5 Tips To Reduce Breakage When Washing Natural Hair

 by Sabrina Perkins

Cleaning out the drain is high on the list of worst chores in life. Especially when you have (and lose) a lot of hair. We like to find small ways to put off this
loathsome activity. Most of your hair breakage happens on wash day, so if you want to lose less hair then start with your shower habits.

Read On!>>>
Get a Shower Mirror
A fog-free shower mirror is a great asset to your hair care shower routine. Most of us have grown up not using one so we manage to care for our hair without it. We fumble around blindly parting our hair and feeling to ensure we have everything out and everything in. It is a pain but it is so much a part of the routine that we do not realize how it can be easier. With a shower mirror that is fog-free you can see your parts. You see if all is rinsed out and all the conditioner is covering all of your head. The parts do not have to be perfect but it is helpful to have some organization so that when you detangle your roots you do not accidentally grab a section that is put away. How does that aid in hair loss? Well, seeing your tangles in the shower and working them through will be easier than the several you missed by the time you got out. If you are like me then you get tired and get to yanking. More sight means more control over working out those tangles.

Rinse with Tea
Tea rinses for hair shedding are becoming increasingly popular as curlies find them easy to create, master, and very beneficial at stopping some hair shedding in its tracks. All you have to do is steep the tea and allow it to cool before pouring over your hair and scalp after cleansing and conditioning your hair in the shower. Then, massage your scalp before continuing your hair routine, as there is no need to rinse it out.

Black tea, made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis bush, is a favorite for tea rinses as it contains more caffeine than a cup of coffee. Caffeine blocks Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is the hormone responsible for hair loss. Green tea is another popular tea rinse that will stimulate hair growth and there are others teas like chamomile for brightening hair or nettle tea for helping with scalp issues like dandruff and psoriasis. Tea rinses are easy ways to fight off hair shedding or hair loss and even stimulate your hair follicles.

Use Croc Clips
Most of us have parted ways with the rat tail combs but many are still using hair care accessories that are not doing their hair any favors. Scrunchies are out! Rubber bands are out! Even ouchless hair bands are really not that ouchless as I still get hair tangled up in them. The solution? Colortrak Tools The Croc Clips that will not slip, snag, or yank your tresses while you part your hair in the shower.

The Goody Ouchless Flex barrette is my favorite barrette. I have never yanked my hair out with them and they are amazing in the shower. Using the correct tools in the shower will leave little room for yanking out hair and incurring hair loss at your own hands.

Pre-poo
A pre-poo or oil treatment applied to hair prior to shampooing is one of the best ways to decrease hair loss and fight tangles without spending hours at a time in the shower. Wet hair is more elastic than dry hair so it is manipulate it when dry. Yes, the shed hair needs to be removed either way but as most of the tangles or shed hairs are broken down by the oil, you will have less of them to reckon with when your hair is soaking wet and more susceptible to breakage.

Rinse with cool, not hot water
Steamy showers feel oh so good. The steam is great for imparting moisture into our strands but putting hot water on our strands is not doing our curls any favors. The hot water dehydrates your strands just like our skin, and dry brittle hair is more prone to breakage and ultimately hair loss says Dr. Ryan Welter, a hair transplant surgeon in Boston. “Not only are you washing your hair’s protective oils down the drain, but the heat throws your scalp's pores into overdrive to keep up with oil production, which can damage the root and lead to additional shedding.” You don't have to take a cold shower, but opt for a warm one and try to rinse your hair with cool water.

How do you prevent breakage in the shower?

Source: curlynikki