| Healthy strands boast tightly closed cuticle | | | | |
| layers. If hair is in good condition, it | | | | Raking through damp strands with a |
| shines, swings, feels good when touched, and | | | | fine-toothed comb, yanking at tangles, |
| has no "cotton-candy" ends or split strands. | | | | brushing hair 20 times a day, |
| The easiest route to healthy hair is to avoid | | | | absentÂmindedly tugging at locks, |
| as many of the following damaging things as | | | | backcombing strands for a fuller finish - |
| possible. | | | | these all constitute rough handling, and |
| | | | they're all surefire ways to damage fragile |
| Shampooing | | | | tresses. |
| | | | |
| Shampoo works by removing dirt and excess | | | | Every time you handle your hair, even if you |
| sebum from the hair's surface. Gentle | | | | just push your fingers through it, you put |
| shampoos remove just what they need to. Harsh | | | | stress on its cuticle layer, causing the |
| shampoos, however, can take with them your | | | | cuticle's tightly overlapping tiles to come |
| hair's protective sebum, that necessary | | | | unhinged; in hair-care circles, this is known |
| natural oil that keeps hair pliable, | | | | as mechanical damage. Particularly aggressive |
| moisturized, and healthy. In some cases, | | | | treatment can even strip away a section of |
| harsh shampoos also disrupt your hair's | | | | these tiles. When this protective armor is |
| cuticle layer, roughing up those tile-like | | | | compromised or removed, hair splits, frays, |
| portions and allowing damage to the interior | | | | or snaps off. |
| cortex. | | | | |
| | | | Hair accessories |
| Wet hair is up to 30 percent weaker than dry | | | | |
| hair, so handle damp strands carefullly! Wait | | | | Ponytail holders, barrettes, combs, clips - |
| untill your locks are dry before doing any | | | | most of us have been using these and other |
| heavy-duty brushing, combing, or styling. | | | | hairdo helpers since childhood. This is fine, |
| | | | as long as you don't use them more than one |
| Don't overdo it | | | | to three times a week. Wearing your hair day |
| | | | after day in the same style can wear away the |
| In countries such as America, where people | | | | hair's cuticle layer and cause breakage in |
| have a pathological obsession with | | | | those locks that are contained by the |
| squeaky-clean tresses, hair is often | | | | accessory. For instance, the hair directly |
| overwashed. (As an American, I am allowed to | | | | under a barrette can be roughed up by the |
| say all of this.) When strands are shampooed | | | | friction created between the hair and the |
| too frequently - this means washing hair when | | | | ornament's metal clasp. |
| it doesn't need to be washed - there is no | | | | |
| dirt for shampoo to remove, so it moves to | | | | Similarly, if you're not gentle when removing |
| whatever else happens to be clinging to your | | | | them, hair accessories can damage locks in |
| strands: This is usually your hair's | | | | another way: Try not to yank free any tresses |
| protective sebum. Get into washing habits | | | | that become stuck in the hinge of a clip or a |
| that suit your hair and you will benefit from | | | | barrette or wound around a ponytail holder. |
| healthyÂlooking, naturally shiny hair. | | | | Unfortunately, ripping strands out of a hair |
| | | | ornament's grasp can strip away a long swath |
| Rough handling | | | | of the cuticle layer. |