Keeping your natural hair healthy isn’t just a deep conditioning treatment here, and a couple of co-washes there, it’s a lifestyle. Maybe you fell off the bandwagon a while ago and you’re trying to hop back on, or you’re not getting the results you would love to see with your current natural hair regimen and you can’t decide where your hair stands. So, how do you know if your natural hair is unhealthy? What are the telltale signs your hair gives you when it needs more love? Here are 9 signs your hair will give you when it is unhealthy.

9 Signs Of Unhealthy Natural Hair

1. Always Dry

Your hair doesn’t seem to have the capacity to hold moisture for much longer than a day. It is almost always crunchy when you touch it. Several factors can contribute to this, but excessive use of heat, inconsistent deep conditioning, and improper moisturization are the most common culprits. Try to cut back on how much you use heat your hair and learn to moisturize properly. Deep condition your hair more often, it helps to intensely moisturize your hair and even does so much more.

2. Your hair has no sheen

Hair has a natural sheen to it. It might be more obvious in some hair types than others, but never the less it is present with all hair types. If your hair has been looking dull and drab or a while now, it might be time to accept that you’ll need to be spending some more time dedicated to taking care of it.

3. Split ends galore

Split ends are a quick way to lose length and slow down your hair growth journey. If your hair is starting to have more of them than you can seem to handle, it is a sign that your hair needs better care. Split ends can be avoided, but if you have reached a point where they are beyond control, you will need to trim them off.

4. Always tangled

While it is true that black/natural hair tangles a lot more than other hair types, there’s a limit. Excessive tangling with tough knots and matted areas that you can’t seem to get around can signify that your natural hair is unhealthy.

5. Excessive shedding

Shedding is a normal part of the hair growth cycle. On average, you should shed about 200 strands of hair each day. That might sound like a lot but in reality, it isn’t. So if you find yourself losing massive clumps of hair during wash day, or you’re waking up each day with more and more loose hair in your bonnet, there is a problem. You need to buckle up fast and do something about your excess shedding.

6. Thinning edges

Thinning edges might be hereditary in your family so you should check on that first. However, if you’re sure it isn’t a hereditary issue, you’ll need to take a look at your natural hair routine/regimen. Take some time off from styles that stress your edges and try these steps to regrow them.

7. Excessive breakage

Breakage is bound to happen. Especially when you style your hair regularly. However, losing a little hair is different from excessive breakage. There are so many factors that you may have caused directly or indirectly that can cause your hair to break at an alarming rate. You can try a protein treatment to strengthen your mane and look through other possible remedies.

8. Alarming root to tip ratio

Hair thins out from root to tip. It is normal for the roots of your hair to be fuller at the roots and taper out a bit towards the tips. If tips/ends of your hair taper out into a near stiletto heel, you’re battling with the issue of excess breakage. This breakage may have arisen from split ends tearing down your hair strands and breaking off at some point, or due to lack of protein and moisture. Either way, it is a sign that your hair needs more intentional care.

9. No bounce

Elasticity is an important quality for your hair. You see its effects every day in different ways, but the easiest way to experience it is through shrinkage. Your hair ought to have some kind of bounce when you pull on it. Ideally, it should stretch out as you pull, and bounce back to its original position when you release it. If your hair is limp, does not snap back, and does not experience any type of shrinkage, there is an issue. Dehydrated hair most commonly experiences this problem.

You may experience one or two of these symptoms now and again, but that doesn’t mean your hair is unhealthy. It just means you need to pay more attention to the problem area you’re having. It is very rare for a single person to experience all of these symptoms at the same time. An easy way to decide where your hair stands on the scale of health is by checking if your hair ticks at least 5 of these boxes at the same time.

If it does, you can take a step back and have a long hard look at the things you probably aren’t doing right. Some of the problems you might be battling may even be as a result of toxic ingredients in your hair products. This is why you need to scrutinize your regimen and hair products very carefully and take a better more holistic approach to your hair’s care.

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