What Causes Hair Breakage?
Posted by Lark B on
Lustrous and healthy hair adds to the attractiveness of your look. So it's natural that many people feel worried when their hair begins to develop a dry look, or breaks and fall too. Hair breakage is a very common problem many people find themselves dealing with.
The cuticles (overlapping keratin scales) protect hair strands. Poor or incorrect hair care habits can cause these scales to separate, causing damage. Ultimately, the hair strands become dry and begin to break. Hair breakage is reflected in reduced hair length, too much of frizz and fly-aways. The reasons for hair breakage are many and depending on the causes the solutions are wide-ranging.
An individual will need to look at the quality of hair, stage of damage and hair routine to decide which measure/s will help stop hair breakage and restore the shine and health of the hair. Let's take a closer look at what exactly causes it and how best the problem can be addressed.
Why Does Hair Break?
As mentioned earlier, poor hair care habits are at the root of hair breakage. Some of these include:
1. Use Of Unsuitable Shampoo And Hair-Conditioner
Hair varies in color, thickness, natural luster, length, waviness etc. Many shampoos and hair-conditioners can make your hair dry, lusterless, and the scalp itchy. They can affect the quality of your hair and result in hair breakage.
2. Hair Washing Routine
If shampoo is applied more to the hair ends, it causes dryness and hair breakage. Use of scalding water damages the cuticles by opening them up. Using only shampoo results in loss of hair moisture.
3. Other Common Causes of Hair Breakage
Hair breakage can also occur because of:
- Excessive heat styling.
- Use of hard water as it contains chlorine and heavy metals that weaken the hair.
- Excessive hair trimming.
- Combing wet hair.
- Tying your hair into a tight ponytail.
- Untangling the knots with a small tooth comb.
- Damage to the cuticles caused by rough drying wet hair with a cotton towel.
- Use of hair dye and chemical treatments.
- Longer exposure to the sun’s UV rays.
Want To Save Hair From Breaking?
Here are some aspects to keep in view while caring for your hair. They will help prevent/reduce hair breakage:
- Find, invest and use only those shampoos and conditioners that strengthen and moisturize hair.
- The split ends of the hair tend to move up the hair shaft resulting in breakage. Regular trimming, say an eight week schedule, helps strengthen and improve hair health.
- It is beneficial to cut down their use of hair styling tools that use heat. When using these tools, select low heat settings and buy products that have ceramic heating elements that distribute heat evenly.
- Use a wide-tooth comb (rather than a brush) as it works gently in detangling wet hair and preventing hair damage. Hair breakage is also reduced by combing from the roots and moving towards the ends.
- Hair prone to knots can benefit from the use of a leave-in-conditioner, for easy detangling.
- Using silk pillow cases instead of cotton ones; this will prevent hair cuticles from becoming roughed-up and breaking.
- Dry hair gently using microfiber towels that are highly absorbent.
- Protect your hair from harsh sunlight. Use a large-brim hat when you are spending long hours outdoors on particularly sunny days.
- Repairing the damage and protecting the hair is important. Work a deep conditioner into your hair and leave it in overnight. Follow this process once each week.
- If your hair is already damaged, a well-balanced diet and the regular intake of zinc, iron and Vitamin B supplements can help restore health and strength to the hair.
In Closing...
Hair quality and health depend on how well you care for it, the quality of the hair care products you use and the hair washing and drying routine you follow. In addition to the externals, focus on inner health by watching what you eat and drink. Consuming vitamin and mineral-rich foods and keeping yourself properly hydrated will help nourish and strengthen your hair from within.
If you have thinning hair, consider using natural keratin fibers such as Hair 2.0. The special formulation binds with your hair, providing it with some much-needed volume and texture. If you want to know more, contact our customer care center for queries or browse through our website for information on our different products.