You’ve been working on transitioning your hair to natural and have made major strides in your natural journey. However, you’ve had a setback. Everybody goes through it and it is part of the journey. The best way to know how to avoid it is to learn from it. Transitioning from relaxed or any type of chemically treated hair comes with challenges. One of those being dealing with two textures and breakage. Your hair is growing but seems to be the same length. You are seeing shorter strands, thinning or uneven ends, more hair in your comb. To get it resolved you will have to figure out the root cause of why your hair is breaking off. Don’t worry we’re here to help! Here are the top five hair breakage causes.
Dryness
When your hair is deprived of moisture and feel as if a brush fires is about to break out, it may be a hint you need to add more moisture to your hair routine. With natural hair textures and styles it takes planning and understanding of your stands to know that you have to work a little harder to ensure your hair is properly moisturized. Our hair is curly which means that it takes extra effort for moisture to travel down your strands. Also, common styles like braids and twists also require extra attention to ensure natural hair oils travel from root to top.
A common method to help your hair retain moisture is using the LOC method which is a way to seal in moisture.
- L= Liquid
- O= Oil
- C = Cream
Applying a water or a moisturizer that has water as a base is a great way to add your first step. Next, an oil is applied such as your traditional oil like almond oil, olive oil or you can use shea butter. Oils tend to rest on the strands which seals in the moisture helping your hair retain moisture. A moisturizing cream is the last step of the LOC method to add an extra layer to close in the oil. If your hair seems overly dry and/or you are experiencing breakage try updating your hair routine to seal in the moisture to see if that helps to resolve the issue.
Once your hair is moisturized and styled make sure to protect your strands with our satin-lined wig cap. It is versatile, light and feels like second skin to your hair. We designed it to help your hair retain moisture while you’re sleep, wearing a wig or even on a bad hair day with a hat to help you get buy.
Not protecting your hair a night
If you are not covering your hair or still sleeping on a cotton pillow cover, PLEASE STOP IMMEDIATELY. Cotton is known to absorb moisture, which that’s what it is designed to do we just don’t want to do it to your hair, and not relieve friction. Satin or silk is always recommended. I personally like to wrap my hair and sleep on a satin pillow cover. At least sleep on a satin or silk pillow cover if you don’t want to tie down your hair. Satin is a good option that is thin to allow proper airflow and will help your hair retain moisture, not soak it up like cotton or another fabric. Check out our Satin-lined wig cap for more details it is the perfect layer to help keep your hair healthy. It does the job and is extremely versatile. I even wear it under hats. Yes, even when you wear a hat you should protect your hair and this wig cap gets the job done. You can think of it as a fitted satin bonnet without the excessive fabric. Top reasons you will want one!
- Versatile since you can wear it to sleep, under hats, and wigs!
- Light luxurious fabric.
- Handmade by local artisans.
Tight protective styles
I once heard a dermatologist say your body will tell you when your hair is too tight. Whenever you see bumps or have pain, treat it as a signal that your body is saying your hairstyle is too tight. Tight hairstyles mean that your hair is being pulled away from your scalp. When tight hairstyles are used regularly it can lead to hair breakage and hair falling out. This can lead to traction alopecia a well-known cause from styles pulling hair strands too tightly on a regular basis. The good thing is traction alopecia is reversible when you treat it early. The first step is to avoid regularly styling your hair in styles requiring tight pulling of your hair, especially around the edges. However, anywhere on your head is susceptible to this issue.
Using the wrong tools can be one of your hair breakage causes…..
I’ve listed a few tools that can cause mechanical damage to your hair. Know that you don’t have to stop using these tools but be aware of it so you can avoid to reverse issues.
Using fine tooth combs
Kinky curly hair is easily tangled, which leads to more opportunities for breakage. Fine tooth combs with curly hair don’t mix. A general rule is the thicker your hair the wider the comb should be. Especially, when you’re referring to damp hair. It is more elastic while wet and you don’t want to overly stretch your hair combing it while wet. Before detangling your hair you should apply an oil or detangling product to help decrease the friction between your strands. Finger combing is the ideal way to start the detangling process since finger combing is more gentle than using a plastic or wooden comb. Also, you should never comb your hair from the root. You should always start from the ends and work your way towards the root to safely and properly detangle your hair.
Heat damage
Using heat that is too high and too often can cause damage to your hair. It can also can irreversibly alter your curl pattern. You should always apply heat protection serum to you hair before applying heat. Also, you should never flat iron your hair while it is wet. Applying heat for too long on one spot can cause issues too. Keep that in mind when blow drying your hair. Removing excess water is extremely important and lead to quicker drying times as well as reduce your risk of heat damage since you don’t have to pass tools over your hair as much to dry it. Experts says your flat iron shouldn’t go above 150 C (302 F). If your hair is not as straight as you want it to be don’t increase the number of passes and don’t feel tempted to turn up the heat. Remember you are sacrificing your hair’s moisture to make it straight. When you think about it like that do you really need do 10 passes to make your hair bone straight? I personally like the textured straight look but I can understand an appreciation for bone straight hair.
Everyone experiences hair breakage and damage in their hair journey. Just remember if you can recognize and identify the root cause of the issue for you, you can avoid repeating the damage. Regardless of length you want your hair to be healthy. Healthy hair is similar to plush grass. It looks amazing, steals the show and only enhances the beauty of the yard. That’s exactly what healthy hair does for everyone. It highlights your natural beauty and draws attention to it. Good luck with your hair journey and don’t forget to check out our satin cap to help protect your hair 24 hours a day.