Hair breakage is serious, and it’s not always easy to figure out what’s causing it. If it’s happening to your natural hair, you’re not alone. The good news is that once you know the cause of hair breakage, you can start taking steps to fix the problem. Some of the most common reasons for hair breakage include using clips or poor combs, but overexposure to the sun and UV rays, as well as the use of chemicals, sulfate, or other unhealthy products all contribute. 

As you take steps to fix the problem, be sure to condition and properly detangle your hair, with essential ingredients that we include in many Luster’s natural hair care products. Shea butter, coconut oil, argan oil, safflower oil, avocado oil, almond oil, castor oil, and protein have properties to hydrate and nourish your hair. With care and the right combination of ingredients, your natural hair should feel lustrous and healthy, as well as supple and beautiful. 

What is Hair Breakage? 

The easiest way to understand hair breakage is to look at the hair cuticle. When your hair is healthy, the overlapping scales of your strands stay together. When it’s unhealthy, your cuticle is dry, leading to separation, damage, and breakage, which may also present as frizzy and difficult to manage hair.  

What Causes Hair Breakage? 

Several factors can affect hair breakage. Since you are what you eat, a healthy diet rich in protein and antioxidants can help to prevent hair breakage. There's also evidence to suggest that stress is a factor that can cause hair breakage in some situations.  

If you ever style your hair when it's still wet, use clips or poor combs, or neglect to moisturize your hair correctly, you might see increased hair breakage. Overexposure to the sun and UV rays and the use of chemicals, sulfate, or other unhealthy products can also contribute to hair breakage. It would help if you avoided any hair shampoo or conditioner that contains alcohol, dimethicone, triethanolamine, triclosan, parabens, or phthalates.  

How Does Breakage Compare with Shedding? 

Hair breakage is an unhealthy process, typically brought about by damage and a lack of healthy practices. It might involve a color change, a loss of cuticle, and severe split ends. Compared to breakage, shedding is a natural process, which allows you to grow healthier and resilient hair.  

Why is Conditioning Important?  

One of the most common reasons for hair breakage is because you’ve lost the elasticity in your hair, which is directly linked to dryness. Use moisturizing conditioner to begin to reverse the tide and mitigate the worst of the damage. 

How Does Conditioning Compare with Treatment? 

You'll usually use conditioner after you shampoo your hair. While conditioner is essential for regular, daily hair care, treatment, it's for the surface of your hair. If you're looking for deep nourishment, hair treatments maintain and restore your hair.  

Why is Porosity Important for Natural Hair Care?  

Porosity refers to how your hair takes in and retains moisture. Your hair’s health affects the porosity of your hair. With low porosity, your hair does not absorb moisture. To open up the hair cuticle, you can wash your hair with warm water.  

Normal or medium porosity means that your hair retains and absorbs moisture. Even with normal porosity, you still need trims and deep conditioning. With regular, healthy hair, avoid applying anything to your hair that might damage it.  

High porosity means that your hair can absorb moisture but it does not retain it. You may have this type of porosity due to your age or genetics, but it can lead to tangled, frizzy, dull, and dry hair. With high porosity, avoid washing your hair with hot water. With butters, creams, and oils, you can strengthen the strands and protect your hair from further damage.  

How to Detangle Your Natural Hair 

Natural hair can be prone to tangles and knots, which is why it's so important to take special care to detangle your hair from tip to root without causing further damage. The process for detangling your hair will also depend on your hair type and porosity.   

Since highly porous hair is already typically damaged, you must take special care when detangling your hair. You can best support the effort to detangle your hair by using water and conditioner. It not only makes it more slippery, but it allows your comb to glide right through your hair. If you're patient and gentle, your care will help improve your hair's health without causing pain, further damage, and even breakage.  

Another effective method for detangling is to section your hair. Don't try to attack your whole head at once. When you take one section at a time, you're able to detangle your hair without the stress and discomfort more quickly. It also allows you to add braids or a twist to prevent an immediate return to a tangled state.  

When you're detangling your hair, you've probably discovered that boar bristle brushes are not as effective. Try wide-tooth combs or detangling brushes for the most effortless detangling process, without the problem of catching or tearing at your hair, which could lead to further damage and breakage.  

Detangling your hair isn't a science, but it does take time and care. You can start detangling with your fingers and then work from your hair's ends up to the roots. Detangling is also not something that you can leave for long periods of time. Detangle your hair before and after shampoo and condition to ensure your hair is clean, conditioned, and detangled.  

Which Ingredients Are Most Effective to Prevent Hair Breakage? 

The best natural hair ingredients combine to hydrate and nourish your hair, as it supports the strength and growth of your hair. With the right ingredients, your hair should feel lustrous and healthy as well as supple and beautiful.  

• Shea butter: With natural anti-inflammatory and hydrating properties, it’s the perfect combination to prevent further damage and breakage.  
• Coconut Oil: As a natural moisturizer, it's an essential ingredient to prevent hair loss and damage with lauric acid. It nourishes your weak hair while making it more supple.  
• Argan Oil: With antioxidants, it’s a rich source of vitamin A, C, and E. It seeps into the hair shaft and improves the dryness.  
• Safflower Oil: It’s got the hydrating properties that help to increase the blood flow to your scalp.  
• Avocado Oil: As a natural conditioner, it’s a source of omega-3 fatty acids for lustrous and healthy hair. 
• Almond Oil: With lubricating properties, it repairs and strengthens hair.  
• Castor Oil: It strengthens, nourishes, and protects your hair while it helps to increase blood circulation to your scalp. It also helps boost hair growth.  
• Protein: With properties that support strength and balance, it helps to produce lustrous and shiny hair.  

You're probably familiar with most of these ingredients because they have a reputation for excellence in the hair-care industry. Things like shea butter, protein, and oils are all proven to provide the essential nutrients and nourishment you need to balance and fortify your hair while boosting hair growth and supporting luminous shine.  

Which Products Work Best to Prevent Breakage? 

We've already discussed the ingredients that will best meet your needs. Beyond knowing which ingredients to look for, you must also find products that will include the high-quality and best efficacy to deliver the restorative results you need. Here are the Luster Products that will help prevent breakage and improve your hair's health.   

Pink® Shea Butter Moisturizing & Smoothing Conditioner is uniquely formulated for dry and brittle hair. It makes your hair look and feels smooth and soft while restoring moisture. Shea Butter Coconut Oil Moisturizing Conditioner guards against fading while moisturizing with certified shea butter, argan oil, and sunflower oil. 

Pink® Shea Butter Moisturizing Hair Milk penetrates your hair follicle to deliver the softness, hydration, and shine that you're looking for. It keeps your curls and coils looking and feeling great. You get the smooth and frizz-free solutions you need with this super-nourishing product. Shea Butter Coconut Oil Moisturizing Hair Milk delivers the right combination of ingredients that keeps your curls and coils looking good for days!   

Pink® Shea Butter Coconut Oil Leave-in Conditioner provides a foundation for hair care styling, with Certified Organic Shea Butter and Coconut Oil plus Castor Oil, Marshmallow Root, Sunflower Oil, Vitamin E, and Pro-Vitamin B5. Our conditioner hydrates your dry and thirsty hair while sealing in the moisture and detangling while it delivers the shine you need. 

Pink® Revitalex Conditioner offers the proven combination of Castor Oil, Olive Oil, and Vitamin E as part of our moisturizing formulation. Our conditioner not only supports and rejuvenates dry and damaged hair; it also improves the manageability and protects against breakage, with the softening nourishment that you'll love.  

Why Choose Luster’s Natural Hair Products to Prevent Breakage?  

Of course, we believe that Luster's Natural Hair Products are the best, but we also prove the quality and effectiveness of our products every day. We know you don't want to wait when you're looking for a product that will save you from frazzles and breaking hair. You need a solution right now.  

Luster's Natural Hair Products offers something individual for each of you to target your specific needs. We provide products that are perfect for cleaning, conditioning and those products that will strengthen and rejuvenate your hair—to prevent further damage and breakage. It's not an accident. We are purposeful in our mission, as we include the very best in high-quality ingredients. Then we test every formulation to ensure that it's the best possible solution for your needs.  

Our products deliver the benefits that you expect and deserve, and we stand by our promise with our guarantee that you’ll be satisfied with our products, no matter what. You’re part of our family. We only want the best for you, and that’s why we continue to deliver the best products to you, proven to give you and your family healthy hair you’ll love.