Managing And Preventing Mid Shaft Breakage And Splits

I dare you to say the word mid-trichorrexis nodosa, five times super fast! Ok don’t do that, I am just being my usual silly self, I really do have something important to discuss about the term.

Mid-trichorrexis nodosa is the official term that is used to refer to mid shaft breakage. It is bad enough that we have to deal with split ends, but when you hair literally breaks in the middle of the shaft; well things may seem a bit hopeless then. “Daaum Daaum Daaum Gina!” in my Martin voice. Before diving into the world of mid shaft breakage it really helps to know what causes the typical split end.

Strands split due to simple wear and tear and some manipulation on our part. The ends of our hair strands are the oldest portions and therefore have been though the most in comparison to other areas of the strand.

Strand degeneration is very common because of environmental factors, so we tend to spend a lot of time repairing, and preventing issues by using protective styles and just being gentle with our hair. Other than being naturally older, strands can also split at the ends due to dryness, heat styling, and chemical use.

Mid shaft breakage and splits are caused pretty much from the same things that causes split ends except it happens further up the strands away from the ends and away from the roots. Doomed right? Not really, in Jamaica we like to say “prevention betta dan cure” so allow us to help you prevent as much as we can.

Heat Styling And Chemical Styling

Natural Hair

Heat is our number one ‘frenemy’, meaning if you know what you are doing it can work for you in your regimen, but if you make one or a couple wrong moves you can really do some serious damage to your hair.

Heat can break the bonds in your natural hair to the point of the strand losing its curl pattern permanently altering its structure. When the bonds break the hair strand appears straight, if the bonds are permanently broken then your hair will be permanently straight.

Mid shaft breakage caused from heat just means that your hair is so depleted of protein in that section that your hair literally splits, this can be close to the root, in the middle or close to the ends.

If you want to avoid breakage caused by wear and tear, use protein treatments to give the strand strength and heat protectant* every time you use heat to protect your hair.

We however like to suggest if you are experiencing mid shaft breakage, avoid heat all together until you get the problem fixed.

Relaxed hair

Chemical relaxers work in a similar manner, breaking the bonds in the strand causing it to be weaker and more prone to damage.

It is possible to over process your hair if you relax too often, causing your hair to split  in the upper regions of the strand and even causing full loss of the strand in its entirety.

Regular heat use on relaxed hair can actually exacerbate minor problems that would otherwise not have occurred if heat was avoided.

Since your hair is already permanently straight, damage caused by heat may not be as evident as in natural hair but may present as mid shaft breakage.

If you have relaxed hair and you notice your hair breaking at various lengths, avoiding heat until the problem resolves would be the wisest course of action.

Finger Detangling Vs Everything Else

Natural Hair

What makes natural hair special is the variety of textures and patterns that you can find on any one head; however those very things could be the cause of potential damage as well.

The curlier your hair the more gentle you have to be with it, don’t get me wrong you have to be gentle across the board but every bend and twist that your hair strand makes is a potential breakage point.

Your curly strands are attracted to each other naturally; they twist and curl on each other, often forming little annoying knots, affectionately known as fairy knots or single strand knots.

Using styling and detangling tools such as combs and or brushes eliminates the possibility for you to ‘feel’ knots and tangles and release them gently. Basically the chances of your ripping through your hair is much greater when using a tool.

When you use your fingers to detangle you can literally feel your knots and it is much easier for you to unravel them with your ten digits that it would be while impatiently using a comb.

With that said combs and brushes are a huge source of mid shaft breakage, as your hair gets worn out due to the constant friction and improper use so you may want to switch to finger detangling in the long term.

Relaxed Hair

Your hair is straight so it should be much easier for you to use a comb or brush right? Wrong! Relaxed hair is just as fragile if not more fragile than natural hair in terms of strand integrity.

Using your fingers to detangle especially if you are stretching your relaxer can be quite beneficial to your healthy hair journey. If you have thinning edges, pay close attention to your favorite bristle brush and see if you are removing perfectly good strands by constantly trying to make sure your edges are laid.

It makes no sense to constantly find ways to get your edges to grow in, and then destroy them with your brush. Imagine a piece of string lying on a flat surface, if you use your favorite bristle brush and brush it a couple times you will notice sections of the fiber start to raise and the string starting to thin. This is the same thing that happens when Mr. Hair brush meets Mrs. Hair Strand, can we say worn out!?

Avoid Excessive Manipulation

Edge control, goody bands, cute clips with weird fasteners, tight buns, twist outs, braid outs are all examples of things if done excessively can cause mid shaft splits and later breakage.

Everyone loves a great ponytail, but let’s face it every time you remove your goodie band and you find long strands wrapped up in it you have to wonder how much of that you could have prevented by just not wrapping it as tightly or if you purchased a satin scrunchie instead.

Loose buns are messy but effective, they don’t pull on your edges and they prevent splits and breakage. Styling options are great when you have natural or relaxed hair and creating the perfect style for the week is ideal because you are not touching your hair on a daily basis.

If however you plan to re-style on daily, make sure it is not a style that constitutes daily twisting and braiding your hair. You would be surprised to find out how much stress your hair is put under when enclosed in a braid or twist every night, there is only so much manipulation that your hair can take.

Wet hair And Over Stretched hair

Wet hair believe it or not is not the strongest, there is a lot going on within a wet strand, including expanding and contracting as water seeps in and out that will make it more vulnerable to weakening and splits than a strand that is dry.

Don’t get me wrong, it is better to detangle your hair while it is wet but when manipulating your hair while wet it helps to have a product with a lot of slip so that it is easier to remain gentle, this is true of all hair types including relaxed hair.

Stretching is probably more relevant to our natural hair crowd since shrinkage is one of our number one issues. Be careful when stretching your hair in the name of avoiding tangles, especially if you use heat to do it, or if you are stretching your hair to the point of wearing out the strand.

Always do what might be considered a “natural stretch”, braiding is great or banding, but do not go overboard, stop if you notice your hair snapping and falling. In your attempts at preventing one problem you could be causing a whole other one.

What do you do if your hair is already breaking?

We have to be honest with you, when we say prevention in this case is better than cure, we mean it, because as with all split ends, removing them is the only real solution.

Who wants to cut their hair in the middle though? If you are on a growth journey you can try some split end remedies such as the Tresseme Split Remedy line because they might work, in that case trial and error is key.

Treat your hair like a piece of fiber, meaning once it leaves the scalp your job is to do what it takes to preserve it because it cannot mend itself. You can add layers to it using protein, avoid dryness by moisturizing often, and keep it away from environmental influences by protecting it.

Have you experienced mid shaft breakage?