Preventing Hair Loss and Breakage in Black Hair

Hair loss is a major issue for black women due to the fact that black hair is extremely delicate. Black hair has a tendency to grow to a certain point, and then it will usually fall out. This is the reason why many black women have shoulder length hair. When black hair reaches the tops of the shoulders, it tends to snap off due to friction of the hair strands coming into constant contact with clothing. Follow these tips if you want to grow long and strong black hair:

Do Not Over-process Your Hair

The chemical straightners that are used in black hair are extremely harsh. Relaxers and perms contain chemicals like sodium hydroxide (lye) and ammonium thioglycolate, and these two chemicals are extremely damaging to the hair. They dry out the hair shaft and scalp, and they literally break down the natural curly composition of black hair.

The best cure for over-processing black hair is to simply cut down on the chemicals we use in our hair. If you have to perm or relax your own hair, make sure to use the correct strength for your hair type and always try to wait at least six weeks for a retouch. It would be ideal to utilize the services of professional stylists to maintain black hair. But, due to financial limitations, the exclusive use of professional stylists may not be an option.

Use the Proper Hair Styling Utensils & Use them Correctly

Combs and brushes can be detrimental to black hair when not used with caution. The wrong kind combs and brushes will cause black hair to literally snap and break off because they put too much pressure on the hair shafts. When choosing the proper types of combs and brushes for black hair you should always look at the wide tooth varieties.

Something that is unique to black hair is the frequency that it needs to be brushed. In other cultures it may be advised to vigorously brush the hair on a daily basis, but this is not the case with black hair. Black hair is far too delicate for vigorous daily brushing, if you do this you will likely end up with more hair in the brush than in your head. Use great care and delicacy when brushing black hair.

Try to Stay Away From Heat Appliances

Over usage of heat appliances can be the kiss of death for all hair types, it can be an even greater threat to black hair. Sit and think for a moment about the delicate construction of each single strand of hair. Then think about the damage that can be caused by intense heat being used on those hair strands on a regular basis...

Flat irons, curling irons and hair dryers can literally crush, burn and thoroughly dry out black hair strands. The best scenario would be to stay away from heated appliances, but we all know that such a thing is close to impossible for most people. More realistically, we should try to use lower settings, and less frequent use with flat irons and curling irons and hair dryers should be used to only partially dry the hair.

Cut Down on Stress

Finally, one of the best ways to prevent hair loss of black hair is to try to cut down on the stress in your life. It has been proven that stress can make your hair fall out in clumps. If something is causing you to experience a high amount of stress, you need to address the problem and attempt to solve it instead of putting it off. Seek the advice of a friend or a professional if you feel you cannot handle it alone.

Stress has also been proven to be a significant negative contributor to major health issues, particularly heart disease. By cutting down on stress we can have, not only a healthier head of hair, we can also have a healthier body overall.

There is a great deal of work that goes along with the proper management of black hair. But, just by following the four tips outlined in this article, you will eventually see a change in the amount of hair that you retain.