Why Your Hair Might Be Constantly Breaking
1. Your Hair is Too Dry.
It’s no secret that brittle strands are prone to breakage, so start hydrating your hair every chance you get. The TRESemmé Botanique Nourish & Replenish Leave-In Hydrating Mist is a lightweight spray that’s perfect for daily use, while Suave Pro Nourish & Strengthen Leave-in Conditioner is an ideal overnight treatment a few nights a week. Then when it comes to your shower session, cleansing and conditioning with a hydrating duo (we recommend TRESemmé Moisture Rich Shampoo and Conditioner) are also necessary. The vitamin E formulation of this set help to lock in moisture for the days in between your washes. Pro tip: Make sure you’re deep conditioning at least once a week for maximum hydration. (We’re partial to Nexxus Humectress Moisture Restoring Masque because it’s protein-rich and truly nourishing.)
2. You Put Too Much Pressure on Your Hairline and Strands
Low buns, tight ponytails and taut top knots are super cute, but if you tend to wear these styles regularly—and in the exact same position on your head—the elastic you’re using to secure the style is likely triggering the tension that is causing your strands to snap. To alleviate tension-related breakage, switch up your go-to hairstyle (here’s loads of inspiration for new ideas) and stop pulling your hair up so often. However, whenever you do, secure your strands with U-pins in lieu of rubber bands.
3. You’re OD’ing on the Heat Styling Tools
Sure, your blowout looks incredibly chic, and your Dominican hot roller set gets tons of compliments, but if you’re touching those styles up on a daily basis with flat irons, blow dryers, root stylers, and curling wands, you’re overexposing your strands to extreme heat. That, in turn, contributes to the damage that can take a significant amount of time to fully reverse. The quickest fix? Lower the temperature when you’re using hot tools or lay off them altogether for a while. Sport a chic protective style, or wear a sew-in weave for six weeks, or even invest in human hair lace front wig. (Just make sure you continue to take care of your natural hair underneath in the interim.)
4. You’re a Rough Sleeper
Tossing and turning all night long can be indicative of a myriad of issues, but what it does to your hair specifically is incredibly problematic—especially if you’re sleeping on regular cotton pillowcases with a relatively low thread count. That constant friction can irritate your strands and cause them to snap, so save yourself the stress and invest in a few sets of silk pillowcases, and satin sleep caps. (That way your hair has something ultra-soft to rub against.)
5. You’re Tugging Too Hard
Textured curly hair types are prone to tangling, and if you aren’t careful with how you’re working through any knots, you could potentially tear your strands, ultimately causing split ends. First things first: If your natural hair texture isn’t bone straight, never try to detangle dry hair. Dampen your strands with a detangling spray (try Suave Cream Detangler Spray) before gently combing from roots to ends to loosen up any lingering entanglements.
6. You’re Neglecting Your Scalp
While you’re busy worrying about your actual strands, you might be accidentally neglecting the most important related part of your anatomy: your scalp. It’s an incredibly vascular area of the body, and your hair relies on blood flow to carry all of the necessary nutrients to your hair follicles (which are then dispensed down the hair shaft). If you aren’t regularly engaging your scalp, blood flow could become stagnant. A quick fix: A few nights a week, take ten minutes to gently massage and stimulate your scalp, ultimately encouraging hair growth.
7. You Have an Underlying Medical Condition
PCOS, iron deficiencies, thyroid issues, hormonal imbalances, malnutrition, autoimmune disorders… The list of potential culprits goes on and on, and unfortunately, all of these illnesses often have a single symptom in common: some version of alopecia. If you’ve tried all of our tips above and you’re still struggling to get the health of your strands back on track, it’s time to make a visit to a trichologist (a.k.a. a scalp expert) and/or a dermatologist to see what’s going on with you internally, and what can be done to try and fix it.
