Long and healthy hair is desirable, and when you ask, you’ll find out that for most people, their topmost hair goal is achieving length. Many people have stocked their shelves with so many hair growth potions and creams to achieve this goal. While that is good, you should understand that the primary reason your hair cannot retain length or seems not to be growing is found in this word – Breakage.
Experiencing hair breakage is a serious concern and should be adequately tackled. Even if your hair growth rate is very fast, with breakage, you cannot achieve any reasonable length. Not only does breakage hinder length retention, it also leads to frizzy, dull, and unhealthy-looking hair.
So, even if your goal is not to achieve waist length hair, (I wonder if there’s anyone on this table) as long as you want healthy hair for yourself, minimizing breakage is important.
Fortunately, there are several ways of combating breakage. We will talk about that soon enough. But before we go right into the methods, let’s learn the causes of hair breakage.
Causes of Hair Breakage
Some common causes of hair breakage include:
Poor hair care practices
I recently watched a video of a lady lamenting about visiting a hair stylist to get her hair braided, and this ‘stylist’ was detangling her hair right from the roots to the ends, using a rat tail comb! She mentioned that when she corrected this stylist, the response she got was “why can’t you relax your hair”.
This scenario above shows the height of the stylist’s unprofessionalism. And the truth is that we have so many stylists like this one who are not adequately trained to handle natural hair.
The way you handle your hair can either make or mar your hair. You must learn to detangle your hair properly, style, and handle it correctly. And if you cannot do these yourself, visit a professional natural hair stylist.
Lack of moisture
Dry hair will always break, it has no reason not to. And so, if you want your hair to stop breaking, you must step up your moisture game. Use moisturizers like water, Leave-in conditioners, butters and oils. Moisture also helps to give your hair that very healthy look. I’m sure you want that for your hair.
Chemical treatments
Chemically treated hair is often very prone to breakage. Bleaching, perming, colouring, etc can strip the hair of it’s natural oils making it more prone to breakage.
Over-manipulation of hair
Excessive manipulation of hair and use of styling tools such a as flat irons, curling wands and blow dryers can lead to breakage over time. Also, you need to learn to allow your hair to breathe. Your hands should not always be in your hair, and you don’t have to style your hair every single day.
Remember that more manipulation is equal to more hair breakage.
Environmental factors
Exposure to harsh weather conditions and UV radiation can damage the hair cuticle, leading to breakage. Do well to protect your hair from all adverse weather conditions as they come.
Nutritional deficiencies
A diet lacking in essential vitamins and minerals, particularly biotin, vitamin E, and iron, can weaken the hair and contribute to breakage.
How to Stop Hair Breakage
Now that we’ve identified some common culprits of hair breakage, let’s explore natural remedies to tackle this issue.
Proper hair care practices
It’s important to learn and implement proper hair care practices such as detangling, observing a proper hair care routine, moisturizing, protective hairstyles, trimming, etc. Implementing all of these may not be easy, but you have to try.
And there’s something I personally believe in. If you are too lazy to handle your hair properly, kindly leave your hair alone. So that when you are in the right state of mind to take care of your hair, you can do it with all the love you’ve got.
Deep conditioning treatments
Make sure to incorporate deep conditioning to your hair care routine. This helps to deeply penetrate your hair strands, providing moisture and nutrients.
Hydration
Hair dryness is directly proportional to hair breakage (I hope we have mathematicians in the house). Most breakage comes from dryness, so you need to keep your hair moisturized at all times, and yourself hydrated by drinking adequate amounts of water.
Protective hairstyles
Harmful hairstyles such as very tight braids should be totally avoided. Don’t forget that the reason you can make any hairstyle at all is the fact that you have hair on your head. You should prioritize protecting your hair rather than anything else.
Healthy diet
Also, let us not downplay the importance of a healthy diet in our overall health and hair. Eat foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and biotin, and drink a reasonable amount of water every day.
Aside from all we have listed above, you can still manage hair breakage by using some homemade remedies.
10 Homemade remedies to stop hair breakage
For the DIY lovers, here are 10 homemade remedies to help prevent hair breakage:
Coconut Oil Treatment
Massage warm coconut oil into your scalp and hair, leave it on for a few hours or overnight, then wash it out. Coconut oil is an excellent moisturizer, which helps to prevent breakage.
Aloe Vera Treatment
Apply fresh aloe vera gel directly to your scalp and hair, leave it on for 30 minutes, then rinse. Aloe vera has moisturizing properties that prevent hair breakage.
Egg Mask
Beat an egg and apply it to your hair, leave it on for 20-30 minutes, then rinse with cool water. Eggs (egg white) are rich in protein, which can strengthen hair and prevent breakage.
Avocado Mask
You can use avocado as a deep conditioner. Mash a ripe avocado and apply it to your hair, leave it on for 30 minutes, then rinse. Avocado contains vitamins and healthy fats that can nourish and moisturize hair.
Green Tea Rinse
Get your green tea, boil and let it cool, then use it as a final rinse after shampooing. Green tea contains antioxidants that can promote hair growth and prevent breakage.
Fenugreek Seed Paste
Fenugreek seeds are rich in proteins and lecithin, which can strengthen hair and prevent breakage. To use it, soak fenugreek seeds overnight, grind them into a paste, apply the paste to your scalp and hair, leave it on for 30 minutes, then rinse out.
Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse
Dilute apple cider vinegar with water and use it as a final rinse after shampooing. Apple cider vinegar helps restore the scalp’s pH balance and strengthens hair, preventing breakage.
Remember to patch-test any new ingredients to avoid allergic reactions; consistency is key for seeing results with these remedies.
In summary, by being mindful of the causes of hair breakage and incorporating these remedies, you can strengthen your hair, and achieve the long luscious hair you’ve always wanted.
