Iv'e had a couple break from the heat inside a car, even when the car was moving, with some windows open.
I'm sure I'm not the only one. Watch out for this.

Also, this is what I have heard: Sometimes djembes sound a bit "loose" after hard playing.
DO NOT pull more diamonds at this point, rather let a few out until the head "rests" a while.
The extra pull can rip the head easily because of the special circumstance of having been played hard.

If you learn to play the djembe well, you won't have to hit it harder than neccessary.

I suppose it would make sense to learn how to replace the head now, *before* you have to actually do it, which is a matter of time in any case.

Good Luck,
Bill

<It you tune it like I do, where the center has no give, then you're looking at around 6 months to a year if lucky. B->

Even that is not necessarily so, from my experience. I used to like the sound of thinner skins & used to think getting a year's use out of it was doing good, but my current skin is very thick & has lasted almost three years now. I keep thinking it must be time to change it, but it still sounds good, so why mess with a good thing? It's always pulled tight & I play it 4-5 times per week at dance classes & occasional gigs.

So, as has been noted here, many factors come into play -- quality of drum & skin (mine is from the master craftsmen at Drumskulls), tightness & thickness of skin, frequency & style of play, drum care, variations in weather, etc.

It's time to replace skin when (1) it breaks, or (2) when you can't get the sound you want from it anymore. In my experience, that's ranged from the skin breaking while I'm putting it on (the "just-one-more-knot" thing mentioned) to three years & counting....