When I big chopped, I knew that I would have
to get used to my short, very short hair but I did not know I would have to
deal with wiry harsh scab hairs (pic below). As my
hair grew out it became softer and softer.
After some research, I realized that I had been struggling with “scab
hairs”…
Scab
hair – Hair that is directly underneath
the scalp that has been affected by the hash chemicals(i.e. relaxers,
texturizers, dying). Even though the hair is new growth it isn’t “trained” to
behave in it’s natural state. The hair can be straight-wiry, very dry, hard,
and brittle. It usually takes somewhere around 6 months to a year to completely
grow it out. – Derived from Motowngirl.com
When scab hair grows from the scalp (new growth) it may
be rough, harsh, brittle, and dry. It
does not have to be all over your head, it can be just certain areas such as
the back or the edges. Just remember
that scab hair is NOT your true texture because it has been greatly affected by
chemicals. It may take up to 6 months or
longer before you see your true texture.
The best things you can do to combat the dryness and
brittleness is to keep the hair super moisturized and use Aloe Vera juice on
the scalp. Kimmaytube’s Leave-in is a
good option also (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5R-V_AuIEg). Aloe Vera juice will penetrate the scalp and
help to repair the follicles with the added benefit of moisturizing the
hair. Using water or a water-based
moisturize will help. Another option is
to cut the scab hairs but overtime this happens anyway with dusting and
trimming so you may want to hold off on the scissors.
1 month natural...more scab hairs
2 months natural...getting better but still dealing with scab hairs
3 months natural...dusted a small bit and curls starting to come in...my true texture starting to show!
6 months natural...I still had a few scab hairs in the back-middle of my head but the front and sides were looking good.
9 months natural
11 months natural...No more SCAB HAIRS...
So it took me approximately 10 to 11 months to get rid of my scab hairs.
Have you ever had scab
hairs? What did you do about them? How long did it take to grow out?
Ur hair has really come a long ways. U killed them scab hairs ha!
ReplyDeleteReally cool...I had no idea that a relaxer could impact my hair up to a YEAR AFTER I get my last one!! That is crazy!!! I just got even more inspiration to go the natural route!!
ReplyDeleteI had not idea either! This is one of the main reasons why I will not relax again. Relaxing causes so many problems that I was not aware of. I hope you decided to natural. It is more than worth it and you will have even more versatility...God Bless!
DeleteI currently have scab all over my head. when i big chopped, my hair was dry and terribly rough for a month it softened but still has a way to go. I'm now going on my 4 month of being natural and i see my natural curl pattern 4a coming in but i dont know whether to get trims or let it grow out and then eventually chop it off. I have about 1-2 inches of scab hair. Also do you know if i should cowash frequently to soften it?
ReplyDeleteI DEF have scab hair. I just big chopped and in parts of my hair I see/FEEL the scabbiness of the scab drab! I pray for patience when all I really want to do is shave these sections of my head, lol! I'm 3 days post big chop.
ReplyDeleteI had scab hair at my edges, my crown, in my nape, and a few areas above the nape. Basically, everywhere I burned at regularly during touch ups. It was weird because when I would feel my new growth some areas were soft and other areas felt like brillo. I knew something wasn't right. At first I thought I was crazy, but then after like 9 months I started feeling the roots of the brillo areas and the roots were soft. It was cool to me...but sad at the same time that I damaged apart of my head like that. Now I'm 20 months into my transition and the only area that still feels kind of rough (not brillo like anymore) is the nape area. The scab hair hasn't gone away, but now that I have more growth, you can tell the difference. The scabby ends are poufy and can't be smoothed down. I'm going to end up cutting about 2 or 3 inches of scab hair when I do my transitioners chop. I hate relaxers.
ReplyDeleteI have scab hair now but you encouraged me to just continue my hair journey and deep condition more..it will grow out!!!
ReplyDeleteI had a perm done on my hair 6 months ago (my first ever perm...BIG mistake!), and I think it has damaged my hair and possibly my follicles. New growth are all dry, brittle and my hair now basically feels like a hay of straw on my head. I am hoping desperately that this is just part of the scab hair transition. May I just ask, did you experience some thinning at the areas with scab hair? It seems that your first picture that there was a bit of thinning which has grown out in your second pic?
ReplyDeleteEu tenho scab hair, estou aprendendo a lidar com ele depois de tantos anos passando química. Fiz o Big Chop e agora estou cuidando dele natural, sei que ele vai demorar um pouco para se recuperar.
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ReplyDeleteI used to have nice natural hair soft but I started to have itchy scalp and my hair fall so much I cut and start again
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