Unfortunately, hair breakage is a part of everyday life. We blow dry, we dye, we straighten and, as a result, we also do damage to our tresses. If allowed to continue unchecked, snapped strands and split ends can really become a styling nightmare: we all loathe that backlit ‘halo’ of short, broken hairs that shows up under certain conditions. Luckily, however, it is possible to give your locks a fair amount of protection and this will help to keep them in good shape. To help you with this, I’ve put together a list of 7 tips to minimise hair breakage. Read on!
If you are experiencing serious breakage, the first thing you will need to do is consider your shampoo. Breaking hair is weak hair, and in order to remedy this, you will need to opt for a product, that will help to strengthen your locks. Go for protein rich variations; these will help to repair your fragile tresses.
Chemical treatment, heat styling and basic features of contemporary life can leave hair dehydrated. This in turn weakens the strands and predisposes them to breakage. Replenishing your hair’s lost moisture will help to restore it’s elasticity, rendering it less brittle and easily broken. Get yourself a great quality nourishing conditioner directed specifically at re-hydrating dried out locks.
Fragile, brittle hair can also be a result of a vitamin deficiency. Get yourself a good hair supplement from your local pharmacy, or, alternatively, start yourself on a course of vitamins E and B: this should help you get your hair back in tip top condition.
Very tight elasticised hair bands can contribute significantly to hair breakage. If you wear your locks in a pony tail most of the time, consider changing this. You might be unknowingly causing strands to snap.
If you work on your locks every day using a blow dryer and a ceramic straightening iron, you might want to take a break from this kind of intensive styling. Together with a nourishing shampoo and a conditioner, and a vitamin supplement, resting your locks and allowing them to fall naturally will help to minimise further hair breakage.
Broken hair can also result from over washing and this is rendered more serious, if you are cleansing your locks with the wrong product. Experts recommend that we wash only every other day – more frequently - and we risk stripping our locks of the natural oils that nourish them and keep them in good shape.
The correct brush and brushing technique can also make a big difference to the condition of our hair. As a general rule, it is a good idea to avoid plastic. Instead, opt for natural boar bristle: this is softer and more flexible and won’t snap hairs in the way that more rigid synthetic variations will. Remember always to start your brushing at the ends of your tresses using short strokes: this will help to minimise any breakage that does occur.
Over-processing, rigorous heat styling and the general stresses of daily life cause our hair to become weak, fragile and brittle. It is possible to protect and repair your damaged locks, however, and this list of 7 tips to minimise breakage should help to get you well on the way to healthy, strong tresses. Do you have any of your own solutions to add to it?