Hair Loss vs Hair Breakage

It’s happened to all of us - You are brushing your hair one day and all of a sudden you look at the brush and think, “Wow, that looks like more hair than normal…Am I losing hair??” While hair loss will affect most of us at some point in our lives, you may not be losing hair in the technical sense. You may actually be experiencing hair breakage, which looks a lot like hair loss but is caused by different things. 

What is the difference between hair loss and hair breakage?

Hair loss can be caused by a number of factors, and men and women can be affected by it in different ways. However, hair loss is defined by losing hair at the follicle. This can result in patchy hair loss, areas with sparse hair, and overall thinning of the hair. A lot of the reasons why women have hair loss tend to be treatable if caught early, such as stress, lack of sleep, and temporary illness, as well as stress from hair styling such as wearing tight ponytails and braids consistently. Other factors tend to cause temporary hair loss but usually will go back to normal after the body recovers, such as postpartum hair loss and hair loss due to radiation and chemotherapy. 

Hair breakage is defined by hair breaking off and the strand itself being damaged. Split ends, for example, are a form of hair breakage. Breakage is typically caused by styling and processing of the hair, such as bleaching, perming, straightening, heat styling, and even brushing. 

Rice Water Ritual and how to use it:

Although hair breakage and hair loss can both cause hair to look and feel thinner overall, it is important to identify what kind of hair thinning you are experiencing so that you can effectively treat it. We believe that the best approach is a preventative one, so we recommend treating both the strands and scalp so that you can prevent future damage from occurring. This is where the INALA Rice Water Ritual 3-Step System comes in! 

Designed to address both hair loss and hair breakage, the Rice Water Ritual ensures that the scalp and the strands are in their most healthy states by approaching hair health from all angles. The Power Potion is your go-to for optimal scalp health and is particularly good for addressing hair loss at the follicle. The best part is you don’t have to wait until you notice hair loss to start using this - because it helps with overall scalp health, you can use this as a preventative measure to ensure that your hair is strong from the root down! 

The second step in the Rice Water Ritual is the Reset Rinse, which addresses the scalp and the strands for a weekly super-charged treatment. Suitable for addressing both hair loss and hair breakage, the Reset Rinse will not only help with scalp health by gently and thoroughly removing follicle-clogging build-up and hydrating and nourishing the scalp, but it also strengthens the strands to prevent breakage by coating the hair in bond-building 100% pure rice water extract. 

The last step in the ritual is to make sure that your strands are getting specific attention with the Triple Threat Tonic. Designed to be used as a hair strengthening treatment  (with bonus styling properties!), this product is fantastic for addressing hair breakage due to styling of the hair. Reinforced with INALA’s signature Rice Water Complex, this product takes the best parts of our Power Potion and makes it into a strand-specific formula that is perfect for all hair types and textures. 

Regardless of whether you have hair loss, hair breakage, or are just trying to have the healthiest hair you can have, the Rice Water Ritual is the perfect addition to your daily hair care routine for optimal hair and scalp health!

Have any questions about hair loss versus hair breakage? Let us know in the comments!