Is your hair snapping/breaking or do you have split ends galore?

There are several things that cause hair to break. Some people may even think their hair is actually falling out because it can occur close to the scalp and on a large scale, dependant on the cause. Identifying if it’s falling out at the root or if it’s breaking is key to diagnosing the issue. The easiest way to identify this is to find one of the hairs that has fallen out and see if it has a little ‘bulb’ or if one of the ends is slightly fatter than the other then the hair has fallen out at the root. THIS IS NORMAL to an extent. Everyone sheds hair naturally and at different rates however if it seems excessive it’s best to see a professional and get a medical diagnosis for it.

If it looks like a clean break that’s where I can help as it’s almost entirely to do with your environment and/or diet.  Some of the most common causes of breakage are:

1. Loss of moisture – can be from air-conditioning, swimming, chemical services (colour/bleach/perming/straightening etc), heat styling tools, sun
2. Too much protein – this can be diet or product related
3. Mistreatment of hair – rough brushing, too much heat/not using heat styling tools correctly
4. Brushing/combing when wet (the most common cause of split ends)
5. Tight hair bands and/or incorrect removal of hair bands (they should be unwound rather than tugged through the hair)
6. Rough treatment when shampooing/drying

Most of the causes above can be fixed by using moisture-based hair products (all ME&MY products are moisture rich). Hair grows at an approximate rate of .5 – 1.5cm/month so anything you do to try and fix the problem will take TIME!

My recommendations for avoiding breakage:

• Use Angel Magic Moisture DAILY as a detangler and UV protection (and heat protector when required), be sure to use it prior to wet combing/brushing
• Use Coco Fusion Masque Treatment with every shampoo for 2 – 4 weeks, followed by Power Shot Energy Treatment. Once hair is feeling softer and smoother discontinue one of the treatments and use one only for another 2 weeks. After this you can return to using a conditioner every 2^nd-3^rd shampoo.
• Use a moisture-based shampoo (any of our shampoo’s will be great but Damage Reversal Cleanser is the best in this case)
• Reduce protein in diet and check all hair products for ingredients like common culprits ‘Keratin’, anything that says ‘…. protein’, L-Arginine, (you still need some protein for healthy hair so don’t exclude it altogether)
• Avoid heat styling as much as possible
• If hair needs to be up pin it rather than using hair bands and put it up at different heights every day
• Massage the scalp regularly to encourage new growth of hair
• Discuss with your hairdresser about reducing any chemical applications (if you apply your own colour at home be sure to ONLY apply to regrowth – don’t use product on the mid-lengths and ends every time you colour)
• Be gentle with your hair, comb any knots out working from the bottom up

Sara x