Bonjour beauties! Happy Natural Hair Friday to all you fabulous healthy hair lovers! Today we shall traverse down the meaning of hair breakage and the steps that we can take to prevent them. Hair breakage is very different from hair shedding and the two should never be confused. Shedding of hair is a natural occurrence that happens daily and is nothing to be alarmed about.

However hair breakage is a result of weak brittle hair, and if we do not take certain precautions we can pretty much kiss our fab and healthy hair goodbye. There are about 16+ different types of strands that your hair can experience including ends split in two, feathered ends, knots, tree looking ends, white spots on the hair, incomplete split, double Y, and thick leading down to thin, among others. If your ends resemble any of these then you are a prime candidate for the unfriendliness that accompanies breakage.

The weaker your hair is, the easier it will be to break off. Breakage is healthy hair’s kryptonite because it does not allow the hair to live out it’s lifespan in the bountiful way that it is meant to. When hair suffers from breakage it can look dull, uneven, ratty, dry, and really rough.

Why Your Hair is Breaking Off

Most hair woes are associated with the care you entreat it with and you can certainly accelerate hair breakage by:

• Roughly drying with a terry cloth (regular) towel
• Using heat tools often (or at all)
• Dry brushing/Dry combing
• Combing with a small tooth comb
• Sleeping on a regular cotton pillowcase
• Wearing a hair tie and pulling your hair back too tightly
• Using a non- fabric hair tie/bobble/scrunchie

Related: How to Protect Your Hair From the Elements: Three Golden Rules

How to Reverse the Crippling Effects

The brilliant news, handbookers, is that this can all be turned around with some super easy steps that involve doing just the opposite of what causes harm in the first place. In addition to switching to a microfiber towel (or cotton t-shirt) instead of a rough regular one, dabbing/blotting when drying rather than roughly doing so, stopping the usage of heat tools (or at least minimally using or keeping on a cool- setting), only combing (with fingers) when wet and with conditioner in it as opposed to dry, opting for a satin or silk pillowcase rather than any other material, wearing hair loosely when in an up- do and only using a fabric bobble when doing so, you should also incorporate the following steps:

1. Drink water. Water is the greatest source of moisture and the more you drink, the more your body and beauty will thank you. Replenish yourself by at least drinking 2l a day. When it comes to the hair, water will moisturize from the inside out and in doing so will strengthen strands and revitalize them at the same time

2. Eat nutritious foods. Someone said you are what you eat and someone else responded you ain’t never lied! And that’s because it is true. Our hair is made from living cells and for them to embody health they need to be fed with life- giving food and never the opposite. Eat your green vegetables, have lots of fruit so that the hair can grow up big and strong and last its full life span without breaking off

3. Condition. If you want your hair to be long but cannot seem to get it past a certain length because of the dreaded breakage, do yourself a favor and condition them locks with a botanical conditioner and leave the conditioner in instead of rinsing it off

More: Curly Girl the Handbook Review- Beware if you Have Curly Hair

4. Give yourself regular protein masks. Sometimes all dry, brittle hair needs is some rejuvenation to help strengthen it and prevent breakage. A lovely protein mask on a weekly or biweekly basis is a sure fire way to strengthen the follicles from the inside, thus keeping them protected and less likely to break. Indian Aztec healing clay is brilliant, a homemade DIY mix is always amazing, and even a natural pre-made one can do the trick

5. Trim regularly. It is best to let go of hair that is ready to leave the nest. While you should always endeavor to heal what’s going on before going on a chopping spree, a regular trim is a great way to keep the hair healthy. Like pruning the bad weeds in a garden (there goes that garden metaphor again!)

Food for Thought.. or for Hair

When your hair is at a breaking point it is telling you something! You are the keeper of your garden and a healthy head relies on your gardening skills. Stop the unfriendly practices and cut out the bad habits and you can heal all of the breakage problems. Incorporate some nutritious/helpful procedures and not only will the breakage halt, but you will see longer, stronger, healthier hair which, let’s face it, is the goal for most of us! Today, of all days, is a day to make healthy hair choices. So if you are committing any hair sins, it is time to throw them to the wind so that your strands can live their happy lives until trim day. Stay hair healthy, hunnies!

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• Feliz Natural Hair Friday, lovelies! See you next week!