Ghana Hair Chick's Letters: Hair Shedding vs Hair Breakage

Hello and Happy New year to you gorgeous naturalistas! Welcome to 2014 on the African Naturalistas' Blog. Its going to be a great year and we hope you enjoy the year with us and you attain all your hair goals by the end of the year.
Today's post will deal with one of the most common issues that most women face: shedding and breakage of hair. A lot of us usually confuse these two things to be the same, but they are not. Because they are different, the solutions to each of these problems is also quite different.Its important to know the difference so you know how to fix them.Let's look briefly at each and their common causes.
Shedding

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Shedding is a natural process. A hair strand usually reaches the point where it stops growing and falls from your scalp. These shed hairs will usually have a tiny white root, which is the part of the hair that was attached to the scalp. Shed hair is also usually long. A new hair will replace whatever hair is shed so long as the bulb of your hair is still attached to your scalp. Shedding is very normal and is a healthy part of the hair growth cycle (more on this later). Excessive shedding can occur due to hormonal changes, stress and illness. You may also shed more hair than usual at certain times of the year due to the hair growth cycle.If you suspect hair loss due to excessive shedding, it is advisable to see a doctor.


Breakage

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Breakage, on the other hand, occurs when your hair strand literally breaks off. Since broken hair doesn't break at the root, there is no white bulb attached and broken hair strands are shorter. There are many causes of breakage, but the most common ones are illness, hormonal changes,chemical manipulation, lack of moisture, bodily dehydration, lack of adequate nutrition, protein overload, weak hair strands and mechanical stress (over-manipulation). Breakage therefore is not natural, and is an indicator that something is off balance with either your hair, your handling technique or your body.

I suppose your next question is how to fix these? Well check back again soon and the answer will be waiting in the next Ghana Hair Chick Post. You can find us on Facebook at African Naturalistas or start a conversation with the Ghana Hair Chick by clicking on this link.
Till then, stay blessed and healthy!
Ghana Hair Chick.