When you look at someone, the first thing you tend to notice is their hair. And since we all want to look as attractive as possible, keeping your hair looking beautiful, lustrous, and of course, healthy, is a must! A big cause of hair breakage is improper use of chemical treatments, such as coloring, and perming. If you brush or comb your hair too often or in the wrong way, this can lead to breakage. Hair extensions and braids can cause hair breakage as well. The problem can also be caused by a medical problem, like hypothyroidism, an eating disorder or deficiency in some vitamins. You go to great lengths to keep your hair looking vibrant and healthy. The last thing you want is for the appearance of your lovely locks to be marred by pesky hair breakage. You can be on the offense rather than the defense and prevent hair breakage before it even occurs. Incorporating a few simple tips into your hair care routine will not only help you to prevent hair breakage, but they’ll make your hair look healthy and gorgeous. In this article we can advise you how to prevent hair breakage.
Some tips how to prevent hair breakage.
1. Trim ends of your hair.
To some women, trimming equals cutting, which may as well equal “No, Thank You.” Done right, a trim only removes dead ends, not whole chunks of hair. When you trim proactively, you reduce the chances that your ends become so dry and brittle that a cut becomes necessary. Women who suffer from split ends have to cut them away before they break off on their own. When split ends get out of control, they travel up the hair shaft, making a serious cut more likely. Instead, why not trim the bottom 1/4 to 1/2 inch of hair every two to three months? Trims are more even and less traumatic than cuts that have to be done.
2. Let your stylist apply chemicals.
Overlapping chemicals is a huge contributor to hair breakage. It can be tempting to apply permanent color and relaxers yourself, especially if you’re trying to save money. It may get pricey to have a stylist perform these services, but when it comes to chemical treatments, it’s worth it to have a professional do it. Save up for relaxer touch-ups and color, but you can do most of your daily hair maintenance yourself. If you follow the recommended chemical service schedule, you should only have a touch-up a minimum of every eight weeks, so it’s not like this is a weekly service.
3. Don’t brush hair while wet.
Just say “no” to brushing your hair when it’s soaking wet. Black hair is already fragile – when wet, it’s in its weakest state. It’s fine to comb through your hair while wet; in fact, the ideal state to comb is when it’s saturated with conditioner. But brushing black hair stretches it sometimes to the point-of-no-return. What about women who want to straighten their hair before flat ironing? Aren’t round brushes made for this? Brushes are okay once your hair is at least halfway dry, but dryer is better. Instead of a round bristle brush, use a paddle brush to smooth hair, but again, wait until your hair is at least 50% dry before tackling with a brush and blow dryer.
4. Use the hot oil treatment.
The hot oil treatment is one of the most popular methods used to prevent hair breakage. When performed once or twice weekly, this treatment will keep your hair supplied with enough moisture to protect your hair’s bonds. Many stores offer pre-packaged hot oil treatments, but you can make your own home remedy using plant-based oils from your kitchen pantry. Pure vitamin E is also great. Simply break open a few gel caps and spread the liquid throughout your hair to effectively prevent hair breakage.
5. Ease up on heat.
High and frequent heat = damage = breakage. While curling irons, flat irons and blow dryers make our lives easier, allowing us to wear just about any style we can think up, these tools can also cause irrevocable damage when used too often or incorrectly. Constantly “bumping” your ends with an iron will weaken, thin and break them over time. Using heat that’s way too hot even once can break your hair.
You can protect your hair from dryness and the resulting breakage by using the right type of hair care products, restricting the use of harsh chemicals, choosing the hairstyles that do not put much stress on your hair, and eating a healthy diet. These few simple tips on how to stop hair breakage will not only help you to tackle this problem, but if done regularly and properly, will leave you with shining, lustrous hair that will be the envy of everyone.
