5 Things You Need To Do Immediately When You Discover That Your Hair Is Breaking

So you are in the bathroom looking high and low for your denman brush* that seems to always leave the one spot you have it in on a daily basis.

I bring up the denman brush* because most time we notice breakage during our detangling session. But if your breakage is severe you will notice little hairs on your shirt, on your pillow, in your bonnet, pretty much everywhere.

When your hair breaks it signifies that your strand is deteriorating either at the ends or along the length to the point that it cannot keep itself together.

If you have split ends, your hair will typically be naturally thinner and weaker because the strand is literally split in half.

If your hair is dry or brittle it will not have the elasticity it needs to hold on to itself which leads to hair fall. Once you have noticed that your hair is breaking based on any of these scenarios it is time to move into swift action to correct the issue.

1. Trim

Getting a trim ensures that you remove all split ends, all weak and brittle ends and all dry ends. Your hair will tangle less and it will be easier for you to care for your hair with a good trim.

Trimming might not eliminate all the breakage you experience though because when we trim we typically focus on the bottom half of the hair and breakage can occur further up the strand as well.

Trimming is however a great start.

2. Protein

Protein use has got to be one of my favorite things to write about because I benefit so much from using it often. Protein is the building block of the hair strand, it is what hair is made of.

Protein strengthens the hair making it less weak and prone to breakage. Protein can single handedly correct mid shaft breakage issues because it binds itself to the entire strand.

When you do a protein treatment you will notice a natural luster about your hair that you probably never had before during the time that your hair appeared damaged.

If you have relaxed or super fine hair like me, protein is your best friend! How often you use protein when your hair is in pretty good shape, is different for everyone. However if you are experiencing breakage or have generally weak hair you can benefit from using small amounts of it weekly for maintenance.

3. Moisture

Moisture does not necessarily fix breakage by itself but when you deep condition your hair with the intention of adding moisture to your strands you give your hair the elasticity it needs to stay put and not fall.

When you deep condition, use heat so that your hair can experience maximum hydration. Additionally do not forget the leave in conditioner* that adds moisture to your hair as you go about your day.

4. Avoid chemicals and heat

If your hair is breaking the last thing you need is anything that would further degenerate the strand. That includes flat irons*, relaxers or color. All of these things strip or remove vital areas of the hair strand that it needs to remain in tact.

When you relax your hair and notice that your hair is breaking incessantly regardless of what you do, you are more than likely a victim of over processing.

This means that you have used one too many relaxers too close together and have caused in some cases irreparable damage to the hair.

A relaxer on top of a relaxer is too much for any strand to handle and the only way to repair your hair is to lay off of the chemicals completely.

Heat styling though not as harsh as relaxers can have the same effect on your hair if you are not careful with how you use it.

When you use heat your need to use protein before and after, and if your hair is breaking it does not need heat at all until you have fixed the problem.

5. Protective styles

If you have trimmed, amped up your protein and moisture regimen and you have put away all harsh chemicals and heat tools, it is time to protect your hair.

Preventing hair fall can be as simple as keeping your hair tucked away, covering it up at night to maintain moisture or just plain leaving it alone.

You want to give your hair time to recover and rejuvenate as you take care of it and bring it back to normal. Try low manipulation styles like twist outs or braid outs, or simple up do’s can do the trick.

I do not recommend putting your hair away in box braids if your hair is breaking. The reason is even though box braids are considered a protective style, the weight of the extra hair can sometime put pressure on your already weak strand.

Forget about adding extension hair to your hair if you notice any excessive shedding or breakage you want to make sure that your hair is able to thrive on its own.

How do you handle your breakage?