- this is the most physical damage that many people suffer from or have suffered from at least once is HEAT DAMAGE!!! those hair curlers and blow dryers etc..... yes it may make out hair look pretty for the meantime, in between time but in the long run it leaves our floor covered with evidence of short broken hairs. i remember my friend once said to me, do you know what she told me? " chantelle, i don't really understand why people say that heat damages your hair? i mean when ever i use heat on my hair it looks healthier but when i let my hair air dry it always looks frizzy and more damaged, i need heat because it makes my hair healthy!" . and do you know what i told her? " when you apply heat to your hair it covers up the true condition of your hair at the same time damaging the strands, the true health of your hair shows when its airdied that why it looks better heat styled and this is an indication of hair DAMAGE!".
- hair colouring causes dry, limp & brittle hair if done to often or applied incorrectly. this chemical damage can be avoided if you only dye your hair 1-2 shades darker or lighter than your natural hair colour and then you will need less touch ups, resulting in less chemical used.
- relaxer! yes i know im guilty of this one, this is a common chemical hair damager in the afro Caribbean/ black community however there are many women with healthy relaxed hair and they achieve this with stretching their relaxers, this is extending the time period you get a touch up relaxer. maybe waiting 3 - 6 months before getting a new relaxer.
- daily over manipulation of the hair this is another common hair damager people don't know about over brushing the hair, using small tooth combs, rough towel drying, tight ponytails and hairstyles all create stress on the strands and produce breakage and hair dryness.
- a common eviromental damage your hair suffers from is sun damage this causes dullness and dryness to prevent you should wear sun hats and sun protection on your hair.
- another eviromental damage is swimming in sea water or chlorine water this also leaves the hair dry and more prone to breakage. make sure to wet hair before entering a pool because your hair is like a sponge it sucks in the water so if theres already water in your hair it will suck in less chlorine/ salt water. also use a chelating shampoo after swimming pronounced key- la- ting.
- next stop is cold weather! it strips the hair of moister which leaves hair dry and brittle. so to combat this in the cold winter months you should do weekly or even twice a week deep conditioning with a nice thick mask or make your owh hydrating mask olive oil and half a ripe advricardo. also try to keep ends of hair wrapped up in a bun to stop the ends from drying out and wearing a protective hat outdoors.
- poor diet is the direct link to poor hair growth and poor health in general. most people over look the nutritional damages poor eating can cause to the hair. our hair is 80% protein so eat more protein this can be found in eggs, chicken and lean meat etc... having a balanced diet will help with overall well being and hair growth.
- water water water!!!! you need to take care of your self internally to see the outside results aim to drink half you body weight in water to maintain a healthy body.
- smoking will result in poor hair growth because it will cause hair loss and malnutrition
