Hair Breakage – Causes Of Hair Breakage & Expert Tips To Fix It

Hair Breakage can happen to you despite your hair type or texture. It is very common and can sometimes feel equally difficult to fix.

If you’ve ever noticed hair ends starting to split, or have experienced uncontrolled fizz, you’ve experienced hair breakage. A healthy hair strand has an inner cuticle with overlapping scales that keeps the strand intact. When these scales scatter and fall apart, the hair becomes dry and the scales eventually separate, leading to damage. This damage shows up in the form of breakage, frizz, and dryness. If you experience the following, you’re having hair breakage –

• The appearance of split ends.
• Hair fallout in form of small, short, and broken pieces of hair.
• Hair becoming too dry.
• Hair getting tangled and difficult to comb too often.
• Hair at the crown feels brittle as compared to the hair at the neck.

Hair Breakage Reasons

The most common causes of hair breakage are discussed here.

1. Diet

Hair and skin health are greatly driven by the kind of food intake. Some nutrients protect the hair from damage and help it grow better. Your diet must have an adequate amount of iron, zinc, and folic acid. Also, a protein-rich diet that can also provide antioxidants strengthens the hair and prevents breakage.

2. Stress

Stress and hair loss go hand in hand. Stress is also a cause of hair breakage. Due to overstressing, hair follicles go dormant, and hair strands in the middle of growth break off.

3. Dryness

Dryness precedes damage and breakage. Dry hair is caused by several natural factors such as dry weather, low humidity, and too much heat. Even harsh products that have chemical compounds can contribute to dryness. Using hot water for washing hair instead of lukewarm water also causes drying. If your hair ends are dry, you can let go of shampooing these areas. Also, do not skip the conditioner if you’re experiencing dryness in the hair.

4. Heat Damage

The usage of styling tools such as flat iron, curling iron, and hairdryer is universal today. If these tools are used more frequently, the cuticles might get damaged due to exposure to high heat. The scales eventually fall apart and the hair breaks. You can opt for a heat-protecting spray to minimize the damage and avoid using such tools too often.

5. Frequent processing

Frequently going for hair treatments and styling practices such as perming, colouring, straightening can damage the cuticle and cause hair breakage. These treatments expose the hair to harsh chemicals. You can try extending the duration between two such sessions to at least 2-3 months and use hair masks to nourish your hair in the meantime.

6. Over-washing

If you have oily hair, washing your hair daily may rid the excess sebum. However, in the case of dry hair, shampooing can be limited to once a week. Shampoos often contain chemicals and an over usage can damage the hair. If you have a persisting oily hair problem, you can opt for a dry shampoo.

7. Improper drying

Improper rough rubbing of the towel on the hair can cause damage as wet hair is most vulnerable to damage. You can opt for a microfibre towel and use patting motion instead of rubbing motion. You can also leave the towel for some time on the hair to absorb excess water instead of rubbing it.

8. Tying the hair

Tying up the hair too regularly not just pulls them from the roots, it also causes them to get tangled and break easily. You might notice some hair breakage every time you undo a ponytail or a hair tie. You can try wearing down the hair once in a while, losing up the up-do a bit.

9. Incorrect brushing

Over combing or over-brushing causes hair breakage. You must brush the hair only when styling it and use it only when it is dry. You should opt for a brush with natural bristles and use a wide-toothed comb to prevent hair breakage. Remember that 100 strokes a day is a myth!

10. Inadequate hair trims

Hair trims keep split ends off and avoids tangling of hair, preventing hair breakage. Not having a trim every 6-8 weeks can cause the split ends to travel up the length of your hair.

11. Hyperthyroidism

This is a low thyroid disorder and leads to dry, damaged hair. Other symptoms include low energy, weight gain, depression. If you see these symptoms get yourself checked on priority.

12. Eating disorders

Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa lead to malnutrition. In these situations, the hair follicle is deprived of the nutrients essential for the healthy growth of the hair. This causes hair breakage even in the middle of the hair growth cycle. Such disorders can lead to extreme consequences and must be addressed immediately.

Hair Breakage Treatment

You can boost the health of your hair by switching to the right products and adopting the right practices. A few hair breakage solution are discussed here –

1. Change haircare routine

Swap your current shampoo with products that are herbal or formulated to address the hair breakage issue. Always use a conditioner after shampooing. Skipping the conditioner causes damage as the conditioner helps reduce frizz and lend manageability.

2. Redesign your diet

A lot starts with what your food intake looks like. If you are having hair breakage, you must include vitamins C, D3, biotin, omega-3, iron, and zinc in your diet. These are available as dietary supplements as well as in abundance in natural food options. Vitamin C aids collagen production, which is responsible to form the base of blood vessels. Vitamin D3 enhances the production of the protein keratin, which makes up the hair. Biotin improves hair growth. Including vitamins in the diet can prevent hair breakage considerably.

3. Destress

Stress is the main cause of hair fall and hair breakage. You must try to keep the stress levels in check. You can go for yoga and meditation. Engaging in a hobby also reduces stress levels.

4. Deep condition your hair

During deep conditioning, the nutrients penetrate deep into the roots of the hair and repair the damage, replenishing the much-needed proteins and nutrients alongside. Deep conditioning frequently keeps the hair soft and is one of the best treatments for hair breakage.

5. Use essential oils

Applying essential oils such as almond oil or chamomile oil can help in treating the hair breakage issue. You can use a carrier oil such as olive oil or coconut oil. Massage the scalp, leave it for about an hour and then wash off with a mild shampoo and conditioner.

Remember that the best products for hair breakage and loss are the products that suit your hair type.