Hair breakage

I have hair breakage, does anyone know of any good treatments to get rid of it?

[SooooooStressed]

Hello!
I wanted to just offer some things I have been doing for the past year and a half which have changed my hair dramatically! I decided since I wanted my hair to grow LONG I would have to change some things.

First of all, I have gotten regular professional hair cuts 5 times a year.  Prior to this, I would have my husband just snip the bottom, but that just was not working.  

Next, I condition my hair with 100% PURE SHEA BUTTER.  Not the bottle of **** they sell with cocoa butter and oils mixed in. I have bought mine on eBay since locally I can not find the REAL PURE Shea butter.  The stuff on the tv shopping channels also have other ingredients mixed in so I do not recommend them either.
The shea butter I use comes in a solid block and you warm it up in your hands and apply it thickly to all of your hair.  Leave it on as long as you have time for.  Sometimes, I put it on and then put it in a pony and then just go about my business on the weekend.  Then just wash it out with a light amount of shampoo and lite conditioner and you should be good to go.
I find the shea butter strengthens the hair shaft and prevents it breaking so much.  I hate split ends but they are a fact of life especially since my hair is now almost ot my waist.

The other thing I did was I added whey protein powder to my daily intake.  I have at least 2 shakes a day to up the amount of GOOD protein. Not only has that helped my hair, but my nails are stonger too!  

Also, remember if you are using heated appliances to dry your hair, use a PRE styler mist to reduce damage to your hair.  I like to use the flat iron as much as the next girl, but I keep it to a minimum and ALWAYS use a pre mist.  Nexxus has some good products - not very expensive either!  

So this is what I have done.  Hope some of this information helps you!  :)

Good luck!!  

~Vicki

[theMRS25]

vicki had some great recommendations, but ill add my routine to the mix ;)  i have people ask me often what i do to keep my waist length hair so healthy:

first things first.. what kind of brush are you using?  look for a wooden brush with wooden bristles.. and a straight shaft root to tip (no rounded ball at tip) - this will eliminate snagging.

do you apply heat to your hair?  hair breakage is often the result of dryness and heat damage.  go gentle if you are a straightening iron fan!

look into smoothing products. they help seal the cuticle.

avoid rubber bands.. even the "ouch free" ones can cause breakage.

what type of hair do you have?  how often do you wash it and what products are you using?  

a treatment i love is applying grapeseed oil to my hair.. and massaging it in.. right before i shampoo and condition it.

homemade hair masks are also very helpful .. yogurt, avocado, banana, olive/grapeseed oil, mayo, egg.. honey - blend up and saturate hair.  cover with shower cap and let sit for 20-30 minutes.. shampoo and condition.

i have to agree with vicki.. REGULAR hair trims is key.  while growing mine out, i actually had a trim every 4 weeks - and i never before had seen my hair grow faster.  most stylists will work a deal with you if they know you will come in often.  

good luck to you :)

[shy_violet]

I second the shea butter thing.  I do the same thing to my hair but with coconut oil,  it is very healthy and to my waist (despite being both chemically straightened and highlighted).  I massage it in really well and let it sit as long as possible, sometimes over night.  If I don't have much time to let it sink in, I will wrap it up in a hot towel to help it penetrate.  Then shampoo it out and condition as usual.  This treatment has made drastic improvements to my hair - moreso than any of the expensive reconstructors that I used to buy at salons.

Try to keep the heat off of your hair as much as possible. If it is frizzy from the breakage, just use  a little jojoba oil or the coconut oil on the frizzy parts.  I have found that shine sprays and silicone-based conditioners or products just make the problem worse.  The hair will appear shiny and healthy initially since it is being coated, but the coating builds up quickly and prevents any real moisture from penetrating the hair (thus, more breakage).

I also second the Nexxus nomination -  Therappe and Humectress are an amazing combination for damaged hair.  There is also a protein treatment (Keraphix?  Emergencee?  One of those) that would probably help.