If you know me, then you know that I have very thick, long hair. In fact, I have so much hair that I have to make sure to book in a few extra hours at the hairdressers as my appointments take so long. Because of this, I’ve never really been worried about hair breakage. I figured I had so much hair that it would always be fine. Oh, how wrong I was. No matter what your hair type, we can all become victim to breakage.
I quickly became aware of this on my most recent trip to the hairdressers. After years of bleaching and heat styling, my hairdresser informed me that those shorter hairs on my head weren’t new hairs coming through, but were in fact broken hairs that were incredibly damaged. I went home that day feeling a bit deflated, and decided to find out as much as I could about what causes hair breakage, and most importantly, what I could do to stop it. So, I reached out to TRESemmé brand ambassador and celebrity hair stylist, Jay Birmingham and consultant trichologist and brand president at Philip Kingsley, Anabel Kingsley, and asked them all of my burning questions. Keep on scrolling to find out more…
What Causes Hair Breakage?
First things first, what actually causes hair breakage? “When the hair’s outer layers are compromised, this can expose the hair’s cortex (where the bonds are found) causing them to become damaged, weak and broken,” says Kingsley. So, why does this happen? “Most of the time, it is due to a number of varying factors,” explains Birmingham. “This can range from too much heat, colour damage, tight hairstyles and a lack of regular cuts.”
How Can You Tell If You Have Hair Breakage?
Something I was keen to find out was how you can tell if your hair is breaking. Birmingham says to keep an eye on whether your hair feels rough and brittle towards the ends or whether it starts to feel thinner. “Most of us know our hair and its texture so if you begin to notice split ends or fallout, that is a tell tale sign,” he adds.
Can Hair Breakage Be Repaired?
Although my main aim was to find out how to stop hair breakage, I also wanted to ask the experts if hair breakage could be repaired once the damage is done. As it turns out, it can. “With more regular cuts and a hair mask, you can repair the strength of your hair gradually and recreate that salon look at home,” says Birmingham.
“To combat damage and dryness I advise all my clients to use a weekly pre-shampoo deep-conditioning treatment and bond building treatment,” adds Kingsley. “At Philip Kingsley these two products would be our Elasticizer, and Bond Builder Restructuring Treatment.”
How to Stop Hair Breakage
Below are seven of the best ways to stop hair breakage, straight from the experts.
1. Minimise Heat and Use Heat Protectant
Too much heat styling can damage your hair, and although it would be better to avoid heat all together, we all know how hard this can be. So, if you do feel the need to heat style your hair, make sure you are using a heat protectant. “I’d advise regularly using a quality heat protection such as the TRESemmé Heat Defence Spray to ensure you are protecting your hair,” says Birmingham.
Shop Heat Protectants:
TRESemmé
Heat Defence Spray Care & Protect
This heat protectant comes highly approved.
Philip Kingsley
Daily Damage Defence Leave-In Conditioner
This clever product combines a heat protectant with a leave-in conditioner.
2. Choose the Correct Shampoo for Your Hair
“You should always choose a shampoo that suits your hair texture [to minimise breakage],” says Kingsley. “I recommend our Moisture Balancing Shampoo, as it targets dry hair and delivers moisture where it is needed the most. For wavy hair types struggling with dry and damaged hair, I recommend our Re-moisturizing Shampoo. For curly and coily hair types I recommend our Moisture Extreme Shampoo. ”
Shop Shampoo:
Philip Kingsley
Re-Moisturizing Smoothing Shampoo
Kingsley recommends this shampoo for wavy hair types.
Philip Kingsley
Moisture Extreme Shampoo
A great option for curly and coily hair.
3. Use a Pre-Shampoo Treatment or Conditioning Mask
Another tip is to use a pre-shampoo treatment or mask. “The most important product to treat dry and damaged hair is our pre-shampoo treatment, Elasticizer,” says Kingsley. “When treating dry and damaged hair, relying solely on conditioner is not enough. Hair elasticity is really important. However, when hair is dry and damaged it lacks stretchability, becoming brittle and snapping more easily under tension.”
Shop Pre-Shampoo Treatments and Masks:
TRESemmé
Lamellar Shine Mask
This mask works to smooth hair and add shine.
Philip Kingsley
Elasticizer Intensive Treatment
A deep conditioning treatment that you can apply before shampoo.
4. Brush Your Hair Properly
Kingsley says that using scratchy hair brushes, brushing hair too roughly and detangling wet hair from the top can all contribute to hair breakage. Instead, make sure to take care when brushing your hair and start detangling from the bottom and work your way up. Also, make sure you are using the correct hairbrush on both wet and dry hair.
Shop Hairbrushes:
Wetbrush
Original Detangler – Elemental Blue
This brush has been designed to protect the hair from potential breakage.
Tangle Teezer
The Fine and Fragile Ultimate Detangler Hairbrush for Wet & Dry Hair
Another great brush designed for fragile hair that will help reduce breakage.
Something I’ve noticed since going on a hair health journey is that there are so many amazing tools out there that put your hair health first. As mentioned above, as much as I would like to avoid heat all together, I still like to style my hair now and again, so this year I’m going to invest in a handful of tools that help to minimise heat damage and protect my scalp.
Dyson
Supersonic Nural™
Dyson’s Supersonic Nural™ hairdryer comes with a clever “scalp protect mode” setting which automatically adjusts to maintain an optimal temperature for moisture retention.
Shark
Speedstyle Hd542uk Pro Flex 4-In-1 High-Velocity Hair Dryer System
Shark also have a super clever hair dryer that allows wet-to-dry styling with no heat damage. The tool uses airflow to dry and style and regulates the temperature one thousand times a second (yes, really) to ensure it never exceeds 110 degrees.
6. Try a Silk Pillowcase
Something that I’ve personally found has made a huge difference on my hair health journey is a silk pillowcase. These pillowcases help to reduce friction on the hair while you move around in your sleep, in turn helping to reduce breakage too.
Shop Silk Pillowcases:
M&S Collection
Pure Mulberry Silk Pillowcase
This M&S one is great value for money.
Slip
Pure Silk Queen Pillowcase – Poppy
Slip pillowcases are some of my favourites.
7. Get Regular Haircuts
Last but by no means least, make sure you are getting regular haircuts to get rid of split ends and ensure that your hair is as healthy as possible.
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