Like getting ghosted or running into an ex at literally the worst time, hair breakage is an unfortunate thing that most of us will deal with at some point. And once a strand splits, it’s all over. There are some products that can help Band-Aid split ends, masking them temporarily, but they can’t be repaired. They must be snipped off. Which is why prevention is the name of the game here.
Hair breakage is not the same as hair loss, fyi. It’s normal to lose about 50-100 strands of hair a day. One way to tell if our hair is breaking is to check out those shedded strands—if they’re shorter than the length of your hair, have frayed ends, and/or they feel dry, it’s likely breakage. Also, curly, coarse hair textures and aging hair are more susceptible to breakage.
Read on for our current go-to hacks for preventing hair breakage.
Turns out that whole “brush your hair 100 strokes a day” thing is kind of BS. The American Academy of Dermatology says to only brush your hair to style it, and even then to be sure to comb through tangles gently without pulling on your hair as much as possible.
2. Sleep in a braid or other protective hairstyle
Anyone else’s grandma tell them they’d catch a cold if they go to bed with wet hair? Tbd on how true that is, but what we do know is that sleeping on wet hair can cause breakage. (In addition to some seriously gross things like … fungal infections. Shudder.) That’s because hair is super fragile when it’s wet; it becomes more elastic and prone to breakage. Ideally, hair should be dry and braided (or done in another protective hairstyle) before we get under the covers. Extra credit for sleeping on a silk or satin pillowcase. Both are gentler on hair than regular pillow cases because the fibers are smoother.
3. Blot your hair dry after washing
Remember, wet hair is pretty fragile. So anyone still towel-drying their hair by rubbing it between two sides of a towel, cut it out. Instead, blot and squeeze hair dry using a microfiber towel or even a cotton T-shirt to help prevent breakage and frizz.
4. Try a rice water treatment
We learned about the amazing benefits of rice water from Kim, and it’s now one of our must-have ingredients for healthy hair. Rice water is full of hair-strengthening and repairing nutrients like amino acids, folic acid, and niacin.
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