My hair won't stop breaking off?

I used to have VERY thick and VERYYYY curly hair. I damaged it with a flat iron and broke a lot of it off and now it's very scraggly and thin and straight. But that's not the catch- IT WON'T STOP BREAKING OFF. No matter how many vitamns I take, how gentle I am, how less heat I use, nothing will stop the breakage. I'm to the point of tears because nothing will stop the breakage. It's been like this for a year and now the shortest length goes above my earlobe. I went in for a deep condition and check-up on it at the salon yesterday...I got so discouraged and the stylist told me there was nothing I could do. Worse of all: He refused to cut it because he wanted me to "grow it out." WTF? Sigh. I need help...ANY ideas to stop the breakage ? I will do anything...