Is some degree of breakage inevitable for certain hair types?

[Oasis]

I have type 4 hair that is very coarse and very dry and I retain about 3-3.5 inches a year.erplexed I up my moisture and I still get breakage. I up my protein treatments and I still get breakage, albeit a bit less. The style I have my hair in doesn’t matter because it’s not the style that gives me breakage but what I have to do to achieve that style (wash, detangle, twist, braid, etc.). Basically the only way for me to not get breakage is to never touch my hair, which is impossible.

Is there anyone here who suffered from severe breakage but found a way put an end to it? Or should I just accept my 3 inches a year?

ETA: I don't mean type 3 v. type 4. I mean coarse, fine, etc.

 

[HairBarbie]

I think some people's hair are just weaker in general and needs to be babied more. It sucks when you get a lot of breakage even though you've being doing the right things.

Are you taking a multi-vitamin? You can also try a growth aid if you're very frustrated.

 

[lovenharmony]

Breakage can occur for a multitude of reasons...there's no particular hair type of which breakage is "inevitable"

 

[I Am So Blessed]

:scratchchhummmm. what moisturzier do you use? are u natural?

 

[Minty]

I'm sorry you are going through this. I have very fine hairs and as a natural I could only comb my hair with conditioner and under running water to minimize breakage. Any other way and I could hear the strands stretch and then snap.

The other thing that worked was to oil wash my hair after the DC with a castor, avocado, and coconut oil mix; then add alittle more to my hands and saturate a stretchy rubber band and bind my hair under the shower. After that I'd twist the pony and tuck the ends with a bobby pin. If I'd do anything else to the hair it would be after it was 75% dry.

Unfortunately this still didn't resolve my single strand knots.

 

[PrincessLinzz]

Breakage can occur for a multitude of reasons...there's no particular hair type of which breakage is "inevitable"

Co-Sign!!

 

[locabouthair]

Most people think coarse hair is strong and you can do anything to to it. Not true. I have very coarse hair, and it is struggle to keep it moist. It is prone to dryness and dryness causes breakage.

I think some breakage is inevitable regardless of hair type.

Also hair is more prone to breakage in the winter IMO.

 

[JustKiya]

I have type 4 hair that is very coarse and very dry and I retain about 3-3.5 inches a year.erplexed I up my moisture and I still get breakage. I up my protein treatments and I still get breakage, albeit a bit less. The style I have my hair in doesn’t matter because it’s not the style that gives me breakage but what I have to do to achieve that style (wash, detangle, twist, braid, etc.). Basically the only way for me to not get breakage is to never touch my hair, which is impossible.

Is there anyone here who suffered from severe breakage but found a way put an end to it? Or should I just accept my 3 inches a year?

ETA: I don't mean type 3 v. type 4. I mean coarse, fine, etc.

How are you doing the bolded? That can make a HUGE difference. What are you using? Both utensils and products?

And all hair breaks. Whether it be fine or coarse, type 1 or type 4, all hair breaks. It's hair, not strands of steel, and so it has a breaking point. The care, tenderness and routines we apply to our hair is solely to reduce that breakage, because you (IMO) cannot stop it.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I have the exact same hair type that you described and I seldom encounter this issue. I think you may need to look into switcing up your techniques, look to your diet and possibly statrting to take some supplements.

I dont think breakage is inevitable for any particular hair types, if you're encountering a problem with your hair, change up your regimen/ products/vitamins to remedy it...as simple as that

 

[chasturner84]

Breakage can occur for a multitude of reasons...there's no particular hair type of which breakage is "inevitable"

I totally agree.

 

[Oasis]

Most people think coarse hair is strong and you can do anything to to it. Not true. I have very coarse hair, and it is struggle to keep it moist. It is prone to dryness and dryness causes breakage.

I think some breakage is inevitable regardless of hair type.

Also hair is more prone to breakage in the winter IMO.

Zactly. I see this written all the time, that coarse hair can withstand lots of things. That vast majority of my hair is coarse but I have some fine patches and I NEVER get breakage from those.

 

[locabouthair]

I have the exact same hair type that you described and I seldom encounter this issue. I think you may need to look into switcing up your techniques, look to your diet and possibly statrting to take some supplements.

I dont think breakage is inevitable for any particular hair types, if you're encountering a problem with your hair, change up your regimen/ products/vitamins to remedy it...as simple as that

Diet is extremely important. You cant feed your body junk and expect to have gorgeous hair, even though it does happen for some people.

What supplements do you recommend? I figured if you have coarse hair, your hair will just grow in coarse.

 

[locabouthair]

Zactly. I see this written all the time, that coarse hair can withstand lots of things. That vast majority of my hair is coarse but I have some fine patches and I NEVER get breakage from those.

Yep. I have small patch of hair in my nape that is kinda fine. It doesnt get as dry as the rest of my hair and it gets straighter than the rest of my hair also.

I get jealous of the fined hair ladies sometimes.

OP we'll figure something out.

 

[Oasis]

I have the exact same hair type that you described and I seldom encounter this issue. I think you may need to look into switcing up your techniques, look to your diet and possibly statrting to take some supplements.

I dont think breakage is inevitable for any particular hair types, if you're encountering a problem with your hair, change up your regimen/ products/vitamins to remedy it...as simple as that

Yeah, I've done this and I still get breakage but thanks.

How are you doing the bolded? That can make a HUGE difference. What are you using? Both utensils and products?

I don't use anything but my hands to detangle and style. Sometimes I'll use a goodie paddle brush but the breakage is about the same either way.

I'm sorry you are going through this. I have very fine hairs and as a natural I could only comb my hair with conditioner and under running water to minimize breakage. Any other way and I could hear the strands stretch and then snap.

The other thing that worked was to oil wash my hair after the DC with a castor, avocado, and coconut oil mix; then add alittle more to my hands and saturate a stretchy rubber band and bind my hair under the shower. After that I'd twist the pony and tuck the ends with a bobby pin. If I'd do anything else to the hair it would be after it was 75% dry.

Unfortunately this still didn't resolve my single strand knots.

Thanks. I'll have to try this.

:scratchchhummmm. what moisturzier do you use? are u natural?

Yes, I'm natural. I don't really have set products. Sometimes I use conditioner, sometimes shea butter, sometimes curls quencher.

I think some people's hair are just weaker in general and needs to be babied more. It sucks when you get a lot of breakage even though you've being doing the right things.

Are you taking a multi-vitamin? You can also try a growth aid if you're very frustrated.

I used to take multi-vitamins. Maybe I'll start again and see what happens.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[darlingdiva]

Yep. I have small patch of hair in my nape that is kinda fine. It doesnt get as dry as the rest of my hair and it gets straighter than the rest of my hair also.

I get jealous of the fined hair ladies sometimes.

OP we'll figure something out.

Please don't be jealous b/c it has its issues too. For instance, my fine hair is vulnerable. I get a certain amount of breakage no matter how gentle I am w/ my hair. Plus, you can't be too heavy-handed w/ what you use or use anything that is too heavy b/c it gets weighed down SO easily.

 

[I Am So Blessed]

you should try jerry curl juices like s curl, or care free curl. they work really well on natural hair.

 

[JustKiya]

I don't use anything but my hands to detangle and style. Sometimes I'll use a goodie paddle brush but the breakage is about the same either way.

Okay - as baffling as this sounds - this might be part of the problem. This is just based on my experiences with my hair - but if I maintain it in a more or less completely detangled state - I get less breakage. And by completely detangled, I mean COMPLETELY. I go through my hair multiple times (wide tooth comb, medium tooth comb, Denman) because if I leave any shed hairs in my head, they will tangle - no matter what style I am wearing. Tangles lead to knots. Knots lead to me using too much force on my hair to detangle it. Too much force on my hair leads to breakage.

If, however, I fully detangle my hair, and style it in a way that prevents it from curling and tangling into itself - I have the least amount of breakage. I still end up with some huge balls of hair - but I've got a lot of hair, and it sheds. Taint nothing I can do about that.

Also - I assume your hair is wet/damp/saturated with product while you are doing most of your detangling/styling, yes?

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Diet is extremely important. You cant feed your body junk and expect to have gorgeous hair, even though it does happen for some people.

What supplements do you recommend? I figured if you have coarse hair, your hair will just grow in coarse.

I have to focus my nutritional intake on diet because I'm acne prone so alot of the suplements out there will give me severe breakouts.

I'm not perfect but I drink soy milk every day. Regularly eat asparagus, sauteed fish, eggs in the morning, lean chicken, broccoli, steamed collard greens, brown rice and multi-grain bread. yep: I just got recommended silica from robotxcore and I think I'll be trying that......

My hair always has been and always will be coarse and honestly, for me: Natural + Coarse = Extremely resilient hair. Once I went natural and the strength of my coarse stands were no longer being compromised.......I really could get away with alot.

There were certain years early in my natural journey where all I did was press and flat iron at every wash sometimes retouching inbetween and my hair was always within 2-3 inches of BSL, decent ends and thick. I always say thank GOODNESS for these coarse stands of mine!

Now that I have healthy hair practices I am now well on my way to WSL but my coarse strands really do give me a heck of alot of leeway and allow me to get beautiful results without much effort.

Thats my coarse hair experience...lol

 

[ceebee3]

I think some degree of breakage is inevitable for everyone. If you weren't retaining anything then it would be a problem.

 

[Oasis]

Okay - as baffling as this sounds - this might be part of the problem. This is just based on my experiences with my hair - but if I maintain it in a more or less completely detangled state - I get less breakage. And by completely detangled, I mean COMPLETELY. I go through my hair multiple times (wide tooth comb, medium tooth comb, Denman) because if I leave any shed hairs in my head, they will tangle - no matter what style I am wearing. Tangles lead to knots. Knots lead to me using too much force on my hair to detangle it. Too much force on my hair leads to breakage.

If, however, I fully detangle my hair, and style it in a way that prevents it from curling and tangling into itself - I have the least amount of breakage. I still end up with some huge balls of hair - but I've got a lot of hair, and it sheds. Taint nothing I can do about that.

Also - I assume your hair is wet/damp/saturated with product while you are doing most of your detangling/styling, yes?

That's definitely true for me some of the time. The longer I go without detangling or the more half-assed I do it, the more tangles I get which equals more breakage for me.

But I also get breakage when I moisturize my hair in twists, when I rinse conditioner out, when I put it in a bun. It's not just styling but touching it in general. And it's not just a few pieces here or there. It's A LOT.

Yes, it is wet when I detangle/style as I have no other choice. Doing my hair while dry is impossible.

 

[JustKiya]

That's definitely true for me some of the time. The longer I go without detangling or the more half-assed I do it, the more tangles I get which equals more breakage for me.

But I also get breakage when I moisturize my hair in twists, when I rinse conditioner out, when I put it in a bun. It's not just styling but touching it in general. And it's not just a few pieces here or there. It's A LOT.

Yes, it is wet when I detangle/style as I have no other choice. Doing my hair while dry is impossible.

Hrm, I'm gonna have to mull on this. What kind of moisture treatments have you tried? Is your hair dyed? Do you use heat? Do you use silicones? :scratchch

 

[KrystalClear]

Well I asked this question before, but I actually think some is but it shouldn't be that much. I was hopeless a few months ago. But I decided to try wet bunning and leaving it bunned for the week or atleast most of the weak. My hair is retaining length, veryyyy well. I also don't have to detangle again once I detangle in the shower that first time I do the wet bunning. I moisturize every once in a while and my hair has way less breakage. Oh I have coarseeee hair too. Wet bunning has been my truth to moisture and length. Try it if you haven't!