Are you doing everything right and still experience hair damage? Read on.
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Hair damage can be as a result of unhealthy hair care practices, chemical over processing, color, heat & so on. It’s impossible to completely avoid damage because of normal wear and tear but you can manage & minimize damage.
Table of Contents
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Causes of hair damage.
Heat damage.
Most common type of hair damage and I’m sure most of us have heard the phrase “the heat isn’t good for your hair.” Heat isn’t all bad for your hair but wrong & excessive use is. Heat damaged hair lacks elasticity, has a loose pattern, feels dry, brittle & easily breaks.
You can avoid heat damage by not using heat on your if you can or use a heat protectant before using any hot tool & keep the heat temperature at minimum.
Improper detangling.
How do you detangle your hair? Snap off the tangles and knots, brush or comb them out? Snapping them off or combing them out without a detangler causes tension on your scalp & weakens your hair. To properly detangle, use a detangler or instant conditioner with a good slip, detangle with your fingers and/or wide tooth comb.
Skipping trims.
Split ends and damaged hair ought to go, they give your styles a rugged look and the split ends travel up the hair meaning more damage, knots and tangles. Trim when necessary or you can keep dusting your ends every now and then. Wanna know if your hair needs a trim, check out here.
Trimming 4C Natural Hair without Heat at Home.
Over manipulation/ daily styling.
The secret to retaining lengthis low manipulation styles and protective styling. What do I mean by over manipulation? Daily brushing, combing, styling and hands on hair syndrome. Over manipulation means always pulling your hair & creating tension on your scalp thus thinning hair and more breakage. Use a wide- tooth comb for combing not a rat tail comb (ideal for hair sectioning.)
Color bleaching.
Color hair damage occurs due to using strong products, over processing, leaving the color for too long, coloring & overlapping (adding new color on previously colored hair.) Prep your hair before coloring, health first and once colored do both moisture and protein conditioning, you can use a two in one conditioner like Marini 2 in 1 conditioner to moisturize and strengthen your hair and keep your hair moisturized.
Moisturizing & Deep conditioning.
Do you know your hair porosity type? How often do you moisturize & what do you use to moisturize? To start off, oil isn’t a moisturizer but a sealant. Moisturize regularly with moisturizers/ leave-in conditioners for healthy hair. Dry hair never looked good on anyone & it’s prone to tangles and breakage.
Deep conditioning helps in restoring moisture after cleansing (Deep moisturizing conditioners) and repairs, strengthens & reconstructs the hair structure (Protein treatments/ conditioners) and maintains the moisture- protein balance. Unconditioned hair may appear dry, weak, dull and lifeless.
Protect your hair when sleeping.
Cotton pillowcase and scarf absorb moisture from your hair & the friction between the hair & material weakens your strand causing breakage. Ever noticed the hair at the back or the sides of your head depending on how you sleep looking thinner and shorter than the rest of your hair? Well, the cotton scarf and pillowcase might be the reason and the couch too for those who enjoy lying on the couch for naps or when watching.
How do you protect your hair when sleeping? Use a satin bonnet, scarf or pillowcase and don’t hold the scarf or bonnet too tight.
Tight hairstyles.
I know you’ve heard the tightly held styles last longer but at what cost? Other than a headache & sleepless night, tight hairstyles cause tension to your scalp, weaken your hair, thinning & receding hairline. Avoid holding your hair buns and puffs too tight too. If you feel pain, get a headache or feel tension on your scalp, loosen the style, it’s too tight.
Consistent hair care routine.
I can’t insist enough on the importance of having a consistent hair care routine. The hair care routine should be consistent and healthy. You can have a consistent hair care routine that isn’t healthy or you are skipping essential steps. Hair routine is all about how often you cleanse, condition, moisturize, wear protective styles. Do you have a hair care routine? Is it working for your hair?
Other causes of hair damage;
- Over washing/ Under washing
- Aggressively rubbing the towel to dry your hair
- Brushing & combing dry hair.
- Holding a small hair patch with a large extension.
- Chemical damage from relaxers.
- Using products with harsh ingredients.
- Scratching your scalp with your nails when cleansing. Use your finger pad instead.
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