A full head of hair is always said to be our crowning glory and most take time and money to keep their hair in tiptop shape. Celebrities pay top dollar for top hairdresser services. Poor care and non-maintenance can lead to damage and ultimately hair loss. The loss of hair, may it be a man or a woman, can affect us mentally and physically. Loss of hair for some causes low self-esteem, extreme humiliation and embarrassment.

It is a known fact that dry hair is the pre-cursor to damage. Different types of hair react differently to treatments and processes we subject it to. But all hair, may it be curly, wavy or straight, have the same design when we look at it closely using an electron microscope.

The hair cuticle is located on the outside of the hair shaft. The cuticle looks like scales that point downward the hair shaft. Healthy hair is shiny and soft to the touch. This is because the hair cuticle is all aligned and sealed. Damage occurs when the hair cuticle becomes lifted and ragged. Damage also occurs when the hair shaft explodes from to much exposure to heat. Too much heat dries out the hair making it brittle and prone to breakage. When breakage occurs, split ends appear. The ends break and split unevenly and Split ends can never be repaired, only temporarily put off by conditioning shampoos and styling products. Most hair damage can come from multiple sources:

• Mechanical – Even though our hair is one of the toughest materials on the planet if compared side by side to the same size of steel, too much brushing and back combing can lift the hair cuticle and expose the shaft.
• Chemical – Coloring, perming, relaxing and straightening are some of the chemical treatments usually done to hair. Frequent treatments and over processing can lead to dryness and breakage.

Too much cuticle damage due to over perming. Image taken from P&G.

• Sun damage – Over exposure to the sun’s UV rays can dry out hair. This can be seen as light streaks on the hair.
• Heat – Too much heat and too frequent blow-drying dries out hair and makes it brittle.

Hair breakage due to too much heat from blowdrying. Image taken from P&G.

There is no turning back once your hair has been damaged and splits. It can temporarily be hidden by conditioning shampoos and “split-end treatments” as it only coats the outside of the hair shaft but will reappear after the next shampoo.

Hair after using split-end shampoo. Image taken from P&G.

The only way to remove split ends is to have a hair cut initially and have regular hair trimming every 6 to eight weeks. If your hair is much damaged, you may need to drastically shorten your hair and start changing your hair care process. But the best recourse is prevention and good hair care maintenance. Regular conditioning is essential to prevent hair from drying out. If you have time, let your hair air dry rather than blow drying it. If pressed for time, blowdry it at the lowest setting. Also have a short trim every six to eight weeks.

Article by Rikki Ola