Just the word “breakage” sounds horrible and might have you wondering how you can avoid it altogether. Unfortunately, hair breakage is simply a part of life. That said, this doesn’t mean you can’t minimize breakage. The best two ways to do this are by fighting low elasticity and environmental stressors. This article will share ten helpful tips to prevent breakage on natural hair. 

At Tabula Rasa Salon in Charleston, SC, our expert stylists can advise you on the best ways to reduce breakage on your natural hair. If you’re ready to get their expert advice (and a new look!), book an appointment with us today!

Preventing Breakage on Natural Hair 

Don’t despair over hair breakage. It may be unavoidable, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t something you can’t minimize! Here are ten game-changing tips for preventing breakage on natural hair:

• Gentleness is key – The harder you are on your hair, the more likely it is to suffer breakage. It’s that simple. By opting for low manipulation styles, your hair will appreciate the welcome break from the stress that high manipulation styles can cause. It will also help to adopt combs and brushes that work more gently as they detangle. 
• Just say no to towel-drying – Many people don’t know that towel-drying can damage hair, particularly curly hair. If you opt for something gentler, like a microfiber cloth, you’ll suffer less breakage.
• Don’t be afraid of detangling – Detangling may seem like a sure way to experience more breakage, but it’s important because letting your tangling build up will ensure worse breakage down the line. 
• But be careful how you detangle – Not all detangling is created equal! You need to find a balance between dry and soaking wet, since detangling in these conditions will result in greater breakage. Detangling is best done when hair is wet but not dripping wet.
• Skip the heat – The more heat, the less moisture. The less moisture, the more fragility. The more fragility, the more breakage. Comprende? 
• Moisture is your friend – Following up with the above tip, providing your hair with daily moisture will help keep it less fragile and thus less prone to breakage. You can also seal in moisture with a hair-friendly oil like castor or jojoba oil. 
• Nourished hair is stronger hair – Hair is made up of protein and other nutrients. When your hair is starved of these key nutrients, it will break much more easily. Eat a healthy diet to nourish your hair from the inside out and opt for hair nutrient treatments if you suffer from particularly brittle hair.  
• Toxic ingredients = breakage central – Just like it’s important to eat a healthy diet, it’s important that you feed your hair a healthy “diet.” Avoid products with ingredients that damage and dry out hair and choose safer, more natural products instead.  
• Take care of your ends – Ends are the oldest and thus most fragile part of hair. By ensuring they’re moisturized, they’ll be less likely to split and break.
• Condition, condition, condition – Conditioning—or even better, deep conditioning—will greatly enhance your hair’s strength and elasticity. Try doing a deep condition two or three times a week to see if you experience healthier hair and less breakage. 

Summing Up

Breakage is usually a sign of dry or poorly nourished hair. The good thing is that these are easily treatable. By ensuring that you moisturize and nourish your hair and follow the other tips above, you’ll experience significantly less breakage and your hair will be thanking you!

Visit Tabula Rasa Salon Today

One simple way to minimize hair breakage is to get a trim or cut to rid yourself of those unhealthy ends. If you’re ready to get a gorgeous cut and expert guidance on how to achieve optimal hair health, book an appointment at Tabula Rasa Salon today. We can’t wait to welcome you in and help you get your dream look!