Q: Why do I have breakage around the hair line that only had about 1 1/2 inches of new growth and nowhere else? I have
recently had my hair lightened about 3 to 4 levels lighter. I had previously relaxed my hair with a no-lye relaxer around 4 months ago,
and the last few inches I had lightened myself with peroxide. If it was from the color wouldn’t all of it fall out? Please help me.
A: You should count yourself lucky that it didn’t all fall out. Actually, the hair breakage at the hairline is not uncommon, since
that is the hair that is most susceptible to breakage when damaged. The hair back inside the hairline has other hairs surrounding it
to give it added strength and support, but the hairs at the hairline don’t have these supporting hairs and when subjected to stresses
and tension from combing and brushing (after being damaged by chemical processes) these forward hairs will break more easily than others will.
The biggest problem I see is that you have used a number of chemical processes on your hair one
of which typically reduces the hair structural integrity - the relaxer. Even no-lye relaxers permanently break the chemical side bonds
in the hair, which destroys about a third of the hair’s elasticity. Add to this the harshness of lightening the hair (which works by
dispersing the melanin molecules in the hair shaft) and you can easily see how the hair can be severely damaged by multiple chemical processes.
Generally, I never recommend that a person perform hair coloring or lightening on themselves if
their hair is already chemically processed. There is simply too great a risk of doing severe damage to the hair. And an ill-informed
person who attempts to “mix” chemical processes can literally destroy their hair. It is always in your best interest to seek
professional assistance in dealing with chemical services, especially when dealing with performing one service over another.
