How can I strengthen my natural hair? It snaps easily

I have natural hair that is usually in protective styles and I have noticed that when I take my hair out to have a look at the strands, they snap quite easily.

Is there anything I can do to strengthen it or will I have to chop?

Girl you better get on that Maxi Glide bandwagon, shoot I did! As far as the snapping have you tried protein to strengthen it?

missyT said:

I have natural hair that is usually in protective styles and I have noticed that when I take my hair out to have a look at the strands, they snap quite easily.

Is there anything I can do to strengthen it or will I have to chop?

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missyT I would like to know this too. When I first got the BC I did a protein treatment every week w/keraphix but my hair still snapped. I thought it was relaxed ends that were coming off(but my hair was cut so short-in the avatar pic-that it couldn't have been that ) so I stopped doing the keraphix treatments after 4 weeks. My strands still snap easy though.....I don't comb it when its dry & I use a wide tooth comb....

Ever since I went natural, I haven't had to do any type of protein treatment to strengthen my hair. Here's how I keep strong hair that doesn't snap...

NO HEAT
CONSTANT MOISTURE
NEVER LET IT GET SO DRY THAT IT GETS BRITTLE AND PRONE TO BREAKAGE
EAT HEALTHY
AVOID STRESS OR EXCESSIVE MANIPULATION
WHENEVER YOU USE A COMB, MAKE SURE YOU TAKE YOUR TIME AND DO IT VERY GENTLY

Hope that helps!

Poohbear said:

Ever since I went natural, I haven't had to do any type of protein treatment to strengthen my hair. Here's how I keep strong hair that doesn't snap...

NO HEAT
CONSTANT MOISTURE
NEVER LET IT GET SO DRY THAT IT GETS BRITTLE AND PRONE TO BREAKAGE
EAT HEALTHY
AVOID STRESS OR EXCESSIVE MANIPULATION
WHENEVER YOU USE A COMB, MAKE SURE YOU TAKE YOUR TIME AND DO IT VERY GENTLY

Hope that helps!

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This is off topic, but Pooh I love your hair in your avatar!

chocolate01 said:

This is off topic, but Pooh I love your hair in your avatar!

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Me too!!!! LOVE IT where's the album

You do loose hair natauly, everyday. are you sure it is snapping, braking?
Do you eat a diet rich in protien? The health of your hair starts with the health of your body.

What do you mean by snapping? My lil sister is all natural and when she combs her hair it snaps back in place. So does my new growth. Pull it and it pops right back.

As far as strengthening, when I used aphogee my hair went on strike. I think most naturals need more moisture than protien. ITA with Poohbear.

I haven't completely resolved this myself but I think to some extent some (!) snapping comes with the territory of having a certain texture of hair (like mine-super fine, cottony hair breaks on a whim for example). Especially as it gets longer since the older hair gets weaker (and even worse if you abused it).
How are you manupulating your hair when out of the twists? I'd ease up on any manipulation that you don't need and take more care in styling it. Section smaller when detangling, use a detangler when combing out, fingercomb/smooth, and avoid combing when your hair is dry. That's for prevention.
I personally like reconstructors but I don't use them more than once a month if that. For light protein, my favorite is Keraphix. I occassionally use Emergencee (like 1-2 a year). If your dealing with dryness, I'd up the deep conditioning and seal your ends with an oil. If you notice that it's just broken bits and the reconstructors don't help, you may need to get a trim. Again it might just be your hair type.

Well... it could be one of two things. If you have already been using protein conditioners/reconstructors, it could be that you have a protein overload. Does your hair feel excessively dry or hard? If so, I would focus on adding moisturizing conditioners for awhile. Maybe doing some conditioner washes and minimzing the manipulation of your hair until you've restored some moisture to you hair.

Conversely, if your hair feels kinda mushy and or weak when its wet, you may have overconditioned and you need to add protein.

I am transitioning...but have mostly natural hair at this point. (type 4a). One of my favorite conditioners is Aubrey GPB. Its a mild protein conditioner, but also adds a lot of moisture. I use it as a deep conditioner and sometimes mix it with a little honey for added moisture.

ITA with what Thursday girl said its probably too much protein or too little moisture. I noticed this with my hair not to long ago and I did an overnight pre-poo treatment (conditioner, honey, and olive oil) with a plastic cap, which helped to nip the problem in the bud. I also agree with the ladies who said to manipulate less.

I am also a moisture junkie. I have not done protein treatments in I don't know how long, but I'm BIG on conditioning with moisturizing conditioners and keeping the hair protected with moisturizers. I'd cut down on the protein and switch to something more moisturizing for a bit. Follow up with a moisturizing leave in and a moisturizer (I prefer butter based) to keep the hair protected.

I really think protein treatments on natural hair can sometimes cause more harm than good.

I have never given myself a protein treatment since I have been natural and my hair has so much elasticity I can almost stretch out a strand another 1/2 inch before it snaps.

I keep my hair very moist 95% of the time and I know this is the reason.

I hope this helps.

i do a protein treatment- monthly- i add Jherri Rhedding's 100% natural protein conditioner to either queen helene super cholesterol treatment or my dominican cocktail of miss keys 10 en 1, rivas silicon mix and emergencia. i sit under the dryer for 45 mins to an hour and then rinse- if hair feels stiff ir hard- use a moisturizing conditioner and allow it to sit for 5-10 mins and rinse.

But i basically agree with the other ladies- i pre-poo with castor oil weekly, shampoo/condition and deep condition weekly. I add glycerin, honey, liquid aloe vera and a little oil to my conditioners and deep conditioners.

Sometimes i spritz several times a day.

hope this helps a little.

carameldiva said:

i do a protein treatment- monthly- i add Jherri Rhedding's 100% natural protein conditioner to either queen helene super cholesterol treatment or my dominican cocktail of miss keys 10 en 1, rivas silicon mix and emergencia. i sit under the dryer for 45 mins to an hour and then rinse- if hair feels stiff ir hard- use a moisturizing conditioner and allow it to sit for 5-10 mins and rinse.

But i basically agree with the other ladies- i pre-poo with castor oil weekly, shampoo/condition and deep condition weekly. I add glycerin, honey, liquid aloe vera and a little oil to my conditioners and deep conditioners.

Sometimes i spritz several times a day.

hope this helps a little.

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carameldiva,

do you mind telling me where you purchase this? tia

With natural hair you have to be very CAREFUL with protein...Too much or too little can do as much harm as say using heat...

What has helped in the overall strenght of my hair is MOISTURE, MOISTURE, MOISTURE....
I just recently went home and had my mom braid my hair and she couldnt get over how much my new growth had changed(thicker, softer and very curly) and she commented on how much healthier my ends felt and looked...

I cant tell you how weak my hair was just a year ago...And I used Perm. colored...
My suggestions:
Apply moisture every morning and night to the last 3-4 inches of hair(for at least 1 month)
*Kids Organics Shea Moisture(truly the best for moisture)
*Elasta QP Mango Butter
*Infusium Leave In
*And water(I wash everother day)

Protein(Mild)
* Elasta Qp Breakage Control Serum
* MNT

Treatment
* Sealing of Ends(use EVOO and saturate 1-2inches of hair, wrap aluminum foil and seal with flat iron)
note: I did this once a week for 3 months straight and it worked. Now I do it occasionally, once amonth or so.
More than anything, you must keep your hair moisturized(even with protective hairstyles)...Also, not sure about your diet but i get my 8 or more glasses of water a day(fruits and veggies) and I'm sure that has greatly improve my hairs moisture balance.

one more thing: MTG really strengthens hair form root to tip.

Hopes this helps!

I had the same problem, it's gotten a bit better now. The things that I think helped me are
1. Mild protein....Aubrey GPB is the only protein I use, it does strengthen my hair. I use it every other week.
2. Moisture....I have to put some kind of moisture on my hair every night...I've been using Qhemet's lately cause I've been too lazy to mix up my homemade stuff. I found that I have to really squeeze the product through and make sure to get almost every strand covered
3. Detangling frequently......I have to detangle about every 2 to 3 days because when I don't, my hair starts snapping & popping all over the place. I detangle gently with a paddle brush actually because the wide tooth comb just doesn't get all of the tangles out.
4. ACV rinse before deep conditioning. I just started doing this again regularly and it really makes a difference.

Good luck to you, let us know what works for you

Thank you all for the responses. I think I will try a reconstructing treatment and maybe claryfying. I was under the impression that because the hair is dead, there is not much I can do to save it, is this not true?