Tiny Hair breakage inevitable?

[Donyyful]

Hi all, I've been going back and forth with hair breakage for a while now. My hair currently tailbone length, and I've been experiencing hair breakage through out my hair. These microscopic breakages are like 0.2-0.3cms long, definitely no longer than 0.5cm for sure. They mostly occur on my naturally short hairs than my length. Whenever I S&D, I see some strands have bent ends and when I gently push the ends of my hair, it becomes a 90 degree end and sometimes just break off. The ends that break off never result in split ends, white dots, or any sign of damage; they just look like a normal blunt end, as if they've been cut off themselves. Sometimes I feel like I don't need to cut them off and let them break off naturally and I'm just cutting off my length.

I am doing everything I can to stop these, but I feel like its inevitable. I do not use heat, no combs or brushes, protective style, heavy oiling, deep condition, regularly condition, sulphate free shampoo, use a leave in conditioner and still get this issue.

Do you experiencing these small hair breakages, and are they inevitable? Should I just leave them alone ?

[Frankenstein]

I think it's normal for long hair to experience breakage of some degree. I remember that Arctic once posted that we don't live in a vacuum, so hair is going to have at least a little bit of wear and tear no matter how well you treat it.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I think that however gentle you are with your hair you will always get some degree of breakage/damage. It's just part of living.

[Hairkay]

That's how some of my strands break off. A little bend then it breaks of clean leaving a blunt end. I also got some of those forked ones and a few incomplete splits. Which I cut off if I see them. I'm seeing less of that now that I pay particular attention to the ends with oil and when I'm using a hair mask for deep conditioning. I've never seen any white dots so I don't think I get that type.

[lapushka]

Are you, by chance, using a lot of protein on your hair? Check your conditioners and shampoos for ingredients and go from there. Checking your routine, and telling us about it here, is the first thing to do. :)

[Donyyful]

I think it's normal for long hair to experience breakage of some degree. I remember that Arctic once posted that we don't live in a vacuum, so hair is going to have at least a little bit of wear and tear no matter how well you treat it.

That makes a lot of sense. Not every hair is going to be a happy one on our heads!


I think that however gentle you are with your hair you will always get some degree of breakage/damage. It's just part of living.

Definitely! :)


That's how some of my strands break off. A little bend then it breaks of clean leaving a blunt end. I also got some of those forked ones and a few incomplete splits. Which I cut off if I see them. I'm seeing less of that now that I pay particular attention to the ends with oil and when I'm using a hair mask for deep conditioning. I've never seen any white dots so I don't think I get that type.

I wonder if those blunt ends that have broken off are actually damaged if seen on a microscopic level? I guess at least its better than having a white dot or a split end :P


Are you, by chance, using a lot of protein on your hair? Check your conditioners and shampoos for ingredients and go from there. Checking your routine, and telling us about it here, is the first thing to do. :)

My hair is definitely sensitive to protein, which I am very aware of the ingredients in my products. My hair prefers more moisture over protein, and I don't regularly use protein based products; 9/10 times I will use a protein free shampoo and conditioner. What is interesting though, is that whenever I henna my hair, which is every couple of months or so, I don't experience breakage at all; perhaps its the type of protein thats formulated in the products? Who knows

I also clarify my hair with a sulphate shampoo when I feel like my hair is not responding to products, and also do a ACV rinse to balance the pH levels on my scalp and hair.

[lapushka]

My hair is definitely sensitive to protein, which I am very aware of the ingredients in my products. My hair prefers more moisture over protein, and I don't regularly use protein based products; 9/10 times I will use a protein free shampoo and conditioner. What is interesting though, is that whenever I henna my hair, which is every couple of months or so, I don't experience breakage at all; perhaps its the type of protein thats formulated in the products? Who knows

I also clarify my hair with a sulphate shampoo when I feel like my hair is not responding to products, and also do a ACV rinse to balance the pH levels on my scalp and hair.

Maybe it's too much moisture and lack of a little protein? Could it be as simple as that, I wonder?

[Anje]

What is interesting though, is that whenever I henna my hair, which is every couple of months or so, I don't experience breakage at all; perhaps its the type of protein thats formulated in the products? Who knows
Have you tried cassia/senna on your hair? Similar conditioning to henna, yellow color that doesn't really show up on darker hair. It might solve the breakage without making your hair red.

Mine doesn't break the way yours is breaking. Then again, mine is hennaed.

[Donyyful]

Maybe it's too much moisture and lack of a little protein? Could it be as simple as that, I wonder?

I wonder too! Wouldn't too much moisture result in mushy limp hair? I haven't had that experience yet.

[Donyyful]

Have you tried cassia/senna on your hair? Similar conditioning to henna, yellow color that doesn't really show up on darker hair. It might solve the breakage without making your hair red.

Mine doesn't break the way yours is breaking. Then again, mine is hennaed.

I've been meaning to or a long while now, but I thought it had similar properties to Henna so I just stuck to Henna instead. I will try it and see what happens. How do you experience breakage?

[Anje]

I've been meaning to or a long while now, but I thought it had similar properties to Henna so I just stuck to Henna instead. I will try it and see what happens. How do you experience breakage?

Usually as splits or rarely white dots several cm up the hair shaft from the end. Even so, I don't have a lot, which is nice. All my hair has been grown since joining LHC, though, so I suspect it's healthier than it was in the past.

[Pearly~91]

This is the type of breakage that I most often have. I get splits sometimes, and white dots when the 'bend' happen higher up the hair shaft and the strand is strong enough to hold together for a while.

I think it is inevitable, and forms when a strand is bent and has stress applied to it. For instance, when you detangle, even if you use your fingers, if there is a knot the strands involved are bent. Gentle care and treatments might help limit the damage.

When I have pieces that break off I cut just above the end (less than 1/8 inch) because I assume that the end must be frayed.

[meteor]

Donyyful, could you please tell us about the history of your hair? :) In the last few years (until current TBL length, assuming 0.5'' growth per month on average), have you had any chemical processing done (bleach, dyes, perms, relaxers, keratin japanese/brazilian straightening, etc?) or heat-styling (curling irons, flat irons, etc) or maybe mechanical damage (rough brushing, blow-drying with a round brush, tight elastics, etc) or frequent swimming in chlorinated water or lots of sun exposure? Anything like that could ultimately bring more breakage over time.

If your hair has accumulated some past damage or if you are noticing visible breakage, I'd invest in a good quality hydrolyzed protein treatment (e.g. Joico K-Pak Reconstruct, Redken Extreme Strength Builder Plus or a simple gelatin mask), pre-poo oiling, oil rinses (between shampoo and conditioner), "sealing" LOC routine post wash, and conditioners with oils, ceramides, 18-MEA, silicones... - they are usually marketed for "dry, damaged" or "porous" or "processed" hair. I'd experiment with re-introducing silicones into the routine, if you've been avoiding them in the past, I find that they really help protect very long hair and add slip and elasticity to prevent breakage.

Also, if you suspect any build-up, clarifying is a good step, since build-up can sometimes lead to tangly and snap-prone hair, which could also cause a bit of breakage.

Also, try to examine all hair tools: do they have any seams? You could run pantyhose over teeth to check for less visible seams. For hair prone to breakage, I'd really try to stick to seamless wide-tooth combs or finger-combing and avoid excessive detangling and manipulation and stick to simple updo styles (preferably without twisting or ponys) and sleep on silk/satin, protect hair from sun/wind with hats/scarves/buffs... And I'd be extra careful with brushes and dense tines, if you use them.

Best of luck! :D I hope the breakage will stop soon! :flower:

[lapushka]

I wonder too! Wouldn't too much moisture result in mushy limp hair? I haven't had that experience yet.

Maybe try introducing a conditioner with a tiny bit more protein. See what it does. And change it out wash per wash, as you go.

[Llama]

This is the type of breakage that I most often have. I get splits sometimes, and white dots when the 'bend' happen higher up the hair shaft and the strand is strong enough to hold together for a while.

I think it is inevitable, and forms when a strand is bent and has stress applied to it. For instance, when you detangle, even if you use your fingers, if there is a knot the strands involved are bent. Gentle care and treatments might help limit the damage.

When I have pieces that break off I cut just above the end (less than 1/8 inch) because I assume that the end must be frayed.


If every hair that was once involved in a knot broke off after being bent... then I would have no hair. Just saying. lol

[Pearly~91]

If every hair that was once involved in a knot broke off after being bent... then I would have no hair. Just saying. lol

Yeah, me too. I was just using that as an example, but it doesn't necessarily happen to every hair. I've definitely accidentally pulled on knots and ended with crimped hairs that break. I just assume that those hairs were already damaged or it was a weak spot in the strand. My hair is prone to mechanical damage though.

[Llama]

Yeah, me too. I was just using that as an example, but it doesn't necessarily happen to every hair. I've definitely accidentally pulled on knots and ended with crimped hairs that break. I just assume that those hairs were already damaged or it was a weak spot in the strand. My hair is prone to mechanical damage though.

That makes sense. With my hair, if I just wet the bent hair it goes back straight. I always get white dots if a piece is about to break off. Sometimes the white dot won't be visible in certain lighting but if I move it then I can see a faint white dot where the hair is bending.

[restless]

They mostly occur on my naturally short hairs than my length.

Do you mean the hairs with a naturally short terminal, like nape hairs or the ones infront of the ears? If so, then yes Ive experienced it. I seldom get any split ends or white dots in the rest of my hair nowadays, but these short hairs near my ears seem to be way more fragile. When I S&D this is where I´ll find the most damage despite pretty good haircare with lots of oil and no heat/dye/brushing etc. I havent found a solution other than S&D and acceptance though... :p

[JollyAlly]

Hair breakage is a thing that one just has to live with. No matter how loving and careful you are with your hair, it will still break, if just a little bit.

[Donyyful]

Usually as splits or rarely white dots several cm up the hair shaft from the end. Even so, I don't have a lot, which is nice. All my hair has been grown since joining LHC, though, so I suspect it's healthier than it was in the past.

Thats great to hear! I guess breakage and damage is inevitable, we focus on individual strands too much but if we look at it in a bigger picture, it is like less than 5% of your whole head thats not a happy strand.


This is the type of breakage that I most often have. I get splits sometimes, and white dots when the 'bend' happen higher up the hair shaft and the strand is strong enough to hold together for a while.

I think it is inevitable, and forms when a strand is bent and has stress applied to it. For instance, when you detangle, even if you use your fingers, if there is a knot the strands involved are bent. Gentle care and treatments might help limit the damage.

When I have pieces that break off I cut just above the end (less than 1/8 inch) because I assume that the end must be frayed.

Yes I always cut above the ends that have been bent and break off as well, just in case if the hair is damaged on a microscopic level and cannot be seen with the naked eye.


Donyyful, could you please tell us about the history of your hair? :) In the last few years (until current TBL length, assuming 0.5'' growth per month on average), have you had any chemical processing done (bleach, dyes, perms, relaxers, keratin japanese/brazilian straightening, etc?) or heat-styling (curling irons, flat irons, etc) or maybe mechanical damage (rough brushing, blow-drying with a round brush, tight elastics, etc) or frequent swimming in chlorinated water or lots of sun exposure? Anything like that could ultimately bring more breakage over time.

If your hair has accumulated some past damage or if you are noticing visible breakage, I'd invest in a good quality hydrolyzed protein treatment (e.g. Joico K-Pak Reconstruct, Redken Extreme Strength Builder Plus or a simple gelatin mask), pre-poo oiling, oil rinses (between shampoo and conditioner), "sealing" LOC routine post wash, and conditioners with oils, ceramides, 18-MEA, silicones... - they are usually marketed for "dry, damaged" or "porous" or "processed" hair. I'd experiment with re-introducing silicones into the routine, if you've been avoiding them in the past, I find that they really help protect very long hair and add slip and elasticity to prevent breakage.

Also, if you suspect any build-up, clarifying is a good step, since build-up can sometimes lead to tangly and snap-prone hair, which could also cause a bit of breakage.

Also, try to examine all hair tools: do they have any seams? You could run pantyhose over teeth to check for less visible seams. For hair prone to breakage, I'd really try to stick to seamless wide-tooth combs or finger-combing and avoid excessive detangling and manipulation and stick to simple updo styles (preferably without twisting or ponys) and sleep on silk/satin, protect hair from sun/wind with hats/scarves/buffs... And I'd be extra careful with brushes and dense tines, if you use them.

Best of luck! :D I hope the breakage will stop soon! :flower:

Hi Meteor!

So I have been growing my hair out for 3 years now (I hit my 3 year hair growth anniversary this Easter :p) and started with hair that was above my ears. My hair until this day, has not been chemically processed at all, no heat tools have been used on it and neither have I been exposed to a lot of sun or chlorinated water. Its as virgin as it can get to be honest which sounds so boring aha. Only this year, I have invested in a seam free wide tooth comb and a bamboo brush, because of distribution of products/oils and just to make my length look a bit more tidy. Before then, I would only use my fingers and I still rely on them; 90% of the time I will use my fingers to detangle and style than using tools.

My breakage usually occurs on my naturally layered hairs instead, rather than my length. My ends of my hair rarely gets damaged, and usually when I check the mid section of my hair, the shorter strands which are growing out usually has the bent ends etc. I assume that its due to just inevitable damage such as running my fingers through my hair, sleeping at night when its braided etc. To combat this, I always sleep on a satin pillowcase, and sometimes I do bun up my hair so i'm not sleeping on top of my braids if that occurs. Sometimes I will just flip my entire hair off the side of the bed and have no issues.

My hair doesn't seem to do too well with a lot of proteins in products. I have a few conditioners and shampoos that have hydrolyzed wheat protein quite high up in the ingredients list, and tend to experience dryness and breakage, though my hair seems to feel stronger. I have been pre-pooing oiling for 7 years now since discovering it, and have always done so before washing. 99% of the time I will oil my hair with coconut oil before shampooing my hair and still does wonders. Silicones has been something I've been avoiding for a long while, sometimes I do use it if I am doing sports just to give me that extra slip and ease to braid my hair, but most of the time the reason I avoid it is because it makes my hair look thin, flat and dull, no matter whether I use it from the roots or just the ends of my hair. It also makes my hair feel waxy which I'm not a fan of, and because my hair is dead straight, silicones tend to transfer quite easily, so I know for sure that it ends up transferring on my pillow cases which then gets onto my roots and scalp and makes my hair look flat.

Clarifying I do more often now, especially with a shampoo that I use that contains SLS and makes my hair feel more softer when using it sometimes compared to using my SLS free shampoos.

I think I am doing everything I could to keep my hair in great condition and that this is just the reality of my hair experiencing daily wear and tear. It sounds horrible to hear someone having breakage, but looking at it on my bigger scale, its barely anything and hasn't stopped my hair from growing at all. I have invested on more hair masks and leave in conditioner creams and sprays, even though I hate having to put a product after washing my hair because of the way it feels and looks after, but i'm going to have to deal with it and find some common ground with this :p

Thank you so much for your recommendations and tips! x


Maybe try introducing a conditioner with a tiny bit more protein. See what it does. And change it out wash per wash, as you go.

I usually experience dryness and breakage when I use a lot of protein in my hair. I do alternate my products quite often though from moisture to protein.


Do you mean the hairs with a naturally short terminal, like nape hairs or the ones infront of the ears? If so, then yes Ive experienced it. I seldom get any split ends or white dots in the rest of my hair nowadays, but these short hairs near my ears seem to be way more fragile. When I S&D this is where I´ll find the most damage despite pretty good haircare with lots of oil and no heat/dye/brushing etc. I havent found a solution other than S&D and acceptance though... :p

Yes, you hit the nail on the head. Its my baby hairs that are growing out, or hairs that just have naturally going to be short that experience this problem the most. The problem areas are usually the back of my neck and the side of my ears, the rest of my length has no issue with this. Whenever I look at the hair strands too, they look a bit thinner over all as well. I know its not definitely not damage, as not every single hair strand will have the same thickness and length.

I'm not sure whether to feel happy about just experiencing breakage on those little shorter strands than my length, sometimes I feel like the breakage is stopping those strands from catching up to the rest of my length, if they ever do aha


Hair breakage is a thing that one just has to live with. No matter how loving and careful you are with your hair, it will still break, if just a little bit.

Definitely. If its meant to happen, it will.

[meteor]

Hi Meteor!

So I have been growing my hair out for 3 years now (I hit my 3 year hair growth anniversary this Easter :p) and started with hair that was above my ears. My hair until this day, has not been chemically processed at all, no heat tools have been used on it and neither have I been exposed to a lot of sun or chlorinated water. Its as virgin as it can get to be honest which sounds so boring aha. Only this year, I have invested in a seam free wide tooth comb and a bamboo brush, because of distribution of products/oils and just to make my length look a bit more tidy. Before then, I would only use my fingers and I still rely on them; 90% of the time I will use my fingers to detangle and style than using tools.

My breakage usually occurs on my naturally layered hairs instead, rather than my length. My ends of my hair rarely gets damaged, and usually when I check the mid section of my hair, the shorter strands which are growing out usually has the bent ends etc. I assume that its due to just inevitable damage such as running my fingers through my hair, sleeping at night when its braided etc. To combat this, I always sleep on a satin pillowcase, and sometimes I do bun up my hair so i'm not sleeping on top of my braids if that occurs. Sometimes I will just flip my entire hair off the side of the bed and have no issues.

My hair doesn't seem to do too well with a lot of proteins in products. I have a few conditioners and shampoos that have hydrolyzed wheat protein quite high up in the ingredients list, and tend to experience dryness and breakage, though my hair seems to feel stronger. I have been pre-pooing oiling for 7 years now since discovering it, and have always done so before washing. 99% of the time I will oil my hair with coconut oil before shampooing my hair and still does wonders. Silicones has been something I've been avoiding for a long while, sometimes I do use it if I am doing sports just to give me that extra slip and ease to braid my hair, but most of the time the reason I avoid it is because it makes my hair look thin, flat and dull, no matter whether I use it from the roots or just the ends of my hair. It also makes my hair feel waxy which I'm not a fan of, and because my hair is dead straight, silicones tend to transfer quite easily, so I know for sure that it ends up transferring on my pillow cases which then gets onto my roots and scalp and makes my hair look flat.

Clarifying I do more often now, especially with a shampoo that I use that contains SLS and makes my hair feel more softer when using it sometimes compared to using my SLS free shampoos.

I think I am doing everything I could to keep my hair in great condition and that this is just the reality of my hair experiencing daily wear and tear. It sounds horrible to hear someone having breakage, but looking at it on my bigger scale, its barely anything and hasn't stopped my hair from growing at all. I have invested on more hair masks and leave in conditioner creams and sprays, even though I hate having to put a product after washing my hair because of the way it feels and looks after, but i'm going to have to deal with it and find some common ground with this :p

Thank you so much for your recommendations and tips! x




Yes, you hit the nail on the head. Its my baby hairs that are growing out, or hairs that just have naturally going to be short that experience this problem the most. The problem areas are usually the back of my neck and the side of my ears, the rest of my length has no issue with this. Whenever I look at the hair strands too, they look a bit thinner over all as well. I know its not definitely not damage, as not every single hair strand will have the same thickness and length.

I'm not sure whether to feel happy about just experiencing breakage on those little shorter strands than my length, sometimes I feel like the breakage is stopping those strands from catching up to the rest of my length, if they ever do aha

Thanks so much for the details and your hair's history! :flowers: Sounds like you are taking great care of your hair and it's all virgin hair in great condition, Donyyful! That's awesome! :thumbsup:

Could it be that those strands that experience breakage are just a lot finer than the rest of your hair, so even normal wear & tear can sometimes break them off? It's very normal to have multiple textures on the same head of hair. Especially temple area hair and hairline hair are often finer than the rest of the mane.

So since you mentioned back of the neck hairs, I'd just be extra careful with scarves/necklaces/collars/pillows/shirts/etc - make sure they are silky smooth, and if they aren't, I'd line them with some slippery smooth material (silk fabric or satin weave, for example).

For temple area hair you mentioned, I'd avoid using bobby pins, barrettes, even small claws, things like that, which are often used to keep those hairs under control - I think they are quite capable of breaking hairs.
And I'd stick to low-manipulation simple updos.

But it really sounds like you are doing everything right! I really hope the breakage will stop soon. :flower:

[Donyyful]

Thanks so much for the details and your hair's history! :flowers: Sounds like you are taking great care of your hair and it's all virgin hair in great condition, Donyyful! That's awesome! :thumbsup:

Could it be that those strands that experience breakage are just a lot finer than the rest of your hair, so even normal wear & tear can sometimes break them off? It's very normal to have multiple textures on the same head of hair. Especially temple area hair and hairline hair are often finer than the rest of the mane.

So since you mentioned back of the neck hairs, I'd just be extra careful with scarves/necklaces/collars/pillows/shirts/etc - make sure they are silky smooth, and if they aren't, I'd line them with some slippery smooth material (silk fabric or satin weave, for example).

For temple area hair you mentioned, I'd avoid using bobby pins, barrettes, even small claws, things like that, which are often used to keep those hairs under control - I think they are quite capable of breaking hairs.
And I'd stick to low-manipulation simple updos.

But it really sounds like you are doing everything right! I really hope the breakage will stop soon. :flower:

You're certainly right about the breakage occurring on finer strands of my hair; I've started seeing this pattern, where strands that are a bit thinner or about to taper at the end will usually experience the bending of the ends and breaking off.

Thats a good idea! I will invest in lining them with some smooth material. Thanks so much for your suggestions! x

[EdG]

I get tiny breakage when combing. I call it "micro-breakage" because the broken strands are less than 1cm long. I haven't found a way to eliminate this. I figure that this is less than a month's growth.
Ed

[Beborani]

Something like that happened to me when I used tangle teaser--tons of tiny hair pieces on my bathroom counter like I just had a haircut was a pretty good hint that it wasn't the best thing for my hair. These days I dont dry comb (definitely not brush) through my length so I expect I am not losing to breakage at the same rate--if a few pieces fall of I am unlikely to notice anyway.

[H o n є y ❤]

I get tiny breakage when combing. I call it "micro-breakage" because the broken strands are less than 1cm long. I haven't found a way to eliminate this. I figure that this is less than a month's growth.
Ed
About how many of these tiny broken hairs do you get? 1-3? 5-8?