Feature
HAIR STRENGTHENING:
AVOIDING WEAK
AND DAMAGED HAIR
DIAGNOSIS:
Experts can easily tell you have weak hair if it is limp,
droopy, thin, or falling out. Other common, more noticeable signs are split ends, extreme dryness, or excessive oiliness. The causes of weak hair are often genetic
or hormonal, environmental, or due to the health of your
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COSMOBIZ SALON DECEMBER 2015
body; this includes disease or illness, intake of certain
medications, cancer treatments, improper or poor diet,
stress, or fungal infections on the scalp. Environmental
causes of weak hair include sun exposure, exposure to
chlorine or seawater, air conditioning or heating, and
pollution.
HOW TO AVOID OR FIX WEAK HAIR:
1. Limit the use of harmful chemicals
Hair trends have us switching to new hair colors
or styles every season, making us visit the hair salon every now and then, or visit our local beauty
retail store to give ourselves a DIY hair alteration
at home. Avoid using products containing chemicals that cause dryness to the hair and scalp such
as Chlorine, Sulfate, Ammonia, and Isopropyl Alcohol. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium
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T
he way our hair looks may means a lot to us.
We sometimes find ourselves checking for
split ends, breakage, thinning hair, or frizziness. Oftentimes we blame the chemicals
used on our hair, like shampoo, hairspray, hair dye, or
straighteners and perms. But damaged hair isn’t only
caused by the use of chemical products or alterations.
Like our bodies, our hair needs to be in “good health”
to stay strong, shiny, and beautiful. Strong hair keeps
us from balding and constantly trimming to avoid split
ends.
Healthy hair, according to scientists, has a lot of tensile strength. Hair has elastic properties allowing it to
stretch up to 20% before breaking when dry, but when
wet, it may stretch up to 50% before breaking–again,
this is when the hair is healthy. The force applied when
pulling the hair also matters. The quicker the force, the
more easily it snaps, but the slower you pull, the less
likely it is to give in. The same is applied to hair brushing; the more vigorous your strokes, the more likely it
will snap your hair.
But don’t panic and think your hair is weak just because you have a hand full of hair in your hairbrush. It
is normal to lose about 100 to 150 strands of hair everyday, especially when your hair has finished its growth
cycle and is giving way to new strands.