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Your hair is extremely delicate and needs to be cared for from root to tip in order to see your best locks. Unfortunately, while a good routine can do wonders for your strands, certain steps in your daily hair maintenance may actually be causing premature thinning and breakage. It can be frustrating to see clumps of hair come out every time you brush, but this is entirely preventable by becoming aware of the hair habits you may have acquired over the years that are causing breakage. If this sounds like a familiar struggle, these are the five biggest mistakes that hair experts warn to avoid if you’re suffering from weak, thin locks.
Overstyling & Heat Damage
Styling your hair daily may be essential to tame your locks and keep them in place, but using too much heat or overstyling could be frying your hair, leading to fallout. Celebrity hair stylist Eddie Cook explains that while this is one of the most common causes of hair fallout, it is also one of the easiest to fix. “Most heat damage can cause breakage or damage that can only be fixed with a cut, however lighter forms like loss of curl pattern can be helped with a deep conditioning masque such as the Playa Healing Hair Masque or the Monoi Milk Leave-In Conditioner,” he explains.
Celeb hairstylist Senada K. Ceka also warns that styling your hair on too hot of a temperature may be potentially damaging. “Less hair and more passes is the safest bet,” she says.
Brushing Wet Hair
While it may feel natural to untangle your hair right after a shower, brushing through wet strands is almost guaranteed to rip out your hair from the root. Hair expert Ghanima Abdullah explains, “When the hair is saturated with water, it's at its most delicate. Because brushing puts more tension on the strands, this is probably the first reason people lose hair.” As a solution, Abdullah recommends only brushing hair when it’s dry or partially dry. However, she notes that if your hair is coated in conditioner you can brush through it with a shower comb.
Brushing From The Root
Knots may be hard to brush through as it is, but starting from the root will only cause thinning hair and ample breakage. “If you yank a comb or brush through your strands from the roots, you'll be well rewarded with a lot of hair in the tool by the time you finish. Even if not, you've weakened your hair considerably with the pulling. Always detangle starting from the tips of the hair and gently move up to the roots,” Abdullah explains.
Teasing
If you’re looking to add some volume to your hair, teasing is not the answer for keeping your strands strong and firmly on your head. Abdullah explains, “Teasing is the best way to intentionally tangle your hair. If you're using hairspray on top of that, you’re sealing in the tangles. Volume is nice, but if you must tease, detangle your hair before bed and certainly before washing. Using hair conditioner or oil to make your strands slippery is a good way to avoid knots.”
A Dramatic Color Change
Especially in quarantine you may feel drawn to a dramatic hair change to spice up your life a little bit. But while a new shade may boost your confidence, your locks will likely suffer the consequences. Ceka warns, “Always listen to your colorist and don’t bounce around to find someone to do the color for you. Dramatic color changes can wreak havoc on the integrity of the hair.” And yes, that includes dramatic hair changes at home--save the bleach for the salon!
