It can be extremely frustrating when you go through so much hard work and patience to grow your hair only for it to fall off every time you brush through. It doesn’t matter if it’s only a few strands or huge chunks of hair shedding from the scalp, any amount of hair breakage is super stressful. It is quite normal and occasional to have an unusual cluster falling out after every wash or styling session. Though, it shouldn’t cause significant hair breakage outside severe cases such as health issues.

The first step to deal with hair breakage is to identify the root cause. Hair breakage can be caused by a number of factors such as heat, stress, chemical treatments, underlying conditions and even that signature high pony. Once you have identified the root cause then it becomes easier to stop and prevent future breakage and shedding.

In this articles we get to look at a few pro tips on how to avoid hair shedding and breakage so do read on.

1. Frequently moisturize your hair

Dryness is the worst enemy of natural hair because it is more brittle and less elastic. The pain and discomfort that comes with combing through dry hair should be enough proof. Moisture is an essential element for your hair therefore, make sure you moisturize daily. A moisturizer helps to seal in and retain moisture in your hair until your next hair wash. Beyond your moisturizing routine, also try incorporating a hydrating shampoo and a leave-in conditioner on wash days.

2. Regularly trim loose ends of your hair

Trimming helps get rid of split ends and hair breakage as well as maintaining healthy and strong hair. To identify whether you need a cut, first check the extent of your hair shedding or breakage. Then, blow-dry and comb to check if the ends narrow as you comb towards the end. You should do this at least once every three months to reduce and prevent further breakage.  

3. Avoid tight hairstyles

A tight ponytail is definitely trendy and fashionable but that is the last thing your shedding hair needs. Tight hairstyles and harsh chemicals as well as heat near the scalp causes stress on follicles and leads to further shedding and breakage. Try to incorporate some protective hairstyles from time to time as they will not only reduce tangles and knots from your hair but also encourage overall hair growth and retention. Also having the same hairstyle all the time is quite boring so alternate hairstyles when you can so that you can give your hair some time to recover.

4. Eat a healthy diet

Diet, just like all other things mentioned in this article, also plays a huge role in the health of your hair. Unhealthy eating habits or improper diet contributes a lot to hair breakage and shedding because certain nutrient deficiencies are known to bring about hair loss. Therefore, ensure that you eat a good amount of proteins and nutrients to keep your hair healthy and free from breakage. Introduce foods like broccoli, dairy, red meat, fatty fish, spinach and nuts into your meals. You could also incorporate some hair supplements in your daily routine.

5. Be gentle with your hair

The most common practice after a wash day is grabbing your towel and thoroughly rubbing your hair so you can proceed to styling. A towel is not only harsh on the hair but also absorbs a lot of moisture from your hair and causes frizzing. Wet hair is more susceptible to breakage because in this state, it is most vulnerable and fragile. It is better to use a microfiber towel or even a t-shirt to dry your hair instead. Something else to avoid is heat styling as it weakens the proteins that hold the hair tissues together hence split ends. Simply use a wide-tooth comb or a soft bristle brush to detangle and put your hair in a protective style to prevent further breakage.