Shedding, Shedding and More Shedding
When I would take my braids down after wearing a protective style for way too long (over a month), I noticed a lot of shedding and wondered if I was damaging my hair. My sink and brush would be full of loose hair. After doing research to see why I was losing so much hair, I found out that my hair shedding was normal, especially after wearing a protective style where the hair is braided for months and not being manipulated. Once I found out that my hair shedding was absolutely normal, I was totally relieved. The fact of the matter is, you shed hair at about 50 to 100 strands daily (some people even more). Just think about it, if you have your hair braided for 4 weeks, that is roughly 1,500 - 3,000 hair strands that have yet to be combed out. This explains all of the accumulation of hair I was seeing in my sink.
Since my hair has always been extremely dry, I have to be sure not to keep protective styles in for too long as this leads to dryness, tangling and breakage. We recommend leaving a protective style in for no more than 3 to 4 weeks. When I get my hair braided, I always apply our FS Growth Elixir to my scalp to hydrate and help with growth. Once it is time to take my braids out, I follow the steps below:
- Part hair in 4 sections and comb through gently with a wide tooth comb
- Apply a deep conditioner to each section and let that sit with a shower cap on for 30 minutes (you can also sit under the dryer for 20 minutes)
- Shampoo to cleanse your scalp (do this at least twice to rid your scalp of any buildup while repairing any damage)
- Deep condition with a hair mask for 30 minutes under the dryer.
- Rinse, dry hair and style as desired (I trim my ends every two months)
Check back next month for my next installment from my hair dairy.
~Sebrina~
