There aren’t enough hot oil treatments in the world to save your hair from the consequences of being consistently mishandled and mistreated. Although you may feel confident about your regimen, you may be unknowingly sabotaging all the hard work you’ve put into achieving gorgeously, healthy hair. Well, it’s time to snap out of your ignorant bliss and get on the road to repair. Here are some ways you might be damaging your hair without even knowing it.
7 Damaging Hair Practices
Being Too Rough
Detangling can be a task that requires a lot of patience, especially if your natural hair texture is super kinky and curly. In order not to damage your curl pattern or cause breakage, you have to be gentle when combing and brushing your hair. The best way to detangle is when your hair is damp. Dragging a comb through dry hair will definitely do some damage to your strands.
Not Knowing Your Hair Type
You know if your hair is curly — that’s the easy part. The more difficult part is understanding the specific and unique needs for your hair type. Maybe your hair needs more oil. Perhaps the no-poo method would work wonders for you. Getting acquainted with your curls’ personal needs will make all the difference in maintaining their health.
The Wrong Products
Along with not knowing your hair type comes using the wrong products. Although it’s tempting to jump on the bandwagon when the curly community starts ranting and raving over a new brand, knowing what works for your hair and what doesn’t will take your curls a long way. Also, getting to know what ingredients to avoid altogether could make all the difference in your regimen.
Doing Too Much
Do you have 33 different hair products that all essentially do the same thing? Does your regular hair regimen include 18 separate steps and take up your all of your potential extracurricular hours? Do you always have your hands in your head? You may think being a helicopter parent to your curls is helping, but over-manipulation can lead to breakage, damaged hair, and split ends. Try bringing the activity down a notch and see how your hair reacts.
Doing Too Little
It’s true that sometimes less is more but sometimes less is too little. If you use the first shampoo you can get your hands on, blow dry your hair all over the place, rarely tie it up at night, and then throw it into a ponytail before you go out — you need to do better. You don’t have to get all scientific about your regimen, but it’s a good idea to develop a low maintenance routine that works for you.
Not Drinking Enough Water
You’ve heard it a million times, but you’re going to hear it once more: Drink more water! Good old H20 keeps your hair moisturized from the inside out and assists in preventing dry, brittle, lifeless curls. Make water your partner in crime if you want to decrease frizz and breakage.
Worrying About the Wrong Stuff
Do yourself a favor and stop being so concerned about your hair length. Like the saying goes, whether you do something or not, the time passes anyway. Put your focus on your curls’ day-to-day health by paying attention to how it feels, looks, and reacts to your efforts — that’s the most important part. The length will come later.
