Shed/Break/Trim

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There is a difference o! 
 One should be expected and accepted as a part of hair growth, another should almost always be attributed to damage, and the third is self-induced.

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Shedding

I've mentioned before that I am quite the shedder.  
But really though, who doesn't shed? 

 Nevertheless, because I relegate my deep conditioning and shampoo sessions to once a month, my head accumulates a ton of shed hair.  

I lose a cloud-like handful each month

The quantity I lose each month could be distressing to some, but because I understand the hair cycle mechanism pretty well, I tolerate shedding as a necessary part of healthy hair.

Hair has a life cycle that encompasses three main phases:

Anagen (Growth phase- remember, hair grows on an average of half an inch per month.  The whole growth phase can last from 2- 7 years per hair strand.)

Catagen (Transitional phase- The hair readies itself to move into the telogen phase.  It's in this phase that the hair strand acquires the whitish bulb that cuts off its blood supply, arresting growth.)

Telogen (Resting phase- 10-15% of hair strands are currently in this state, where they don't actively grow, but are still attached to the follicle.  Whenever we shed, we lose hairs that are in this phase.)

 Hair strands that are still attached to the follicle at the end of the telogen phase are pushed out, in order for the anagen phase to begin anew.  So yeah, it's definitely natural for hair to fall out as it completes its life cycle.  

Tip 1:  To tell if your hair strand is indeed a shedded one, check the ends.  There should be a white bulb at one end, indicating that the hair hasn't been prematurely broken, but was ejected from the root.
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Breakage
As a relaxed head, breakage was a daily part of my life.  My hair had already been compromised and weakened by the sodium hydroxide, and in addition,  the lack of moisture and my use of extreme heat, culminated to breakage village. 
Nne ehn, I just suffered.
 Hair strands of all sizes would frequently carpet my bathroom floors and the backs of my clothing.  At times, I'd even find them in my food.
As a natural, I rarely experience any more breakage. 
True talk sha
  Initially, when I was still scouting for my holy grail detangling tool, I tried this brush:

 Modified teeth and all

 The moment I started to see tiny broken curls of hair begin to appear on my sink, I immediately abandoned ship and shelved the brush.  An amount of breakage is inevitable, for sure, but I feel that we can control how often we careen down the path of inevitability.  
i.e.- Leaving your hair alone.  

Tip 2: Lessen the amount of manipulation your hair is subjected to. 
Detangle with your fingers if possible.
Be patient with your hair- treat it like silk!

Ironically, even though I don't deal with an exorbitant amount breakage anymore, it's been replaced by the bane of my existence; blasted knots (SSKs), which I'm sometimes forced to trim off.
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Trims

Single Strand Knot

Speaking of single strand knot induced trims, I usually trim my hair in order to maintain the health of my ends.  Remember, hair can remain in the active growth phase for 2-7 years, which means that the ends of our hair will become the oldest parts on the strand.  Depending on how well you maintain/preserve your ends, the hair can remain in fairly good shape or become extremely weathered.  When your ends are worn, this is usually the time to trim. 

Do your ends resemble any of these?

You can pre-empt the weathered appearance of the strands, however, by sticking to a trim schedule.  For my own hair, I do a mandatory trim every six months.  I also lightly dust, or trim worn ends, in the interim. So, if I examine a strand of hair, and I notice a split or extreme knotting on a strand, I will usually trim it off immediately.

Tip 3: I keep a pair of tiny sharp scissors in my bathroom.  In those idle moments when I'm tempted to snap off SSKs with my fingers, I reach for my scissors and neatly clip them off instead.

I'll be trimming next month and doing a length check.  I'm anticipating going into protective styling for the rest of the year.
:-)