OH SNAP! NO THANK YOU, HAIR BREAKAGE

Hair breakage is a serious issue, especially if we have fragile hair.

Over-processed, fine, super-curly and very naturally light hair is especially prone to breaking due to unique structural fragility, but sadly, all hair types can break if we don’t care for our hair properly.  

Chemical services, harsh shampoos, constant heat styling and rough detangling up your risks. How can we avoid breakage, especially if our goal is to grow our hair longer?

There are steps that can be taken to prevent your hair from snapping off. We all loose hair naturally as humans, but breakage is a different matter that can be prevented with some good hair care and some gentle techniques.

Hair is technically a high-end, natural fiber so we should think of it like cashmere or silk.

Human hair is technically a natural fiber. Natural fibre like wool, cashmere, silk or cotton also have different textures and have to be treated differently. We would never throw our cashmere in a washer and dryer would we?

When washing hair that is fragile, using gentle cleansers that don’t strip hair of its natural oils, followed by an excellent conditioning regimen is key. Fragile hair will need added moisture to have natural movement and prevent knotting and breakage. Products like Flow limitlessLIFT Volumizing Cleanse and Conditioner will hydrate fragile hair while leaving it weightlessly detangled.

Adding a deep conditioning treatment to your hair care regimen like Flow 30 Second Treatment will absolutely prevent hair from breaking. When hair has a better moisture balance, it’s elasticity is increased, giving the hair resilience and strength.

Getting regular trims will also get rid of dry ends and stop breakage from traveling up the hair. Truthfully, the myth that cutting hair makes it grow faster comes from the fact that regular hair cuts help your hair break less. This means if you want length you must trim, darlings.

Gentle care for great hair.

When trying to prevent breakage, being gentle, using the right products, tools and techniques are key.

Try to brush your hair gently before you wash your hair. Hair is more fragile when it’s wet, so detangling with a soft paddle brush can prevent more knots while washing.

Speaking of washing, focus shampooing the scalp only, in gentle circular motions. I share with clients that shampoo is for your scalp and conditioner is for your length. Scrubbing your ends will only dry out your ends and cause knotting.

Make sure you use a good moisture-rich conditioner on fragile hair and focus applying it on your lengths. Detangling with a wide tooth comb in the shower, while you condition, will help prevent knots when you rinse.

After rinsing your conditioner, don’t scrub your hair with a towel. Be gentle when towel drying, as hair is more fragile when it’s wet.

Use a wide toothed comb or wet brush and a leave-in conditioner to detangle and prevent breakage while combing wet hair. Flow zeroFRICTION Detangling Treatment is honestly, the best I’ve ever used. It is for all hair types and continues to give weightless hydration after the hair is dry.

Friction and mechanical breakage is the number one reason hair breaks. Frequent blow dry and hot tool styling means more friction on the hair. Try letting you hair dry naturally whenever possible and then use a heat protector like Flow radiantARMOR Heat Protect Spray to protect while styling. It will keep hair hydrated and also guard the hair from the friction of brushes and heat tools.

Going a few days between washes means less styling as well. Dry shampoo like Flow ROOT REBOOT Texture & Root Refresher Spray will keep your style looking great for longer, which means less blow drying and hot tools on the hair.

We can also incorporate some tricks to keep our styled hair from breaking in daily life. Sleeping on a silk or satin pillow case will keep hair hydrated, prevent bed-head and knotting due to it's smooth, nonporous silky surface. Also using soft textured scrunchies (which are totally “in” again), or tangle-free hair ties are perfect for those messy bun days.