5 Causes Of Hair Breakage From Non-heating Tools

No one knows our hair better than us, and we know when something just isn't feeling right. If you happened to stumble upon this article, my guess is that you're aware of unusual changes in your hair and you aren't someone that regularly uses hot tools to style their hair. So, what's causing your hair damage?

First, I want to clarify that it is normal to experience changes in our hair due to external and internal factors such as hormones, weather, diet, and others, but there are some signs to be aware of that are telling us if we're experiencing breakage or damaged hair. Here are the signs of hair damage:

1. You have hair with an uneven texture

Examine the texture of your hair by holding an individual strand of hair and gliding your fingers along the strand. If the texture feels rough and brittle, it's a clear sign of damage that can lead to breakage.

2. Your hair has Split ends

This is probably the most common way to identify hair breakage. You can easily tell if you have split ends by examining your ends and noticing the strand splitting into one or multiple strands.

3. Regularly finding short pieces of hair that have fallen out

This is not like the normal fallout of our hair. These are significantly shorter pieces compared to the rest of your hair which might've snapped off your hair strands.

4. Your hair is lacking shine and moisture

Lacking moisture in your hair is a sign of high porosity. When our hair strands have high porosity they lack elasticity and are more prone to breaking.

5. You have tangled hair

If your hair clumps together easily, even after conditioning, it means that your cuticle is open and it can no longer be fixed with simple moisturizing.

It's frustrating when we do everything we can to avoid damage to our hair and still experience breakage.

So now that we've identified the signs, let's jump into 5 reasons you didn't know were causing your hair breakage:

1. Breakage when combing out your hair

It's important to be super gentle when brushing out your hair. If your hair is tangled and you force your comb through the knots, you'll cause the hair strands to snap and you'll end up with even more split ends and broken pieces of hair than before. 

It helps if you comb out your hair after your shower, and it has had a chance to dry out at least 10-20%. Remember, hair is at its most vulnerable state when wet. With the help of smoothing cream or a leave-in conditioner, gently start brushing at the bottom of the tangle, and slowly work your way up.

You can choose to de-tangle with the help of a brush or a comb, at this point it really does depend on personal preference. If you choose a comb, a wide-tooth comb is a better option to avoid damage. If you choose a brush, a soft bristle is your best bet. A couple of awesome options worth trying out are the Tangle Teezer or the Wet Brush.

2. Damage from wearing a ponytail

Wearing your hair in a ponytail can slowly lead to hair breakage, especially when you wear your pony in the same spot every day. The tension in the elastic causes a lot of friction to your hair and the tension can cause the hair strands to break. So what you thought was regular "baby hair" could actually be shorter pieces of hair that have broken off.

To avoid this try switching your hairstyle from everyday pony to wearing it down, or even half up. If you really can't get away with not wearing your hair down, try a spiral hair tie like invisibobble or even a scrunchie! Apart from being a cute accessory, the fabric in the scrunchie will reduce the friction and the elastic inside won't create the same tension as a regular hair tie.

3. Chemical exposure to your hair

This one is a little more obvious as we know any chemical changes will alter the state of your hair. Even when done professionally, you need to use the proper hair products to maintain your hair's health. A good shampoo and conditioner is a must! Depending on the level of damage, add a good hair masque or treatment to your hair routine. 

If you haven't heard of it, Olaplex is like the holy grail of hair health. The line provides professional solutions as well as home care products that repair your hair from the inside out. If you are at a point of no return, you have to give it a try.

4. Dry hair causing hair breakage

Dry hair means there's no elasticity to your hair, and this makes your hair more prone to breakage. Believe it or not, hot tools aren't the only source of heat for your hair. Without you knowing, the sun's UV rays and the extremely hot water from your shower could actually be drying your hair more than you thought.

There is, however, a fairly easy solution to this problem. Avoid washing your hair with really hot water, and if you are brave enough, try finishing your shower with a cold rinse of cool water (at least on your hair). This will help close down the cuticle and your hair will lock the moisture in for longer.

As far as UV rays go, there is such a thing as SPF for hair, just like the one you use for your skin. Do make sure you get the one specifically for hair! The oils in the skin SPF could potentially add additional issues to your hair.

5. Adding too much protein to your hair

Although treating your hair with protein products is a recommendation when dealing with damage, overdoing it with protein products can actually do more harm than good. To keep our hair feeling healthy there must be a balance between moisture and protein. 

Taking care of your protein overload can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. Take a look at your hair care products and put away the ones with proteins added into their formula, you'll need to get off them to keep your hair back on track, and instead, you'll want to focus on moisturizing products.

Having these things in mind are a good starting point so don't worry if you're guilty of doing any of them. No one wakes up one day with luscious, perfect hair. Be patient, give your hair some love, and after some trial and error, you'll find what works best for your hair and how to keep it as healthy as you can.