The biggest hair issue women face regardless of their hair texture is breakage. And for most women breakage is anything that looks like their hair leaving their scalp. But is your hair really breaking or just shedding?
No one wants their hair falling off, even if they fancy short hair. They’ll rather cut it themselves than have it fall off at will like autumn leaves. And losing some strands isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but before you raise your brows, let’s tell you the difference between hair shedding and breakage.
What is shedding?
Your hair sheds about 50-100 hairs a day, it’s part of the normal cycle. So when you comb your hair it’s normal to find some strands in the comb. If you’ve had your hair braided or in hair extensions for a while, you would have more hair than usual fall off. This is normal because your hair is supposed to shed a certain amount of hair daily. So what you’re seeing, is the build-up of hair that has shed over time.
To tell if the hair you see falling off is shedding, look at the length of the hair. If it’s the same or close to the length of your hair then it’s shedding. Also, there should be a white bulb at the root of the hair.
Note that even though shedding is natural, things like stress, hormonal imbalance and a poor diet could make it worse.
(Photo: elongtress.com)
What is breakage?
Breakage, on the other hand, happens when the hair is damaged. Relaxer over-processing, chemical treatments (like hair dye), excessive heat (from styling tools) and even over-manipulation can damage the hair. The hair could also break when it’s dry. With breakage, the hair doesn’t fall off, it literally breaks from the shaft.
You will find that the hair strands are a lot shorter than the length of your hair.
(Photo: Curlinikki.com)
How to control breakage
If your hair is breaking because it’s dry, then you need to deep condition with a moisture conditioner. If it’s breaking because it’s damaged from relaxer over-processing, you’ll need to focus on protein treatments. And if the breakage is because of heat damage, you’ll need both protein and moisture deep conditioners to manage the hair.
Now you know the difference between hair shedding and breakage, this hair regimen will help you avoid breakage.
(Featured image: angiegreaves.com)