Recently, I myself realized my hair had somehow broken off in the back of my head. How did this happen? I of all people, know how to take care of my hair! I had to do some to backtracking to find the cause and solve my issue.
Looking back, two months prior I had highlights done. I know my recent breakage couldn't be from that, but it was broken in my lightest highlighted pieces. I asked myself, "Was I maybe sleeping on my back more, and not my sides?" Yes, but I also sleep on a silk pillowcase, not cotton. I looked at my pillowcase to see if i had hair on my pillow, and there was none. The benefit of having a good silk or satin pillowcase, is that it creates less friction on the hair and allows the hair a gentle surface, thus causing less breakage. I do use a leave-in conditioner, called Balm d'or from Oribe, this is a heat protector up to 450 degrees. However, when I looked at my round brush, I realized my lightest pieces from my highlights were in my brush! So, next I went to my hairdryer. I do use my nozzle on my Dyson hairdryer, to prevent the heat from getting too close to my hair and burning it, and I never smelled the odor of my hair burning. We all know how bad that smells, if you have ever made the mistake of over heating your hair! But guess what?! My dryer was on level 3! 3 red lights, which means it was on the hottest setting. Oh No! No wonder I'm having issues! The hair dryer has three speed settings (low, medium and high) and four heat settings (82 degrees, 140 degrees, 176 degrees and 212 degrees Fahrenheit). Dyson says 228 degrees Fahrenheit is the magic number for frying hair. Our hair is like fabric, (Blog: The Fabric of Our Hair) and mine is fine, like silk. I have been overheating my hair, and caused it to break. Make sure to lower the heat setting to no more than 2 on fine hair, even with a heat protection product. I caused enough damage over time, before I realized it, and now the damage is done.
So now, how do I solve my second problem: Strengthening my hair to grow back. What steps am I going to have to take?
Always check my temperature on my dryer!
Drink or Take a supplement of Biotin and /or use Oribe's Power Drops for damage repair. These drops are a highly concentrated treatment serum that provides an intense dose of essential nutrients to rebuild and restore dry, damaged, time-weakened hair.
Use Oribe's Serene Scalp Thickening Spray which is a powerful treatment for thinning hair is proven to leave hair feeling thicker, fuller and healthier. After 3 months: More than 8 in 10 people have said their hair feels significantly fuller.
Continue to use Oribe's Balm d'or as my heat styling protection shield, for up to 450 degrees.
Add back into my regimen Oribe's Split End Seal before styling on just the middle lengths of my hair. This will repair the ends of my hair up to 94% with each use, plus helps by reducing the breakage by 65% until it can grow out and thicken.
Continue my in-salon Oribe Remedy Treatments for strengthening once every 3 weeks. These custom-blended antidotes are designed to help restore the holistic health of hair, perfecting and protecting from root to tip.
Alternate my at home deep conditioning treatments after every time I shampoo. One for moisture and one for protein. Why use both? I also have naturally curly hair, so it can get frizzy easily. Oribe's Moisture & Control Masque repairs split ends, restores elasticity and helps fight frizz with coconut and almond oils. It prevents breakage while repairing damage. The Signature Moisture Masque contains keratin to strengthen damaged hair and add shine. Protein Masques like Oribe's Gold Lust Transformative Masque strengthens the cuticle and fills in the week spots. It contains vitamins A, B-3, D, E and F, and has plant collagen, caffeine, biotin, and a strengthening protein blend. Moisture hydrates, while protein strengthens. Too much protein without the balance can actually cause more breakage, so using both is ideal for adequate growth.
I know this sounds like a lot to help repair my broken hair, but once you have had loss of hair and you are unable to cover it or have enough extra hair to hide it, you need to do all you can. Help it to grow faster than the 1/2 per month and keep what hair you have left. Then, when it comes time for your next hair cut you will have something to work with.
Learn from my one simple mistake: protect your hair always and turn down that dryer!