Breakage, we all dread the word when it comes to our natural hair, I do too.

Hello mane embracers, I hope your crowns are flourishing and your skin glowing. Thank you for stopping by and welcome to my natural hair blog.

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I hate when my hair breaks especially when I haven’t been giving it the TLC it deserves, knowing better but not doing better? That’s aside breakage can be minimized by consistent healthy hair care practices.

If you have been experiencing massive breakage, well this article is for you. I got you covered but first, get to know the difference between breakage and shed hair here. I bet you now know if that hair you call breakage is breakage or shed hair.

Causes of Hair Breakage you Should Know.

Lack of moisture.

Dry hair is delicate thus prone to breakage. Avoid manipulating dry hair, style your hair when moisturized and if you are experiencing dry hair consider using moisturizing products, incorporate hot oil treatment and prepoo in your regimen. To effectively moisturize, know your porosity type and how to moisturize your porosity type. For tips on different ways to add moisture to your hair, I got you covered here.

Not detangling properly.

If you wanna retain length, a detangler or instant conditioner with a good slip and your fingers ought to be your best friends. Improper detangling will lead to stubborn knots/tangles and trust me you won’t have the patience to detangle and most probably you’ll snap them off causing more breakage, weakening your strands and damaging your scalp. I got you on detangling tips here.

Excessive heat

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Cotton pillowcases & scarf.

You may be doing everything the right way and still experience breakage because your favorite cotton pillowcase and scarf are breaking your hair. Cotton pillowcase/scarf absorb moisture from your hair and the friction between the fabric and your hair while tossing and turning weakens and breaks your hair. Use satin pillowcases, scarf or bonnets and ensure the bonnet/scarf aren’t too tight.

Towel drying.

Rubbing your hair with towel may lead to tangles, knots and breakage. Use a soft t-shirt or just wrap the towel and let it absorb the water.

Overwashing

Overwashing strips off the natural oils responsible for moisturizing your scalp and hair drying them out. Wash at least twice a week if you have to or alternate between co-washing and shampooing and always use a deep moisturizing conditioner after shampoo.

Hats
Hello there hat lovers, I know how cute the hats make you feel and how they come through on those ‘bad hair’ days but they can be the reason you are experiencing breakage. Most hats are often made of rough materials that cause hair dryness and breakage. Don’t stop loving the hats but switch to hats with satin lining or wear a satin scarf under your hat.

Hair pins & bands.

Holding your hair tightly using these styling tools can weaken your hair and cause tension to your strands and scalp. Loosen them once you feel tension/pain on your scalp or get a headache.
Make sure the hairpins’ ends are sealed with a soft ball-like thingy to avoid snagging and breaking your hair. Stay away from hair bands with metals that can snag your hair.

Excessive combing & brushing.

Brushes and combs can be a major cause of breakage when used excessively or on dripping wet and dry hair since both are in a weak state.
When using a detangling brush or wide-toothed comb make sure the detangler or instant conditioner gives a good slip for the brush/comb to easily glide through your hair and when styling ensure your hair is properly moisturized.

Protective styles.

Not all protective styles are protective, they are only protective when installed, styled properly and not kept for too long. Moisturize your hair while in protective style, don’t tuck it in there and forget all about it. Be gentle when taking down the protective style and avoid being on a rush while doing so to avoid tangles/knots and breakage you could avoid by taking your time. Get to know how protective styles can be break your hair here.

5 Steps to prep your Natural hair for Protective Style

Skipping trims/dusting.

We all know those split ends that make it difficult to have good hair days by serving rugged, tangled, knotted and frizzy ends. Split ends travels up the hair when let to sit on your hair without trimming or dusting causing tangles, knots and breakage.
Get to know signs that you need to trim here and how to dust your ends here.
Trimming 4C Natural Hair without Heat at Home.

Signature style

Your signature style can also be the reason why your hair breaks at some point because the tension happening at that one place. Switch your styles from time to time, get adventurous and creative.
Evenly apply products to avoid having dry brittle strands on some hair parts. Section your hair into smaller parts to ensure all the strands are served.

Other causes; moisture- protein imbalance, hygral fatigue & protein overload.