Six Ways To Stop Breakage And Shedding

Six Ways To Stop Breakage And Shedding

We’ve all been there.  Whether we sport natural curls or a perm, from time to time, our delicate hair breaks and sheds causing us all kinds of anguish as we try a wide variety of different methods to stop the breakage and restore our tresses to their former healthy state.  

The truth is that breaking and shedding are almost impossible to eliminate completely as no matter how well you treat your hair, there will be some amount of breakage, and shedding is a natural process, although some shedding can be caused by health issues. 

There are however measures that you can take to minimize the breaking and shedding that your hair will experience.  It’s all about how you treat your hair on a day to day basis; some activities you do daily, while others are done once per week or a few times per month.  If you practice these 6 tips, you will be sure to see a vast improvement with your hair.

1. Avoid Damaging Actions

It’s hard to believe with all of the information that we have available now, but many people still think that black hair can withstand any harsh treatment.  However nothing could be further from the truth; black hair is actually the most delicate of hair types which breaks easily if not properly handled.  In general, you should be very gentle when handling your hair. Be sure to use to use combs and accessories that will not break or tear your hair.  Go for styles that protect your hair rather than cause damage.   Using ponytail elastics for example, tugs hair which can break it from the roots and the metal section on the elastics will break your hair.  

2. Keep Moisturized

One of the main causes of hair breakage is dryness.  Black hair has the tendency to be dry and effort should be made to keep your hair moisturized to minimize breakage. One of the keys to well moisturized hair is to use conditioners after shampooing and using  leave in products applied after shampooing and conditioning and periodically on hair before your next shampoo. It is also recommended that you deep condition your hair at least once per month.

3. Protein Treatments

Hair is made up of approximately 70% keratin protein and so it is easy to see why protein treatments would help to stop hair from breaking.  Protein treatments are more critical for women with relaxed hair as the chemical process breaks down the protein in the hair.  A regular protein treatment then will help to restore what has been lost in the chemical process.  However, too much protein can also cause  the hair to become brittle so it should not be done excessively and each time a protein treatment is done, it should be immediately followed by a moisturizing treatment. 

4. Detangle When Damp Not Wet

It is never a good idea to try to detangle your hair when it is wet, neither with comb or brush. This is when your hair is at its most delicate and will break very easily and so it’s better to detangle when the hair is damp.  Some persons detangle the hair when it is saturated with conditioner while others comb through their hair prior to washing and some may keep it in loose plaits while shampooing to prevent detangling. 

5. Trim Damage Ends

Many of us gasp at the suggestion of trimming hair that are trying to grow.  However, it is very important to trim hair so that damaged ends to not damage the rest of the hair.  If you have spit ends for example, left un-trimmed the hair will split all the way up the shaft, extending the damaged portion of the hair, causing you to lose more of it in the long run.  

6. Healthy Lifestyle Choices

When hair breaks or sheds from the root, it is sometimes a sign of some type of vitamin deficiency or poor diet.  We are indeed what we eat and one sure way of growing your hair and keeping it healthy is by adding lots of vegetables and fruits to our diets. Drinking lots of water is also important as is exercise.  If you are fit and well nourished, your hair will look fabulous! 

Embrace Your Inner AfroDeity 
Zunammie K.