Hello ladies

I am so sorry about the unplanned hiatus.  I was a lil under the weather.  When I began to feel better and was ready to blog my laptop packed up. I thank God my laptop and I are well now.
I hope you have been well.  How is the hair journey going?

This bog post is part two of the Shedding vs breakage series.  I hope you have read part one which sets out the differences between shedding and breakage and how to identify either.

In this blog post I will be sharing tips on how I minimise shedding and breakage.

                                                      HOW TO MINIMISE SHEDDING

As noted in part one shedding is a normal part of the hair growth cycle however there are ways to minimise or reduce shedding.  A popular method amongst ladies on a hair journey and the method I use myself is Black Tea Rinses.

What is a Black Tea Rinse ?

To carry out a black tea rinse, boil some water and steep some tea bags in it.  Leave the tea bags in the hot water and allow it to cool down completely to room temperature. Remove the tea bags. After washing your hair, pour the cooled down tea on your hair and scalp.
I use two tea bags in half a litre of water, this works for me but feel free to experiment with the number of tea bags and amount of water you use.  It is not an essential part of a hair regimen but there are benefits to doing it.  You can use any brand of tea, Lipton, PG Tips, Typhoo, Tetley, etc.

How Does it Work?

DHT is a hormone which can cause hair loss.  This hormone can be blocked by caffeine.  Black tea contains more caffeine than coffee and when used as a rinse, helps to reduce shedding.  This is a simplified explanation and I am doing further research into understanding how this in greater detail. Other great benefits of black tea rinses are that it adds shine and darkens hair with frequent use.

Practical Tips for Doing a Black Tea Rinses

I bought this cute mini jug for my black tea rinses

There are many ways of doing a black tea rinse.

Option one: wash and rinse your hair, pour the cooled tea on your hair and scalp. Leave the tea in your hair for 10 or more minutes, rinse out the tea and then proceed to deep conditioning.

Option two: wash and rinse your hair, pour the cooled tea on your hair and scalp. Leave the tea in your hair for a few minutes, do not rinse out the tea, simply apply your conditioner to your hair and deep condition. This is the option I use.

Option three: wash and rinse your hair, apply your deep conditioner, put the tea in a spray bottle and spray the tea on your scalp.  Proceed with deep conditioning.
Some ladies note that black tea rinses causes their hair to tangle so this option would be beneficial for such ladies because the tea is sprayed on your scalp and only a little amount will run unto you hair.

Note that black tea rinses should be done before or during conditioning.  They should never be done after conditioning because it may leave your hair feeling dry.

Remember that shedding can never be eliminated completely, but black tea rinses help to keep shedding to a minimum. Please note that if your hair suddenly begins to shed in very large amounts and you think you may have a medical condition which is causing the shedding, you should consult with your doctor.

                                                       HOW  TO MINIMISE BREAKAGE

To reduce breakage, you have to consider  what the causes of breakage are and eliminate them from your hair regimen.

Popular Causes of Breakage

Dryness
Dry hair has a high tendency to split and break.  Moisturising and sealing regularly will reduce the risk of breakage. For further information on moisturising and sealing see this post.

Protein and Moisture Imbalance
Deep conditioners and leave in conditioners are either protein conditioners which strengthen hair or moisturising conditioners which soften hair and improve its elasticity.  Using too much or not enough of either protein or moisturising products will lead to breakage.  It is therefore essential to achieve protein-moisture balance to minimise breakage. For further detailed information about protein and moisture balancing see this post.

Rough Handling
One thing I would like ladies to remember whenever they are handling their hair is this: black hair is delicate and must be handled with care.   Our hair cannot withstand aggressive handling.  I cannot emphasise this enough. If you (or salon staff) are not gentle with your hair it will break.  

Damage
From the moment our hair strands grow out of their hair follicles they will begin to experience some form of damage.  Some of the damage will occur naturally from ageing of the hair fibre or good old wear and tear.  Some damage however is self caused and this should be reduced or eliminated from your hair regimen.  Common causes of damage include chemical abuse( relaxing hair too often or incorrectly), incorrect installation, maintenance or removal of hair extensions, frequent use of direct heat,  damaged combs and hair styling accessories, neglecting you hair, etc. For more detailed information on damage and how to reduce damage please see this post.

Hope you’ve found this post to be a worthwhile read.  Anyone going to try the black tea rinse?

I will be putting up blog posts about my night time routine and mistakes I made early on in my journey soon.

X

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

There are two main ways we lose hair; by shedding or by breakage.
It is important to understand the difference between the two and know what causes either of them so that you know how to minimise both.

In this blog post I will explain what shedding and breakage is and how to identify either of them.

WHAT IS SHEDDING

Each strand of hair on our head goes through a 3 stage growth cycle.  These stages are; a growing stage, a resting stage and a shedding stage.  When a strand of hair is in the shedding stage, it will fall out from the hair follicle (the root of the hair).   The hair follicle will then produce/grow a new hair strand and that new hair strand will also go through this three stage cycle.  Hair loss through shedding is therefore a normal part of the hair growth cycle, on average we lose an average of 50 to 100 strands of hair a day by shedding.

Please note that shedding occurs even if your hair is in a weave, braids, under a wig or in a bun.  The hair will shed from the scalp but may be stuck in your hair style.  As an example, if a lady has a shedding rate of 50 strands a day but has had a weave for a month, when she removes the weave all the hair that has been shedding for the last 30 but was stuck in her style will fall out when she detangles and combs her hair.
So if her shedding rate is 50 strands a day and she has had a weave for 30 days, when she removes her weave all the 1500 hairs that has been shedding under the weave will be free from the weave or braids they were trapped in.

HOW TO IDENTIFY SHEDDING

This image is magnified.
The white tip is very very tiny but it is visible.

When a hair is shed, the entire length (from its base to its tip) falls out.  Shed hairs therefore tend to be longer pieces of hair.  Also shed hairs tend to have a very tiny white bulb at the base of the hair.  This is because when the hair is in the resting phase, colour stops being produced before the hair falls out in the shedding phase.

EXCESSIVE SHEDDING AND WHY IT IS A PROBLEM

Although shedding is natural, some factors can cause a woman’s shedding rate to increase beyond its normal level.
As an example, my own hair sheds approximately 30 to 55 strands a day (I know this because I’ve counted a few times, please don’t judge me 🙂 ) . If my shedding rate suddenly increases from 55 strands a day to 130 strands a day, that would be excessive shedding because my hair would be shedding more than in normally does.

So even though shedding is normal and should be expected, excessive or abnormal shedding is not.  Factors  that MAY cause hair to shed more than its normal rate include
1) Hormonal influences, eg pregnancy ( especially after birth), birth control, menopause, etc.
2) A poor diet
3) Stress
4) Some hairstyles which put too much tension or stress on the hair follicles (hair roots)

Excessive shedding will reduce the overall fullness of your hair over time.  In part two of this series I will share methods of reducing shedding.

WHAT IS BREAKAGE

Breakage is usually caused by the following situations
1) Dry and brittle hair
2) Excessive and rough combing
3) Protein and moisture imbalance
4) Damage from incorrect use of chemicals (relaxing and colouring)
5) Damage from extensions

Damage, incorrect hair care and poor hair care practices are the usual suspects behind breakage.  Broken hairs are usually shorter than shed hairs because only parts of the hair breaks off unlike shed hairs where the whole length of the hair falls out.  Also broken hair will not have a white tip which is a characteristic of shed hairs.

It is impossible to have zero breakage because general wear and tear, caring for and styling the hair can cause some degree of breakage. However, If you are experiencing severe breakage or your hair breaks very easily even when you are gentle with it then this is something you should address, treat or try to minimise.

I hope the information above has clarified the difference between breakage and shedding.  Please come back soon for part two of this series where I will provide advice on minimising both shedding and breakage.

How are your hair journeys going ladies?
What do you get more, shedding, breakage or both?

X

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow