Let’s be honest, we all want healthy, shiny hair, but achieving lustrous locks can be harder than it may seem. The more products you try, the worse your hair seems to become. So what causes annoying hair breakage and how can we prevent it from happening as we age? 

The key to keeping your hair from breaking is keeping it moisturized. However, with so many products on the market, it can be hard to find the right one.

Not only that but a lot of products that are supposed to create moisture contain chemicals that end up drying hair out in the long run. 

Remember that the first half of your hair is unseen. Known as the “hair shaft”, this part of your hair lives beneath the surface of your hair follicles and is important to keep healthy as it produces the growth of the second half of your hair, which is the part we see.

The best way to get healthy hair is to understand why it’s unhealthy and how you can support your hair follicles from within.

Here are 8 ways to avoid hair breakage and hair loss

Add Hair-Boosting Foods To Your Diet

Nutritional deficiencies may contribute to hair development and growth. Hair loss is common with about 50% of men and women who experience it by the age of 50. If you want to prevent hair loss and keep your head full of hair, you may need to look at what nutritional deficiencies might be in your diet.

Foods that promote healthy hair include foods rich in omega-3 such as fish or nuts, foods rich in protein and biotin such as eggs or liver, and also foods rich in antioxidants such as berries. 

Furthermore, iron deficiency can lead to hair loss and breakage. It is actually one of the more common mineral deficiencies in adults. Iron comes from foods such as spinach, beans, and tofu. 

Spend Less Time With Your Hot Tools

If you’re a chronic hot tool user, you may not want to hear this, but it’s time to put the tools down. Applying heat to your hair every day, whether you are using a protective product or not, can result in irreversible damage. 

However, if you must use your hot tools, just remember to use them in moderation. Allow your hair to do its thing naturally from time to time! 

Brush Less Frequently

Have you ever looked at your brush after combing through your hair? Sure, we need to brush our hair from time to time, but you may be surprised to hear that brushing every day might actually be harming your hair.

Using a wide-tooth comb or a brush with bristles is the best way to comb through tangles. Also, it is recommended to only brush hair when it is dry, not directly out of the shower or bath.

Avoid Using Elastic Hair Ties 

Pulling your hair out of your face is a great feeling, but of course, there is a chance that the elasticity of your hair tie can lead to breakage. As you remove your hair ties, you may notice it doesn’t always come out so easily.

If you’re seeing lots of hair stuck to your hair tie when you take your hair down, consider a clip or scrunchie to tie back your hair. You may even be able to find a hairstyle that works for you without needing an elastic hair tie at all.

Consider The Stress You Are Under

You may have heard of someone losing their hair (or pulling it out) due to stress. Though it’s meant to be silly, there is truth to the sentiment. Stress causes a number of health concerns even to your hair. 

According to a study at Harvard Health, when you undergo stress for an extended period of time, your hair follicle stem cells tend to stay in a “resting state” and therefore regenerate new tissue at a slower rate. 

Furthermore, hair follicle regeneration slows down naturally with age. So, if you’re noticing your hair thinning, breaking, or falling out you may want to take stress levels into consideration.

Need some tips on how to manage stress? Check out our blog post on 6 Ways to Completely Unwind.  

Be Careful with Coloring and Processing

Experimenting with hair colors is fun, no doubt. Or maybe you’re tackling gray, aging hair with a monthly treatment. Either way, you should be aware of the potential damage you are causing to your locks. 

Hair can be colored by removing pigmentation (bleaching) or adding it. Either process contains chemicals (ammonia, peroxide) that can be damaging to your hair shaft and cause cells to regenerate slower.

More so, with each hair coloring session you are removing necessary moisture from your natural hair which we know, causes breakage. 

Wash Your Hair Every Other Day

We need the natural sebum oils our hair follicles produce to keep it moisturized. Ever notice how the ends of your hair seem drier than the top? The ends are further away from where the sebum is secreted, so they tend to split and break easier. 

When you take long, hot showers or just frequently wash your hair, you are removing the natural oils and making it harder for your scalp to produce more. It’s important to bathe often, especially, if you are active, but you don’t always have to wash your hair. Try every other day to start and see if you notice a difference! 

If you towel dry your hair after washing, gently blot your hair or simply wrap it up in the towel rather than vigorously rubbing your scalp.

Increase Your Collagen Intake

Collagen is the main protein in our ligaments, tissue, and tendons. It helps strengthen hair by providing amino acids that build keratin. Keratin is the main protein in hair. Keratin is what keeps your strands looking shiny and youthful. 

Because we naturally lose collagen as we age, many people turn to collagen supplements to get their collagen levels increased and therefore produce more proteins needed for healthy living.

Summary: Promote Hair Growth

- Add omega-3, iron, biotin, and collagen-rich foods to your diet

- Only use hot styling tools in moderation

- Go easy on elastic hair ties (try clips or scrunchies)

- Consider how much stress you are under and try to reduce it

- Decrease your trips to the salon for hair coloring treatments

- Avoid products with chemicals that lead to hair loss

- Wash your hair every other day as opposed to every day

- Allow your natural hair oils to sit on your hair

- Try a collagen or omega-3 supplement 

Overall, it's inevitable to break hair and lose hair as we go through life. That's why our hair follicles are among the most metabolically active cells in the body. Meaning, they regenerate quickly allowing hair to grow.

However, just like any other part of our complex human system, we can stunt this regeneration by depriving ourselves of the nutrients we need, and also being misinformed on what is best for us.

For example, it has been known that brushing your hair 100 times each day is good for your hair. Or that you must wash it every day. Or that preventative hot tool products will keep it from drying out. With so much information out there, the best is to do what is natural.

Look to your body for the answers and enhance your natural beauty. We know that collagen helps produce keratin which is the main natural protein in hair, so if you are experiencing hair loss or breakage due to any of the above habits, simply enhance your collagen and keratin (the body's natural proteins) intake.

The same goes for shampooing. We know that our hair produces natural oils that are necessary for hair growth, sheen, and strength, so instead of washing the natural oil out every day, let your hair be natural for as long as you can manage.

We hope this information has helped you better navigate your hair health and you will be on your way to stronger, natural hair in no time. If you take one of our hair-helping products such as Primal Hair Growth Complex, Primal Collagen, or Primal Omega 3 write to us and let us know how it's working for you!