You may be fed up with trying all different sorts of shampoos and conditioners to try and fix your broken hair, and I completely understand! That is why I have tried to give you some useful information on why your hair has become weakened in the first place, as well as steps you can take to prevent it happening in the first place.
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Causes of Weakened Follicles
This can be caused by a number of different factors. I am going to outline some of these, but please remember that not all of these will likely apply to you. If you recognize that one of these causes of weakened follicles is something that might be having a large effect on your scalp health, don’t forget to hone in on that one problem in particular so that you can take steps to remedy it!
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Styling
One common cause of broken follicles is excessive styling in tight ponytails or buns, which can cause damage, especially at the hairline.
Harsh Chemicals
In addition, if you have a perm, consistently color your hair, or use other harsh chemicals on it, it will be more prone to breakage.
Other factors
Other factors affecting your scalp health that you may not think about as much include washing in hard water, a lack of appropriate nutrition (which can occur with certain medical conditions), exposing to excessive sunlight, and having a stressful lifestyle.
Follicles That Are Broken Can Be Hard To Fix
This may seem incredibly obvious, but I’m going to suggest that the best way to treat your broken hair is to stop breaking it in the first place! As with most things, this is easier said than done, but this doesn’t have to be overwhelming; simply incorporate one or two of my suggestions into your lifestyle!
You can first fix it by sleeping with a satin pillowcase. This is a no-brainer, because you’ve already taken care of about 8 hours of each day! I also recommend trimming your split ends frequently (if you don’t want to pay for a salon visit every time, invest in a good pair of hair scissors and trim those ends yourself).
This next tip, which you’ve probably heard before, is to stop using heat. Try as much as possible to avoid using blow-dryers, flat irons, or curling irons. If you really must use heat, use it on the lowest setting.
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That being said, there are some wonderful videos online of ways to curl and style without heat. I encourage you to explore those options! Finally, ensure to moisturize it fully when you take a shower, use de-tangling cream, and do not brush your hair while it is wet. As a bonus, try not to wear extremely tight hairstyles on a daily basis.
While there are a number of repair shampoos, conditioners, and other products, do not rely solely on these. Remember that proper care, as I’ve outlined above, should be your first line of defense against broken follicles and preventing additional breakage. You can, however, purchase a good mask (free of parabens and with healing products such as keratin) to use once or twice a week.
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Don’t forget to ensure you are eating a healthy diet of lean meats or vegetarian protein sources, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in high quantities in flaxseeds, walnuts, and salmon, will also help promote scalp health.
Homemade Remedies
When it comes to fixing my broken hair (which, let’s be real, is a constant battle), I always turn to homemade remedies. I love the process of actually getting to make the recipes myself, and it lets me know exactly what I’m putting on, so I can be sure that there aren’t any harmful chemicals.
Avocado mask
This is a great remedy. Take a ripe avocado and mash it up in a bowl, adding an egg to the mixture. Work the mask through your locksand let it sit for at least 20 minutes. If you have very long locks, you may need to double the recipe. Rinse out the mask several times. You can use this treatment once a week to add essential fatty acids to your mane.
Butter massage
This one sounds a little weird, but just trust me on it! What you do is massage a small amount of butter throughout and cover in a shower cap for at least 30 minutes. Chill out, read the newspaper, and when you’re ready shampoo and rinse out the butter.
Read this if you have chemically straightened hair!
Olive oil
You can reinvigorate your damaged follicles by restoring some of the moisture to it. You should heat (but not to a boil) about ½ cup of olive oil and then spread it throug. Cover your hair again with a shower cap, then a towel on top of that, and let it permeate into the strands for about 45 minutes. As usual, shampoo and thoroughly rinse out all of that oil.
Tea rinse
This is another unconventional treatment for damaged locks, but it’s an easy one! Simply brew a cup of tea before your shower (chamomile if you have light hair black tea for dark hair), shampoo and rinse your hair, and then apply a final rinse with the tea! As a bonus, a tea rinse will enhance your hair color!
Apple cider vinegar mask
You’ve probably already heard apple cider vinegar (sometimes referred to as ACV) touted as a wonderful remedy for damaged follicles, so here’s a simple recipe to help you out! Mix 2 tbsp. of ACV with 3 eggs and apply. Cover with your shower cap for 30 minutes, shampoo, and then rinse it out.
Botanical oils
You can purchase almond, jojoba, or another rich oil not only at health stores these days, but even in the health product sections of most supermarkets. Then all you have to do is dampen your hair slightly, rub a bit of the oil throughout, and let it sit for about 30 minutes. After that, just shampoo and rinse.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a number of steps that you can take to prevent damaging your follicles in the first place, and to help it heal if it is already quite damaged. Incorporating at least one of the home remedies into your daily routine can really help to maintain scalp health and to avoid further damage to your broken follicles!