hugmyhair

Date

April 16 2015

Written By

Bold Apps

Comments

0 Comments

"My Hair Breaks No Matter How Much I Moisturise!" What Now?

Written By Bold Apps - April 16 2015

Posted by Dalilah,

If you keep adding moisture to your hair and you find that it is always breaking it may be due to your hair’s porosity. But before we address that, it’s important to make sure you’re using a proper moisturiser. Any product that is water-based or has coconut oil (as one of the first 3 – 5 ingredients) should be able to give you a good amount of moisture. If you are moisturising with oils then you are not moisturising your hair; oil is a barrier, moisturisers penetrate. If you have a low level of hair porosity this means that your hair does not easily absorb moisture due to the smooth and closed up nature of your hairshaft/cuticle layer. To test this put a strand of your hair in a glass of water for a few minutes; if it floats your hair has low porosity, if it sinks, your hair has high porosity.

 

If you add oil on top of low porosity hair you’re adding an extra barrier making it harder for any kind of moisture to be absorbed into the hair, causing it to be dry and therefore more prone to breakage. If you have high porosity hair but your hair is still breaking then you should try increasing your use of oils and protein products to seal in the moisture. Natural afro hair is usually OK in terms of protein levels, but relaxed hair has been chemically broken down meaning a lot of the natural protein bonds have been weakened. Therefore adding protein to your relaxed hair my help significantly In reducing breakage.Your hair is at its strongest and most defensive state when it is moisturised. Meaning moisturised hair should not be breaking. So try cutting back on products heavy with oils and protein if your hair has a low porosity. For low porosity hair try using a moisturising conditioner with a humectant. A humectant is a substance which is good at retaining moisture, such as glycerine or honey. After covering your hair in it, instead of rinsing it off after just a few minutes apply a plastic bag over your hair for at least half an hour. The heat encouraged by the bagging opens up your hair shaft allowing more of the conditioner to be absorbed so when you rinse it out of your hair, your hair should be thoroughly moisturised and in a stronger condition. Has the advice above worked for you? Did something else you tried work well? Please do share your results with us in our comments section below. Happy Hair Hugging!x

Date

April 09 2015

Written By

Bold Apps

Comments

0 Comments

Is There Such a Thing as 0% Breakage?

Written By Bold Apps - April 09 2015

Posted by Dalilah,

The short answer to this question is yes. The long answer is that I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who has experienced 0% breakage. I'd imagine that their hair would have to be at a level of perfect moisture 100% of the time and experiencing no friction, ever. In theory it is possible, but I don’t have any statistics on the reality of the situation to share with you, so don’t be disheartened if like me you feel that you haven't been successful in achieving this just yet. It's a great goal to aim for though!

Hair Strand Ready to Break

 

To answer this question properly let’s first be clear on the definition. There is a difference between hair breakage and hair shedding. When hair breaks it does so because it is very weak. This can usually be a result of heat/chemical damage. This can also be a result of poor hair care practices, causing it to break off before the end of its hair cycle. When hair sheds however, it is because your hair strand's cycle has come to an end. This and is absolutely normal, we all naturally shed between 50 and 100 strands of hair a day. If like me you cover your hair, then when you take your scarf off at the end of the day, you may see all your suicide strands in one go. This can be overwhelming, but if you don't cover your hair, and you leave your hair out loose, you may not even notice it falling off your shoulders throughout the day.

Hair Brush Full of Shedding Hair

I was on the underground the other day and there was a gentleman next to me who was reading his book. All of a sudden a young lady’s hair strand floated onto it; he didn’t even look alarmed. He just brushed it off and continued reading. And the young girl from who’s head it fell, didn’t even notice, maybe because she had hundreds spare? Hair that we shed is often followed by a new hair in it's place. New hair is always good news! (when it is on our scalp). So this is reassuring. Do you know anyone who has 0% breakage? How did they achieve it? Please leave your answers in our comments section elow, I'd love to know the details of their hair care routine. Happy Hair Hugging! x

Date

March 26 2015

Written By

Bold Apps

Comments

0 Comments

Is it Normal for Hair to Break After Trimming?

Written By Bold Apps - March 26 2015

Posted by Dalilah,

The short answer to this is no. Trimming our hair does not in itself cause or trigger breakage. The long answer to this is that hair tends to taper at the ends as at grows longer. This is because the ends of your hair are the oldest parts of your hair, they have therefore been through the most and are naturally the weakest.

Imagine your hair in braids, I know that personally, when im getting to the end of a braid the width of my hair decreases into a cone shape. This triangular end is the tapered section of your hair and the ideal section for trimming away. Assuming you trim all of this tapered section off, hair breakage should not directly occur as a result of this. If you notice you have split ends after a trim, it is likely that you were overly conservative in the amount of hair you chose to cut off. This doesn't necessarily mean that you should go and cut more off, if your priority is to grow your hair longer, then it makes sense to cutt of less than the amount your hair has grown in a month. But if your priority is to retain only the strongest parts of your hair, then it would make sense to cut off all of the damaged hair. It can also be a very emotional process, cutting off hair that you spent so long trying to grow, but when the ends of our hair are tapered, the shaft of the hair is literally wearing away, and it is the shaft of the hair that protects the internal cortex of the hair. Once this part of the hair starts to become exposed, then the risk for split ends and increased breakage increases. What you can do to achieve minimal breakage is to practice regular moistirising, sealing and protective styling whilst you aim to retain lenth. Have you experienced breakage after trimming? How did you take control of the situation? Please share your experiences with us in our comments section below.

Happy Hair Hugging! x

Date

January 08 2015

Written By

Bold Apps

Comments

0 Comments

Common Natural Hair Breakage.

Written By Bold Apps - January 08 2015

Posted by HMH Blogger By Patience Muia  Going natural can give you a break from heat appliances. Sometimes back when I had relaxed hair, I was a slave to my flat iron and blow dryer. Every weekend I found myself shampooing, conditioning, flat ironing and drying my long, black hair. This process takes a lot of hours, and it is also tiresome. When I was transitioning, rocking a wash and go was my motivation. But now that I have natural hair, I have realized that breakage is a common problem. It is completely preventable. Here are some ways through which you can prevent breakage in areas around nape, crown and edges.

Areas around Edges

Have you ever had breakage around the temples? Also known as breakage at the hairline. It is commonly caused by excessive pulling and rubbing in the area. Traction alopecia can also be caused by chemical burns, while wigs, weaves and extension can also be the reason. To easily prevent such breakage, avoid hair clips and bands. Avoid anything that can cause breakage, you can also use castor oil since it can stimulate regrowth. If castor oil doesn’t work for you, you might consider going to a dermatologist so that you can be able to determine the true cause. Areas in the Crown Breakage around this place might be difficult to deal with. If you are suffering with hair issues in the center of your head, this area will always be the driest, the hardest to comb, the kinkiest and breakage comes easy.

Breakage around the Nape

The usual culprits are the collar, scarf or any part of clothing that rubs that area. This breakage is more common in the winter when it is necessary for you to bundle up. The remedy for this breakage is wearing satin accessories and wearing silk. Alternatively, you can wear a satin bonnet so as to protect yourself against winter wear.

Recent Articles

Tags