How To Stop Brittle Hair From Breaking

Unless you lot were built-in with super-strong, totally invincible, can-have-anything hair, your pilus is about always going to be fragile newborn baby at some signal, whether that's from besides much heat styling, colour-treating, or aggressive towel-rubbing. And yup, hair breakage super sucks. But: That doesn't hateful you just gotta suck it upwards or ditch your hair-straighteners and curling irons forever. In that location are several ways you tin avert and preclude split-ends and pilus breakage, whether that's through lifestyle changes (like, finish putting your wet hair in a tight ponytail, k?), or actual pilus breakage treatments (which I kindly found and bankrupt down for yous, below).

So if you're seeing those suspiciously short and uneven strands in random parts of your hair and wonder if it's breakage, I gotchu. But before I kickoff my hair breakage Ted Talk, here are the top treatments and products to try at present:

Best Hair Breakage Treatment for Travel

Pantene Hair Mask Miracle Rescue Shots

What are causes of hair breakage?

Hair breakage can exist caused by things like over-styling to not getting enough pilus trims, celebrity hairstylist and founder of Juices and Botanics in Addison, TX, Whitney Eaddy says. But the full list of things that tin crusade breakage is, to say the least, lengthy (similar I said, pilus is a baby), so here's a quick glance at some common reasons your hair might be breaking.

Your styling habits (over-manipulation, as well much heat-styling, brushing besides vigorously, towel-drying, wearing tight elastics and hair ties)
Your hair habits (not trimming your split ends, over-washing, not giving your hair enough moisture/only relying on protein, and chemical treatments, like perms, relaxers, color-treatments, etc.)
Your own health (stress, diet, age, genetics)

So, aye, information technology's not as easy to pin down every bit you might think. "I e'er advise evaluating the external and internal factors that could exist causing breakage," says Eaddy. "Beyond over styling: Diet, lifestyle, stress, medications, and vitamin deficiencies tin can likewise play a factor."

So if you lot've tried hydrating and strengthening products, have given your hair regular breaks from heat and processing, and you're yet non seeing an improvement afterwards a few months, it's fourth dimension for a chat with your doctor.

What does hair breakage look like?

Hair breakage tin take a few different forms, but almost frequently, it looks like short, uneven strands of hair that are significantly shorter than the residuum of your hair. But before you start inspecting your hairline in a magnified mirror, Eaddy says not to confuse pilus breakage with new hair growth. "You can tell that you are dealing with new growth considering the hair will be the same length all throughout the caput and hairline," she says. "When dealing with breakage, the hair is uneven and located more in 1 section, rather than evenly throughout the head."

So your baby hairs effectually your confront are more than probable just new growth, whereas that random patch of brusque hairs at the back or side of your head might be actual breakage. And typically the breakage happens farther from the root, Eaddy says. "Information technology can typically be identified by dissever ends," she explains.

How do I stop hair breakage?

Stopping hair breakage falls into 2 main categories: lifestyle changes and treatments. Lifestyle tactics to avoid hair breakage look like: not rubbing your pilus roughly with a towel (use a soft microfiber towel instead), not over-styling your hair with hot tools, fugitive wearing really tight pilus ties, and non over-processing it with treatments similar perms, relaxers, or pilus dye (yup, fifty-fifty if information technology's natural pilus dye). That's not to say you have to skip out on all the fun hair trends and colors to avert breakage, but just requite your pilus a break every once in a while to avoid it getting dry and brittle.

Hair breakage treatments and products, on the other hand, are the treatments, hair serums, masks, shampoos, and conditioners, that are packed with hydrating ingredients or protein-based ingredients to help dry or brittle hair. "I suggest using hydrating pilus masks, oils, and deep conditioners to provide your hair with the most amount of moisture possible," says Eaddy.

If your hair is super dry out, Eaddy suggests steaming it. "Hair steaming with a deep conditioning treatment is i of my favorite haircare rituals, especially if you are experiencing breakage," Eaddy says. "It ensures that your hair will blot the maximum amount of hydration and moisture possible while too increasing elasticity, which helps prevent breakage."

How to cull a hair breakage treatment:

Consider your hair blazon

"The finer your hair is, the more than susceptible information technology is to breakage," Eaddy says. "Fine hair is thin and delicate. The finer the texture of your hair, the more than gentle you want to be." And finer hair is peculiarly prone to breakage when information technology's over-done and styled, and then if that sounds like you lot, you'll want to accept a break from the hot tools and treat your pilus to a protein hair breakage treatment.

And if yous don't know if y'all have fine hair or not, here'due south a tip: Take i strand of pilus and gyre it between your thumb and index finger. If yous can feel it, it's probably not super-fine, but if you can't, information technology's on the finer side. Evidently, this isn't an exact science, but information technology can aid.

For coarser hair types and type-4 hair, moisture is almost always the reply, then stock up on deep conditioners, pilus oils, and hydrating pilus breakage treatments to continue it hydrated. And if y'all like to color your pilus a lot, fun, but also damaging. "Colour-treated or chemically treated pilus can be more frail and prone to impairment due to the processes altering the natural bonds of your hair," says Eaddy.

And so, maybe skip that next full-process colour engagement you're tempted to book and instead treat your pilus to a few months of hydrating, reparative products

Figure out what'due south causing your breakage

Earlier y'all spend your paycheck on hair breakage treatments, figure out what'south causing the breakage kickoff. If y'all straighten or curl your hair every single day, information technology'southward likely that your hair desperately needs moisture and a rest from the heat. If you're already pretty gentle on your pilus only notwithstanding have breakage? It might only need some protein-packed products that will strengthen your strands. Important annotation here: As well much protein can pb to fifty-fifty more breakage, so if you go down the protein route, merely use them in one case a week, max.

Expect at the formulas

Great, now you know what'south causing the breakage. The side by side step? Picking the right formula. Breakable pilus needs formulas that include peptides, amino-acids, and keratin. While dry and over-candy hair needs deep conditioners, hair oil to lock in moisture, and hydrating, sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners that won't strip your hair of your natural wet

Why trust Cosmo?

Sami Roberts was the beauty assistant at Cosmopolitan with four years of experience researching, writing, and editing health, social media, and hair growth-related stories that range from the natural hair dyes to best affordable hair dryers to the best hair breakage treatments. She's an authorization in hair product categories, but is an expert when it comes to pilus breakage, thanks to years of over-styling and dealing with split-ends. She regularly tests and analyzes hair oils and hair masks while working with the manufacture'southward top experts to appraise new formulas and brands.

Valeriya Chupinina is the dazzler banana at Cosmopolitan with 5 years of experience researching, writing, and editing skincare stories that range from gray hairstyles to pilus toners. She's an authorisation in all haircare categories, and regularly tests and analyzes hair breakage treatments for efficacy, while working with the industry's top hairstylists and trichologists to assess new formulas and brands.

Sami Roberts Sami Roberts is the beauty assistant at Cosmopolitan, covering beauty trends, news, and deep dives into all the beauty products you love in order to determine which ones are really worth your money (she knows more than any one person should know well-nigh deodorant!).

Valeriya Chupinina Valeriya Chupinina is a freelance beauty and health author exploring the multifaceted connexion between the aesthetic and internal.