TIPS TO PREVENT DAMAGED HAIR!

Tips for preventing damaged hair!

A· Use moisturizing and conditioning treatments that penetrates the core of the hair strand and through the skin without clogging. Products with heavy mineral oil and petroleum can clog up scalp and block moisture from penetrating.

B· Keep hair supple and moist by using moisturizers and conditioners and hot oil treatments. Moisturizers and conditioners should be applied from the scalp to the end of hair strands. This helps to combat dryness, breakage, brittleness and unruly hair. ( I can hear one of my former instructors saying, "get those ends" or when we did relaxers, she would walk around shampoo area shouting, "Neutralize 2-3 times to close those porous ends to prevent continuous chemical processing-eventually causing further damage to hair" of course after this, you have to condition and restore lost moisture.

C· Trim of dead/damaged and/or porous ends. When the hair has overly porous and dead ends occur, the hair will begin to become more porous/split from the ends all the way towards the scalp and cause more hair breakage and excessive shedding. Remember that when hair is damaged to the point of being dead, you can't resurrect it. Cutting/trimming off the dead hair is the best solution and focus on nurturing the remaining hair that is undamaged and prevent further damage.

D· Proper Tools: Do not brush damp hair without using a wide tooth comb/detangling brush to lesson stress and weakness caused by pulling and stretching the hair. Avoid overheated implements (curling irons, blow-dryers & pressing combs). Using tight rubber bands and tight hats that can rub out the edges of the hair and break off hair.

E· Certain medications have been linked to hair loss. Chemotherapy, other cancer medicines, isotretinoin and other acne medicines can cause hair damage as well as lithium, which is effective as a treatment for bipolar disorder. One should seek the help of a physician to see if medications can be changed.

F· Over Shampooing is also a factor in some hair breakage issues. Excessive shampooing or the wrong shampoo can rob the hair or its natural moisture (Sebum) from the scalp and hair. With African American hair textures that are more on the kinky side, this type (4a & 4b and even 3a & 3b) of texture generally does not need as much shampooing as other textures that are straight and have more moisture. Use shampoos that have moisturizers in it. Oily hair that has a lot of moisture can use shampoos that are not as oily or moisturizing. This is too avoid heavy and weighted down hair caused by overuse or too much conditioning and moisturizing.