by Tshepang Langa
Type 4 hair, especially 4c hair, is the most fragile type of hair making it prone to breakage. This means that this type of hair needs to be handled with extra love and caution. If you’re not gentle with your hair or you miss a few steps in your routine, your hair can break and this can be the most painful experience of your hair journey. Here are a few reasons why your hair is breaking and a few tricks and techniques you can use to fix this!
1. YOU DON’T MOISTURISE YOUR HAIR
Along with being the most fragile type of hair, 4c hair is also very dry further increasing its chances of breaking. One of the biggest reasons why your hair could be breaking is because of lack of moisture. You need to moisturise your hair using the 3 part moisture retention technique known as the LOC Method. This method involves applying a liquid-based product, such as water or a leave-in conditioner, a light oil like grapeseed oil or olive oil and a hair cream or butter. Apply these to your hair in this order as often as your hair needs the moisture and your hair will be strengthened and lessen its chances of breaking.
2. YOU DON’T TRIM YOUR SPLIT ENDS
Your ends are the oldest part of your hair and they need the most moisture. Lack of moisture on the ends causes the ends to be damaged and splinter resulting in what we call split ends. These can be the enemy of progress especially when you’re trying to retain length, as your hair splits and breaks at a faster rate than your hair is growing. This might make you stay in the awkward hair length phase longer than you should. Split ends, however, can’t necessarily be avoided even when your hair is healthy. They occur every 3-4 months so you’ll have to cut them using hair scissors every 3 months to stop your hair from breaking and allow it to reach its maximum health and length.
3. YOU ALWAYS HAVE TIGHT HAIRSTYLES ON
Hairstyles are great for when you’re trying to look your best, some are even great for protecting your ends and helping you retain some length. However, the process of tugging and pulling your hair while getting these hairstyles is already straining to your hair. Tight hairstyles break your hair and cause your hairline to recede. Hairstyles help you lessen hair manipulation but should not cause you to run away from your usual natural hair routine. This means you’ll still have to wash and moisturise your hair even if it’s in a protective hairstyle.
There are a number of reasons why your hair could be breaking, including sleeping on a cotton pillowcase or using a cotton towel to try your hair. These reasons, however, are 3 of the biggest reasons why your hair could be breaking. Apply these changes to your routine and watch how much your hair will flourish.
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