This Simple Step Can Help to Reduce Hair Breakage

Many of us pay attention to our hair care routine, from how often we wash our hair, to the products we use and being careful to avoid wearing hairstyles that may lead to hair loss too often.

One thing that can be neglected, however, is hair tools - particularly your hair dryer.

If you aren't vigilant in practising good hairdryer maintenance, it could be the reason your hair takes longer to dry, or even cause the appearance of thinning hair.

Taking care of your hair dryer

Hair dryers vents can easily build up stray dust and shed hairs, especially if hairsprays or other sticky products are used nearby, causing them to become blocked.

Clogged vents in hairdryers - especially with older models or more classic designs - can lead to overheating which can cause a number of problems; in particularly bad cases your hair dryer may stop working or you may smell burning whilst using it.

Although this is generally due to the debris caught in the vents overheating, the machine itself may well catch fire. Furthermore, in addition to damaging the machine itself, it can also be harmful to your hair as it becomes too hot.

As vents become blocked, proper air flow becomes increasingly difficult, causing the temperature of the hair dryer to rise, and hair drying times to become longer due to the machine's hindered efficacy.

Heat damaged hair can become weak and brittle; this can then result in split ends, or snap along the shaft which can make the hair look thin and limp. This is known as hair breakage.

To prevent hair breakage and issues with your dryer, clean out the air vents regularly so that build-up is minimised. Also, ensure you use the medium heat setting on your hair dryer to reduce the risk of heat damage, especially if you blow dry your hair regularly.

How to restore heat damaged hair

Hair breakage affects the lengths of the hair, not the follicles. As such, this is considered hair damage rather than a hair loss condition.

Therefore, if you have damaged hair, a trip to the hairdresser or barber should be sufficient to help you restore heat damaged hair. A haircut and regular nourishing hair treatments, such as conditioning masks to strengthen and hydrate the hair, should have your hair looking and feeling better fairly quickly.

You can also ensure your hair has a good source of key nutrients needed for healthy hair growth - these include biotin, selenium and zinc. Whilst not intended to replace a balanced diet, these crucial ingredients, and many more vitamins, minerals, amino acids and botanicals can be found in Belgravia's exclusive Hair Vitalics food supplement.

If the breakage is extensive or accompanied by sudden or excessive shedding or obvious hair loss, a consultation at a dedicated hair loss clinic is advisable. That way, a specialist can assess your scalp - either in person or using photos uploaded to an online consultation form - and provide you with both a diagnosis and, where appropriate, hair loss treatment recommendations, based on their findings.

Whichever route you take, the first step is to stop using any heat-styling tools - such as your hair dryer, hair straighteners (flat irons), curling tongs or even heated hair brushes - and let your hair dry naturally whilst it recovers.