You put the same leave-in through your whole head, and somehow it disappears at your roots but sits heavy by the time it reaches your ends. Nothing is wrong with your hair. You just have more than one porosity on the same head.
Same strand, different history
Your roots are weeks old. Your ends can be years old, and they've been through everything since, colour, heat, sun, life. Bleached or heavily processed ends are also thinner than the hair at your root, worn down by repeated processing. Same strand, different porosity depending on where you look.
It's not only root to tip either. The nape, or any spot that rubs against collars, straps, or your pillow all night, takes more friction than the rest of your head, and friction wears at the cuticle too. That's often why one section stays frizzy no matter what you put on it, while the rest behaves.
Why this changes your routine
Roots are thicker and more intact, so they often need more product to actually get treated. Ends are thinner and more porous, so they need less, too much makes them heavy fast.
What to take from this
If one product feels perfect at your roots and disappointing at your ends, that's not you doing something wrong. It's a few porosities and behaviours on one head, not one.
Always rooting for you,
-Sarah / Staunch