Causes of Hair Breakage and Treatments
Causes of hair breakage
Most people will have experienced hair breakage at some point, and fortunately, with a few adjustments, your mane should be back to its splendor in no time! It is important to identify the causes of hair breakage so that we can adopt a successful treatment plan.
Heat damage
If you regularly use an iron or a hair dryer, you're probably no stranger to heat damage. These tools dry out the cuticle of the hair and actually change the structure of the hair proteins. This can leave your hair coarse in texture or strigged, knotted and split. It is best to keep heating tools for special occasions, and choose some unheated hairstyles.
Overwashing
Your hair contains natural oils, which can be removed by over-washing. This can also lead to overproduction of oil, as your hair fights to replace the lost oil, resulting in greasy hair. The cleaning process also puts pressure on wet, fragile hair roots, which can weaken the hair shaft and lead to breakage.
Brush your hair when wet
Hair is more elastic when wet and is a serious cause of hair breakage. To minimize hair loss, let your hair dry by 50-70% after washing!
Too Many Chemicals
Bleach, dye, perm, and relaxants are all bad news for healthy hair. They work slightly differently, but have the same effect, making your hair brittle, brittle, and prone to breakage.
Too tight ponytails and buns
Classic fabric-wrapped elastic puts extra pressure on your hair cuticles and causes strands to fall out whenever you pull them down.
Diet
A low-protein diet can make hair brittle, leading to hair growth restriction and even hair loss. Too little iron or vitamin C can reduce the amount of nutrients entering the hair follicle, leading to breakage.
Hair Breakage Treatments
Use a deep conditioner
Deeply moisturizing your hair is an easy way to protect your hair from further damage and breakage. Start using a leave-in conditioner or hair mask to help increase your hair's hydration levels. While a hair mask won't necessarily reverse the damage, it can keep hair strands and new growth good and healthy.
Air dry and embrace your natural strands
To help restore the strength of your hair, temporarily stop using heat tools and home hair dye. If you must use your beloved straightener or curling iron, make sure to apply a high-quality heat protectant before styling. Limit hair to once a week, using the coldest setting and air drying the rest of the time.
Use microfiber towels
Standard bath towels can be too rough for our fragile hair, leading to excessive hair breakage. Therefore, microfiber materials are used for more gentle drying.
Loosen the ponytail and bun
When you put your hair up, try to resist the urge to pull it tight, or use claw clips instead. This is where silk scrunchies, elastics, and silk pillowcases come in: they are softer and less fraying when worn.
Maintain a healthy, balanced diet
Like the rest of our body, our hair needs nutrients to thrive and become stronger. Plus, if your hair breakage is caused by hormone-related issues, a good diet can also help balance or even prevent symptoms.
Many factors can cause hair breakage, from the irritants of chemicals to a variety of health conditions, so staying healthy is crucial to preventing hair breakage. Simple changes and a healthy diet can go a long way in helping prevent future hair breakage, so be sure to take care of your inside and out.