I am in a seriously bad way with my hair.
I am a male musician with an undercut, I have had my hair long most of my life but at the moment i feel
like i am on track to becoming bald.
I have very bad sebhoreic dermatitis and the shampoos i'm using seem to be doing nothing whatsoever.
I am also on "Elecon" (steroid lotion) which seems to actually be making things worse (i have started seeing completely white hairs as well).
On top of this the overall condition of my hair is extremely bad in terms of broken hair.
I am extremely active sports wise and my hair gets thrown around alot and this has caused ridiculous breaking
which i really don't know how to deal with.
I have read the guide to growing lowing hair and it says "the only way to grow long hair is to cut off every inch
of damaged hair". I don't know what damaged hair really is though (probably because i'm male), and want to know if i should really be sitting down for about 5 hours cutting every broken hair.
I am extremely attached to my hair because i have had it this way most of my life.
Even using loreal conditioner and boar britsle brushes etc, i think i need to take a new approach.
I will greatly appreciate any advice on this as its starting to get me really depressed.
It feels to me like the only way i could fix it would be shave it all off and start from there but there is no way i
could do that.
Thanks...

I don't know much of anything about scalp conditions, but I wish you luck and hope you find a solution. As for sports, braiding your hair would keep it out of the way and protect it. It's not because you're male...it's just that you're untrained in the ways of the longhairs. I was too, just a few months ago. Damage is where the hair is broken or permanently bent, bleached, pretty much wherever split ends are. I'm sure the others can tell you more than I can. Don't worry, though. I am still in the stage of cutting off an inch of damage every few months so that it stays long, but the damage slowly dissapears. Trust me, you're not alone.

as a random aside, what do you play?(instrument? style?) (music geek here)

Welcome!  I hope we can help you a bit with your hair issues.

Kiraela has an excellent suggestion for handling your hair when involved in sports.  Braids or banded ponytails are the best way to keep long hair under control when you are active (I ALWAYS braid my classic length hair when I bicycle).  

If your hair is splitting and breaking off a lot, it may be due to it being dry.  You could try a small (VERY small) amount of jojoba oil on the ends of your hair.  Most of us will oil the hair from the ears down.  You don't want to oil the hair on the scalp - we don't need to create the greasies!.  You can oil your hair at night, then braid it.  You hair will absorb the oil overnight and be soft and pliant in the morning.  Or you can oil your hair after washing it.  This will help keep the moisture locked into the hair shaft.  

Brushing your hair may also be the cause of breakage.  NEVER brush hair that is damp.  The hair is stretchy when wet/damp and will break if pulled.  You should only use a brush AFTER you have detangled your hair with a comb.  Personally, I never use a brush anymore.  I have my wide toothed wood and bone combs and one fine toothed bone comb.  I also have a plastic detangling comb that I only use after shampooing.  You should always try to work any tangles or knots out gently and not rake the comb/brush thru your hair.  This will only tear or pull out the hair.

I'm not an expert on scalp conditions, so I can't help you there, but if you don't think the products you are using are working, you might try a gentle natural product for shampooing and conditioning.  There are usually fewer ingredients that will irritate the scalp in these products.  If your hair is not prone to being oily - you might even try going without shampoo.  Just rinse your head and hair with warm water, then rinse with a very mild vinegar/water solution.  You can rinse again with water if you want and then condition the length of the hair.  

I'm sure a few others will pop in with their suggestions as well.  Good luck!

Hi Bikerbraid and Kiraela, thanks for responding.
I have a some questions and things i would like to clarify.
If a hair has broken (eg in half), should you cut an inch off that hair to get it growing well?
What is "permanently bent" hair?
Am i correct in believing i should have my hair in a pony tail at night, and if so should i use any special
hair tie?
Is there any advice you can give me about shampooing my hair correctly? (I need to figure out how to
rub the medicated shampoo into my scalp without ripping out the hair)..
Thanks

I usually trim damaged hair about 1/4 to 1/2 inch above the damage.  Remember, the hair is actually dead.  All growth comes from the scalp not the ends.

A permanently bent hair would be one that will not straighten out even when wet.  If looked at with a magnifying glass you would see that the cuticle is broken.

Confining your hair at night will help minimize damage from sleeping on it.  Sleeping on a satin pillowcase will help a lot as well.  Any hair tie you use should be hair friendly - no metal or sharp spots on in (some hair elastics are glued or melted together and have hard sharp spots that can cut thru your hair).  As your hair gets longer, braiding it at night will work best, or band your ponytail every 3 to 4 inches.  A crazy but very effective hair band is to buy little girl tights and cut bands from the legs that are 2 - 3" wide.  They will roll up and can be used like a hair elastic, but they are less restrictive (not to mention you can get interesting colors and patterns - but black, navy blue and brown are usually available).

When you wash your hair, try to move the hair as little as possible.  Be sure you have detangled your hair before wetting it.  Let the water run thru your hair but don't scrub.  When you apply your shampoo, try to spread the shampoo over your scalp by running the palm of your hand from your forehead to the back of your head (the same direction your hair grows).  Gently massage the shampoo, working small areas at a time - always trying to move the hair as little as possible.  Rinse the shampoo out by letting the water run thru the hair in the same direction it grows.  Use your fingers to separate sections of the hair to let the water rinse thru it.  I find it works best to leave my hair behind me and not lean forward with my hair over my head.  This creates and unmanageable tangled mess for my hair (not to mention my hair would be on the shower floor!).  When done shampooing and conditioning, I gently squeeze the water from my hair then wrap a towel around the length of my hair and wrap that around my head.  I use a microfiber towel which absorbs the water from my hair very quickly.  Leave the hair in the towel for 15 minutes, then remove the towel and finger comb the hair and let it air dry.  When dry, detangle with a wide toothed comb.

I hope this helps!

I appreciate it.
I have 3 more questions and then i think i am set.
Do you consider a snapped hair damaged?
Is it true that damaged hair can work it's way to the root? (I have had short hairs at the top for
a very long time).
What should i be doing with bent hair? (I am sure i have a huge amount).
If i need to i will cut every bad hair..
Thanks.

I'm not sure what you mean by a snapped hair.  If you see a white dot or a split hair coming from the hair, it is damaged and you should cut the hair just above the damage.  (Be sure to use a sharp scissors and try to make the cut perpendicular to the hair).

A split hair can split up the shaft, that is why it is important to trim them when you see them.

As for your bent hair - maybe try oiling or a leave -in conditioner and see if that straightens the bent hair.  If not, then trim the hair above the bend.  Bent hair might be from your sleeping habits.  They might lessen if/when you contain your hair when you sleep.  And the satin pillow case works wonders at preventing damage.

Good luck and let us know how things work out for you.

I found braiding my hair at night caused a lot of breakage.  And satin pillowcases don't work for me because I am all over the bed and without a pillow half the time.  So I use a satin sleep cap.  However, as a man, you might feel a tad...self-conscious?  

If you are a restless sleeper like me, you might consider getting satin sheets.  Sometimes you can find cheep ones at dollar stores and stuff.

Hi Hairy Situation!!!
I understand your dispear!!My tip to you is to brush a lot. Even on "bold" spots. Its important that the scalp is stimulated to promote growth. Do massages on your scalp every day ( 10 min at least) and make sure you oil your hair (coconut is my favourite) before you go to bed the night before washing. Hope this helps. Taking Biotin capsules is also good.

Fata Morgana's suggestion of scalp massage is a good one (although I disagree on the brushing).  Since hair grows from the folicle, massage brings blood to the scalp which will encourage better growth.