Split ends and thinning are not 'in'

I was afraid this might happen.

When I decided around Thanksgiving to make one more attempt at growing out my hair, I also decided not to trim the ends at all until it gets to my shoulders. Anyone who has ever tried to grow hair knows what that means -- the potential for thinning of the hair shafts and split ends. And that's the point at which I usually get frustrated and chop my hair off... followed, of course, by regret.

We're there again. I believe that part of the problem is the cut I got in November -- short layers. So, of course, it's still layered, which means the ends have not only lost their shape, but they are somewhat thin already, thanks to the style. No, I'm not going to cut it all to one length and start over.

I'm hoping the henna will start to make a difference. I've done two of the monthly applications now, and am due for another application sometime this week. The directions say to use henna every four to six weeks. Henna reportedly texturizes hair and nourishes it, so I'm considering applying it more frequently than every four weeks. I wonder if that would have a negative effect... Hmm. Hope not!

I also was watching a medical show on TV this week -- I believe it was Dr. Oz. I've never watched it before, but I think that's the name of the show. Anyway, he was talking about hair age. We've seen the real-age tests that tell us our "real" age based on health and lifestyle factors. Well, this test specifically tells people the age of their hair. He then recommended a couple of things to help hair -- eating protein and applying a banana mask. Well, I have been trying to increase my intake of protein for a few weeks, including the soy milk that I consume as if it's oxygen. Next time I get to the grocery store, I'm going to pick up a couple of extra bananas, and I'll try a mask. And of course... I'll report back with details of the experiment.