Breakage Help?

I have really fine hair that seems exceptionally delicate. I try to be hairful about handling it, but it the breakage just never ends. Is there anything I can do to make my hair stronger? Or is there anything I can do that would be helpful to prevent breakage?

And...

What exactly is a seamless comb?

Hi Skzz,

Fine hair is very soft but it does break very easily.  The kicker is that the way to help prevent breakage for most hair is to use moisturizing products BUT of course for people with baby fine hair, too much moisture from shampoo, conditioners or rinses can flatten delicate strands and can cause a whole set of other problems.

Another problem is that some people with fine hair don't have the breakage issues but they do have to worry about getting more fullness and root lift.  So produts that are advertise for fine hair may be designed like Matrix Amplify and Phytovolume to swell the shaft and give hair a fatter appearance.  Unfortunately, these formulas are not good necessarily for someone with a tendency towards breakage.

With fine hair the key is to find a shampoo that is moisturizing to lightly coat strands and prevent breakage but light enough NOT to dry hair, cause breakage or weigh it down.  One of my best friends with baby baby fine hair swears by the Peter Lamas & Philip Pelusi line of hair care produts.  Another friend likes the Paul Penders shampoo for fine hair. My niece has baby baby fine hair and she swears by the light shampoos and conditioners made by Philip Pelusi.  Although they may see expensive, a little goes a long way.  Phyto and Rene Furterer also make product designed to be especially helpful for fine hair.

You might experiment by heavily diluting either a new shampoo that you wish to try or the shampoo of choice - 1 part shampoo to 3 or 4 parts warm water and then drizzling over the top of your strands and patting the shampoo mixture gently into the strands.

Other options to consider include avoiding all the things that will ten to cause breakage such as:

1.  Using anything but lukewarm water to shampoo hair.  Hot water will dry out hair and if it is naturally prone to breakage, will cause it to break more easily.

Consider experimenting with a final rinse that is cool/cold to close off the cuticles and protect them. 

2.  Brushing hair when wet.  Hair is most fragile when wet.
3.  Rubbing hair vigoriously when wet, with a towel or fingers. This also encourages breakage. Pat a very thick towel gently to absorb mositure but never rub or ruffle.
4.  Using combs or brushes that have sharp edges and will rip and/or tear. 

Consider investing in a good natural boar's head brush or one that is a good synthetic but well made.  Mason Pearson & Kent have the best 100% boars while Conair makes some very good synthetic ones.  Kent & Mason Peason also have great seamless combs.  Some people with fine hair find good results using wooden combs as well.

Things that should help right away include:

1.  Drinking more water which helps add natural moisture to hair from the inside out. 
2.  Take a good multi-vitamin supplement and/or investigate supplements designed specifically to help hair. 
3.  Experiment with a tiny amount of leave-in conditioning product to help protect hair from breakage.  Consider a detangling/leave-in conditioning spray that is light enought to protect w/out weighing hair down. Concentrate any produts on the middle to the ends of the strands to over flatness.
4.  If you blow dry your hair, consider bending over at the waist and using a dryer that has a cool or slow setting.  This will protect the top layers of your hair where breakage occurs first.

Also, direct the air flow from the roots down the shaft towards the ends to smooth the cuticle and make it lay flatter.  Again this is a double edged sword because it may make hair more compressed and less full, but it will also help prevent as much breakage.

You might also consult with your hairdresser for suggestions on different styles that will maximize your fine strands but minimize damage and/or breakage.

Finally, visit HairTalk and share with all the great folks here.  The amount of wisdom and experience that the visitors have and share here is mind boggling.

Best wishes,
Karen