Breakage. The bane of afro hair and culprit of the myth that afro hair doesn't grow. Afro hair grows just like other hair types but if the rate of breakage is faster than the rate of growth, then you'll struggle to retain length. Want to stop your afro hair breaking? Let's start with some explanations.
Dry hair and frequent manipulation are the main causes of breakage. Understanding this will allow you to keep your afro hair moisturised and in low manipulation or protective styles to reduce breakage and maximise growth.Here are 5 things you can do to keep afro hair from breaking.
1. Cleanse and Condition Weekly
It's long been believed that water is like kryptonite to afro hair. This could not be further from the truth; water is actually good for afro hair as it cleanses and hydrates.
Washing your hair with a sulphate-free shampoo (sulphates dry out afro hair) every 7-10 days is best practice. After shampooing your hair, follow up with a conditioner to keep afro hair in top shape.
2. LOC in Moisture
The LOC and LCO methods involve the layering of products. Both are acronyms where:
L = liquid O = oil and C = cream
Our Moisture Surge Set contains products for all three steps — Sheen natural moisturising spray (liquid), Seal (hair oil) and Smooth (moisturising cream) and stops afro hair breaking.
3. Protective Styling
A protective style is any style that keeps the ends of the hair tucked away. The ends of the hair are the oldest and weakest parts of the hair so they need to be handled with care.
4. Avoid Tight Styles
We've just mentioned protective styling but these can be counterproductive to healthy hair growth if installed badly. We strongly recommend that you speak up at the hair salon if they are pulling too tightly, using too much heat or a fine tooth comb.
Remember you should never sacrifice your hair health for a hairstyle! If you're stuck try out a low manipulation style that doesn't require braiding or twisting such as a bun or roll & tuck style. Check out our style page for inspiration!
5. Ditch Damaging Tools
Step away from the hard bristle brushes and fine-toothed combs. These are enemies of healthy hair. Opt for finger-detangling instead as you’re more likely to be gentle with your hands than with a comb because you can easily feel for knots and tangles.To finger detangle, simply coat your fingers with oil and work through sections of your hair, starting at the ends and working your way up to the roots. Once a section is detangled, you can twist or braid it to keep it from tangling.
Avoid using tools like blow-dryers and straighteners as these cause heat damage.
More articles:
5 Reasons your Hair is Breaking
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