Nape Challenge Thread: For All Those With Brittle, Fragile Kitchens

[kblc06]

Does anyone out there have a fragile, brittle nape that's prone to excessive amounts of breakage. Does it stall your overall progress by tangling and affecting the rest of your hair? Is your hair healthy overall, but your nape just wants to buck the system ? This may be the thread for you. My nape is a totally different texture from the rest of my hair. I don't know what it is, but it feels brittle and wiry to the texture and is constantly dry. But the rest of my hair is progressing nicely. I still want to make it to WL, so after this lastest trim I'm not trimming or straightening until December.

The purpose of this thread is post styling options and techniques that can help alleviate nape breakage and to post progress pics. As of now, I trimmed my nape about 2 inches shorter than the rest of my hair to give it a fresh start. Once I make it to WL, I'll maintain there for a while to allow my nape to even up with the rest of my hair.

 

[Ariana4000]

I have this problem too. I've been putting activator on and sealing. Its too dry for just leave in conditioners.

 

[Meritamen]

I baby my nape because it is the area most likely to break off. I think I have done good so far but no reason to start slacking so I'm in.

 

[Aireen]

Same, when I was wrapping my hair and covering it with a wig cap like Ateya, my edges and nape broke off. Currently trying to get them back on track.

 

[Meritamen]

Same, when I was wrapping my hair and covering it with a wig cap like Ateya, my edges and nape broke off. Currently trying to get them back on track.

I'm sorry you had to lose your edges and nape. I'm regrowing my edges because of incorrect wig wearing too. I found that doing one or two horizontal braids in the nape area helped to keep them from breaking off. So at least my nape was saved from my poor wig use. Hope that helps you.

 

[jrae]

To maintain moisture, I started using Africa's Best Deep Conditioning and Leave-in as a leave in and seal with Vaseline.

To protect it, I style my hair in a cross-wrap and secure with combs. The very back of my hair is delicate like my nape and suffered significant breakage last fall. I was using a relaxer strength that was too strong for it.

 

[Aireen]

I'm sorry you had to lose your edges and nape. I'm regrowing my edges because of incorrect wig wearing too. I found that doing one or two horizontal braids in the nape area helped to keep them from breaking off. So at least my nape was saved from my poor wig use. Hope that helps you.

Thank you, Ravengirl for your sympathy. I'm kind of over it for the most part but today when I saw the very front part of my edges I remembered it was MUCH longer. It's not bad but shorter than I would like, before my edges were actually part of my hair, framing my face. Now it's very hard to retain short pieces than it was to maintain the longer ones. When I used to hear frequent snapping on the first night or two of trying the technique, I should have called it quits. Also, even though Ateya got me started on my regimen and pushed me to buy ApHogee, she's not the best when it comes to haircare protection. Styling she's got down but protection and minimizing breakage, no.

 

[faithVA]

My nape isn't brittle but it is fine and soft. It curls up into small curls. Because it is my nape it tends to need more moisture so I end up with a lot of SSKs there. I have cut this part shorter than the rest to get rid of the ssk's.

I am counter acting the moisture lost and tangles in the back by flat twisting from my nape to my crown and wearing a twisted bun. Will see how that works.

 

[8HoursFromHome]

Thank you for this thread!!!

My kitchens are a mess! The rest of my hair is doing OK but my nape hair doesn't like to grow. I've been using Hair One for moisture and castor oil back there (and on my ends) to seal, Hot 6 Oil to seal the rest of my hair.

When I wrap my hair, I can't seem to keep the nape hair 'under wraps'. I'm sure that helps with the breakage.

I need help. I just don't know what to do...

 

[Angelicus]

Where is Mook? She suggesting cornrowing the nape. I wear a ponytailed bun/claw clip so I don't think this style is possible. I really need help with this.

 

[ashleymichelle1]

Yep have this problem. My nape is a completely different texture from the rest of my hair. Its so brittle & dry...i need to start taking better care of it. The rest of my hair is thriving but i'm obviously gonna have to do something different w/ my nape area.. I'm gonna try to moisturise & seal that area 2x a day

 

[faithVA]

Where is Mook? She suggesting cornrowing the nape. I wear a ponytailed bun/claw clip so I don't think this style is possible. I really need help with this.

Can you cornrow the nape upwards and then put the ends of the cornrows into the pony tail? I have my back two-strand twisted like that now. It should work just as well, especially if the cornrows are kept thin.

 

[Your Cheeziness]

Hey ladies! I grew out my nape from taco meat to full length the first time I was relaxed. I outlined what I did on my blog with pics. http://www.hair2toebeauty.com/2010/03/how-to-grow-your-nape.html HTH!

 

[faithVA]

My nape has been in two strand flat twists, twisted up towards my crown all week. And I have been moisturizing my hair 2x a day. I am hoping that with the moisturize and keeping the nape tucked into flat twists that it will reduce the ssks.

I love to change my hair styles but I will try to keep my nape in flat twist throughout May and see how it does.

 

[mzsophisticated26]

yes my nape had broke off from doing buns everday for like 2 months straight. I grew it back some by using LHCF member Starronda neosporin and conditioner daily but I slacked off and now its breaking off again. I noticed when I wear my hair down and when I wrap at night it seems like it breaks if off. I try to moisturize my nape when I wear wigs but most of the time i get lazy

 

[MsChelle]

My nape is the ONLY area in my head where my hair is absolutely defiant. The hair is super dry and coars. I have grown it out from totally chewed up and broken to touching my shoulder by keeping it braided. I never wear styles where my nape is exposed(long neck, kinda like a giraffe). I use JBCO on it and braid it.

 

[wednesday]

Thank you for this thread! My nape has been erking the crap out of me. It's excessively dry and riddled with SSKs and splits, I need help! My nape is 1 inch the rest of my hair is 7 inches or so. I am natural with 4b/c hair. My nape feels like a 9z.

 

[NewHairWOWeave]

My ktichen and temple area are brittle but they grow and break off. Soo I have some of Dr. Miracles Temple and nape balm. I've had it for years because my mother is a hair product fanatic. I have started to use it twice a day once in the morning and at night before I wrap my hair. And rotating my wrap weekly to prevent over combing on one side. I will check back in with pics of my progress

 

[Meritamen]

Hi, ladies!
Since my last update I did a trim and my nape is doing much better because of it. I did notice that I had to cut more off on the right side than the left and that it knots more on that side too. To combat it I still do my horizontal cornrow but more gently and make sure to apply a little more oil to the area when sealing.

 

[kupenda]

I have what seems to nr opposite of the rest of the ladies. My nape hair is really soft and fine. It sticks out and just does it's own thing. And the length is too hard to determine. Different lengths. It rarely responds to a relaxer touch up, DC, protein treatment, moisturizer. It seems to hate everything. Except maybe waving in the wind whenever I move.


Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[amwcah]

Can you cornrow the nape upwards and then put the ends of the cornrows into the pony tail? I have my back two-strand twisted like that now. It should work just as well, especially if the cornrows are kept thin.

That's a great idea. I'm going to have my cousin braid my nape up like this tomorrow.

 

[Meritamen]

My nape seems to not be a problem anymore. The problem child seems to have moved to my crown area now. *sigh* The hair there seems to be finer and more likely to break now (I have a lot of short pieces in that area.) Looks like I can't win with this head of hair but I'm trying to baby it similar to how I cared for my nape.

 

[Sally.]

Does anyone out there have a fragile, brittle nape that's prone to excessive amounts of breakage. Does it stall your overall progress by tangling and affecting the rest of your hair? Is your hair healthy overall, but your nape just wants to buck the system ? This may be the thread for you. My nape is a totally different texture from the rest of my hair. I don't know what it is, but it feels brittle and wiry to the texture and is constantly dry. But the rest of my hair is progressing nicely. I still want to make it to WL, so after this lastest trim I'm not trimming or straightening until December.

The purpose of this thread is post styling options and techniques that can help alleviate nape breakage and to post progress pics. As of now, I trimmed my nape about 2 inches shorter than the rest of my hair to give it a fresh start. Once I make it to WL, I'll maintain there for a while to allow my nape to even up with the rest of my hair.

hey @kblc06! i know this thread is old but are you still experiencing breakage and a dry texture on your nape area or have you solved the problem?

my left and right nape edges are a much coarser texture than the rest of my hair, extremely dry, and always breaking off. my nape area won't even lay down with gel or pomade. i've tried relaxing it, shaving it off, and i even had one round of laser hair removal thinking it would help it to grow back in finer and easier to manage. fail. i'm at my wits end because i can't wear my hair in a puff like i want to because the back is filled with beady-beads. i moisturize it at night with water, moisturizer, and oil and by the next morning it is back to being dry again. i don't think the back of my hair's texture was like this when i first started going natural. i don't know what changed it though. i don't know if its because i wear u-part wigs and kept my hair braided and the nape area suffered, or what.