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