Lade October 25, 2013

SHEDDING & BREAKAGE (PART 1) – THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SHEDDING & BREAKAGE

There are two main ways we lose hair; by shedding or by breakage.
It is important to understand the difference between the two and know what causes either of them so that you know how to minimise both.

In this blog post I will explain what shedding and breakage is and how to identify either of them.

WHAT IS SHEDDING

Each strand of hair on our head goes through a 3 stage growth cycle. These stages are; a growing stage, a resting stage and a shedding stage. When a strand of hair is in the shedding stage, it will fall out from the hair follicle (the root of the hair). The hair follicle will then produce/grow a new hair strand and that new hair strand will also go through this three stage cycle. Hair loss through shedding is therefore a normal part of the hair growth cycle, on average we lose an average of 50 to 100 strands of hair a day by shedding.

Please note that shedding occurs even if your hair is in a weave, braids, under a wig or in a bun. The hair will shed from the scalp but may be stuck in your hair style. As an example, if a lady has a shedding rate of 50 strands a day but has had a weave for a month, when she removes the weave all the hair that has been shedding for the last 30 but was stuck in her style will fall out when she detangles and combs her hair.
So if her shedding rate is 50 strands a day and she has had a weave for 30 days, when she removes her weave all the 1500 hairs that has been shedding under the weave will be free from the weave or braids they were trapped in.

HOW TO IDENTIFY SHEDDING

This image is magnified.
The white tip is very very tiny but it is visible.

When a hair is shed, the entire length (from its base to its tip) falls out. Shed hairs therefore tend to be longer pieces of hair. Also shed hairs tend to have a very tiny white bulb at the base of the hair. This is because when the hair is in the resting phase, colour stops being produced before the hair falls out in the shedding phase.

EXCESSIVE SHEDDING AND WHY IT IS A PROBLEM

Although shedding is natural, some factors can cause a woman’s shedding rate to increase beyond its normal level.
As an example, my own hair sheds approximately 30 to 55 strands a day (I know this because I’ve counted a few times, please don’t judge me 🙂 ) . If my shedding rate suddenly increases from 55 strands a day to 130 strands a day, that would be excessive shedding because my hair would be shedding more than in normally does.

So even though shedding is normal and should be expected, excessive or abnormal shedding is not. Factors that MAY cause hair to shed more than its normal rate include
1) Hormonal influences, eg pregnancy ( especially after birth), birth control, menopause, etc.
2) A poor diet
3) Stress
4) Some hairstyles which put too much tension or stress on the hair follicles (hair roots)

Excessive shedding will reduce the overall fullness of your hair over time. In part two of this series I will share methods of reducing shedding.

WHAT IS BREAKAGE

Breakage is usually caused by the following situations
1) Dry and brittle hair
2) Excessive and rough combing
3) Protein and moisture imbalance
4) Damage from incorrect use of chemicals (relaxing and colouring)
5) Damage from extensions

Damage, incorrect hair care and poor hair care practices are the usual suspects behind breakage. Broken hairs are usually shorter than shed hairs because only parts of the hair breaks off unlike shed hairs where the whole length of the hair falls out. Also broken hair will not have a white tip which is a characteristic of shed hairs.

It is impossible to have zero breakage because general wear and tear, caring for and styling the hair can cause some degree of breakage. However, If you are experiencing severe breakage or your hair breaks very easily even when you are gentle with it then this is something you should address, treat or try to minimise.

I hope the information above has clarified the difference between breakage and shedding. Please come back soon for part two of this series where I will provide advice on minimising both shedding and breakage.

How are your hair journeys going ladies?
What do you get more, shedding, breakage or both?

X

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

Lade October 18, 2013

IT’S MY HAIR – ANNIVERSARY

Firstly, I thank God for the privilege of being alive and well today.

Four years ago, I looked in the mirror and said to myself – “I think I should start today”.
That was October 17 2009, the day I decided to start my hair journey and turn my hair around.

I had tried to take care of my hair before that day and I had failed.
However, the day I started my hair journey I knew somehow that this attempt wouldn’t fail. The one thing that was different about this journey was research. I had been working hard on researching black hair from its roots to its tips.

Since my stylist seemed as clueless as me, I realised I would have to figure things out myself. I realised that I would never get to the root of my hair breakage problems until I understood my hair and what it needed. I knew that was the only way I would be able to identify what I was doing wrong.

THE TRANSFORMATION

From left to right: My hair at 1 year plus, 2 years plus and 3 years plus on my hair journey

Through the first year I have received all sorts of comments, from encouraging ones to downright annoying ones like “wow, you clearly have time to waste, oh you’re trying to grow your hair again, you have tried everything in the past and your hair is still like this, why are you bothering, everyone knows black hair just isn’t good”. But by this point I had seen way too many healthy hair transformations on the internet that I just refused to give up. And now I am having the last laugh.

The only comment that almost got me was “Lade, it’s just hair, calm down”. And you know what, I agree. It IS just hair…….but if you have ever experienced hair loss like I have in the past, when every time you touch your hair loads of it falls out, when there are patches of your head where the hair is “missing”, when you realise you may actually have to rely on extensions to hide state of your hair.
If you have ever experienced the panic and stress that can set in with hair loss, in my opinion, you realise that maybe it’s a little bit deeper than “just hair”. Having hair is normal, hair loss isn’t.

Four years later I am here updating Hairducation with a big smile on my face thinking, I DID IT!!!!!!!
I am not confused or worried about my hair anymore, it is healthy and it is longer than I thought was possible for me as a black and proudly Nigerian woman.

Although this blog and many others may seem to focus on HAIR LENGHT at first glance, I assure you that HAIR HEALTH is the core and true message behind any decent hair care blog.
I want to use this blog post to say to every single person, blogger, vlogger and author who has taken the time to put black hair care information on the internet, thank you. You saved my hair and saved me from permanent hair loss caused by lack of knowledge.

To any reader trying to sort her hair out, the information you need is out there, but you have to be willing to find it, to learn it, to change your hair care habits and with time your hair will thrive, it will grow. Don’t wait till the hair loss is permanent.

There is soooooooooooo much more to life than hair. I am not my hair but my hair is a part of me…….and there is nothing wrong in being proud that at last, I can say my hair is doing just fine.

Happy hair anniversary to me and happy hair journey to you.

X

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

Lade October 13, 2013

HAIR CARE IN SECTIONS

Breakage!!! We all hate it and yet there are so many easy ways to avoid it.
A great way to reduce breakage is by handling or working on your hair in sections. I am a full blown sectionista. From detangling through to moisturising and sealing, I always work in sections when I am caring for my hair.

ADVANTAGES OF HANDLING HAIR IN SECTIONS

1) It will make it easier for you to locate and untangle knots in your hair.

2) If you have an area where your hair is weak or the scalp is sensitive, you can section that area off so that you can give it extra tlc or handle it gently.

3) It ensures better product distribution, for example, applying moisturiser in sections will ensure that all you hair gets a good share of the hair product.

4) It will give you better access to you scalp.

5) It helps in reducing the damage that can be caused by combing. This is because you can gently ease the comb through smaller sections of hair rather than trying to drag/force it through all your hair at once.

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR HAIR CARE IN SECTIONS

1) Divide your hair into 4 or more sections depending on how full and long your hair is.

2) The sections don’t have to be neat, straight or the exact size.

3) You don’t have to use a comb to create the sections. Your fingers can do the job. Ensure your nails are smooth. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ripped out hair because my nails were rough.

4) Use a hair clip or band to keep the sections separated. Alternatively you can put each section in a loose braid or twist

5) Try to complete as many of your hair care tasks in sections, i.e, detangle in sections, wash in sections, apply conditioner in sections, etc.

I hope you have found this post useful and that it will encourage you to try handling your hair in sections.

X

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

Lade October 13, 2013

HAIR UPDATE

After washing, conditioning and blow drying with cool air. Please ignore the coconut oil stains on my t-shirt.

It’s been eight weeks since my last relaxer. I had been following my usual routine of leaving my hair out for 10 weeks followed by wearing wigs for another 10 weeks. Everything was going great until I deviated from my regimen and more or less abandoned my hair.

At about 4 weeks post, I had a really busy period coming up and I knew hair care would probably go out the window so I decided to put my hair away and wear my wigs for a while. The plan was that I would clean my scalp and keep my hair moisturised whilst it was under the wig.
Do you know what I did to my hair? …….Nothing, absolutely nothing.
I was that busy and when I did have the time I decided I was too tired. My hair started to feel brittle; my scalp got dirty and dry and itched like mad. I scratched my scalp till it felt sore. I knew better and I knew I’d have to face the consequences.

I finally got over the extreme busy period and had time to wash and condition my hair. My scalp was still very sore from all the scratching that when I poured water on it, it stung. I washed and deep conditions using my usual products. I blow dried on cool air as it was late. I think that because my hair has been well taken care of for many years it bounced back well. It is soft and strong and feels smooth. My scalp on the other hand is a different story, it still feels sore. So I have to be very gentle with it until it feels normal again. Moral of the story, consistency with your hair regimen is important.

All this head shaking is for blogging purposes only . My hair is currently in a bun 🙂

Its almost two months since my last relaxer, I have about an inch of new growth which makes my hair really full and poufy at the roots. Personally, I love big hair so fuller it looks the happier I am. My hair reacts well to deep conditioning and I love how fluffy it feels the first few days after I wash it. However because my scalp is so sore at the moment I am going to stick to very simple hair styles so I don’t aggravate my scalp any further.

What’s happening with your hair ladies? Any updates?

x

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow