Hair has become quite the touchy subject for many people. What, with many people going natural and singing along to hit songs such as India Arie’s “I am not my hair” while others wear their hair in very “out there” styles. However beautiful we are trying to look with our ever-changing hairstyles, it is important to actually take a step back and ask ourselves, we might have on the trendiest of hairstyles, but is our hair healthy?
20 or even 50 years from now, will we regret the choices we made with our hair just for the sake of fashion? Will we even have hair then or will we have to result to constantly adorning our heads with wigs and hats because we only have a few wisps of hair left on our head – if any!
This article aims to address what exactly is damaging your hair and give you a few tips on how you can prevent further damage to your glorious mane. But first, we have to understand exactly what we are dealing with.
What is hair made off?
Hair is a fiber, very much like wool. Each hair has three layers:- the cuticle, cortex and medulla, from the outermost layer to the innermost. Each hair grows about a quarter inch every month (this varies with hair type) and can continue growing for about 6 years, after which it falls off to make way for new hair to grow. Growing cycles also differ from person to person. For some, it may be two years, for others, six. Thickness of hair is dependent on the thickness of the follicle. They are directly proportional. Baldness is usually caused when hair follicles shrink in size or become inactive.
What causes the hair damage?
Have you touched your hair lately and it feels like it’s a crossbreed between a porcupine and tumbleweed? Or that you can literally count the number of strands of hair on your head? You are probably experience hair damage. Because of one or more of these reasons:
- Perms – whether you have been chemically straightening your hair or chemically curling it, perming reforms your hair by breaking its inner bonds and reforming them differently. What happens is that hair that grows after perming has a totally different texture therefore the one above becomes very weak and easily falls off. It is not unusual to see a regular “permer” with bald patches on their head.
- Bleaching – Have you ever bleached a white shirt over and over again until you notice that it has become rather see-through and is fraying? The same thing happens to our hair when we bleach it. You are changing the structure of your hair, removing your natural pigment and leaving it weaker and more susceptible to damage. Add some harmful styling and you have the right brew for disaster.
- Heat – Be it flat iron or blow-drying, our hair was not made to withstand such high and dry heat. The hair begins to look dull and doesn’t have the bounce it used to. Heat is one of the major causes of hair damage and daily use is sure to cause permanent damage to your hair.
- Ponytails and braids – Imagine if your arms were pulled from either side for hours, or even days at a time. That exactly how it feels on your scalp when you tie very tight ponytails or braids. You may even notice that when you take the braids out, some hair just falls off because it couldn’t withstand the shear force that was used. This is particularly common with the edges of your hair. You may notice that you have a receding hairline because the cuticles at your edges are damaged.
- Over-brushing – 100 strokes a day makes your follicles wail. Combing or brushing your hair too much and too often makes it weak and causes too much friction. This results in a lot of breakage and split ends. If you also do not have the right brush, you may cause tangles that are hard to remove.
- Over-shampooing – Do you really need to Shampoo your hair every day? Unless you work in a very dirty factory, there is no need to shampoo every day. Even then, you could just save yourself the hassle and tie your hair in a head wrap. Shampooing not only cleans your hair, but it also gets rid of essential oils that are produced by your scalp. This makes your hair look frizzy and dull. Not only that, if you wash your hair like you are hand-washing a pair of old dirty jeans, you will cause a lot of damage to the cuticle.
So, what do you do now?
Whether you have abused your hair using heat, styling or products, you should always aim to do less.
Tips to get lustrous hair?
- Let your hair breathe and have break from the constant manipulation.
- Give yourself a scalp massage once in a while to stimulate those hair follicles.
- Wear a hat or a head wrap if you must!
- For really damaged hair, do not be afraid to cut it off and start afresh. You may be surprised how good you look with short hair.
- If you have to use product on your hair, go for the purest and most natural forms of product.
- No one will notice if you wash your hair only a couple of times a week as opposed to everyday
- Be content with your natural hair colour. If you are feeling adventurous, wear a wig in the colour of your choice.
- Don’t always try to fit in with the newest hair fashion fad – you might just lose yourself.
- Eat healthy, balanced meals to promote the growth of healthy hair. You will be surprised what a healthy diet can do for your hair and nails.
- Love yourself. Love your hair.
