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How to Reduce Hair Breakage and Improve Hair Health

Hair breakage happens more often than you might think. Your hair goes through a lot of abuse and neglect over time, so reducing the damage is extremely important.

With the high demands of everyday life, good hair care can sometimes get put on the back burner.

The less effort you put into taking care of your hair however, the more prone your hair is to damage.

woman looking at hair breakage image

Looking for something specific? Be sure to check the information on this page first and then the Q&A section at the bottom of this page!

There are two major reasons hair breaks:

Hair is stretched beyond it capacity and hair snaps!

Hair has become dry and brittle (crackle, pop) from excessive heat or from lack or moisture.

Hair elastin gives hair its 'bounce back'. If you’ve ever brushed wet hair (which you should have learned not to do by now), you’ve seen hair stretch. If stretched too far, you’ve also heard the familiar noise that hair makes when it’s breaking in two. Ouch! Brushing your hair too much or too hard, can also cause breakage.

Hair Breakage Contributors

Hormonal changes.

Nutritional deficiencies.

Medical problems.

Hair chemical abuse.

Overuse of hot appliances.

Poor diet.

Stress.

Improper hair care.

Your hair can break off when certain points/places in your hair are weakened. Sometimes you can see the points because they appear white, almost dandruff like. Your hair can also look thin or weakened along the hair strand. You may see these places anywhere along the hair shaft. If you pull on your hair, your hair snaps and breaks off. When hair breaks off mid hair shaft, hair breakage is most commonly attributed to improper brushing techniques, the overuse of hot appliances, or the overuse of harsh chemical treatments. If hair splits in two, it’s called split ends.

Hair breaking off is often a sign that there is weakness along the hair shaft. Since all hair is made of keratin, protein treatments work well in some cases. However, too much protein can cause your hair to become dry and more brittle so use them cautiously and always apply moisturizers and/or conditioners afterward.

This is an image of hair breakage. The scales you see along the hair strand are the cuticles, which protect the inside structure of your hair. Once the cuticle has been compromised, hair fractures.

To keep hair from breaking off, use these tips.

Prevention of Hair Breakage

Be careful with heat! Hot appliances can easily compromise hair structure. Keep iron settings on medium to medium high at the most. Hot settings can easily destroy the hair cuticle, which is designed to protect hair!

Be sure not to keep hot irons on your hair in one place for too long either. If you see smoke, its time to move the iron for sure! Its much better for your hair to be ironed twice quickly, than be ironed once slowly.

When you’re blow drying, move the dryer around frequently and never leave it in one section for more than a few seconds, especially if you’re using a hotter setting. Always give hair a cool shot afterward to help close the hair cuticle again. Heat opens the cuticle. Coolness closes it.

Use a boars bristle natural brush on dry hair and use a wide toothed comb on wet hair. When hair is wet, its especially vulnerable to stretching and then snapping off. So be super meticulous when your hair is wet!

Moisturize regularly. Your hair needs as much if not more moisture than your skin and nails, especially if you’ve got long hair and/or thick hair. Conditioners work great at providing moisture to your hair and protecting hair after you shampoo. Leave them on your hair for a few minutes while you shower. Work from hair ends to mid hair shaft but don’t get too close to the scalp. Your scalp already has its own supply of oils. If placed to near the scalp, roots can look greasy.

Since most cases of hair breakage are attributed to dry hair, you'll need deep moisturizing treatments to help amend the hair shaft. Products like shea butter conditioners help supply lots of extra moisture to your hair if used regularly.

Don't rinse conditioners completely out of your hair; leave some of it on your hair! This helps add a protective coating to your hair, makes it much easier to comb, and helps your hair retain moisture.

Don’t overuse chemicals. Chemicals are harsh. In between chemical services, you should replenish, replenish, replenish. If you color your hair, don’t do a root to tip color each time. Instead do root touch ups only and avoid overlapping because this can compromise hair’s tensile strength and cause weakened points along the hair.

Perms (curly or straight) and hair color removers are some of the worst offenders, especially if they’re overused. Be patient between the chemical services you get and be sure your hair is healthy enough, before using them again.

Take vitamins. You body requires certain nutrients to help maintain healthy hair. You can buy hair vitamins or take specified individual vitamins like biotin, vitamin E, A, and B.

If you're having a hard time growing your hair, take Super Biotin for expediated hair growth. In order to create healthy cells, your body uses these nutrients as food for your hair. Take vitamins regularly or eat super foods for the best hair breakage prevention.

(get more information on hair vitamins page)

Treatments to Reduce Hair Breakage

Use a cool air humidifier in your home if the air is dry. Humidifiers help restore moisture where moisture is lost.

Nexxus emergencee is one of the best treatments to stop hair breakage in its tracks. It’s a true wonder!

Heavier fortifying conditioners can amend some cases of hair breakage. Shea Butter Hair Mask by Frederic Fekkai and Samy Beyond Repair Professional Intensive Hair Masque are two masks that you can count on to help. These kinds of conditioners pack more punch than ordinary conditioners! Use them with a thermal heat cap for the best results!

Added moisture is what dry ends need the most. Try Nexxus Humectress products or leave in conditioners like Infusium 23 for example.

Use oils! Argan oil and coconut oil are great for treating dry hair. Just be careful to keep them away from your scalp, unless you have a dry scalp.

Try Organic Hair Products! Regular shampoos and conditioners are sometimes chocked full of drying ingredients. Pureology and Matrix Biolage are two organic brands that always deliver!

Get regular trims! Trimming your hair naturally makes your hair look healthier. Straggly ends are a sign of hair weakness and looks bad. Trimming hair regularly will make it look fuller and thicker.

Homemade Remedies to Reduce Hair Breakage

You may need to bolster dry ends because dry hair is very brittle, which leaves it susceptible to breakage. Use the yolk from an egg to supply biotin (for growth) and keratin (for strength). Mix it with 2 tablespoons of preferably olive oil, or just use what you have on hand. Add 1/2 tsp. of salt to taste. (Just kidding to see if you were paying attention:o) Apply the mixture to your hair ends and mid hair shaft and cover with a cap or towel. Keep the mixture on your hair for 15 minutes, then rinse, shampoo and condition as usual. Do this several times a month and you should start seeing visible results.

In a pinch, (since you’re already taking Vitamin E everyday like you should be!), you can add the contents of 5 or 6 vitamin E gel caps to your shampoo and/or conditioner. Just be sure to use D-apha vitamin E and not Dl-alpha Vitamin E, which is a synthetic form of the vitamin. Or use Vitamin E oil if you have some:o)

Use mayonnaise straight from a jar. Some people recommend heating it up slightly but you really don’t need to do this. (hot mayonnaise = spoiled) Use it on brittle hair and cover with a cap. Leave on for as long as you like and simply rinse, shampoo and condition afterward.

If your hair is breaking off, abstain from using hot appliances while you amend your hair. They’ll just undo all the efforts you’re making to get moisture back into your hair! Be patient! It most probably took a while for your hair to get in this mess, and it’s going to take some time to heal your hair. If there is no good reason why your hair is dry and brittle, have your thyroid checked for hypothyroidism, which can sometimes cause hair breakage.

Related Pages on This Site

Hair Volume – Tips for Big Full, Voluptuous Hair

Damaged Hair – Fried, Dyed, Laid to The Side

Hair Texture - The Skinny on the Fat

Hair Growth – How Fast Does Hair Grow?

Hair Facts and Fiction – Separating Truth from Myth

Hair Porosity – Why It's is Such a Big Deal!

Dry Hair Remedies – Tips to Correct Brittle Hair

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Hair Conditioning Masks

Repair Breakage in Hair

Deep Conditioning Hair Treatments

Biosilk Silk Therapy

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