Causes of Hair Breakage and How to Prevent it

Hair Care

(**Poll at the end)

There is a difference between hair loss and hair breakage. Hair loss can be described as when more hair is falling out from the scalp than the amount of hair growing in. Hair breakage is not commonly seen close to the scalp (although it is possible), and can be described as when the strength of the cuticle has been compromised and the hair literally breaks in half, usually near the ends.

This phenomena is most common at the ends of hair because those are the oldest hair strands. The ends have been exposed to the environment for the longest period of time compared to the hair closer to the root. This means they have endured more friction, heat, washing, etc.

The hair shaft is coated in tiny scales that point downwards, this is called the cuticle. Washing, styling, using chemicals, or sources of friction (brushing or sleeping) can cause the cuticle scales to raise, exposing the cortex.

When the cuticle layer is raised, this leaves it more susceptible to damage the scales themselves as well as the cortex that it exists to protect. It also allows moisture to escape from the cortex. This can lead to dry and brittle hair that is more likely to break off.

The hair shaft as a whole is made up of mostly protein. However, there are also lipids in there and about 85% of all the lipids in hair is contained in the cuticle. The role of the fatty acids is mostly to keep the cuticle closed, producing that smooth shiny look that is indicative of healthy hair.

Because the outer protective layer of hair is made up of fatty acids, this makes hair oil and ideal treatment for broken, damaged, or raised cuticles.

The cuticle layer will naturally raise every time your hair gets wet because the hair shaft itself will swell. Conditioners are great to use after shampoo because they help to seal the cuticle back down to prevent damage. One way to know if your hair cuticles are not resealing is if you experience hair matting. Hair is more likely to become tangled when there is more friction from raised cuticles.

So, one of the big reasons hair damage is so prevalent on the ends of hair is because overtime the cuticle becomes damaged and is less efficient at resealing.

Some causes of hair damage: excessive heat usage (styling), dry environments, brushing hair too often (1-2 times per day is plenty), washing too often (I wash 2-3 times per week), chemical treatments like relaxers, and hair dyeing.

How to prevent breakage:

Obviously lower the frequency of the things mentioned above, this will go a long way. I’ve completely stopped using heat on my hair and opt for getting curls overnight vs with styling wands.

A great way to prevent breakage is by protecting the ends as often as possible. Oils are great to use on hair because they are lipids. Since the outer layer of the hair is also made of lipids, this means oils can penetrate the hair shaft and even become incorporated into gaps within the cuticle, protecting from damage.

I like to think of oils acting as a second cuticle layer on the hair shaft. Coconut oil and olive oil are especially good at penetrating into the cortex. I also have a hair oil available at FountainHead which I have formulated with the perfect ratios of my favorite oils for hair protection.

A common hair myth for women is that hair stops growing after it reaches a certain length. This is usually described as the “awkward stage” of hair growth where it grows just past the shoulders and appears to stop.

Hair growth is definitely not stopping though. The reason it appears that way however is because the hair is breaking off, making it seem like it’s not growing. Applying oil to the ends can prevent this damage and cease the breakage, allowing hair to grow long.

Although most of this thread applies to women, hair oil is great for men as well for styling and for protection. Oil can help protect hair from loosing moisture in hot, dry, or windy environments; and it stops frizz on newly washed hair.

I’d love some feedback from my subscribers on my hair related posts! Do you want to see more or less of them? I have a lot of information I would love to continue posting about scalp health and hair growth/hair loss as well! I of course will continue to post about overall health and wellness too.

Thank you for reading and for feedback on my posts! If you feel that your hair may be in need of some extra protection or moisture, check out my Hair Oil below! I highly recommend taking a before and after photo to track progress if you try it out!