In the spring of 2013 my hair was coming out in huge clumps. It was a four week process, or shall I say nightmare, but I got through it.
The 10 steps below helped me get my hair back on track. You may need to tweak these steps to do what best fits your life and your hair.
If you are able, I recommend first seeing a
professional stylist or even your doctor if you have severe hair loss.
Excessive Shedding
I was told by a professional that excessive shedding is usually the result
of sickness, stress, or other physical condition. Also, over processing hair
with a chemical treatment (relaxer, perm, color) can cause damage to the hair
and scalp.
My excessive shedding was a result of both…sickness and color
treating my hair chemically.
Shedding is the loss of whole hair strands. If the hair you’re
losing is about the length of your hair and has tiny white bulbs on the end, it is
shedding.
Breakage
There are several things that can cause breakage. I will not
cover them all in this post but a few major culprits are over processed hair,
improper protein and moisture balance, heating tools, etc.
My breakage was caused by protein overload. My hair was dry
and stiff because of a lack of moisture and was literally snapping at the ends
and mid-shaft.
Here are the 5 steps that helped stop my excessive shedding…
Step 1 – I cried. Yes, I sobbed like a baby but that was what
I needed at the time. Give freedom to your emotions, let it all go, then dig deep and move forward.
Step 2 – Seek the advice of professionals. Searching
YouTube is great but if you can afford to pay a consultation fee to have a
professional stylist look at your hair up close; that may be a better option to start.
Step 3 – I implemented black tea rinses into my regimen. At
the time I did black tea rinses twice a week until the excessive shedding stopped.
Now I do them once every other month. A
link is posted below on how I do mine, but there are a ton of black tea rinse videos on YouTube.
Step 4 – During that month of hair loss, I did hot garlic
oil treatments. I infused minced garlic with heated extra virgin olive oil,
applied it to my scalp and hair like a normal hot oil treatment. For some, odorless garlic supplements are preferred...to take internally or mix with oils or conditioners.
Step 5 - I changed my diet and incorporated foods that contribute to hair growth. Now that I am taking better care of my body (exercise and healthy eating), excessive shedding has not been a problem.
Here are the 5 steps that helped stopped my breakage…
Step 1 – I added more moisture rich products to my regimen (conditioners,
shampoos, and moisturizers) I also stopped using styling products (gels,
serums) that contain protein. Read those ingredients! ;)
Step 2 – My next step was painful…I cried again. I'm such a baby! :) I got my hair cut to get
rid of damaged ends, but in layers…to keep some length. I actually loved it!
Step 3 – Moisturizing and sealing my hair daily, or as needed.
This includes making sure that my line of demarcation (the point where my
texlaxed hair and natural hair meet) is well moisturized.
Step 4 – Balance with protein. Since I am relaxed, I still need it. I do a medium protein treatment right
before a relaxer and a hard protein treatment right after. Otherwise I use
light protein conditioners to keep my hair strong, once every other week.
I also use the Aphogee Keratin and Green Tea Restructurizer as a
leave-in, every other week.
Step 5 – Since a color treatment damaged my hair, it was then that my relaxer stretching went into full effect and I will only color my hair using natural products like henna.
I hope these steps give you a good idea of how
I managed my excessive shedding and breakage. Again, you may need
to tweak these steps to do what best fits your life and your hair. Good research is key.
The most important thing is to relax and know that with time
this too shall pass.
Be patient. Be diligent. Be smart. And you will recover.
(And keep smiling…)
Happy Hair Growing and Blessings!
~Candra
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