The mouse speaks

I have a ton of questions but, one question is  what's the different b/t damaged hair and split ends. i can't remember anymore but, i think the tip for growing hair long was to clip off the damaged ends? Well, after living in egypt for almost a year, my hair got pummeled (sp?). I went to the hair dresser and she said that one front half of my hair was badly damaged. I asked if she could just cut it but, she said the damage was so far that, the cut  would be drastic (she'd have to cut all my hair ,even the back, to make sense of it) so, knowing we (my hubby and I want my hair long) she wouldn't cut it.

Is there a way for me to salvage my hair. I saw the thread on the shea butter and hair conditioner. I only left it in for about 4 hours and WOW!!! my hair felt and looked wonderful. I'm def thinking of adding it to my hair regime once a week. To complete my hair regime I  comb, and moisturize it every day or atleast every other day, alternating b/t the three hair products i use. I grease my scalp every three days. and my hair is looking better. But, What about the damage? Is damage repairable or will i end up having to cut it anyway? Sigh, i don't see the hair dresser much and I like it that way . What are some other home remedies ?

the mouse speaks
umm abbaas

Hmmm.
Well, split ends are where the end (or farther up, depending on how long the hair has been untrimmed and dry) of the hair has begun to split. You now have the beginning of 2 hairs from one and they are weak and frail. This can only be remedied by a trim. I look through my hair and with a pair of sharp scissors, trim off the hair right above the split.
The damage you have may just be from dryness. I speak from inexperience, but that is what it sounds like to me. Dryness, as you have discovered, is fixable my discovering what kind of oil/conditioner/treatment your hair likes and to do that often.
If the condition of your hair seems to be improving, I don't think I would worry about it. Since I can't see your hair, I can't tell you for sure, but that sounds like it to me. Correct me if I'm wrong, anyone.
Meg

I agree with wishing4longhair.  If your new routine is helping your hair be more healthy, just keep growing.  Occasional trims over time will eventually cut off the damage.  Just be very gentle with it to avoid more damage.  

Well, why not get a trim of 1/2 or 1", which would get rid of quite a lot of the damage. Then really work on keeping it well conditioned and moisturised, protect it from more damage by using a good comb, satin pillowslips, braiding or bunning and above all no strong chemicals such as perms or bleach.

Then as your hair grows you can get regular very small trims and also search and clip out the higher split ends yourself. Your hair won`t gain overall length as quickly as if you didn`t cut it at all, but you`ll be making progress. And eventually the damage will have worked its way out and you`ll be left with lovely strong hair. Then you can really go for growing for length.

That`s my plan for my hair anyway! Coax it through the initial stages...you`ll really see the difference fast, I do assure you. Then it`s just a question of patience.

Split ends are just one form of hair damage. Hair can be damaged in many ways.

I tend to think of damaged hair like sunburned skin...there's nothing you can do to fix it. You must wait for it to grow out and replace itself naturally.

Split ends must be cut off, as there is no way to seal them. Stretched hairs cannot be un-stretched. Damaged "gaps" in the hair shaft can be temporarily filled in by cones, oils and conditioners.

Doing some type of treatment (mayonnaise, deep conditioner, heavy oiling, etc.) on a regular basis can help hair to feel healthier and more moisturized. So you're on the right track with that.

Also, getting regular trims...even small trims every few months. The damaged parts will grow out and may be cut off.

Unfortunately, for seriously damaged hair, there is no "miracle cure." You'll simply have to wait and grow it out. Patience is a virtue.  ;)

I'm growing out a 3 year old perm and the last 5 inches of my hair is very damaged--it's splitty, strawlike, and brassy.  A year ago, before I discovered this place  ;D,  I had to hack off 6 inches because it was so bushy and tangled I could no longer get a comb through it.   :o

Now, although I'm still fighting splits and my ends are still a brassy reddish color, good care has minimized the damage.  I'm cutting it off bit by bit, but it's MUCH better than it was.

I use a silk pillowcase and seamless combs.  I braid my hair to sleep and put a sock over my braid to protect it.  I spritz my canopy on non-hairwash nights to keep it from frizzing and tangling.  I S&D regularly to keep the splits (somewhat) at bay.

What has helped the most is oil.  Lovely, lovely oil.  My hair loves it.  My nasty, damaged ends suck it right up.  Jojoba is too light for my ends, though it's great for my canopy.  For my ends I use coconut, red palm, or lately, my own personal recipe, Orange Goo (I melted together the tag ends of my unrefined and refined shea butter, mango butter, kokum butter, red palm oil and coconut oil)  I heavily oil my braid tassel every night and my ends look almost not scraggly-horrible.   :D

Wow. Congrats on finding out what works. It sounds like you are doing a good job (better than me  :-/)
Meg