Usually when I take out a protective style, I look for retained growth from the 6-8 weeks of wearing the style. After finally washing my hair from the remnants of the protective style, I’m absolutely excited about the end results.
That’s one of the perks of wearing a protective style, but on the flip side long term styles can also cause breakage in different areas of your head including the crown. In this post, we want to talk about crown breakage and how to re-evaluate your regimen if you notice it.
What is breakage?
Thinking about breakage is like torture to me. I cringe at those words, its like hearing nails on a chalkboard. Breakage typically looks like small pieces of hair that have literally been broken off somewhere in the strand of hair.
This is not the same as shed hair (long piece of hair with a white bulb at the end, that comes from the root/scalp). When you think of breakage, think of something that is damaged beyond repair. Breakage occurs from mishandling and not being gentle with your hair, lack of the needed nutrients, and excessive styling and manipulation.
Why is your hair breaking off
If you are not sure if you are experiencing breakage, then you should start with your hair practices, for instance, do you do any of these things?
Wash the hair before detangling after long-term protective style
Part your hair in the same four sections each week for washing, prepping, styling, etc.
Combing or brushing your hair while extremely wet or extremely dry
Use your pick multiple time a day to keep the volume
Do not take breaks between weaves and braids
In addition to those things you might find yourself often thinking, “my hair is not growing” or “why can’t my hair ever grow no matter what I do?” then there is a possibility that your hair is breaking and what you are doing matters. If you are experiencing crown breakage or breakage in general, try these tips to help prevent it:
Start with testing your hair
There are many ways you can test your hair to determine what “kind” of hair you have in order to care for your hair properly. Then you will be able to create a regimen catered to your hair and products to aid in your hair care regimen.
Check websites, blogs, and helpful YouTube videos to test your hair, like: Type (the amount of wave/curl in hair), Texture (the thickness/width of individual strands), Density (the number of individual strands on your scalp), Porosity (how your hair strands retain moisture), and Moisture and Protein Balance (the balance of the strength and the retained moisture in hair).
Make sure to examine your hair closely for any sign of stress, like: split ends, single strand knots, stretching, uneven length, bald spots, etc. Once you understand your hair, you will able to troubleshoot your hair issues and find ways to effectively care for your hair.
