The sight of hairballs on your comb and floor can be very concerning, especially if that’s the case every time you comb out your hair.
Should you be worried? No. For highly coiled 4C hair, shedding is common.
However, you must distinguish between natural shedding and breakage, which is crucial for length retention. Breakage occurs when a hair strand snaps along the shaft due to external stress. Shedding is a healthy process where the entire hair strand, with its attached white bulb at the root, is released.
Recognising the difference is the first step toward the right intervention.
Shedding: Studies show that a typical person sheds 50 to 100 hairs daily. If the majority of hairs you collect after washing or styling have a small white bulb, which is the root attached at the end, you are experiencing normal shedding.
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Breakage: Here, the hairs found are usually shorter, uneven in length, and lack the white bulb. It is often accompanied by tiny, broken pieces that resemble hair “dust,” indicating the hair shaft’s structural integrity could be compromised.
Causes of damage
The tightly coiled and often fine nature of 4C hair makes it inherently fragile and susceptible to damage from both internal and external factors.
Moisture imbalance is the most common culprit. Chronic dryness makes hair rigid and brittle, thus causing it to snap. Hygral fatigue, or excessive swelling and contracting from over-wetting, weakens the cortex over time.
Aggressive detangling using fine-toothed combs, over-manipulation from tight styles like small-sized braids and twists that pull the hairline, or rough towel-drying severely compromises the delicate coil pattern.
And improperly applied colour, relaxers, or excessive heat from flat irons without heat protectant chemically or physically melt the hair’s protective cuticle and inner cortex.
Underlying issues like iron deficiency or thyroid disorders can also disrupt the hair growth cycle, leading to increased shedding and weaker strands.
How to stop breakage
Breakage can be minimised if you strengthen the internal structure and minimise external friction.
Implement a routine that alternates deep conditioning treatments. Protein treatments that contain keratin or hydrolyzed wheat protein temporarily fill gaps in the damaged cuticle to reinforce the shaft but must be immediately followed by intense moisture treatments to prevent stiffness.
Prioritise low-tension styles like chunky twists or loose buns to minimise daily handling. And despite what people say, avoid keeping tight protective styles in for longer than eight weeks to prevent stress on the new growth.