BREAKAGE VS SHEDDING...WHICH DO YOU HAVE?

         HAIR BREAKAGE                                                                                                      SHEDDING HAIR

Depending on our hair color, we have anywhere from 90,000 to 140,000 hairs on our head. It is believe that the on average we normally lose approximately 50 -100 hairs a day. Shed hair, hair breakage and hair balding are three different ways we have hair loss.

When our hair is at the end of it's natural growth cycle it naturally falls outs with a white bulb attached to it. After it falls out it usually takes up to 4 months before a new hair has fully sprouted in it's place. Shed hair are generally longer hair pieces where as hair that has broken off is shorter with no white bulb attached to it. As visible in the above picture of my hair, you can clearly see the distinct differences between these two.

 Possible Causes of hair breakage/hair loss:

• inherited hair defects
• Chemical or mechanical damage or both (from permanent relaxers or waves, or color treatments)
• fungal infections, such as ringworm
• excessive exposure to sunlight
• poor diet (not enough raw foods)
• hormal imbalances
• exposure to poisons 
• X rays
• Liver and kidney diseases
• stress
• Genetic
• Autoimmune disease

Possible Causes Bald Patches:

• Alopecia Areata (sudden hair loss in round patches)
• Trichotillomania ( the pulling out of your own hair)
• Ringworm (a fungal infection)
• Genetic Baldness
• Tractions Alopecia (hairstyles worn too tight over long periods of time, such as braids, weaves,  or ponytails)

Of course these are only a few possibilities to what could be causing your hair loss. It is advise that you seek advice from a certified trichologist, licensed dermatologist, or your primary doctor to rule out the possibilities of a debilitating disease.

Finally for hair shedding/ breakage, I have seen a significant decease in both simply by adding more raw foods to my diet and using fenugreek on a weekly to biweekly basis. The mucilage that in formed in a Fenugreek mixture coats and softens the hair shaft which provides slip for detangling. I also started using a seamless detangling comb/brush which has reduced both breakage and shedding in my final hair process before styling.