u/CryptographerSure625

Everyone I try explaining this to doesn't see it. Please tell me you see it.

Wanted to share my hair journey!

I have SUPER fine slavic hair, (usually curly, but straightened for the pics) unprocessed, that will break if you breathe on it. For the longest time it was in super bad condition, despite me not necessarily doing anything to it. Now, in 2026, it looks and feels the thickest and healthiest it has ever been!

I have since made a full recovery, here is what I changed about my care:

1. I stopped ripping through tangles. It is so easy to brush my hair and just rip right through it to get it done faster, but it was causing so much of the breakage around the nape of my neck and the sides! When I encounter a knot, I stop, and detangle it by hand. Retention is key!!! I had to remind myself that it took SO many years to grow, and that I should protect every strand. I reduced as much mechanical damage as possible, by using satin pillowcases and keeping my hair braided while I slept.
2. I ditched the plastic paddle brushes and got a NON-lacquered wooden one with straight bristles. I'll be real here, they look awful and uncomfortable, but turned out to be everything I ever needed! Wooden brushes need to be 'seasoned' if you will. Once the bristles absorb some oil, it will glide through your hair like butter. You can always add a tiny bit of your hair oil to it as well to expedite the process. (P.S. Make sure your oil has NO silicones added)

Your scalp produces oil, and that oil protects your hair. The only problem is, our species showers regularly. That oil does not have enough time to reach the bottom of long lengths before your next wash! Using a wooden brush has been the best tool for distributing that oil evenly, and in a way that does not make me greasy. Occasionally I will supplement with a low-viscosity oil on my ends for extra care!

3. I stopped fearing scissors and started cutting these damn dead ends off! Long hair was so near and dear to my identity, and I refused to trim it. You do NOT have to cut several inches at once, you can go slow! A centimeter is plenty! AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD USE HAIR CUTTING SCISSORS! I would have gotten here sooner had I not used my kitchen scissors for the first 2.5 years! (nobody told me, but in case you didn't know, utility scissors basically rip your hairs and give you split ends on every single strand 🥲 whereas hair cutting scissors have sharp blades that are aligned and slice through the hair instead.) I used to wonder why I had white dots in my hair right after cutting it 😭