Hair breakage is no fun for anyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re entering your golden years and somewhat expect your hair to get a little weaker or if it just started happening out of nowhere. When you look down and see a mess of split ends or leave a pile of hair in the shower, it’s depressing.
Thankfully, there are some changes you can do to your hair care routine to turn things around! This doesn’t mean buying expensive products or going out of your way to spend an hour on your hair.
Many of the improvements you can do are simple, easy choices available to you right now. The following is an explanation of common hair breakage causes and what you can do about them – as well as a few bonus tips for healthy hair.
How Hair Breakage Happens
There is a science to how hair breakage happens, but the thing is, it’s not always black and white. A lot of the times, hair damage is the result of multiple bad habits instead of just one thing.
Some of these bad habits are listed below.
1. Heat Treating Every Day
You’ve probably heard this a million times already, but applying heat to your hair every single day is not good. Even if you only heat treat a few times a week, the damage can still add up. This goes for blow drying, straightening, and curling.
Every time you add heat to your hair you’re only making the problem worse. This happens whether you apply heat right on the hair or use some sort of “protective” product. Those creams and sprays may provide a bit of protection, but they can’t reverse the damage of heat treating all the time.
2. Washing Every Day
While it’s obvious that heat does damage to your hair, a hidden danger is how often you wash. If you’re washing your hair every day, you have to stop. This strips your hair of its natural oils; it turns hair with a healthy shine and good strength into something dry and brittle.
Of course, it’s not like you can never wash your hair. But, find a happy medium. Try to keep washing to 3-4 times a week at most. If your hair does get greasy or you just feel a little dirty, keep some dry shampoo handy at all times.
3. Constant Dying and Excessive Styling
Maybe you’re already aware of the dangers of washing too much because you’re used to protecting your color. If that’s the case, you should know your hair is more prone to breakage than most.
Dying your hair has serious consequences. This applies whether you do the tips once or dye all of your hair and roots all the time. The more you dye it, the more chemicals you’re putting into your hair.
Think about any perms or straightening treatments you’re doing as well. Even some hair extensions can cause breakage depending on how they’re placed in the hair. While these aren’t as bad as heat treating at home every day, they still create problems for you.
4. Using Harsh Hair Products
Speaking of hair problems that happen at home instead of from salon treatments, what do you put in your hair every day? The styling products you use have a serious impact on the overall health of your hair.
Try to avoid anything that is chemically-heavy. It’s best to use natural hair care products when you can. This goes for shampoo and conditioner, dry shampoo, and any gels or holding creams you use.
Whatever your go-to hairstyle is, try to find natural ways to get it to look right. This will prevent your hair from feeling weighed-down or dried-out throughout the day, and it does wonders for its health long-term.
5. Intense Hairstyles
One thing many women do to make their hair more manageable in its natural state is put it up. They opt for a messy bun or high ponytail or a tight braid instead of harsh products.
This is the right idea, but it’s not great to do all the time, either. The thing is, you have to be careful about how you put your hair up if you want to keep it healthy.
Wearing high ponytails all the time can damage the strength of your hair. Weaving it into tight braids does this, too. Buns are the least-damaging option; they’re great for an hour at the gym every day or a lazy afternoon, but all day every day is no good.
6. Neglecting Your Hair
Another way hair breakage happens is if you neglect your hair. Maybe you haven’t been too concerned about it until you saw split ends and a bunch of hair in the shower. Maybe you just like to wear it natural and that’s it.
You have to do some level of hair care, though. This includes the basics like brushing and washing but it also means investing in a few haircare must-haves like good (non-damaging) products and soft salon towels.
Also, don’t let your current hair issues get you down. If you see a bit of breakage or some other problems, fix them! Don’t let them get worse.
7. Not Understanding How Your Hair Works
It’s one thing to outright neglect or mistreat your hair and another to not fully understand what your hair needs. Maybe the best way to fix the damage you have is to learn more about what’s right for your hair instead of what’s wrong for it.
Think about it: curly hair cannot be treated the same as straight hair. Virgin hair isn’t the same as dyed and treated hair and the length and natural color play into what you should do, too.
There’s no standard hair care solve-all solution. At the end of the day, there’s a right and a wrong way to approach this area of hygiene that is different for each person.
Other Ways You Can Keep Your Hair Healthy
Now that you know how you may be causing your hair damage, it’s time to focus on what can turn the issue around. Keep the solutions mentioned above in mind, but also consider the healthy hair tips below.
1. Make Hair Masks Part of Your Routine
You know when your skin is acting up and it needs a face mask? Or when you’ve had a long day and need to take a bath to unwind? When your hair is an absolute trainwreck, it needs a hair mask.
This is one of the best quick-fixes to hair breakage out there. One hair mask won’t completely reverse the damage you’ve done, but it does help a lot. It hydrates the hair and brings a sense of life back into it from your roots to your tips.
Remember to buy the most natural mask you can, though. Some hair care products are marketed as strong and effective but they do more harm than good. Think about what your hair needs and find the most natural solution available.
2. Eat Well
Just as what you put on your hair can either enhance or strip its natural oils, what you eat goes into the way these things are produced in the first place. Try to incorporate more fresh, non-processed foods into your diet. Drink plenty of water throughout the day, too.
A healthy diet supports all functions of the body – including the production and maintenance of healthy hair. It’s critical if you want long-term results, not to mention, eating well is a great lifestyle choice to make for reasons other than aesthetics.
3. Lower Your Stress
The final way to further benefit your hair’s health is to focus on your mental health. If you’re stressed all day every day, no wonder your hair is breaking or falling out!
You need to learn to relax. Let go of the worries in your life and watch how all the benefits of living stress-free improve your happiness.
As far as looks go, living without stress can keep your hair from falling out or breaking, put off the growth of grey hairs, and minimize the number of wrinkles you get. It’s something that will do you good for not just how you go through life but how you look facing it, too.
Discover Better Forms of Hair Care and Skin Care
The only way to look better is to do better. Stop putting your hair through so much damage and start learning about how to reverse the hair breakage going on.
It’s easier than you think, especially if you follow all the tips and tricks mentioned above. For more advice on everything from hair care to skin treatments click here!
