Natural Hair Problems you might encounter [Hair Problem Series]

The natural hair journey is not milk and honey all the way, if you have been on this journey for a while you can attest to this fact. Yes, there will be some natural hair problems on the way but never give up, we are here for you. So in this article, you will be educated on how to escape the hair problem phase that may occur in your natural hair journey and how to handle those issues if and when they arise.

Natural Hair Problems

As much as possible it is not easy to be completely rid of these problems however when we have a good understanding of how they occur we might be able to reduce its occurrence.

Hair breakage

Hair breakage is one of the most common natural hair problems and it simply refers to breaks in the hair shaft and it is mostly as a result of dry hair and split ends. Let’s look at more causes of hair breakage and explain how to dry hair and split ends result in hair breakage.

 Causes of hair breakage

1. Towel drying: After washing you rub your towel roughly on your wet hair to dry it. When your hair is wet, it is in its most fragile state therefore it breaks more easily. As simple as it seems, this singular act is a common cause of hair problem. Instead of rubbing your hair to dry it, wrap your hair in the towel and let the towel absorb the moisture or let the hair dry out naturally.
2. Heat application and harsh chemicals: Frequent use of hairdryers, hair straightener and curling iron greatly reduce the moisture in the hair which can lead to fragile hair and hair breakage. Relaxers, colouring and perming hair products contain harsh chemicals that weaken the hair and make it more likely to break.
3. Over combing: How do you comb/brush your hair? When there is a tangle in your hairdo you grab a hold of your comb and forcefully comb the tangle out. This might be why you have some many splits ends and excess shedding.
4. Split ends: When hair breaks off it can leave split ends which simply means a single hair strand has two or more ends instead of one. The problem with this is the hair keeps splitting till it reaches the root resulting in thinner and fragile hair strands that will easily break off.
5. Dry hair: Dry hair especially dry ends of the hair will eventually lead to split ends, which will lead to hair breakage.
6. Unbalanced diet: Yes what you eat affects even your hair, if you lack nutrients necessary for growing hair like Omega-3, protein, protein, zinc, iron and more; it can lead to hair breakage.

How to prevent hair breakage

1. Air dry your hair or wrap it in a towel or an old t-shirt to soak up the water.
2. Check the ingredients in your hair products, avoid products with:
   • Parabens,
   • Sodium Chloride,
   • Sulfates,  
   • Diethanolamine (DEA),
   • Triethanolamine (TEA),
   • Formaldehyde and Dimethicone. The list of ingredients you should avoid using on your hair is inexhaustible but you can start looking out for the ingredients listed above.
3. Reduce the use of heat appliances to your hair and if you have to use heat on your hair. Also, ensure to apply heat protection products to your hair first.
4. Detangling your hair gently with a comb or with your hand instead of forcefully combing knots and tangles out will reduce the amount of hair you shed off. Finger combing reduces hair loss further.
5. Your hair ends are the oldest and most exposed part of your hair. They need to be treated with care and must be properly moisturized to reduce the occurrence of split ends. Regular hair trims will also reduce the occurrence of split ends.
6. Keep your hair properly moisturized.

Dandruff

We all know what dandruff looks like, those itchy yellow or white flakes that seem to appear on the hair all of a sudden. Contrary to what most people think dandruff doesn’t necessarily occur because the hair is dirty. Some causes of dandruff include a sensitive scalp that is reacting to a hair product put on it, dry scalp, very oily scalp, not using enough shampoo when washing the hair and more.

How to treat dandruff

1. Use anti-dandruff shampoos: one that easily comes to mind is ‘head and shoulders’.
2. If the problem is a dry scalp ensure your scalp is moisturized frequently but if the problem is an oily scalp, wash your hair more often to reduce and eventually cure your hair of dandruff. Remember to focus on washing the scalp where the problem is.
3. Some natural options to treat dandruff include: Applying aloe Vera gel (gotten directly from the plant) directly onto the hair, mixing crushed garlic and honey then allowing the mixture to seat on your hair for about twenty minutes before washing it off, adding water to a few teaspoons of lemon juice then rinse your hair with the mixture. Note: This doesn’t mean you should try all the treatments at once, try one and see if it has any effects before trying a different natural dandruff cure method.
4. Try a hot oil mask.
5. Minimize your stress levels, higher stress levels can lead to dandruff or worsening the already visible dandruff.

Shrinkage

Shrinkage refers to hair appearing to be shorter than it actually is. This mostly occurs after the hair’s exposure to humidity or after washing. This is a common occurrence for Type 4 hair, unlike some other hair issues, this is a natural occurrence and nothing can be done about it. Air it out, fluff it out and it will return to its actual volume and length.

That’s all for today, we will address more hair issues is the part 2 of this topic. If you have learnt something, drop a comment below. Also, if you know someone who might need this information feel free to share this article with them.

Conclusion

If you have also used any of these tips or you have encountered and solved any of the discussed hair issues using a different method, feel free to share it in the comment section below.

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