Do you struggle with hair breakage? It could be as a result of one or more of the following reasons:
1. Diet
Aren’t you aware of the saying that “you are what you eat,”? This is applicable when it comes to hair and skin health. Certain nutrients help your hair grow and stave off breakage from damage. Ensure you are getting enough zinc, iron, and folic acid in your daily diet. Adequate protein and antioxidants (found in plant foods) can also keep your hair damage-free.
2. Stress
Several pieces of research have linked stress and hair loss. Telogen effluvium is the type of stress most likely linked to hair damage. This type of stress makes your follicles go dormant, so hair that’s in the middle of a growth cycle may break off. Managing your stress may result in healthier hair.
3. Dryness
Unusually dry hair is one of the precursors to damage and breakage. It’s also caused by a variety of factors, including dry weather, low humidity, and too much heat. Be sure you use warm and not hot water when you wash your hair — the latter leads to further drying.
4. Heat damage
To get the best results from your hairdryer, flat iron, or curling iron, you need high heat. Using these tools incorrectly or too much can damage your hair cuticle from extreme temperatures. One way to prevent overall heat damage is to give your strands a break from all styling tools at least once a week. To reduce the actual heat damage from your styling tools, select ceramic versions — these heat up more evenly so you don’t have to keep using them on the same sections of hair repeatedly.
5. Over washing
If you have oily skin, you are also more likely to have excess sebum (natural oil) production in your scalp. This can lead to the temptation to wash your hair more often than you need to. While daily washes are fine if you have oily hair, you shouldn’t wash your hair multiple times per day. However, extremely dry hair may only need weekly shampooing. So be sure you shampoo gently at the scalp and apply conditioner smoothly from your ends to your roots.