Hair Breakage On Top Of Head: Causes And How To Fix At Home

If you are exhausted searching for how to fix hair breakage on top of your head, then it’s time you should give up your worry.

woman using a magnifying glass to check her damaged hair

I’ve been there, but lucky you, cause you’ve got me to explain everything about hair breakage, its causes and methods to fix hair breakage on top of the head.

Check: Best Hair Straightener for Bleached Hair

Hair Breakage: What it is and its Causes

Hair breakage is basically the damaging of the hair shaft, which makes the hair strand shorter, misaligned, and disoriented compared to the rest of the hair.

This leads to dry hair having reduced moisture levels and brittle hair with contrasting lengths and orientations.

There are many causes of broken strands and I will show their key elements below.

1. Overwashing and Overbrushing

It is rightly said that excess of everything is bad. The same also goes for the treatment of your hair.

Frequent washing of hair with shampoo causes moisture loss and dryness in the hair, which results in brittleness of hair shafts, resulting in hair breakage.

Similarly, overbrushing also damages hair strands so much so that it leads to split ends and the formation of frizzy hairs.

lady brushing her damaged hair

According to renowned dermatologist Camille Howard-Verovic, “Overbrushing actually causes micro-tears along the hair shaft and is potentially bad for your hair.” [1]

This is more harmful to curly hair, as it is naturally dry. So curly hair quickly undergoes breakage.

The excess utilization of styling products and hairstyling hot tools, especially which use heat, like hairdryers and curlers, is also an immediate cause of hair breakage.

2. Use of Chemicals

Yes, you heard that right. Excess use of hair products, which contain harsh chemicals, causes hair breakage more quickly than you can imagine. ­

lady getting a hair treatment at the salon

Use of hair dyes, colors, bleaches, and other products which include harmful chemicals, like ammonia, sodium lauryl sulfate, diaminobenzene and many others, damage the hair follicles and trigger hair breakage.

3. Diet

Ever heard someone say “Food is really and truly the most effective medicine”? If not, then you are hearing it now. A balanced diet plays an important role in maintaining healthy hair growth.

lady eating salad for a healthy diet

As we know, hair is made up of proteins and if your diet is lacking enough proteins to cope with body demands, then you got a real problem. A poor diet devoid of protein weakens hair strands and causes split ends.

4. Heat­

Heat not only affects the skin but also damages the hair. Too much heat simply dries out the hair, resulting in hair breakage.

Too much exposure to the sun, excess use of heat styling tools without optimized heat setting as well as regularly washing hair with hot water causes hair problems.

lady showing how to rebond hair at home

Hair Breakage Treatment

Almost nothing is permanent in this world, not even our hair problems. Some of the easiest ways to treat hair breakage are discussed below.

1. Regular and Proper Haircuts

Ensuring regular and proper hair trims lessens the hair breakage. When you don’t cut out your split ends, they go up the hair strand, splitting the entire strand length.

lady getting one of the haircuts for damaged hair at the salon

Trimming the split ends of hair reduces the risk of further damage on the hair strand, thus reducing hair breakage. Proper hairdressing at regular intervals helps to keep the hair healthy and mends the growth of baby hair.

Make sure to check our list of the best haircut for damaged frizzy hair.

2. Deep Conditioning

Deep conditioning considerably knocks out the hair breakage problem. Deep conditioning treatment is basically a method of treating hair with a nourishing solution. It is very effective and can be easily done at home [2].

All you need is a good deep conditioner or hair mask with some natural ingredients. Most of the good deep conditioners contain avocado oil, coconut oil, aloe vera, and almond oil.

Deep conditioning helps to maintain the moisture content in the hair thus neutralizing the dryness of hair and treating the damaged strands.

lady taking a cold shower

Now how to do deep conditioning?

  • Simply wash your hair with a shampoo.
  • Apply daily conditioner if you want to.
  • Rinse the conditioner but keep the hair wet.
  • Apply deep conditioner throughout your hairs, focus on split ends.
  • Put on a hair cap as a heat protectant and leave yourself in a low heated environment (a heat lamp or warm towel around the head can also do the job).
  • Keep the deep conditioner to penetrate for 25–40 mins.
  • Rinse out the deep conditioner with cold water. Keep in mind it should be rinsed out completely.

Expert tip: deep conditioning doesn’t fix split ends but helps to prevent it in the future. It also masks hair damage and makes hair look healthier.

3. Parting the hairs

Do you know that parting your hair in the same manner for a long time results in hair breakage? The same parting pattern on your hair overexposes some of your hair strands into prolonged heat and sunlight.

This draws moisture content from this particular portion of hair, which causes dryness and eventually hair breakage.

Similarly, keeping the part on one side every time makes your hair inclined towards one side. This makes the hair soft and weakens the strands.

Changing parts and brushing your hair properly helps to mitigate breakage. You can part [3] on the side, middle, extreme side or diagonal but the important thing is to keep changing the parting.

woman parting her hair to avoid breakage

4. Maintaining a nutritious diet­­­­

Maintaining a diet full of nutrients and minerals is essential to make the hair strong. A diet full of proteins, zinc, omega 3 fatty acids, and biotin can help avoid future hair breakage.

Anabel Kingsley [4], a Consultant Trichologist at The Philip Kingsley Clinics, argues that including enough protein in your daily diet is very important for strong healthy hair growth.

Good sources of protein are fish, meat, eggs, and beans. For zinc, eat fruits, vegetables, milk, and nuts. Biotin is found in avocados, eggs, sweet potatoes, and cauliflower.

Supplements are also available in the market but natural intake is always preferable.

How to Avoid Hair Breakage

Avoiding hair breakage is not a herculean task, yet requires some habitual changes pertaining to hair care. Avoiding excess use of chemicals as well as restricting heat exposure is essential to restrain hair breakage.

Other things to consider in avoiding hair breakage are below.

1. Brushing wet or dry hair?

People with straight hair, make a habit of brushing straight hair when it is dry. Wet hairs have lesser elasticity, they can’t resist tension properly. Wet hairs do not have as much strength. 

But people with curly hair should do the contrary. Brush your curly hair when it is wet. This will keep your hair texture intact and your brush won’t be full of strands!

2. Stop heating it up too much

As already explained, over-exposure to heat causes more hair damage than anything else. Avoid regular use of heating tools for hair. Instead, ensure breaks and intervals in the usage routine.

model disappointed with her steaming hair

If the use of hot tools becomes indispensable then employ a maximum temperature for hairdryers, blowers or styling kits and keep pausing them while using.

3. Avoid chemical products

The excess use of chemicals damages the hair follicles drastically. So, the extra use of hair care products containing harsh chemicals must be avoided as they fuel up the broken hairs and disrupt the hair cycle.

The use of hair products with organic ingredients should be encouraged. Natural hair oil should be incorporated in the hair care routine and the intensity of hair products application should be reduced.

FAQs

How To Regrow Broken Hairs?

lady showing her perfect middle part blowout hair

Broken hairs can be regrown by using deep conditioners, maintaining a protein-rich diet, changing the parting patterns of hair and avoiding excess washing and over-exposure to heat.

What Are Ways To Style Hair Without Damaging It Further?

Using wider teeth combs helps in styling the hair without damaging it.

Does Hair Even Out When It Grows?

lady wondering, "Does Damaged Hair Grow Back Healthy?"

Yes, hair grows evenly after having a trim or dressing. The regular trimming detaches the split ends and keeps the hair strands leveled. Hair follows the even growth pattern if trimming is properly done.

How Do You Fix Breakage In Your Hair?

Regularly trimming the split ends and proper hairdressing mends breakage. Besides, changing the parting of hairs at regular intervals also reduces the breakage of hair.

Conclusion

Hair breakage is a common problem experienced by the majority of people at any stage of their life. Though it is quite irritating it can be fixed if proper care for hair is ensured.

Overuse of chemical products, malnutrition, and extra exposure to heat causes breakage of hair. But there is no mystery in resolving this problem. Proper hairdressing and deep conditioning help in combating hair breakage.

woman frustrated how to fix hair breakage on top of head

References

  • 1. Camille Howard | Infinity Dermatology | New York City [Internet]. InfinityDerm 2. [cited 2022 Feb 11]. Available from: https://www.infinitydermatology.com/camille-howard
  • 2. de Bellefonds C. Goodbye, Dry Hair: How to Deep Condition at Home Like a Pro [Internet]. Cobb C, editor. Healthline. 2021. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/how-to-deep-condition-hair
  • 3. L’oréal Paris USA. How to Part Your Hair 5 Different Ways [Internet]. L’Oréal Paris. [cited 2022 Feb 11]. Available from: https://www.lorealparisusa.com/beauty-magazine/hair-style/hairstyle-trends/stylish-ways-to-part-hair
  • 4. Kingsley A. Instagram [Internet]. www.instagram.com. [cited 2022 Feb 11]. Available from: https://www.instagram.com/anabel_kingsley/?hl=en