Celebrity stylist Eugene Smith has worked with actresses such as Beyonce and Zoe Saldana.

One of the things Eugene says is the reason why our hair breaks is because of chemical processing like relaxers that are done incorrectly. He says “Relaxers and hair color should be handled by professionals only,” and that hair breakage occurs because of over-processing and overlapping the relaxing, as well as not neutralizing properly.

I definitely agree with that, because when I was younger and used to have relaxers done at home, my hair was breaking a whole lot and there was a time when my hair was so damaged it was hard to even style it into a ponytail! My hair became so damaged and thin around the edges, I didn’t know what to do. I would agree that you should be careful whenever using chemical treatments and to always get a professional who knows what they are doing to handle it. Also, not getting my hair chemically processed as often has also helped a lot with my growth!

Another tip Eugene gave was using protein treatments to prevent hair breakage, but only once a month, because they can also make your hair weaker if used to much. I needed to hear this because sometimes when I use protein treatments too much I do see a lot of shedding.

The article also lists several products that are good for keeping the hair healthy. Here are some of the ones I’ve used and really like:

1. ApHOGEE Protein Treatment ($20.99, sallybeauty.com) – This treatment helps stop hair breakage. In the article, Eugene says “Perfect for relaxed hair, this unique treatment is formulated with magnesium and modified proteins which fuse into the hair with the application of heat. The result is stronger hair strands and breakage is drastically reduced.”

2. Another one I like is Doo Gro Stimulating Growth Oil ($5.99, walgreens.com). Not only does it have natural oils that help soothe an itchy scalp, it also smells pretty good too.

3. I’ve also used the Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural Hair Care Line, ($6.02, amazon.com and also at your local Wal-mart or beauty supply store.) I’ve used the strengthening conditioner and have noticed it leaves my hair softer.

Check out the entire article on Essence.com and look out for the part 2 that they mentioned would be coming in the future. Here’s to healthy, beautiful hair!