Why Does Hair Break?

[workinprogress1]

What are all the possible causes of breakage???? My hair is not dry or mushy I think I have found my balance, but it seems like my ends pop off whenever I am taking down my bun or twists. I dont manipulate my hair much and its usually in a protective style. I deep condition weekly. My hair feels good! But then when I look at the sink it seems like there are alot of ends popping off . Hair breakage is not normal right? Can it be totally avoided?

 

[DarkJoy]

Mine is caused by product. It took a long while, but I finally figured out what was causing those teeny little breaks in the sink, whether I just washed or dry styling: sudsy shampoo and crappy leave-ins. Totally forgot about leave-ins after I tried teas! Now when I have to use a clarifying shampoo, I will still have breakage for DAYS AFTER I used it. So it's all about the cowash and no leave-in. Problem solved.

It will take some detective work, but you will find the cause. Start with a close look at products and your styling tools--combs, brushes, etc. Begin eliminating and see what happens.

 

[workinprogress1]

I haven't trimmed for a while . That is probably the problem. But why does that matter if my ends aren't split ? I don't get it.

 

[DarkJoy]

PS, it would be good to start with a light trim/dusting because if the ends are damaged (and they will be if they are just breaking), they will continue to fall off...

 

[DarkJoy]

Oh! we cross posted! Well, there's a whole thing with splits and breaks. They are like...kissing cousins. They perpetuate each other, sadly. They gotta go.

 

[workinprogress1]

Mine is caused by product. It took a long while, but I finally figured out what was causing those teeny little breaks in the sink, whether I just washed or dry styling: sudsy shampoo and crappy leave-ins. Totally forgot about leave-ins after I tried teas! Now when I have to use a clarifying shampoo, I will still have breakage for DAYS AFTER I used it. So it's all about the cowash and no leave-in. Problem solved.

It will take some detective work, but you will find the cause. Start with a close look at products and your styling tools--combs, brushes, etc. Begin eliminating and see what happens.

Hmmmm. That sounds like it could be the problem. I have been on my low shampoo game. I usually deep condition and cowash weekly. If I dont use a leave -in my hair is dryyyyyyy. Are you saying you just cowash with no leave in? Teas add moisture? Thanks for my first reply ever

 

[workinprogress1]

I think I was in denial on the trim thing, because I just do not understand why. How much should I trim off ?

 

[DarkJoy]

Trimming depends on what feels bad? I just run my fingers down the length and you can kind of feel where the shaft goes from smooth to...not smooth. I trim below that point.

Teas stop breakage, shed, add strength, just depends on the herbs you use! Leave-ins were just too much chemical stuff for my fine little strands. They kept cursin me out. AND, like you my hair stayed dry--why should it be dry when those leaveins claim they moisturize? pft! Lies (at least for my hair)! It doesn't stay dry anymore. Nice and moist as long as I rinse out my condish all the way. Spray with tea and seal with somethin'.

Come read the Coffee and Tea Challenge thread. Link in my siggie.

 

[NappyNelle]

Girl... it is time to trim. If you can actually see the splits, that means your hair is more damaged than it may seem. I would start with a 1/4inch trim, and baby my ends with moisturizer.

What do you use to take down your twists? I use coconut oil to help lubricate my strands.

BTW, lovely avatar.

 

[workinprogress1]

Girl... it is time to trim. If you can actually see the splits, that means your hair is more damaged than it may seem. I would start with a 1/4inch trim, and baby my ends with moisturizer.

What do you use to take down your twists? I use coconut oil to help lubricate my strands.

BTW, lovely avatar.

I can't see the splits and it feels fine. They just pop off. I take my twists down with olive oil. I need to woman up and do my first self trim. . So that means I have to get the right shears... and learn how to trim it erplexed. So when my hair is healthy it wont break at all??? and Thank youuu

 

[workinprogress1]

Trimming depends on what feels bad? I just run my fingers down the length and you can kind of feel where the shaft goes from smooth to...not smooth. I trim below that point.

Teas stop breakage, shed, add strength, just depends on the herbs you use! Leave-ins were just too much chemical stuff for my fine little strands. They kept cursin me out. AND, like you my hair stayed dry--why should it be dry when those leaveins claim they moisturize? pft! Lies (at least for my hair)! It doesn't stay dry anymore. Nice and moist as long as I rinse out my condish all the way. Spray with tea and seal with somethin'.

Come read the Coffee and Tea Challenge thread. Link in my siggie.

Haa. The thing is my hair feels good after my products it feels nice and soft. I was thinking I found my staples but I dont like the looks of pieces of hair broken. I might be over reacting???? I will check out that thread . But I am thinking if I can find a way to cleanse my hair better and give it a nice trim my problem would be solved. I never even thought about the products causing breakage even though my hair feels good. It does not feel dirty or anything....

 

[lamaria211]

There are plenty of hair trimming tutorials on YT haircrush has a good one

 

[workinprogress1]

I think I over reacted big time. I will trim ASAP though.

 

[RENIBELL]

What are all the possible causes of breakage???? My hair is not dry or mushy I think I have found my balance, but it seems like my ends pop off whenever I am taking down my bun or twists. I dont manipulate my hair much and its usually in a protective style. I deep condition weekly. My hair feels good! But then when I look at the sink it seems like there are alot of ends popping off . Hair breakage is not normal right? Can it be totally avoided?

i used to have this problem when I air dried, do you air dry OP?

 

[workinprogress1]

i used to have this problem when I air dried, do you air dry OP?

Yes lately I have been air drying . But I stretch in twists and/or Bantu knots. I thought heat as evil ??? When your hair was breaking from air drying did your hair feel a certain way? I am most confused by the fact that my hair feels good.

 

[Nonie]

I haven't trimmed for a while . That is probably the problem. But why does that matter if my ends aren't split ? I don't get it.

Your ends ARE split. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. Splits start at a microscopic scale. Like this split in the image below is 1/10 the size of this line -. So by the time splits grow to where you can see them, little pieces of sizes you can't see have been falling off like dust. And just coz a hair doesn't look split doesn't mean parts of it haven't fallen off and so you're looking at a partial hair. The only reason hair would break if you're not being rough with it is because it's weakened...and one way strands weaken is if parts of them are shaven off either by the elements or just regular styling or just simply, growing old like all organic matter does.

Clearly these pieces of the strand will break off and the same effect will happen further up the strand. If we could see damage this small, we could cut off at 1/10 of a millimeter and stop it. But we can't.

This is why it's futile to LOOK for splits. You can't possible see them when they are small nor can you scrutinize each one of the 100,000 strands. What's more, unless you have a caliper that measures the strand from base to end, your eyes would not tell you if the cuticle has been shaven off. So why bother when it's not really telling you anything?

To prove how silly it is to trust your eyes on whether splits are there or not, I posted this image:

No one could argue that the strand to the right is split coz we can see the branched out arm. It also looks thinner than the one to the left which is another give away that it has had some damage. But if that arm had broken off, would you tell if what you were looking at was a damaged lock? If you say yes coz it's thin, then you are claiming that you always compare the thickness between stands...which we know isn't easy considering our strands are kinda flat so depending on what side your looking at and that it isn't twisted they may look different.

Now here comes the interesting point: you know the strand to the left that we agreed looks whole? News flash: it's a damaged strand too! I cheated by erasing the arm that had peeled off just to make the point that looking at strands cannot tell you whether they are split or not. Below is the true image with the missing arm back in place:

The sensible thing would be to dust regularly. Don't wait for breakage to tell you that your ends are damaged or very large splits to happen whereby you have to cut your hair. KNOW that organic things wear regardless and know that it's inevitable and just maintain your ends in good shape by dusting regularly. And if you haven't been dusting for a while, you do need to do a good sized trim and then from now on dust on a schedule. If you dust early enough, you can get away by taking off very little and stopping breakage.

I don't think there's any way to eliminate breakage completely (especially if you have fine strands) but you can minimize its ability to rob you of good retention by keeping your ends whole by dusting early before splits grow to where you can see the breakage.

 

[RENIBELL]

Yes lately I have been air drying . But I stretch in twists and/or Bantu knots. I thought heat as evil ??? When your hair was breaking from air drying did your hair feel a certain way? I am most confused by the fact that my hair feels good.

i know, its confusing, it felt moisturised,but i would see tiny little bits in the sink whenever i handled it. i stopped air drying eventually. i realised my hair didnt like to be air dried.or hadnt found the right combo of products to successfully air dry.

 

[workinprogress1]

NonieThanks Nonie ! That makes so much sense. I feel as enlightened as the prisoner in Plato's Allegory of the Cave. I understand.

 

[RENIBELL]

Your ends ARE split. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. Splits start at a microscopic scale. Like this split in the image below is 1/10 the size of this line -. So by the time splits grow to where you can see them, little pieces of sizes you can't see have been falling off like dust. And just coz a hair doesn't look split doesn't mean parts of it haven't fallen off and so you're looking at a partial hair. The only reason hair would break if you're not being rough with it is because it's weakened...and one way strands weaken is if parts of them are shaven off either by the elements or just regular styling or just simply, growing old like all organic matter does.

Clearly these pieces of the strand will break off and the same effect will happen further up the strand. If we could see damage this small, we could cut off at 1/10 of a millimeter and stop it. But we can't.



This is why it's futile to LOOK for splits. You can't possible see them when they are small nor can you scrutinize each one of the 100,000 strands. What's more, unless you have a caliper that measures the strand from base to end, your eyes would not tell you if the cuticle has been shaven off. So why bother when it's not really telling you anything?

To prove how silly it is to trust your eyes on whether splits are there or not, I posted this image:

No one could argue that the strand to the right is split coz we can see the branched out arm. It also looks thinner than the one to the left which is another give away that it has had some damage. But if that arm had broken off, would you tell if what you were looking at was a damaged lock? If you say yes coz it's thin, then you are claiming that you always compare the thickness between stands...which we know isn't easy considering our strands are kinda flat so depending on what side your looking at and that it isn't twisted they may look different.

Now here comes the interesting point: you know the strand to the left that we agreed looks whole? News flash: it's a damaged strand too! I cheated by erasing the arm that had peeled off just to make the point that looking at strands cannot tell you whether they are split or not. Below is the true image with the missing arm back in place:

The sensible thing would be to dust regularly. Don't wait for breakage to tell you that your ends are damaged or very large splits to happen whereby you have to cut your hair. KNOW that organic things wear regardless and know that it's inevitable and just maintain your ends in good shape by dusting regularly. And if you haven't been dusting for a while, you do need to do a good sized trim and then from now on dust on a schedule. If you dust early enough, you can get away by taking off very little and stopping breakage.

I don't think there's any way to eliminate breakage completely (especially if you have fine strands) but you can minimize its ability to rob you of good retention by keeping your ends whole by dusting early before splits grow to where you can see the breakage.

this is great Info,thanks so much.i dont trim or dust often, but i keep my edns tucked away.and wheni think about it,i had the problem with broken hairs when i first started my hair journey and my hair was damaged by bad practises.