My crown area is the first place to break when I have a considerable amount of new growth. It's happened before and it's happening now. 

For me, I know it's demarcation breakage. Some years ago my nape also broke off - I basically had a hole at the back of my hair where you could see through to my neck. In my case, it was because I used to wear wooly scarves while wearing my hair down. They used to rub and result in breakage.

I've heard many stories about similar situations, so I've compiled a set of causes and solutions for crown and nape breakage that you might consider.

Possible causes for hair breakage at the crown:

• Often, the hair is courser in that area but also the weakest and first to break. For relaxed and transitioning hair particularly, this means a more prominent and weaker demarcation line.

• If your hair is courser in this area, perhaps you are compensating by brushing harder.

• You are missing that area when conditioning or not giving it enough moisture. It is often a forgotten area. Perhaps you are only focusing on the outer layer of hair?

• When you relax your hair, you create four parts and start applying the relaxer to the centre. It is the first area you relax each time, so gets the most processing.

• The crown is the place where you place your hair clips and tie your ponytails.

• Because this area is often the coarsest and driest, your heat tools are frazzling it and causing it to break.

• Before combing the crown area, make sure to moisturise. Hair that is dry will snap easier. Try not to brush this area, but when necessary, isolate the area and comb gently. 

• 'Baby' the area. What I mean is moisturise the area morning and night. Handle it gently. Give it first priority. When deep conditioning, use an applicator brush to apply product to that area, ensuring to apply to the demarcation line and ends (relaxed/transitioning hair).

• If your crown is breaking, do not use this area as the first place to apply relaxer. Perhaps only relax this area every other relaxer. Consider holding off your relaxer a few more weeks, or only texlax the area.

• Make sure to vary the places in which you place your clips and ponytails. When wearing ponytails & buns, make sure they are not tight.

• Lay off the heat for a while. Try heatless styles like Curlformers instead.

• The hairs here are often some of the finest on your head, making them more vulnerable to manipulation.

• The nape rubs on the back of your collars and scarves, getting overly dry and breaking off (most probable cause).

• Perhaps you wear a head scarf that ties at the back, and you are tying it too tightly.

• Try the LOC method: moisturise with a liquid, seal with an oil & protect with a cream. This moisturising technique is heavier and may weigh hair down if it is fine. If so, use on just the nape.

• Alternate where you tie your headscarf knot.

• If you wear your hair down and it is long enough, do a horizontal cornrow using just the nape hairs in order to give it a break.

• Start wearing your hair up so the nape does not rub against your clothes and get dry.