Hair Repair

Hello!

I’ve been trying to take care of my hair. I get trims and I have hair products that I use. Ive notice this for some while now, but the “inner” section of my hair (closest to the neck) is super rough and not like the rest of my hair. The first picture is of this “inner” hair and the other is how the rest of my hair looks. There’s a big difference and idk what to do. I’ve been using hair masks, and conditioners, including leave in conditioners. I even stopped styling my hair with heat 3 months ago to try to see if it’s related.

Idk what I’m doing wrong or what I could do. If anyone experiences this too, how do you deal with it?

Any tips or even product recommendations are very appreciated. Thank you!