5 Ways To Avoid Relaxed Hair Breakage

Hair breakage. Ugh. Just thinking about that phrase makes me shudder. Anyone who has hair on their head may have experienced it at some point. I know I have plenty of times. Including just recently. After having a stylist overlap my relaxer I experienced breakage that while not severe was enough to scare me.

woman brushing hair which can cause hair breakage.
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What is hair breakage?

When I researched what hair breakage is it kinda sounds a little complicated when you start getting into the science of it. So for the purposes of this blog post, I'll try to simplify it. 
 
Hair breakage is when the hair snaps or shatters due to the loss of elasticity or stretch. This typically happens at the weakest points of the hair strand which are usually, though not exclusively, the oldest part (the ends) and the line of demarcation where the relaxed and natural hair meet. 

Most of the descriptions for hair breakage that I found said that it's not considered to be a part of the natural part of the hair care or growing process. Hair breakage is typically caused because of things we do to our relaxed hair, put on our relaxed hair, or our diet.

I learned from that experience that if the breakage isn't too severe, you don't need to freak out. There's no need to get scared and proclaim that all is lost. While it's not guaranteed that you can stop all the breakage, there are a few ways you can try and avoid it.

5 things to do stop hair breakage and retain length | A Relaxed Gal

1. Do protein treatments

Not just a protein-based rinse out or deep conditioner, but a hard or medium protein treatment because they leave your hair feeling stronger when the protein is rinsed out.

I've done a few protein treatments at home since I started my relaxed hair journey in 2014 and have had good results. During my recent run-in with breakage, I didn't do a protein treatment as soon as I should have. So the breakage was probably worse than it would have been if I'd done the treatment sooner.

Some of the most popular home protein treatments are the Aphogee Two Minute Keratin Reconstructor and the Aphogee 2 Step Protein Treatment. Before you try either one do some research to see if it's something your hair needs or may respond well to.

You do have to be careful though that you don't use too much protein on your hair which causes something called protein overload which can cause hair breakage. If you'd like to know more about protein overload you can check out my blog post 


2. Keep hair moisturized

Just like protein, moisture is key. If your hair doesn't have enough moisture it will dry out and basically snap that much easier. Some things I do to keep my hair moisturized are:

Deep condition once a week with heat

My favorite deep conditioners (or hair masks) are the Carol's Daughter Coco Creme Curl Quenching Deep Moisture Hair Mask and TGIN Miracle RepaiRx Deep Hydrating Hair Mask. I then use a heating cap to enhance the moisture from the masks.
 

 

Use moisturizing shampoos and co-washes

Until I started to use moisturizing shampoos consistently in my hair I didn't realize what a big difference they made in the moisture levels of my hair. One of my favorite moisturizing shampoos is the TGIN Moisture Rich Sulfate Free Shampoo.
 

 

Regularly moisturize and seal

You can do this by using a moisturizer/leave-in and sealing the moisture in with an oil. One of my favorite hair moisturizer and sealant combinations are the TGIN Butter Cream Daily Moisturizer and the TGIN Argan Replenishing and Hair Body Serum.



3. Use a seamless comb

While combing can help keep out tangles, which can cause breakage, the act of combing can also cause breakage if the right tool isn't used. I've been using wide-tooth combs for a while. They were combs from the drugstore that did help protect my hair from breakage, but not all. 
 
The reason was there were seams in the teeth of the comb where my hair would catch. Once I started using the Hercules Seamless Comb, I didn't have that issue anymore.

What to do when your relaxed hair is breaking | A Relaxed Gal


4. Be careful with the chemicals

This may seem odd coming from someone with relaxed hair, but I'm not saying to stay away from the chemicals altogether. Just be careful when using them because improper use of chemicals on your hair can result in some serious damage. And not just relaxers, but hair color as well.

For relaxers avoid overlapping which is applying relaxer to already relaxed hair. For both hair color and relaxers avoid over-processing. Overlapping and over-processing both weaken hair strands even further resulting in breakage.



5. Wear looser hairstyles

Having really smooth and tight updos may look good, but they aren't always good for your hair. Sometimes up-dos can weaken the hair making it more susceptible to breakage and thinning. To avoid this give your hair a break. It doesn't hurt to occasionally wear your hair out or to loosen up your braids(s), bun, or ponytail. 

How do you avoid hair breakage?


2 Comments

  1. I am yet to own a seamless comb. Great tips!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The seamless comb is awesome! I didn't realize how much harm my previous comb was doing to my hair till I switched.

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