
How To Prevent Hair Breakage With These 5 Simple Hair Tips
Maybe you don’t have the time or maybe you are not in the mood. Well it doesn’t matter because either way you are damaging your hair. Ok I get it, you are running all day like crazy and you have a million other things that trouble you and drain you out of energy.
Tell me…
Do you want beautiful or damaged hair? Do you care about healthy hair growth?
But truly, do I need to ask? I suspect you need a little push, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this. I admit it, there are times that I need a little motivation myself.
We all need hair tips to motivate us. So here we are, helping each other!
Do you know that some of your habits could be damaging your hair or even cause hair loss? (knock on wood!). Therefore, some small changes in your hair care routine just before hair styling could be a good beginning for your hair’s health.
5 hair tips to break bad habits
just before you start hair styling.
Hair Tip 1
Don’t brush your wet hair.
Do you brush your hair when it’s wet? Oh, no! Please stop doing that.
Why?
Of course, not because I said so! There is scientific explanation behind it.
Maybe you have heard that one single hair strand is so strong that it could hold 100 gr in weight.
But that is not the case when the hair is wet.
Water breaks down the natural hydrogen bonds within the structure of each hair strand. Therefore, they break the shape of the hair.
For instance, this is why if you wrap your wet straight hair in a bun and then when it’s dried and let loose it will have a wavy style! (though not recommended, because you are damaging your hair)
When the hair dries naturally it goes back to its previous form, but until then it’s completely fragile and prone to breakage if brushed (goodbye hair growth…).
3 quick & simple hair tips if your hair tangles a lot:
- use a wide tooth comb when you are still in the shower with the hair conditioner or mask on your hair.
- towel blot your hair, wait a little and then use a wide tooth comb on your damp hair to detangle gently. Avoid using the towel to wrap your hair tightly or to rub it for faster dry (alert! damage ahead!).
- or cover your fingertips with some leave-in conditioner and detangle it smoothly with your fingertips.
Hair Tip 2
Don’t brush your hair from roots to tips.
This is the fastest way to hair tangles and breakages. Especially if you have long and thick hair.
What to do? Simple!
Begin to detangle dividing your hair into locks of 5-10 cm length sections. Starting from the bottom, take the first section of a lock and brush the hair coming out of your palm. Work your way up move your hand a little higher each time until you reach the roots. Do it for all your locks gently.
In this way you are holding your hair and not letting it break from the root or causing split ends.
Hair Tip 3
Don’t let your brushes, combs and styling tools get dirty.
Just because nobody sees your brush, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to clean it! Can you imagine what kind of product residue, dust and dead cells your brushes have on them? Even microbes? Oh, no!
When was the last time you cleaned your brushes and styling tools?
- Clean your brushes from hair after every brush.
- Once a month clean your brushes and combs. One good solution is to mix baking soda in water and let them sit in the mixture for a while until the residue is dissolved. Then wash thoroughly.
- Clean your styling tools following the manufacturers’ instructions.
It isn’t only healthy for your hair and scalp but it also helps the styling.
Hair Tip 4
Don’t use the wrong brush on your hair.
Natural bristle brushes don’t overheat like metal brushes do. So if your hair is dry and coarse or chemically treated it always a good choice to use bristle brushes when using heat to style your hair. It will protect your hair from over-heating.
Hair Tip 5
Don’t forget to protect your hair from styling tools’ heat.
Styling tools are quite damaging for your hair, especially for long hair styles. Using blow dryers and hot styling tools, such as a hair straightener or a curling iron, produce intense heat on the hair.
Alright, I understand. You need the heat to do that hairstyle that will make you look amazing!
But heat burns the hair also.
What do you need to do?
- Avoid using a blow-dryer and styling tools. Give your hair a break to rest from time to time.
- Protect your hair with a heat-protectant hair product before styling to shield your hair shaft. It will help your hair to retain its moisture. You can use a hair oil, a spray or a creamy texture heat protection. Use a small amount of the product of your choice on damp or dry hair from a distance of 15 cm just before styling.
Debate:
Some say that when you set the temperature on the highest scale, you keep the styling tool less time on your hair. Therefore, you don’t have to press the hot styling tool over and over on your hair.
But some argue that this is not beneficial for your hair’s health at all. You may have to press the styling tool multiple times on your hair but it will be far less damaging. The hottest temperature scale can dry out quickly all the natural oils of your hair contributing to split ends and hair breakage.
The verdict is yours.
My opinion is that the truth is somewhere in the middle. If you have to press the hot styling tool on your hair 30 times more to achieve the result you want then you are going to damage your hair either way!
Smart tip:
Somewhere I read that you can wrap your flat or curling tool in tissue paper before using it on your hair to prevent the direct application of the styling tool on your hair. It seems a smart thing to do, but to tell you the truth I haven’t tried it (yet). If you have done it, I would like you to share the results.
I hope you will apply these 5 simple hair tips in your hair care routine.
After all, it all about protecting our natural hair growth and preventing hair thinning and hair loss.
To You With Love.
Jean
Thank you for the practical tips! I’m currently growing my hair out, so this is super helpful and very actionable.
xx Jean
Trinity
Thank you Jean!! Brushing is important for the hair and the scalp, but if we don’t do it right, we could damage our hair eventually! If we have to cut damaged hair and split ends, then we’re constantly losing length! And we definitely don’t want that! 🙂
Sheli@TravelMeSri Lanka
Very helpful post Trinity.
I think I have to take immediate action following your tip no 3. 😉
Trinity
I can understand how boring this task can be! And sometimes we don’t even pay attention to it. But it’s really no fuss at all considering the benefits for your hair’s health. Thanks for stopping by Sheli!