"If the flyaways are in just one section, it's most likely breakage." "New growth may stick out, but the hair is easier to tame and will cooperate with the style you are trying to achieve," says Izquierdo.
Flyaways are little unruly strands of hair that stick up instead of lying flat against the rest of your hair. Flyaways are the result of damaged, broken hair or new baby hairs growing in.
What Causes Flyaways? Like many haircare concerns, there isn't a sole cause of flyaway hair. Oftentimes, flyaways indicate that your hair has undergone breakage or is experiencing new growth. Sometimes, flyaways can also result from untamed frizz or even product buildup.
Looks like new hair, you can tell by looking at the ends of the hair. If the ends are blunt, split, or have little white dots at the end, it's breakage. If they are gently tapered off (like the ends of eyelashes) then it's new growth.
Shorter strands of lost hair, with both ends of the strand having a smooth end means that the hair has broken off, but if the strand has a slight bulb/bulge at one end and is longer (more like the length of the rest of your hair on your head) then it has been shed. The bulb is where it was connected to your scalp.
If your hair's natural growth cycle does what it is supposed to, new ones should grow to replace the hair strands you lost.
At first glance, it's not always easy to tell the difference between new hair growth and hair breakage. Both can cause short, fine hairs to stick up, creating a frizzy or halo-like look.
Discover some useful tips to identify if those short hairs are a result of damage or growth. When a hair breaks, it has a coarse edge, whereas new hair growth has a tapered end. In addition, if you notice growth or breakage in one area, it is likely to be visible in other sections as well.
This cycle can be divided into three phases: anagen (growth), catagen (transition), and telogen (rest). Anagen growth is the active phase in which the hair follicle takes on its onion-like shape and works to produce the hair fiber. The anagen phase can be further broken down into proanagen and metanagen phases.
You can tell the difference between breakage and hair loss by looking at the length of the hair coming away. Broken hair tends to be much shorter than lost hair (although if you have short hair this may be trickier to determine). In addition, breakage is much more likely to cause frizz on top of your head.
"If the flyaways are in just one section, it's most likely breakage." "New growth may stick out, but the hair is easier to tame and will cooperate with the style you are trying to achieve," says Izquierdo.
Short Length: Because it is just beginning to grow from the hair follicle, new hair growth is typically short at first. It may manifest as finer, shorter hairs on the scalp. Halo Effect: Sometimes, the hairline is where new hair growth is most noticeable, giving the forehead and temples a halo-like appearance.
There are many reasons you may have flyaway hair; it can be the result of breakage, new hair growth, static electricity, genes, or frizz.
Breakage on top of the head can be due to over-brushing, dialling up the temperature when heat styling, or harsh chemical treatments. You'll often see a halo of shorter hairs that are difficult to smooth down.
Signs of hair breakage include: Frizzy, dull hairs in your hairbrush or comb after brushing. Split ends. White spots on individual hairs (they're easier to spot on brunette hair)
What are signs that new hair is growing? Hair that has a tapered shape at the end is new growth. New hairs taper to a pointy tip at the very end. Hair that isn't new has a blunt, straight tip—meaning that the hair shaft was broken, either during a haircut or due to damage.
The “awkward stage” occurs when you have decided that you no longer want short hair and you will instead grow it out. Everyone's awkward stage is a bit different depending on their styles, but inevitably, you will find that your hair looks shaggy, uneven, or simply messy at some point in the process.
Remember, the primary difference is that hair fall happens when hair sheds off from its root, and hair breakage is when there is a breakage anywhere in the length of your hair shaft!
Fuzz. Later on in your hair regrowth journey, you'll start to notice what's often called “peach fuzz” growing in the affected areas. This fuzzy hair regrowth indicates that your hair follicles are once again healthy and hard at work.
Early on, any of the new hair growth you experience may just look like dark spots on your scalp, which can form as the new hair root grows from the follicle. These new hairs might be easier to see if you have dark hair and a light skin tone.
Stylists say the easiest way to do this is by examining the ends. “Breakage often appears frayed or split at the end, while new growth tends to have a smooth, tapered tip,” says Ona Diaz-Santin, the owner of 5 Salon & Spa in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Environmental factors, age, hormonal changes, and how you care for your hair also impact your hair type and texture.