Hair Breakage: How to Stop It, and the Treatment That Works

Updated November 2026. Prices are our live online prices.

Breakage is one of the things we're asked about most after a heavy lightening session or a summer of straightening. People often call it "damage", and it is, but it's a specific kind. Dry hair feels rough. Breaking hair actually snaps, and you see it as short, frizzy bits that won't lie flat. That needs a different fix from a richer conditioner.

Hair breakage, damage or shedding?

Three different problems, and they get mixed up all the time.

• Breakage: short broken pieces, often around your hairline, crown or where a hair tie sits. The bits on your brush have no white bulb on the end.
• General damage: hair that's dry, rough and dull but still bends without snapping. See our damaged hair treatment guide.
• Shedding: full-length hairs with a little white bulb at the root. That's coming out from the scalp, not breaking. Our hair falling out guide covers that, and when to see a GP.

A quick check: take one wet hair from your brush and stretch it gently. If it stretches a little and springs back, it's mostly dry, not broken. If it stretches like chewing gum or snaps straight away, the inside is weak and you're dealing with breakage.

What causes hair breakage?

• Bleach and lightening, especially when it's overlapped onto hair that's already light.
• Straighteners and curling wands without protection, or set too hot.
• Tight ponytails, buns and clips in the same spot every day.
• Brushing wet hair hard from the root down.
• Mineral build-up from hard water, which makes hair stiff and brittle. Bore and tank water in Central Otago is a common one; see hard water and your hair.

Two ways to fix it: Sebastian or Kérastase

Sebastian NO.BREAKER (from $36.92) or Kérastase Première (from $60.48): same job, choose by budget. The honest difference: NO.BREAKER has two leave-ins you style with, which suits people who blow-dry or straighten most days. Première starts by stripping out the calcium from hard water, so it's our pick if your hair feels stiff and straw-like as well as snapping. You don't need the whole routine from either. Start with the shampoo and the leave-in, add the mask once a week.

UKIYO is Wella New Zealand's No.1 Sebastian Professional retailer. More on each range in our NO.BREAKER guide and Kérastase Première guide.

How to stop hair breakage

1. Heat protection, every time. The NO.BREAKER Leave-In Cream protects to 230°C, or use a spray from our heat defence spray guide.
2. Turn the heat down to 180°C and do one slow pass.
3. Detangle from the ends up with a wide-tooth comb, never the other way.
4. Loosen your hair ties and move your ponytail around. Snag-free ties help.
5. Space out your lightening. Tell your colourist what you use at home; it changes what we can safely do in one sitting.
6. Sleep on silk or satin to cut down friction on fragile ends.

Hair breakage treatment: what works

A bond builder works on the inside of the strand, which is where breaking hair is weak. A mask or conditioner works on the surface, so hair feels softer and combs more easily. Breaking hair usually wants both. Our pick for most lightened hair is NO.BREAKER pre-shampoo crème and shampoo, the mask weekly, and a leave-in after every wash. If your lengths are rough as well as snapping, add Sebastian Penetraitt Overnight Serum ($63.32). On the Kérastase side, Résistance Ciment Anti-Usure ($70.56) is a strengthening conditioner that works with Première or on its own.

We've also compared NO.BREAKER with the brands people ask about: NO.BREAKER vs Olaplex and NO.BREAKER vs K18.

Hair breakage remedy: what to skip

A few things people try that don't help much. Protein-heavy home masks every day can make breaking hair stiffer and more brittle, so once a week is plenty. Coconut oil and other kitchen oils soften the surface but do nothing for the inside of the strand, and they build up. Cutting your hair very short isn't always necessary either. A good trim of the worst ends plus a routine you'll keep up for a couple of months usually saves more length than a dramatic chop.

Hair breakage on top of the head and around the hairline

Short, spiky bits on top usually come from where you part, clip or tie your hair, or from straightening the front pieces more often than the rest. Around the hairline, it's often tight styles or overlapped lightener. Treat it the same way, but change the habit too, or the new growth will snap in the same place.

Brittle hair: dry or breaking?

Brittle hair can be either. If it feels like straw but bends, it's dry: moisture first, with our dry hair shampoo guide. If it feels like straw and snaps, it's both, and you need strength and moisture together. Frayed ends are a separate job; our split ends guide covers them.

When to see us

If your hair is breaking fast, or breaking after a colour somewhere else, come in before you buy anything. Sometimes the fix is a trim, a break from lightener and a bond treatment in the salon. Shop everything for damaged and broken hair, or book a consult.

Questions we get asked

How do you stop hair breakage?

Stop the cause first: protect from heat every time, turn your irons down to about 180°C, loosen tight styles and detangle gently from the ends up. Then strengthen with a bond-building routine such as Sebastian NO.BREAKER or a repair range like Kérastase Première.

What is the best hair breakage treatment?

For lightened or heat-styled hair we recommend Sebastian NO.BREAKER, used as a routine with a leave-in. For chemically treated hair on hard water, Kérastase Première. Both work best used consistently for three to four weeks.

Is hair breakage the same as hair loss?

No. Breakage is the strand snapping part-way down, so the pieces are short and have no bulb. Hair loss or shedding is the whole hair coming out from the root. If you're losing a lot from the root, see your GP.

Why is my hair breaking off?

The usual causes are bleach, heat styling without protection, tight ponytails, rough brushing of wet hair and mineral build-up from hard water. Often it's two or three of these together.

Can broken hair be repaired?

Broken pieces can't be joined back together. A bond builder strengthens the hair that is left so it breaks less, and the broken bits grow out with regular trims.

How long does it take to fix hair breakage?

Expect three to four weeks of consistent use before you notice less breakage, and a few months of growth and trims before the short pieces blend in.

What causes brittle hair?

Brittle hair is either very dry or weak inside, and often both. Lightening, heat, sun and hard water are common causes. If it bends, it needs moisture; if it snaps, it needs strengthening as well.

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