When we're trying to grow our hair then it is always such a pain to notice that as we brush our hair or run our hands through it – we see our hair breaking off right before our eyes.

So what is the cause of hair breakage and what can we do about it? The two most common causes is dry hair or over treatment of hair - which makes hair dry and unhealthy. When trying to achieve good looking hair that doesn’t break, our priority should always be maintaining healthy hair. We should look at our environment and also look at the chemicals and treatments that we are exposing our hair to.

Without a shower filter, we are exposing our hair to many chemicals such as Chlorine from shower water which has a very drying effect on our hair and skin. When hair is extremely dry then it is brittle and lifeless, it will start to break as there are no natural oils to keep it healthy. We can notice the drying effect of Chlorine when we also use pools. When getting out of a pool, hair is always very dry and brittle and this is the point where hair will break very easily. Therefore the first remedy when combating hair breakage is to look at the chemicals we are exposing our hair to. In our homes, we should install a shower filter and when using a pool we should always put our hair in a swimming cap to stop the exposure of our hair to chemicals which make it dry and brittle.

Many people use chemical dyes and also chemical bleech and perms. These treatments add to dryness and cause our hair to be brittle and lifeless. If we know we’re stripping life out of our hair (by bleaching or other chemical means), then we need to be proactive about putting that life back in. A good conditioner goes a long long way.

Let’s face it – extremely dry hair is unhealthy hair. When we lose the natural oils and moisture our hair this is when it starts breaking. So look first at your environment, are you exposing your hair unnecessarily to chemicals that are causing dryness to your hair? If so – then prevent it right away by installing a shower filter. Are you treating your hair with chemicals to get the desired look you want? If so – then start a regime that puts back all that moisture that you’ve lost and still look wonderful.

People of Afro-Caribbean decent are very conscious of issues relating to hair and healthy hair care. That's because Afro-Caribbean hair has a unique structure which makes it more brittle, coarser, dryer and curlier than those of non-African descent.

Each strand of hair grows in a spiral shape, the overall look of the hair makes it seem like there is a denser hair collection than in straight hair, but in reality there are actually relatively fewer actual hair shafts. The shape also makes it more prone to breakage. The average density of Afro-textured hair has been found to be approximately 190 hairs per square centimetre. This is significantly lower than that of Caucasian people's hair, which, on average, produces approximately 227 hairs per square centimetre.

Despite its brittle and sensitive nature, black hair can go through a lot of unhealthy treatments. From chemical relaxers, perms, strengtheners, weaves and all sorts of other chemical, heat and non-chemical treatments.

When looking after black hair, it is vital that you take heed of the following tips:

* Daily shampooing is not recommended, Afro-textured hair is dryer than other types of hair, shampooing strips away the oils from your hair so try shampooing once every 3 to 7 days instead.
* Install a shower filter to remove chemicals and impurities from shower water.
* If you engage activities that make you sweat, you can rinse your hair out with water and only use shampoo on occasion.
* Use a mild low PH moisturising shampoo.
* Don't use a 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner, use a separate shampoo and conditioner, 2 in 1's aren't suited as well for dry hair.
* When washing your hair rub only in one direction to avoid tangling.
* Shower with warm water; hot water can dry and/or irritate the scalp.
* Use a conditioner when you shower, it'll moisturise your hair, give it extra protection, add shine, reduce static, and makes it easier to untangle.

Installing a shower filter makes a great difference to the health of your hair. Shower water contains many chemicals and other contaminants, such as chlorine and magnesium and calcium deposits (hard water). Chlorine and other chemicals in water will strip away natural oils that are present in hair, magnesium and calcium deposits in hard water will make hair drier and build up of these contaminants will irritate scalps and weaves. Hair treatments, weaves and other hair procedures when washed in filtered water will be maintained for longer.

• Don't Dry Out Indoors: Put a bowl of water near your radiator, this ensures that dry heat from the radiator draws moisture from the water rather from your skin.
• Don't Use Soap: Soap can strip the skin of its natural oils, use a foaming body wash that has additional natural moisturisers like almond oil.
• Exfoliate: Just as the leaves are falling from the trees Autumn brings skin renewal too. So make sure you exfoliate your skin to shed those dead summer skin cells and fading tan.
• Moisturise Damp Skin: Try applying your favourite moisturisers to damp skin. This will lock in natural moisture into your skin.
• Treat Cracked Heels: During summer we probably wore many open shoes and this exposed our feet to the elements. In Autumn we will probably wear less exposing foot wear. So now is the time to treat those cracked heels by by using a natural foot scrub and pumice stone to slough away dead skin and moisturising with a highly concentrated emollient base, petroleum jelly or a healing, natural oil, such as olive or sesame, urea or alphahydroxy acid.