Here’s the scenario. You’ve maintained your protective style of choice (possibly hip-gracing box braids or mini twists) over the past month, and the takedown urges have finally arrived. The low-maintenance style has served its purpose. All that’s left is carefully unraveling the hair that you’ve hoped has grown to miraculous lengths after weeks of low-intensity styling.
While your new growth has reared its head, you’ve also been met with the seemingly alarming signs of breakage. Fortunately, NaturallyCurly is here to tell you it’s totally normal — and fixable. Ahead is everything you need to know about post-protective style breakage.
Shedding Vs. Breakage
Shedding is indicated by hair loss from the root. When taking down your protective style, it’s important to remember that the “daily shed” has been trapped across the duration of the style. Do not fret at the sight of a lot of hair shedding. Trust us! We’ve been there too.
The hairs that would normally fall out in your comb or across your satin-lined pillowcases have now accumulated into what may appear as excessing shedding. According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, it’s normal to shed between 50 to 100 hairs a day. Multiplying that number by the duration of style will amount to a lot of hair shed during takedown.
Breakage lives up to its namesake and occurs at a breaking point on the shaft. It’s often triggered by mechanical manipulation such as a constant rotation of protective styles that require the hair to be altered from its physical state.
Now, the easiest at-home trick to decipher between shedding and breakage is the hair bulb test. When inspecting your hair, look for a white bulb at the root. If it appears, it is indicative of shedding. If the hair appears to be shorter than your natural length, breakage might be at play.
To reduce the presence of breakage and excess shedding, a few things must be at the forefront of your hair care. Protective styles have the sort’ve hands-off approach that may influence you to keep them in for longer than needed. The longevity of style is often a slippery slope that leads to procrastinating on in-style wash days or hair care.
The build-up of excess gels in the style — especially when the hair isn’t washed frequently — can clog hair follicles and dry the scalp out. This can negatively impact the scalp’s ability to generate positive growth after daily shedding. When the scalp isn’t tended to and adequately moisturized, the hair is depleted of its needed nutrients to resist the hair snapping.
Mechanical manipulation is a gateway to breakage. Tight installations and tense parting on the scalp are often correlated with the style’s ability to stand the test of time. To be frank, the style’s extensive longevity is never a priority over proper hair care.
Hair thickness and density should be considered when selecting your protective style. Fine hair would experience more tension with faux locs because the weight of the style would burden the natural hair. While those with fine hair could wear the style, they may have to wear it for a shorter time than someone with coarse hair and a higher density.
In conversation with Essence, board-certified dermatologist Crystal Aguh, M.D. even suggests the one-inch ratio. Aguh explains that if extensions are a part of the installation then one inch of the natural hair should have no more than one inch of added hair. In short, if your hair is cropped into an eight-inch bob then your added hair (whether Marley twists or braids) should not exceed 16 inches. Overall, excess hair can ultimately lead to excess breakage-causing tension.
Prepping the hair with a leave-in conditioner invites moisture retention into your hair — a valuable preventative measure. For extra reinforcement, a protein treatment a week before installation can begin to repair any weak portions of the hair. Protein is composed of amino acids that develop keratin. Keratin is a fortifier of hair that will keep fragility at bay.
Your regular hair care tools may have been tucked away but be sure to leave out your clarifying shampoos because wash days are still regularly scheduled during a protective style. Every one to two weeks, grab a clarifying shampoo to remove any product build-up and natural lifestyle pollutants. A clean scalp is the prime environment for viable hair growth.
Scalp massages are important to increase the circulation of blood to the scalp. If the scalp is exposed in the style, apply scalp oils as needed to replete the scalp of moisture. For extra scalp maintenance, try a general exfoliating cleanser.
The aftercare is just as crucial as the prep. Carefully detangle the hair in small sections and consider a pre-poo product to reduce tangling. Next, a deep clarifying shampoo is important to strip any buildup that’s been uncovered. Finish your wash day as normal and add in a leave-in conditioner if lack of hydration is a concern.
Your hair care calendar of protective styles may be fully booked but etching in a few weeks between each style it’s important to fully analyze and address your hair’s state. An intermittent breather is all it may need to fully rejuvenate.
