Naturals: Do you experience SOME form of breakage?

[AmyRose92]

Hi everyone!

I was just curious and this question has been gnawing at me for about a week now. I've always experienced little strands of breakage but since it wasn't signficant (like when I was relaxed and people could actually see my broken off strands all over my school uniform), I never thought it was a big deal. Right now, I might see a couple of strands of breakage but I don't really worry about it.

So my question is:
Does everyone experience at least some form of breakage, even when your hair is "healthy"?

If not, then I seriously need to up my protein game 'cause when I shampoo and condition, I'd see some broken strands here and there.

 

[Janet']

Because I am an imperfect creature, I am going to have some form of breakage...but it's not drastic or an abnormal amount, for me. My hair is bleached and I know that no matter how much protein and deep conditioning that I do, I will probably still see a little bit of breakage due to life happening. I think that overall my hair seems to be pretty healthy and if I start stressing over every piece of broken off hair, I will be setting myself up for a world of disappointment!

 

[BillsBackerz67]

I do..Ill see maybe 5 or 6 broken hairs a week. I think breakage is inevitable but it can be reduced drastically if you do the right things for your hair

 

[ConstantlyDynamic]

for me, whenever any strands come out, it's during manipulation or when i'm washing (idk if that's normal but when the water runs through my hair, coils will just come out. could be shedding. idk). i don't think your hairs should come out when you aren't manipulating or rubbing you hair against something (that's what you're asking right?)

 

[LuvlyRain3]

I have a twa and I still see little broken pieces every now and then. I've come to realize that just because my hair is healthy doesn't mean its indestructible. I really gentle with my hair so I guess that some form of breakage is normal. I'm just glad that my hair is clogging up my sink like it used to when I was relaxed.

 

[GaiasDaughter24]

Only when I wash my hair. I cowash almost everyday so I see about 3 -5 broken hairs a day. I freak everytime so thanks for asking this question lol

 

[SimJam]

I asked myself this question alot since being natural. bc when relaxed u def saw evidence of breakage, a piece here or there on the bathroom floor on face basin.
but since being natural ( apart from a lil stint just after I BCd which i still chock up to residual relaxed pieces) I really dont "see" broken pieces of hair, though I know there must be.

Im thinking that the broken pieces wud be little "Cs" and "Os" which may be unnoticable

 

[lushcoils]

I see a lot more than 3 or 5 more hairs break a day even though I deep condition, protein, moisturize, protective style, trim, drink water, etc etc. My hair is only a TWA, but tiny hairs every where. Not really anything I can do about it though. I just hope I can still get shoulder length though.

 

[discodumpling]

I experience little to no breakage. The more knowledge I gain about the products my hair likes the less my breakage. Recently I saw a few short pieces on my shoulders as I dry combed my hair...next wash I left my antibreakage DC in for about 10 minutes longer and wah lah...breakager stopped in it's tracks.

 

[ConstantlyDynamic]

I see a lot more than 3 or 5 more hairs break a day even though I deep condition, protein, moisturize, protective style, trim, drink water, etc etc. My hair is only a TWA, but tiny hairs every where. Not really anything I can do about it though. I just hope I can still get shoulder length though.

i get more than that too! lol i don't get how people are only getting 3-5 pieces. i want their secrets!!

 

[ScorpioBeauty09]

Before I joined LHCF I had a real problem with breakage. Everywhere I went I'd leave a trail of broken hairs. But I started using Pantene Pro-V Restoratives Breakage Defense Conditioner and leave it in for at least an hour before rinsing and on my second use I started noticing a lot less hair coming out on my wash & blow dry days and not nearly as many broken hairs. Now the vast majority of the hair that comes out of my head is from shedding. I'm hoping this results in noticeable growth soon. I think it's near impossible to stop breakage entirely. All you can do is reduce it to a minimum.

 

[GoingNatural]

i get breakage, but a lot more shedding. I lose gumball-size amount of hair every time i wash my hair.

 

[southerncitygirl]

i see a few at my weekly wash when i detangle on wet hair, i do twistouts as my style and because i have lots of shrinkage and its low mani, i don't have issues with breakage during the week.....i freaked out a month ago because when i was co-washing 2-3 times a week my texture got frizzer and i thought i saw more breakage so i stopped and went back to the weekly poo/condish with my ao products and it seems to have subsided. i think co-washing is too much manipulation for me. this month or gthe beginning of october i will see my stylist and if i need a dusting when she flatirons me then i'll let her do it so that i can retain everything i grow.

 

[Nonie]

I am sure I experience some breakage because otherwise my retention would be superb. But I don't see it because in my case, I believe it happens when I sleep and then the pieces walk away.

No seriously my regimen leaves a lot to be desired (no moisturizer/leave-in/braid spray, no sealing, no PSing)...so my ends have seen better days and would be in worse shape if I weren't dusting. But even with that, judging from my previous growth rate before my hair reached my shoulders, I know I have suck-y retention now which could only come from breakage.

 

[jupitermoon]

Some breakage is inevitable, but the vast majority of the hair that I lose are shed hairs. I co wash and finger comb once a week and I get a nice sized amount of shed hair mostly along with a few broken strands with my combing. My retention is pretty good that's how I know I'm not getting a lot of breakage so the few broken hairs that are see don't disturb me too much.

 

[Yoshi3329]

Not natural yet, but I barely experience breakage. I used to at the beginning of the year but then I got my regimen down and breakage and knots are a thing of the past.

 

[EllePixie]

Usually just a few strands when I detangle, and granted, that's my fault b/c I need to be more gentle with my hair. I'm just impatient and am always in a hurry.

 

[PJaye]

I also see a few short pieces during my shampooing-conditioning period, but I see more longer shed strands and, for some reason, seeing those are more disturbing than the few shorter hairs.

 

[BostonMaria]

i get breakage, but a lot more shedding. I lose gumball-size amount of hair every time i wash my hair.

Yeah same here. Ever since I reached WSL I get more shedding when I wash my hair. Don't know if that's normal, but I now rollerset once a week to avoid manipulating my hair. When it's straight I hardly experience any breakage.

 

[Ronnieaj]

I get very mild breakage. When I did my hair today I got a dime-sized worth of breakage/shedding combined, which will never cause me to lose sleep. I get more breakage when I've let the SSKs go more than necessary; when that happens I'll get a small trim. My hair loves protein so I use a lot of protein heavy products, and I find that doing so really does help keep the breakage in check (I'm correspondingly heavy on the moisturizers depending on the strength of the treatment).

 

[Mook's hair]

I get lots of splits and of course that leads to breakage.

I'm working on correcting this.

 

[song_of_serenity]

yep. And splits. My hair is pretty healthy but some things are a bit inevitable. You can definitely work to decrease them significantly with great haircare practices, but completely end it? As long as you are manipulating your hair, be it washing or styling, a bit of breakage, especially the older ends, is bound to happen.

 

[tkj25]

So my question is:
Does everyone experience at least some form of breakage, even when your hair is "healthy"?

yes, emphatically ... lol, some breakage & splitting is normal & expected, no matter how much pampering & protecting you do to your hair. as long as you are retaining long hair ( ends that are 2, 3, 4, 5 plus year ...) your hair will show the effects of exposure to styling/mechanical damage, weathering, air, heat, the environment ... you can of course minimize these by protective styling, trimming, search & destroy, minimal-to-no heat, not-brushing-while-wet ... but you can't stop them all together unless you got strands of steel like superman or wonder woman's amazonian locks.

 

[Lady S]

Yes, I've been lazy with protein. And I can get impatient with detangling.

 

[kaykaybobay]

I guess I have mild breakage - when I wash I have a few shed hairs - thinking of trying to do a new method when I wash so less manipulation - I do have tiny little c shaped hairs - I have yet to figure out how to stop that mess.

 

[vainღ♥♡jane]

yes i was experiencing breakage in my crown when i wasn't applying my dc adequately. now i use Teri's curly primer method (i think thats what its called) to smooth my dc on (i don't use a brush though) and my hair is much better.

ETA: also, what helped with my breakage was mixing my moisture and protein as one deep conditioner. my hair was stretchy and feeling over moisturized with my moisture dc, so i'd try to correct it with a protein dc. it never worked though. now i mix em together and its the perfect balance for my hair. ♥

 

[Fine 4s]

I see a lot of short broken strands in my tub when I wash my hair. It's inevitable for me.
It's never a few strands or a couple of strands it's a lot. But it never prevented me from retaining length so I guess it's not too bad? :S

 

[BillsBackerz67]

I honestly thought I was shedding more as my hair got longer until I actually separated them and individually counted them (yes I was bored ) . It was around the same amount of hair as it was when my hair was a lot shorter but because my strands are twice as long as they used to be, it creates a bigger ball of hair

Yeah same here. Ever since I reached WSL I get more shedding when I wash my hair. Don't know if that's normal, but I now rollerset once a week to avoid manipulating my hair. When it's straight I hardly experience any breakage.

 

[luckiestdestiny]

Hi everyone!

I was just curious and this question has been gnawing at me for about a week now. I've always experienced little strands of breakage but since it wasn't signficant (like when I was relaxed and people could actually see my broken off strands all over my school uniform), I never thought it was a big deal. Right now, I might see a couple of strands of breakage but I don't really worry about it.

So my question is:
Does everyone experience at least some form of breakage, even when your hair is "healthy"?

If not, then I seriously need to up my protein game 'cause when I shampoo and condition, I'd see some broken strands here and there.

My answer is no or very rarely. If I'm washing perhaps a few during detangle but not really if I'm patient. Because I also wash in braids to minimize tangles and stretch the hair. I'm a mbl natural on my way to wl (fingers crossed. I've had to cut out some layers and it took a year to accomplish cutting out most of them and I'm more than ready to cross the darn finish line). I think in the long run your progress may stall or slow if you're having a lot of breakage as opposed to shedding.

Now shedding (with the bulb) that's another thing. I shed the average (or a little less than that) that you're supposed to shed and I always check and see that bulb. So it's not breakage.

There are a few things that could be culprit: Handling. HOW you handle the hair and how often. Perhaps your hair requires lower manipulation? Then all the twists in the world won't help you. Better to corn row and kim until it's time to do it again. Whereas with twists you'll have to retwist. Also the products you use, and the tension when you do the hair mattter too. I have fine strands so I find that the tension has to be light even when I braid.

Also you mention protein...IDK. You have to KNOW your hair is what I mean. My hair requires very little protein. I get protein through silk protein (the lightest) and coconut oil (prepoos overnight before washing). I also strengthen hair with cholesteral (but it also provides moisture). Mostly my hair CRAVES moisture. When I see little broken hairs (or a loooong time ago when I did in the beginning of experimenting), it was because my hair was overloaded with protein and was craving moisture instead. All of my dcs are moisturizing, not filled with protein. It only has minor stuff (silk protein) in it. Once in a blue moon I'll put on an egg or some mayo (like every couple months). Because really my hair just doesn't need it. So basically what I'm saying is you could be similar to me in that you don't need more protein and you're overdooing it. Or you aren't getting in any protein, but still don't need it, but aren't using enough moisture. One thing I started doing is leaving a little conditioner in my hair (silk elements conditioning treatment) period. That's my moisture. I let it dry then style. It feels moist for a week when I do that (it is so dense and it's not intended as a leave in but it works and really helps my moisture retention). I also put on some argan oil or coconut if it gets dry (as they also penetrate and don't just sit on the hair (they're the only oils that do that...I also think avocado does also, but don't quote me on that).

Think about a hands off style that you can utilize for a month on end. You may not be the cowash every other day lady (for instance), you might be the minimal effort lady. You never know. Either braided up, or some kinda stretched style, or flat ironed every once in a while. It may help with retention and you'll see less hairs.

 

[luckiestdestiny]

Forgot to add that my hair is usually in braids. I also flatiron/rollerset sometimes as well. When I do I just cross wrap and style with fingers. I don't have a comb in my hair everyday, so that's also maybe why I'm not having the broken hairs (combs wear of the hair.Some need to comb everyday, I don't with the styles I do: braids and/or straight.