All you need to know about brittle and split hair

Brittle, split ends, damaged hair ... Find out why they can get weaken and how we can preserve them thanks to simple solutions to do oneself and protective habits to adopt.

How do you recognise brittle hair and what is it?

Damaged hair is often malnourished and / or dehydrated. It also turns out that over time, a succession of causes arises and accelerates the aging of hair.

Let's distinguish between breakage and forks. Hair lacking in nutrients (malnourished) can break along the lengths, in the middle, or even close to the root. Most often we notice a small ball like a knot on the hair. This indicates the break point. At the ends, that is to say at the end of the hair, we can see a split. It's about the hair that splits. It is dryness mainly due to dehydration.

The factors that favor these phenomena are:

~ Natural, linked to the environment: sun, sea salt, chlorine, dry weather...

~ Mechanical, related to the friction of the hair between them, on the clothes, the wind, the bosses, the accessories still on the hands that we pass too often through the hair…

~ Chemicals, linked to ingredients harmful to our hair: dyes, bleaching, perms, straightening…

Why are some hairs more fragile than others?

The first affected are fine hair whose ends dry out quickly, especially if they are long. They can be compared to a woolen thread. The sheathing of the hair (keratin mass) is not dense enough to resist properly over time if it is not previously protected.

High porosity hair has scales that are too open. They absorb everything in their environment that can hydrate them. Their lengths become more fragile and prone to split ends. They are said to be sparkling.

Curly, dry hair is also more vulnerable. Their twists accentuate the opening of their scales. Finally, long hair is made more sensitive to ends by its age. It can take several months or years before you cut them.

Only short hair is spared, as it is cut regularly.

What are the actions to be banned to avoid this?

Too aggressive products, often loaded with synthetic collagen, silicone, and sulfates should be avoided as much as possible. Favoring natural care to gently treat damaged hair is the first good habit to adopt.

Allow them to dry naturally for a break, ideally one to two months. And if brushing is required, always use a heat protective treatment.

Getting the ends too dry is the first step before hair that is brittle. You can preserve the ends with intensive moisturising treatment and thus prevent the appearance of split ends. To combat dry lengths, it is best to combine a protective shampoo rich in protein and a moisturising hair oil.

Do you have to cut and where?

If the hair is too damaged, then it is better to cut and cut it in the right place. To find out, all you need to do is take a section of hair between your fingers and slide it towards the ends. Where there is only 20% material left between your fingers, this indicates precisely where to cut them.

On the other hand, if only the ends are split without breaking the hair, then only 1 to 2 cm will be cropped.

Types of shampoos to favor and why? Then what care?

The choice of shampoo is important and must above all be made in relation to the matrix of his scalp: rather oily, dry, normal, mixed, delicate… The shampoo will provide nutrients and / or moisturizing ingredients to the whole body. hair.

Then we have to imagine our hair as trees. The stronger and stronger the bark, the healthier the tree will be. The scales of our hair play this protective role.

When shampooing with a natural product, the scales open mechanically to receive the benefits of the latter. Using a conditioner with a slightly more acidic pH than shampoo will help close the scales and ensure that nutrients and moisturizers are retained as needed. Hair with properly closed scales is smoother, stronger and better protected. It is also very easy to style and detangle. Also, a lower pH reduces negative static electricity and therefore frizz and the risk of breakage.

The lengths and ends are treated more in depth, with masks to be done ideally every week and to leave on. Recommendations: before leaving a mask on, wring out the hair well after shampooing to remove as much water as possible and without using conditioner, then rinse. The conditioner can only be used after the mask to close the scales and consolidate the treatment. Also, while the mask is on, you can use a towel that you have previously heated on a towel dryer, for example, in order to amplify the delivery of beneficial active ingredients deep into the hair.

For dry hair, it is necessary to favor oil baths, shea butter for example and boost its keratin with animal proteins (salmon, eggs, white meat), vegetables (vegetables: lentils, soybeans, beans, beans…, nuts (especially walnuts and almonds), whole grains…

For hair that is dehydrated, start by drinking enough water (1.5L / day). The benefits of water are numerous, both on the skin and on the hair. Aloe vera leave on as a mask is the natural active ingredient par excellence to deeply hydrate the hair.

Home-made tips

- If you have long, thin and fragile hair, tie it up to sleep. The ideal is to group them together in a bun above the head with a scrunchie-type elastic;

- Use natural brushes rather than plastic;

- Make a quick homemade treatment with a crushed avocado, an egg yolk and a small green of organic virgin olive oil;

- Finally, after a treatment and using your hands, apply a small amount of dry oil (jojoba, wheat germ for example) on the lengths and ends of perfectly towel-dried and towel-dried hair in order to keep a maximum of hydration in the hair. This is called sealing in the moisture of the hair.

You will understand that adopting the right routine and paying attention to the appearance of your hair helps to anticipate breakage and split ends. Hair treated according to its nature and needs is obviously more beautiful and more resistant.