1. Using old styling tools
You want to make sure to clean out those hairy brushes, which are breeding grounds for germs and old residue — things no one wants in their hair. "Remove the hair from the brush after each styling session,"
2. Using a rough elastic
The best type of elastic to use in your hair is something covered in fabric — a dense, thin hair tie can irritate your strands causing breakage if pulled to tightly. If you just want to get your hair out of your face, try gently pulling it back using bobby pins or claws. Anything too tight is damaging, so try to think loose.
3. Infusing hair with too many chemicals
Too many artificial chemicals are bad for any part of your body — and your hair is no exception. Too much coloring, keratin-ing, and relaxing can cause breakage and damage. Make sure you keep the number of chemical processes to a minimum, and consider establishing a routine that involves preemptive care before undergoing chemical treatments, like a scalp mask or an elasticizer — a pre-shampoo protective treatment — a couple days prior to visiting the hairdresser.
4. Setting the heat too high
Excess heat strips hair of its natural moisture, causing your cuticles to dry and snap off — leading to some thirsty-looking strands. That's why we're told not to turn the heat all the way up on our styling tools, but how do you know how hot is too hot? To start, don't turn the dial above "medium."
5. Going too long between haircuts
While picking split ends might be a great procrastinating tool, it's also a wake-up call that you're due for a trim. Over time, split ends tend to divide into even bigger split ends, causing your hair to thin and weaken. To keep hair looking healthy — and whole — try cutting 1/2-inch off your ends every month, or every other month if you're trying to grow hair long.
6. Brushing from the roots down
7. Handling wet hair roughly
When hair is wet, cuticle scales can lift, making moist strands more delicate and more susceptible to breakage and split ends than dry hair. Make sure you always smooth damp hair with a wide-tooth comb. using a brush or narrow-tooth comb can be too rough because it pulls too harshly causing snaps and breakage.
8. Slathering on too many products
The last things you want to do are cause build-up and strip your hair of its natural oils. If you have fine hair, your locks will end up weighed down, creating the opposite effect of what you're trying to achieve. On natural hair, too many products can create dry strands by over-coating the cuticle and preventing moisturizing serums from getting to the center. And while thicker hair takes to products a bit better, start with less product than you think you need, building up if that amount isn't doing the trick.
9. Keeping the same shampoo for changing hair
Most women seem to think that they need to routinely switch their shampoo in order to keep locks from building up a tolerance to product. Not true, says Phillips. "Change your shampoo when hair circumstances change, for example, if color or highlights have been added." Additionally, many women tend to experience some type of hair loss during pregnancy.
