What is an acceptable amount of breakage?

[trackstar]

So I have a silly question. Is there an acceptable amount of breakage?? A few random hairs now and then... or ABSOLUTELY none?

Of course we should AIM for none.. but do any of you ladies who have long, healthy hair, and your regimens down pat still see a few tiny strands in the sink fairly constantly?

 

[bbdgirl]

I don't get as much breakage as I do shedding. I try not freak out at either but I think if you are uncomfortable with the amount then really take a hard look at the products that you are using; how your hair is reacting to them and take a look at the hair styles that you have been sporting. Most importantly remember to treat your hair like fine silk. I am talking to myself mostly on that last one becuase sometimes I am tired or just not in the mood and I will move the comb through tmy hair too quickly or with too much force; so that I am the cause of my breakage.

 

[Qtee]

I dye my hair so some breakage is to be expected..but its still only a few strands here and there...

 

[*CherryPie*]

There's gonna be some kind of breakage here and there, that's normal. With combing, handling, wind blowing through it, bow drying, styling, etc...there's gonna be some breakage along the way, hopefully, just a little though.

 

[gadgetdiva]

I'd rather see NONE but I do see tiny bits here and there not much though.
My cousin combed her hair in my bathroom one day and I saw breakage city, my soul winced. I had to let her know that those inch and a half long hairs breaking off were not good for my sink nor her hair. I begged her to let me do a deep moisturizing & protein condition on her hair. I know she doesn't do that....she keeps asking me how my hair out grew hers in 3 mths and I started with less hair than she has...

 

[omegachick31]

This is such a difficult thing to gauge...Shedding, yes, is inevitable but breakage always causes my "hair"ophrenia to rear its ugly head...you know I start hearing these voices inside my head telling me my hair will never get to its goal and I should just cut it, or see visions of longhaired lovlies taunting me with new growth pics cause they are just hateful or even worse me turning the hair twenty times hoping to see a white bulb on one of the ends...I know crazy...anyway I too am trying to determine if there is actually a reason for worry by collecting any hair loss during the week to see how it varies from week to week, if its consistent or should I start altering my techniques....helps to keep my hairanoia at bay.

 

[trackstar]

thanks for your responses!

 

[LaFemmeNaturelle]

Yup I think there's ALWAYS going to be a little bit of breakage with all the stuff our hair goes through. I don't worry about my breakage at all I just try to keep my manipulation low to minimize it as much as I can.

 

[topnotch1010]

A few (<5) are normal for me. I get more shed hairs than anything.

 

[NaturalBoss]

I see a few strands of hair here and there, but nothing major. I've had damaged hair before, so I know when it's time to be concerned.

 

[kiesha8185]

When I first started taking care of my hair, I used to get so much breakage and shedding! I thought it was normal and should be expected. But over time, it decreased dramatically.

For me, breakage had to do with the health of my hair (proper balance of protein/moisture and elasticity) and how I handled it (combing, washing, detangling, styling). Once I found the right products and started to treat it like silk and not dirty clothes, the breakage decreased dramatically. I used to be so rough with my hair. The healthier my hair gets, the less breakage I get. I barely use heat and it's usually in a bun until wash day.

 

[kandegirl]

My hair is getting healthier and I still get breakage. I've cut it and started over from a full thick bob but I still get some breakage. I get shedding too so I think I'm STILL (after years) finding out what my hair likes. I rarely use heat. I don't manipulate my hair much plus I deep condition it regulary w/ protein and moisturizing conditioners but I still get breakage. Hope it stops soon!

 

[FebeeSigns]

I voted absolutely none. If you are taking care of your hair properly and it is healthy, it would not be breaking. Shedding is normal, breaking is not. Even if you comb, combing gently and carefully prevents broken hairs.

 

[Sianna]

Like others have said, I think that some breakage is normal. I also believe this to be a matter of individuality. While some people might break 20 hairs in a detangling session without batting an eye, some might see that many hairs and panic. I think that if your hair is still retaining and gaining length then you probably have nothing to worry about. If the appearance of growth becomes stagnant or if the amount of broken hairs seems to be increasing, then something in your routine probably needs to be changed.

 

[petiteNunique]

I used to have breakage up until recently. NOTHING was working for me. I found that carrot oil is great! It has worked wonders for my breakage!

 

[LittleLuxe]

When I started my hair journey and was still trying to figure out my protein/moisture balance I used to get so much broken hair on a daily basis it practically filled the sink. It was so bad I eventually cut my hair because the ends were so sparse. Now...I've got it down pact and on a daily basis even 3-4 broken hairs is worrisome to me. I get way more shed than broken which is a-okay by me.

 

[Vonnieluvs08]

I worry when I see breakage but understand that the ends are the oldest and weakest part of my hair. I haven't trimmed my hair since Feb so I know there will be some breakage. If I see lots of short curls I will panic. After I get my trim and I still see breakage then I'll panic. But after my trim I should have nearly no breakage.

Shedding is a whole other issue for me.

 

[FearfullyMade]

SOME breakage is ineviteable, but MINIMUM is preferred. I don't like to see any, but I wouldn't freak out if I began to see a few strands, I'd try to look at it like a warning sign that my hair may be in need of something. In fact, I just took out some cornrows that I've had in for a few weeks under a wig. There were few shed hairs and little ( if any) breakage. I remember when I was still new to hair care, my hair "appeared" healthy, but I remember literally hearing my hair breaking and snapping when combed.

 

[HoneyA]

I do see short hairs now and then that I would consider breakage but I wouldn't say constantly like every single day. I see long strands constantly though.

 

[mstk]

I think that there will always be some breakage. What's acceptable depends on your hair, your goals and your standards. For myself, since I now have so many different textures of hair on my head (bone straight, texlaxed, natural roots) my goal is to minimize breakage through gentle handling, little to no heat and regular deep conditioning. I don't think I'll ever get to the point where there's no breakage at all though.

 

[kiadoris08]

I shed more....Not to much breakage........

 

[alyssabrie]

I voted ABSOLUTELY NONE! Where there is breakage, there is a problem. I feel that if I start see breakage than I need to address whatever the problem is... ASAP

 

[Vshanell]

I get breakage all the time. I know what is too much by looking at it. There will always be some degree of breakage I don't care how well you take care of your hair.....especially those with very long length....those strands are very very old on the ends.

 

[asakeba]

^^^ hi, long time lurker, recent subscriber
I'm glad you said that- all to often people act like they never get breakage. How do they know it's not breakage? Do they examine each and every strand? That's for being real, it stops people like me from being discouraged

 

[Vshanell]

^^^ hi, long time lurker, recent subscriber
I'm glad you said that- all to often people act like they never get breakage. How do they know it's not breakage? Do they examine each and every strand? That's for being real, it stops people like me from being discouraged

I agree, i see a lot of people act like they never have a broken or a shed hair. Im sorry but i dont believe there is a such thing as anti-breakage hair. Yes it can be discouraging to hear it but dont get discouraged because some degree of breakage is totally normal, as long as it's not excessive. Normal breakage will not hinder your hair growth either. I have always had breakage during my journey and still retained.

 

[alyssabrie]

I agree, i see a lot of people act like they never have a broken or a shed hair. Im sorry but i dont believe there is a such thing as anti-breakage hair. Yes it can be discouraging to hear it but dont get discouraged because some degree of breakage is totally normal, as long as it's not excessive. Normal breakage will not hinder your hair growth either. I have always had breakage during my journey and still retained.

I don't think anyone said that they didn't get any breakage. I just said that I don't feel that it is acceptable. Actually, I do examine quite a bit of the hairs that come off of my head, especially the shorter than normal ones. If I do think that my hair is experiencing breakage, it means that I haven't been caring for it as I should. I will try to figure out why it is weakened and try to correct the problem. Yes, breakage happens, but it can also be minimized to the point that it isn't noticed.

 

[Vshanell]

I don't think anyone said that they didn't get any breakage. I just said that I don't feel that it is acceptable. Actually, I do examine quite a bit of the hairs that come off of my head, especially the shorter than normal ones. If I do think that my hair is experiencing breakage, it means that I haven't been caring for it as I should. I will try to figure out why it is weakened and try to correct the problem. Yes, breakage happens, but it can also be minimized to the point that it isn't noticed.

Actually i see people say it a lot around the boards, not just this thread and they give newbies the impression that they are not supposed to see one hair break ever. It is going to happen weather acceptable or not and i dont think its always because of neglect. Now if its excessive breakage thats a problem but dont ever expect for there to be none at all.

 

[alyssabrie]

Actually i see people say it a lot around the boards, not just this thread and they give newbies the impression that they are not supposed to see one hair break ever. It is going to happen weather acceptable or not and i dont think its always because of neglect. Now if its excessive breakage thats a problem but dont ever expect for there to be none at all.

I guess I haven't been around enough to see all that. Perhaps they have minimized their breakage enough that they don't notice it, so they do actually believe that they don't get breakage. IDK, it's a little irresponsible to say that you get none unless, like the poster above said, you looked at EVERY SINGLE strand of hair that comes off of their head.

 

[BoaterGirlKim]

I voted absolutely none is acceptable. Now, have I had breakage since starting my HHJ? Yes. But it is not acceptable, and I know the exact cause was completely abandonding my hair care practices (though just for a brief period of time - like a week), in particular wetting my hair down without using any conditioner, leave-in or moisturizer then pulling my hair back into a bun. My nape went bye-bye! This breakage is unacceptable to me so I'm back on track and babying my nape, paying extra attention to moisturizing and sealing those strands from root to tip and using a growth aid (MN) to help it catch up to the rest of my hair. If it hadn't been for that period of laziness, I would be able to say that I experienced no breakage since starting my HHJ in March 09. I've learned that my hair loves moisture and hates strong protein, and I've figured out a good reggie from pre-pooing, pooing/conditioning, DCing, cowashing and using moisturizing styling products that when I'm on point, I get zero breakage and almost zero shedding.

 

[D.Lisha]

I wish I could say that "no breakage" was even an option for me.
I've attached two pictures below from when I washed & detangled my hair last night. I wash/detangle in two sections...and the pictures depict how much hair I lost after I washed/detangled both sections


What do you ladies think about this amount of breakage?