Hair breakage can be a major problem. That one strand of hair that always seems to so easily snap off. That annoying itch around your skull as if you just crawled out of the desert for a few weeks but your scalp just got over it and forgot about its dryness. These are signs that your hair is breaking, something we all want to prevent from happening. There are ways to reduce hair breakage, even naturally by the way. So we think it’s best, we get cracking on how to stop breaking those strands in half!
Breaking hair is arguably one of the most dangerous, and harmful issues that can occur with your hair. Hair breakage can be described as broken strands of hair instead of a whole clump. There are three types of hair breakage:
– post-breakage syndrome
– early-stage breakage,
– and trichoptilosis.
Common Causes of Hair Breakage
When you experience hair breakage, it can be frustrating. You may find yourself constantly on the lookout for ways to prevent it—and, if you’ve been doing your research, you probably know that one of the main reasons we experience hair breakage is because our hair is too dry. But what causes this dryness in the first place? The following are some common culprits:
- Diet too high in fat and protein and low in fibre can cause brittle hair that breaks easily. If you want to keep your hair healthy, be sure to get plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet. The vitamins and minerals they provide will help keep your hair strong and give it some elasticity as well.
- When you’re stressed out, your body releases high levels of cortisol, which can affect the health of your hair follicles and cause hair loss or breakage.
- Washing your hair every day: even if your hair is oily, this can strip it of its natural oils and cause it to dry out.
- Using heat styling tools often: blow dryers, curling irons, and straighteners all cause damage to hair when used regularly.
- Dyeing your hair often: not only does the dye itself dry out your locks, but so do the chemicals used to strip colour from your hair during the dying process.
- Overusing shampoo: shampoo also strips your oil and makes your hair brittle and prone to breakage.
- Brushing wet hair: wet hair is far more fragile than dry, so brushing it in its weakened state puts it at higher risk of breaking off.
- Braiding or tying your hair too tightly: Putting tension on already brittle strands can cause them to snap off at the root, especially if you’re prone to braiding.
Tips to healthy hair
Some people might think that the easiest way to reduce hair breakage is to chop their hair off, but this is not necessarily true. There are many things that you can do that are easy and simple to help keep your hair from breaking, so take a look at these easy ways to reduce hair breakage.
- Eat a balanced diet to make sure your hair gets all the nutrients it needs. Exercise regularly.
- Always use conditioner after shampooing to replace moisture and add strength back into your hair shafts. Do a deep conditioning treatment every other week on your hair. This will keep it healthy and strong.
- Trim your ends every 6-8 weeks to prevent split ends from traveling up the hair shaft, causing more damage. Consider a new hair style.
- Don’t wash every day, as this strips moisture from the hair that you need for healthy growth and shine—use dry shampoo instead in between washes if needed for oil absorption or volume boost!
- Use a shower cap when taking long showers or baths to keep heat and steam from weakening your hair strands and causing breakage.
- Be careful when towel-drying. Damp hair is vulnerable to breakage, so don’t rub your hair dry with a towel—this creates friction that can cause damage to the hair shaft. Instead, use a cotton t-shirt or microfiber towel, and gently pat your hair dry.
- Use the right brush for your hair type. If you have very fine, straight hair then you want to use a boar bristle brush or a fine tooth comb, if you have curly or wavy hair then use a wide tooth comb or pick out with your fingers while wet or dry.
- When sleeping at night, put your hair in a loose braid or bun so it won’t get tangled while tossing and turning during sleep! This will help prevent breakage when brushing out in the morning too!
- Use a silk pillowcase instead of cotton. Cotton absorbs moisture, which weakens and dries out hair.
- Avoid wearing tight hats for fashion — save these for sun protection only.
All in all, with so many ways to reduce hair breakage there is no reason why you should have to suffer needlessly. In the worst case, talk to a dermatologist or your doctor about some of the more drastic options available to you. But if you follow the advice in this article, you will see a reduction in hair breakage and gain longer stronger locks in the long run.
At Glowown we have a series of hair care products – serums and shampoos, cruelty-free, paraben-free, and made with natural ingredients to suit your needs.
If you are a first-time user, we would encourage you to take up the free hair care analysis on our website Glowown.in the answers to which will help our experts to recommend the right products for your need.