and acv rinses for natural shine and thickness,
-trimmed off 7 inches of old relaxed ends and getting ready to trim all of it off by July or December 2010.

-Increased protein treatments but not using hardcore ones yet, weekly mild protein treatments are enough for my hair for now. I am however looking into purchasing Dudley's DRC-28 protein treatment to be used once every 2 months.

Estimated date of full recovery:
I'd say my recovery will take a pretty looooong time, perhaps about 2 years, 7 months are already completed and I have 17 more months to go which incidently will take me into March to June 2011. I am a realist so that's why I calculated such a long time away. I want to have a full head of texlaxed hair and no straight ends by then and I'm guessing I should be APL again by then too.

 

[Khaiya]

This thread is comforting and trust me i need that now cause i feel so frustrated when i see all the hair coming out, the worst part is that my hair wasn't neutralized properly on top of all the burns i had so it burned like crazy all the way home, i had to rewash as soon as i came through the door and that eased the burning immediately but the damage was done, my scalp got some really bad burns, my DH was furious. I wont be going back to that place anytime soon.

I dont know what else to do about the shedding, i'm using garlic like crazy, both internally and externally and the shedding is still noticeable, to me anyway. The hot part is that my hair isn't breaking, if not for this crap my hair would be doing so well! I'm wondering now if i should really stretch until December, my NG is already getting crazy after just 8 weeks but the texlaxed parts dont help either, its a mess to detangle and i'm wondering if i'm not pulling hairs out when i try to detangle.........

 

[Nayeli]

One thing I have learned about stretching for me Khaiya is that I have to pay meticulous attention to my hair. I also think I neglected to do this during my last stretch and this caused me to miss the fact that I couldn't detangle well as the weeks progressed. That led to my hair being sort of matted when I did my July relaxer, and well.......you see where that got me.

 

[msa]

This thread is comforting and trust me i need that now cause i feel so frustrated when i see all the hair coming out, the worst part is that my hair wasn't neutralized properly on top of all the burns i had so it burned like crazy all the way home, i had to rewash as soon as i came through the door and that eased the burning immediately but the damage was done, my scalp got some really bad burns, my DH was furious. I wont be going back to that place anytime soon.

I dont know what else to do about the shedding, i'm using garlic like crazy, both internally and externally and the shedding is still noticeable, to me anyway. The hot part is that my hair isn't breaking, if not for this crap my hair would be doing so well! I'm wondering now if i should really stretch until December, my NG is already getting crazy after just 8 weeks but the texlaxed parts dont help either, its a mess to detangle and i'm wondering if i'm not pulling hairs out when i try to detangle.........

You're going to have shedding regardless of what you use internally and externally. Shedding is a normal and natural process and it will always happen, it's not a bad thing, it just means your follicles are doing what they are supposed to do. If you aren't seeing large clumps of hair or bald spots you're probably fine. Though, with the relaxer burns you had I wouldn't be surprised if you were seeing more shedding than normal right now.

Also, I'd wait longer for your next relaxer just so your scalp has ample time to heal. Though it may feel fine now, it may still be too sensitive to handle any chemicals near it.

As far as detangling, you definitely should be diligent about it so that you don't get too many tangles. Focus on being as gentle as possible and minimizing breakage while you detangle (the shedding is going to happen anyway and you need to get the shed hairs out).

 

[Khaiya]

Thanks Nayeli and MSA.

Detangling is definitely a pain but i dont think its contributing to my setback since i'm breaking very few hairs in the process, if i lose 50 strands, then like 45 of them will have white bulbs. I see very little breakage but definitely a lot more shed hair than i'm used to. I'm kinda scared to relax again while i'm shedidng like this so i dont know......I'll keep an eye out for any breakage though, that might be the deciding factor in how long i stretch, definitely not looking for another setback.

 

[Nice Lady]

Thanks for this thread: I had a setback in which I had a major trim and I lost inches. So, I jumped off of being consistent.

My goal is to stretch for 3 months to allow time for recovery and also, increase thickness. I also am planning to go hard until January 2010.

 

[GANicole]

This is a great thread and I must join.
I had a set back in July. I had a horrible experience at a Dominican salon and my hair is paying dearly for it.

Setback: Way Too Much Heat and Rough Brushing

Effects: Thinner, heat damaged hair, Severe Breakage , Much Looser Curl pattern

Plan of action: I have already chopped several inches off and will probably cut more as my hair grows out; Egg Shake 5xs a week; Exercise 3xs a week; I am thinking about getting braids in the next week or so to allow my hair to grow without a lot of manipulation; OCT (or MN) daily

Estimated date of full recovery: January 31st -- this will be 6 months since the damage took place. I will probably continue to trim my ends until i have cut all of the heat damaged hair off so it may take a year before i am back to my "pre-heat damage" length.

 

[mstar]

Thanks for this thread. I just experienced my first setback.

Setback: Breakage at the line of demarcation between natural hair and heat-stretched ends

Effects: Very bad, uneven breakage

Plan of action: Since I have a clear line of demarcation, I'm going to start treating my natural hair as though I were stretching a relaxer. Protein/moisture balance will be my focus. I'm also going to get a good trim in September (when I take my braids out).

Estimated date of full recovery: Hmmm, I'm not sure. With my current growth rate of .75 inches/month, it will take 8 months to regrow the six inches of hair I've lost. So I guess my recovery date will be end of April, 2010. *sigh*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My old stylist badly burned my ends back in March, but since I'm doing C&G, I don't see my hair very often. Although my ends look horrible, I didn't notice any breakage until the beginning of August, and I started researching to see what could be causing it. Before my research, I had never even considered that heat-damaged hair would have a line of demarcation.

The thing that caught my attention was when I noticed that I have a few chunks of hair that are completely straight, root to tip, and those chunks are the healthiest hairs on my entire head--they are straight and silky, with no breakage or roughness whatsoever, and the ends are perfectly healthy. Although they are heat-stretched, they don't appear to be damaged at all. The rest of my hair is in bad shape due to the nasty ends. This is what led me to think that the breakage is occuring at the line of demarcation.

A braid fell out at my crown yesterday, and I used that section to do a length check. The longest hairs in that section are 10 inches--which is the exact length that all of my hair should be. But most of the hair was 8 inches, some was 5 inches, and a small clump was only FOUR INCHES LONG...so I've experienced between 2-6 inches of breakage just in that one tiny section. Any help would be greatly appreciated...do you guys think I should do a hardcore protein treatment (the hardest protein I've ever used is K-PAK; do you think I should try Emergencee or Aphogee 2-step?)

Sorry for the super-long post, but Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me, and good luck to all the other ladies recovering from a setback.

 

[Khaiya]

I think my shedding is easing up! I'm still being very careful though and i have no plans to relax anytime soon. I'm so relieved though! The section of my head that was most badly burned feels a little thinner than the rest to me, but i dont know if its just my mind. I dunno, we'll see.

 

[Nayeli]

My shedding has curbed too Khaiya! I'm so sure it's the Boundless Tresses. Already, my hair feels considerably stronger. I can't wait to trim off some of these see-through ends - they look so pathetic!

Still continuing with the stretch. I'm still not sure if I'm going to hold out till December but one day at a time I say, one day at a time lol.

 

[locabouthair]

I just cut my hair yesterday and it feels good to get rid of the thin ends even though it's very short. I wish I did it sooner

 

[Khaiya]

I trimmed a bit today, between 1/2 - 1 inch, i couldnt take it anymore, my hair is easier to comb through too since i cut those horrid ends off. My stretch is going pretty well so far, since discovering shower combs this week, i feel like i'm on another planet! Detangling is a breeze even on dry hair, i love it!!

 

[Nayeli]

I've never done a trim absent a relaxer. For some reason, I always thought it better to see the condition after the relaxer and then decide how much to take off.

Maybe I should consider going to my stylist just to have that done. What do you guys think? Should I take the plunge or wait till I relax?

 

[msa]

I've never done a trim absent a relaxer. For some reason, I always thought it better to see the condition after the relaxer and then decide how much to take off.

Maybe I should consider going to my stylist just to have that done. What do you guys think? Should I take the plunge or wait till I relax?

I think you should wait (if you can). The new growth can really play tricks on you and will have the ends of your hair looking thin because of shrinkage. At the very least if you're going to trim do it on straightened hair.

(Obviously, I've never been relaxed but it's just from my observation. Some people cut off hair thinking they have thin ends when really the uneven shrinkage is making them appear thin.)

 

[Nayeli]

Thanks msa (always sooo helpful). I'll wait it out.

 

[Khaiya]

It was easy for me to cut mine even though my hair wasn't straightened, my hair was damp and stretched out as a result and the ends weren't thin, just kinda frayed so i just cut that part off. It looks a lot better to me now.

 

[LovelyRo]

After struggling with the same issue for almost 2 years now, it's only right that I respond to this thread!!

Setback: June 2007... I started visiting hair boards and thought is was smart to use a color remover on my black hair... my hair immediately turned ORANGE (the parts that had no color on them) and a greenish blue.... So I covered that with a black rinse. I tried 1 Aphogee 2step but, that was it. Aug 2007 I decided to start growing my hair out. I went from a neck length bob in Aug to shoulder length in November. By the end of Nov 07 I noticed my hair started thinning out in he crown area (this is where my length has always come from)! I ignored it until Jan 08... I cut my hair into a W as the middle section was thinning. This is also around the time I got pregnant... By the end of my pregnancy my hair appeared OK. After I had my son, I weaved up (Nov 08)... My Crown area was still too weak and breakage/thinning started yet AGAIN! March 09 I couldn't take it and I cut my grazing APL hair to SL... Now I'm back at APL and that area still has not recovered!!!

Effects: Thinning and breakage

Plan of action: SCISSORS!!! I've wasted too much time trying to salvage hair that can't be saved!!! I'm going back to my bob! I'm going to wear it until ALL the damage has been removed. NO weaves for me! I want to rotate flat ironing one week, curlformers one week and braidouts one week.... I hope this works for me!

Estimated date of full recovery: no timeframe! I am going to enjoy my cut while I have it. When I decide to start growing it out again, I will!!!

 

[Desarae]

Update: I've cut some of my hair off into a even all around bob and took off about 1 inch off all over, so i'm no longer SL. My hair looks better, but it still feels horrible, especially when wet. It's still shedding a lot more than normal. I can't wait until I can get some braids so I won't have to manipulate my hair as much, I don't want to put another relaxer on until at least March (if that, I'm thinking about doing C&G to transition)

I'm so mad at myself, I should have left well enough alone. I didn't NEED the BKT.

 

[SelfStyled]

Nayeli- I say hold off until you get your touchup if you can. I have been trimming here and there. But will do a real trim when I relax. I have added a new moisturizer to my regimen, and it really moisturizes-yay!

DesiRae- do you really think it was the BKT? I have toted with the idea, but now I know it is not for me.

 

[Encore]

Great thread!!

Setback: not neutralizing well enough. June 25 last relaxed and too dry.


Effect: hair broke so bad thinned me out horribly lost a few inches

Plan of action:

KISS. I have been protective styling NO heat NO comb and to reduce manipulation... I got braids in today. They aren't small and not too tight and its pretty good. I will have them for a bout 6 weeks and continue to DC them once a week with a daily moistening spray. I started using MT again also so that helps for the protein balance and letting my hair recover. No relaxer till sometime in 2010. I will get a Blowout for my bday ( dec 23) that will be the next time my hair is straighten or has heat.

 

[nappystorm]

Setback: A horrible beautician who not only cut hair of my hair, but gave me a horrible cut at that

Effects: Short NL hair

Plan of action: I recut my hair. Since it's summer, I plan to wash and go until next week. I plan on doing the Crown and Glory technique and wear my hair with braid extensions for 2 months for the next 6-8 months. Then I will go back to wash and gos next summer. Then go back to braids next fall and winter and so on. I plan on self trimming once I hit APL again. I will use pics to track my growth and a progress T shirt.

Estimated date of full recovery: I should be back BSL early half of 2011

I went from

to

to

 

[Khaiya]

Encore that was the second part of my setback too, after burning the crap out my head, the "stylist" went on to not neutralize me properly, i had to rewash as soon as i set foot through my front door, i just give thanks i didnt have horrid bald spots or anything cause i should have! Rest assured she wont be seeing me ever again.

 

[Nayeli]

Nappystorm, your hair is sooo thick I can just imagine how happy you'll be when you regain your length. Thanks for joining us ladies!