Our hair is naturally very strong – in fact, one strand can stretch up to 30% of its length before breaking off! Unfortunately, due to a number of factors, our hair can become more prone to breakage and this elasticity is reduced. Our strands can become dry and brittle, causing our hair to become weak and start snapping off. From the environment to heat styling tools, there are many reasons why your hair may be experiencing more breakage than usual. Hair breakage can be a big problem but we’re here to give you all the tips and tricks for restoring your locks to their former glory!
Time to hydrate
Dehydrated hair is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to hair breakage and that’s why it is so important to keep your strands moisturised and healthy. Using a shampoo and conditioner that has been specifically formulated for dry hair is a great way to add moisture back into your hair, as well as investing in a hydrating pre-shampoo treatment. We also love using a deep conditioning mask to really restore our locks and keep them feeling strong and moisturised.
Put down the heat tools
You knew this one was coming! When it comes to hair breakage, often the biggest cause can be excessive heat styling. Using heat styling tools can severely dry out your hair, causing it to become brittle, frizzy and weak. Cut back on the heat styling as much as you can (find some cute heatless hairstyle to rock!) and always use a heat protectant if you need to reach for your straightener or curling iron.
Be gentle with wet hair
How often do you find yourself aggressively brushing your freshly washed locks? While you might feel like you want to detangle your clean hair straight away, our hair is at its most vulnerable when it’s wet. This means that brushing or combing wet hair can cause serious damage and lead to hair breakage. We recommend gently running your fingers through your hair as you wash it in the shower to softly remove tangles. Then, you can safely allow your locks to air dry without fear of knots and without causing breakage by brushing.
Reduce the bleaching
Who doesn’t love that salon-fresh feeling? However, if you are constantly making a drastic change from dark to light, there will always be bleach involved. Regular bleaching can cause your strands to start snapping off and your hair will be feeling less than healthy. The best way to ensure this doesn’t happen is to give your hair time to recover between bleaching and to let your natural hair grow on its own. If you still want to change up your hair, consider going darker to avoid the bleaching process.
Master a different hairstyle
While you might not think about it, your current favourite hairstyle may be causing hair breakage. Tight ponytails, braids and even buns can all pull excessively on our hair strands, causing tension and leading to breakage. No need to panic if you love a tight pony! This is a great chance to step outside your comfort zone and try something new. Learn how to create natural beachy waves or master the messy braid look.