What does it mean when your hair catches on itself?

misscrystal

misscrystal

Nappy and Happy
I don't know how to describe this, but my hair is always catching on itself.

When I run my fingers through it, it almost feels like the individual strands are tangled or "caught" on each other--and then I hear a snap, which can only mean yet another broken hair.

Out of all the wacky things my hair does this distresses me the most because it's constantly happening and I don't even know where to begin to stop it. :wallbash:

No matter how smooth or silky my hair is, it doesn't stop. I don't know what the deal is :nono:

Anyone have any insight?
 
CandiceC

CandiceC

.
Mine does this too. Doesn't matter what's going on with my hair. (It doesn't break though.) It's like the hairs cling together.

The only time I can run my fingers through my hair without them catching is the day I get my hair relaxed. That's cause they comb and brush the heck out of it. The next day it's back to the clinging.

I haven't been able to figure it out so I stopped trying. :ohwell:
 
Traycee

Traycee

New Member
CandiceC said:
Mine does this too. Doesn't matter what's going on with my hair. (It doesn't break though.) It's like the hairs cling together.

The only time I can run my fingers through my hair without them catching is the day I get my hair relaxed. That's cause they comb and brush the heck out of it. The next day it's back to the clinging.

I haven't been able to figure it out so I stopped trying. :ohwell:
Click to expand...

Mine too.........but she hears snapping!!! Thats sounds like breakage
 
aloof one

aloof one

New Member
Sounds like split ends. Or even those splits that happen that aren't on the ends too. They catch on other hairs and break off or get tangled and tear off even more hair.
 
misscrystal

misscrystal

Nappy and Happy
al00fone said:
Sounds like split ends. Or even those splits that happen that aren't on the ends too. They catch on other hairs and break off or get tangled and tear off even more hair.
Click to expand...

Okay. This explanation I'm willing to accept because I do have a big problem with breakage, and breakage does cause splits.

I don't know what to do about it, though. I've been eying alot of Joico products lately. Maybe I should give their Split End Mender a shot, because I really don't want to cut my hair and start over for a fourth time. :wallbash:
 
silkii_locks

silkii_locks

Well-Known Member
My hair does the exact same thing and I too have a problem with breakage and split ends and for me this only means one thing.....I need a trim. I'm using Joico K-pac line right now and have the split end mender but I don't use it consistenly enough to tell you how it works though. I also have the reconstructor, conditioner, shampoo and leave-in they all work great. I know you don't want to hear it but I think you just need a trim and that will stop the snagging in its tracks.
 
dinaaike

dinaaike

New Member
Noooooooooooooooooooo!!! This is one of the signs of a porosity imbalance. Do a water test and correct it quickly. If left untreated, it can actually CAUSE split ends, fairy knots, and irreparable shredding. Fix it! Fix it! And then trim to keep the damage to a minimum.
 
cmw45

cmw45

Well-Known Member
dinaaike said:
Noooooooooooooooooooo!!! This is one of the signs of a porosity imbalance. Do a water test and correct it quickly. If left untreated, it can actually CAUSE split ends, fairy knots, and irreparable shredding. Fix it! Fix it! And then trim to keep the damage to a minimum.
Click to expand...

What is a porosity imbalance? And how can it be corrected? Is this the cause of single strand knots in naturals?
 
T

TCT

New Member
al00fone said:
Sounds like split ends. Or even those splits that happen that aren't on the ends too. They catch on other hairs and break off or get tangled and tear off even more hair.
Click to expand...



that's what it sounds like to me. sometimes even if hair has broken alot already and the ends are thin, this happens . similarly the ends are dense and jagged this can also happen. for a person who is prone to this kind of occurance. i would suggest hairstyles that do not have to be manipulated everyday. the longer you can leave it alone. the less snapping /broken hairs you will have that are r.i.p. ing in the comb , instead of on your head. the more that hair breaks off, the less progress you will see and it becomes frustrating to spend time babying yet not reaping the benefits of your hard work. if your not gonna trim. then maybe you should braid or weave or something like that. until its long enough where you don'tmind cuting off some in the future.
 
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Songbirdb

Songbirdb

New Member
dinaaike said:
Noooooooooooooooooooo!!! This is one of the signs of a porosity imbalance. Do a water test and correct it quickly. If left untreated, it can actually CAUSE split ends, fairy knots, and irreparable shredding. Fix it! Fix it! And then trim to keep the damage to a minimum.
Click to expand...

Whats the water test?

And yes, I was having this problem too. But it was only occuring when I was flat ironing and not blowing drying. I was thinking it was because the hair hadn't been smoothed out before flat ironing (you know, because flat iron irons the hair in place instead of seperating the hairs... unless you have a maxiglide) and sure of enough this was it for me. In your situation, I'm really not sure but that porosity thing Dinaaike was talking about sounds interesting enough.
 
dinaaike

dinaaike

New Member
cmw45 said:
What is a porosity imbalance? And how can it be corrected? Is this the cause of single strand knots in naturals?
Click to expand...

The water test is where you take a strand of your hair and drop it in a bowl of water. If it sinks immediately, or almost immediately, your hair is too porous. Overporous hair will never stay moist, and thus may start to feel crunchy at the ends. It will also have problems with oversensitivity to product contents because it is absorbing EVERYTHING.

If the strand takes forever to sink, over 3 and 4 minutes, it is practically impervious and can be resistant to treatments. It can also show dryness problems because it takes forever to absorb anything, and any moisture applied without a sufficient sealant will dry up before it ever gets absorbed.

When your hair catches on itself because of porosity imbalance, even if you don't have split ends, you WILL. Because overporous hair, specifically, is more vulnerable to manipulation and it dries out faster. The strands start to split and, since they are already catching on the raised cuticle, they start to wrap and wrap until they knot. And fairy knots are the worst!

Grab a strand from your comb when you style, or (and I'm not a fan of this) pull one or two out from different parts of your head and test it. If this is the isse, you will want to correct it sooner rather than later. Do a treatment and then cut the damage to keep it from getting worse. If you don't, you'll wish you had... :nono:
 
NuMe2004

NuMe2004

Active Member
al00fone said:
Sounds like split ends. Or even those splits that happen that aren't on the ends too. They catch on other hairs and break off or get tangled and tear off even more hair.
Click to expand...

I agree. You should probably get a trim and moisturize the ends.
 
Songbirdb

Songbirdb

New Member
dinaaike said:
The water test is where you take a strand of your hair and drop it in a bowl of water. If it sinks immediately, or almost immediately, your hair is too porous. Overporous hair will never stay moist, and thus may start to feel crunchy at the ends. It will also have problems with oversensitivity to product contents because it is absorbing EVERYTHING.

If the strand takes forever to sink, over 3 and 4 minutes, it is practically impervious and can be resistant to treatments. It can also show dryness problems because it takes forever to absorb anything, and any moisture applied without a sufficient sealant will dry up before it ever gets absorbed.

When your hair catches on itself because of porosity imbalance, even if you don't have split ends, you WILL. Because overporous hair, specifically, is more vulnerable to manipulation and it dries out faster. The strands start to split and, since they are already catching on the raised cuticle, they start to wrap and wrap until they knot. And fairy knots are the worst!

Grab a strand from your comb when you style, or (and I'm not a fan of this) pull one or two out from different parts of your head and test it. If this is the isse, you will want to correct it sooner rather than later. Do a treatment and then cut the damage to keep it from getting worse. If you don't, you'll wish you had... :nono:
Click to expand...

So is it supposed to sink maybe after a minute or something and that means its okay?
 
bellebebe

bellebebe

Well-Known Member
I get bad cases of this. It happens in my roots and ends. It looks like I have dreads sometimes.... Eesh!
 
HoneyA

HoneyA

Goal:Hip length stretched
Sounds like it's time for a trim. Sista Slick has an article about this where she describes the same thing and explains why it happens. I can't find it right now though.
 
cicilypayne

cicilypayne

Well-Known Member
dinaaike said:
Noooooooooooooooooooo!!! This is one of the signs of a porosity imbalance. Do a water test and correct it quickly. If left untreated, it can actually CAUSE split ends, fairy knots, and irreparable shredding. Fix it! Fix it! And then trim to keep the damage to a minimum.
Click to expand...

Totally agree definately a porosity problem trust us!!!! Your hair is Clinging to each other because the hair strand is ragged a rough. Fix it now!!!
 
S

shtow

Well-Known Member
I really do not think it's split ends. My ends are not split and my porosity is in check. I just think its because a lot of women on here do not comb their hair every day. When I used to comb everyday I NEVER had this problem, but since joining LHCF and not combing so often, the tangles became more frequent. The sunsilk straighten up has really reduced my tangles tho.
 
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JustKiya

JustKiya

Well-Known Member
Have you tried pH balancing your hair? Sometimes the cuticles on your hair are super lifted due to being the wrong pH, and a rinse could rebalance it back to 7 and allow the cuticles to lay flat again?
 
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*Happily Me*

*Happily Me*

Well-Known Member
this thread is interesting.

the same happens to my hair ALL the time and don't have split ends. I thoroughly check.

I think it's because of my underprocessed hair. since my hair is bushy, the crinkles wrap around each other.

the best thing to do is to finger comb under running water. :)
 
ravenmerlita

ravenmerlita

New Member
nappywomyn said:
Have you tried pH balancing your hair? Sometimes the cuticles on your hair are super lifted due to being the wrong pH, and a rinse could rebalance it back to 7, and allow the cuticles to lay flat again?

Hrrm, let me dig up the thread that will explain this better....
Click to expand...

ITA. My hair used to do this wierd thing where it was like velcro to pull apart. I'm pretty sure that the outer cuticle was damaged and causing the hair to interlock with each other and tangle. I had to learn to be very careful of this section because forcing the hair apart caused more damage. Regular trims and deep conditioning helped. A diluted ACV rinse between shampooing and conditioning also helps to close the cuticle. Low ph leave-ins also helped.
 
snugglez41685

snugglez41685

Well-Known Member
Songbirdb said:
Whats the water test?

And yes, I was having this problem too. But it was only occuring when I was flat ironing and not blowing drying. I was thinking it was because the hair hadn't been smoothed out before flat ironing (you know, because flat iron irons the hair in place instead of seperating the hairs... unless you have a maxiglide) and sure of enough this was it for me. In your situation, I'm really not sure but that porosity thing Dinaaike was talking about sounds interesting enough.
Click to expand...

I was experiencing the same thing. I'm glad I'm not the only one! Up until now I thought I was going crazy!
 
Dposh167

Dposh167

Well-Known Member
I agree with it being a porosity problem.

My hair is catchin on itself in certain spots. My hair is always completely detangled and I hardly have any split ends. So the source is not always split ends.
 
Lady Esquire

Lady Esquire

New Member
dinaaike said:
The water test is where you take a strand of your hair and drop it in a bowl of water. If it sinks immediately, or almost immediately, your hair is too porous. Overporous hair will never stay moist, and thus may start to feel crunchy at the ends. It will also have problems with oversensitivity to product contents because it is absorbing EVERYTHING.

If the strand takes forever to sink, over 3 and 4 minutes, it is practically impervious and can be resistant to treatments. It can also show dryness problems because it takes forever to absorb anything, and any moisture applied without a sufficient sealant will dry up before it ever gets absorbed.

When your hair catches on itself because of porosity imbalance, even if you don't have split ends, you WILL. Because overporous hair, specifically, is more vulnerable to manipulation and it dries out faster. The strands start to split and, since they are already catching on the raised cuticle, they start to wrap and wrap until they knot. And fairy knots are the worst!

Grab a strand from your comb when you style, or (and I'm not a fan of this) pull one or two out from different parts of your head and test it. If this is the isse, you will want to correct it sooner rather than later. Do a treatment and then cut the damage to keep it from getting worse. If you don't, you'll wish you had... :nono:
Click to expand...

I was going to chime in to say the same thing about maintaining POROSITY.

For the longest, I have been experiencing tangling, tiny broken hairs, and eventually it led to ends that were getting ragged. After researching, I realized my porosity was off. I used to address porosity only after I relaxed. And ignored it for the rest of my stretch and that was not enough for my hair.

Recently, with my last relaxer, I have been using Roux Porosity Control after I deep condition. When I run a comb through afterwards to detangle, I am getting damn near NO hair coming out. No broken strands. Not as many shed hairs as before. Now I am nursing my ends, because my ends were the most affected by my previously porous hair.

If you fail to maintain the porosity control of your hair, it will slowly lead to splits and ragged ends. Your hair will give you signs, and "catching on itself" is one.
 
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