What should you know about hair breakage after highlights?

Highlights remove some natural pigment and can leave treated fibres more porous and vulnerable. Breakage may be concentrated where lightener overlapped an earlier service, near the ends, or where foils and brushing created friction. Look for short pale pieces, rough ends, tangling, and split ends. Hair that falls from the root is a separate pattern. A tender or inflamed scalp suggests a reaction to the product rather than damage limited to the hair fibre.

Delay more highlights, bleach, relaxers, and strong heat until the condition improves. Wash with a mild cleanser, condition the lengths, and detangle slowly from the ends. A wide-tooth comb and a smooth pillow surface may reduce mechanical friction. Avoid brushing aggressively when wet and keep ponytails loose. A small trim can remove splitting that is travelling upward; masks and conditioners can reduce friction and improve manageability, but they do not restore a broken section.

Book a dermatology visit if thinning appears in patches, breakage reaches the scalp, or the scalp remains painful, itchy, red, blistered, or crusted. Seek urgent help for facial swelling or breathing difficulty after a chemical exposure. Broken hairs with scale may warrant assessment for scalp ringworm. Repeated pulling from tight styles can contribute to traction alopecia and should be addressed early.

Ask whether the pattern fits fibre breakage, shedding, or a scalp disorder; whether the scalp needs examination; and which services should be avoided. Tell the clinician when the highlights were done and whether lightener touched previously treated hair.