5 External Enemies Behind Hair Damage

If you find that your hair is losing elasticity, and having little to no length retention and you are losing curl definition these are clear signs your hair is damaged. 

The question is do you know why? The actual Hair Enemies are:-

1. UV Radiation / The Sun 

The Sun UV radiations can cause photo-degradation of the hair that damage the keratin and melanin in the hair, keratin is a protein that is very important for protecting the hair shaft and melanin is responsible for your hair's colour and shine. The UV radiation from the sun can break down hair proteins used to protect hair and damage the hair strand. 

Ways to minimize UV radiation damage: - If you’re staying in the sun all day, be sure to wear a hat. Some will decide to do protective styling in the form of wigs or extensions which is great. Just be sure you are still moisturizing your hair underneath and not leaving certain styles in for more than 3 weeks at a time. 

2. Heat

Many people use hair dryers, straighteners, curling irons and other tools that use heat in order to style their hair, which damages the strand and the cuticle allows greater porosity. Making the hair drier.

When your hair is damaged by heat, it’s permanently damaged. High or excessive heat can permanently break the hair strands that give hair its strength along with protein cross-links.

Ways to minimize heat damage: Don’t use excessive heat on your hair, try to use cooler settings on the styling tools that you use and consider using heating tools with intervals, and reduce the frequency with which you use certain heating tools.

3. Mechanical Damage 

The friction caused by combing, brushing and other hair styling tools has the potential to damage the cuticle layer of the hair. This is called ‘mechanical damage’ but you could also consider it daily wear and tear of your hair as you style it. Which results in ripped or damaged cuticles or split ends, which then increases porosity and can dry out the hair. 

Ways to minimize mechanical damage: Find a hairstyle and keep it for a while, which in essence is protective styling. Styling your hair differently every day can actually be very damaging to your hair, especially in dry seasons. 

4. Chemical Processing 

Adding certain chemicals to your hair in order to change its colour, shape or texture, will invariably involve making the hair more susceptible to damage. When hair is coloured, the cuticle is forcefully opened in order to help pigment penetrate into the cortex, which breaks the inner bonds of the hair Bleaching is the most damaging process, followed by perming and relaxing, with permanent coloring processes being the mildest forms of chemical treatment damage.

Ways to minimize chemical damage: Avoid permanent processing on your hair, such as bleaching, relaxing or perming. If you decide to colour your hair, go for highlights or semi-permanent dyes which aren’t quite as damaging as bleach.

5. Excessive Product Use 

When you use shampoo, your overall goal is to cleanse the scalp and remove oil and product buildup on your hair. But if you over-shampooing your hair, then you are stripping away the natural oil (sebum) that is created by your scalp. If you remove too much sebum from the scalp, then the body will overcompensate by making a lot more sebum.

Ways to minimize damage from excessive product use: Choosing the right product depending on the type of hair that you have is advisable and also consider reducing the frequency with which you shampoo your hair. Certain types of curly and coily hair will already benefit from shampooing once or twice a week only to avoid drying out. 

Now that you know the things that can harm your hair. We hope you will use the information as tips to improve your hair quality and in maintaining your hair’s health.

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