Is Your Hair Breaking or Shedding?

At one point or another in our natural hair journey, we've experienced it before - either breakage or shedding. How can you tell the difference? The type of treatment to give your hair depends on being able to clearly distinguish between shedding and breakage.

Hair shedding

Hair sheds naturally. Averagely, you lose about 50 -100 strands of hair daily. That being said, any day you don't detangle or brush your hair, the strands which are supposed to naturally shed accumulate. This is why when you take out braids and detangle, the hair shed seems to be a lot more than what's shed on a regular day. Of course, bad hair practices such as not moisturizing whilst in braids and not properly detangling can exacerbate the problem.

Hair shed usually from the follicle itself. So if you're experiencing long strands of hair falling off, that's hair shedding. The causes of hair shedding range anywhere from hormonal changes to stressful events, hereditary, bad hair practices, medications, radiation and unprescribed/irregular hair treatments.

Treatment for shedding

Protein treatment - this should be done within a 6-week interval. Doing a protein treatment within shorter intervals would make the shedding worse.

Maintain good scalp care and hair practices - if you can, massage your scalp for at least 2 minutes a day, moisturize daily and use the right hair care products based on the porosity of your hair.

Take vitamins - incorporating the intake of vitamins in your hair care is a good idea if you're experiencing excessive shedding. 

Hair breakage

Hair breakage on the other hand is when little strands of hair fall out. Hair that breaks are usually shorter, brittle and fall off easily. This usually happens when the hair strand is weak, thin or stressed. After combing your hair, the short strands which fall off is what is referred to as breakage. 

Treatment for breakage

Deep condition regularly - if you can, deep condition during each wash day. It'll help in restoring moisture to your hair thus preventing it from being dry and brittle.

Moisturize daily - even when in braids, moisturize your hair daily. When hair is moisturized properly, it is less susceptible to breakage. 

Get rid of split ends - holding on to split ends could further exacerbate the problem. Once you notice split ends, get rid of them.

Detangle properly and gently - never detangle on dry hair. When detangling, divide your hair into sections, wet each section, apply your conditioner, finger detangle and gently comb through hair.

Oftentimes, there's a thin line between shedding and breakage. Whichever the case, experiencing any is an indication to start adopting healthy hair practices. For further hair consultation, please do not hesitate to contact Eya Naturals on +233 204 600 464 or +233 59 237 7008 @eyanaturals on Facebook and Instagram.