Why Your Hair Breaks: The 7 Damage Habits to Stop Now

Hair breakage is one of the most common concerns I hear in the salon. The frustrating part? Most of it is entirely preventable. Here are the seven habits that cause the most damage — and exactly what to do instead.

1. Brushing Wet Hair with the Wrong Tool

Wet hair is 3x more elastic than dry hair, which means it stretches before it snaps. Using a fine-tooth comb or paddle brush on soaking wet hair creates enormous tension. Switch to a wide-tooth comb or a wet-specific detangling brush, and always start from the ends working upward.

2. Heat Without Protection

I cannot overstate this: never apply heat without a thermal protectant. Not even a quick pass with a flat iron on "low." Heat protectants coat the cuticle with a film-forming polymer that distributes heat evenly and prevents localized hot spots that cause protein denaturation.

3. Tight Elastics and Metal Clasps

The crease left by a tight elastic is a weak point. Every time you fold the hair in the same spot, you create a structural compromise. Switch to spiral hair coils or fabric scrunchies, rotate your ponytail position daily, and never sleep with an elastic in.

4. Skipping Protein Treatments

Hair is made of protein (keratin). If you're only conditioning — providing moisture and slip — but never doing a protein treatment, the hair shaft has nothing structural to rebuild with. Once a month, use a protein-rich mask or bond treatment to reinforce the cortex.

5. Overwashing

Shampooing every day strips the scalp's sebum, which is the hair's natural conditioner. This sends the scalp into oil-production overdrive — and the cycle repeats. Try extending wash days by one each week until you reach every 3–4 days.

6. Cotton Pillowcases

Covered in the blowout article, but it bears repeating: cotton creates friction that shreds the cuticle overnight. Silk or satin is non-negotiable for long or color-treated hair.

7. Coloring Over Already-Damaged Hair

If your hair's elasticity test (stretch a single strand — it should spring back; if it snaps, it's over-processed) shows significant damage, coloring again will compound it. A bond-building treatment cycle of 4–6 weeks before re-coloring can make the difference between healthy results and more breakage.

"Healthy hair is the foundation of every great color and style. There are no shortcuts — but the habits are genuinely simple once you know them." — Margot Delacroix

Margot Delacroix

Senior Colorist & Hair Health Educator