A practical and complete guide to treat damaged, brittle and dull hair and obtain soft and shiny locks
We dream of soft and shiny hair like silk but our hair is damaged, so dry that it looks like “straw”? There is a solution to everything: we can intervene by changing our hair care habits and using the right products.
Here is a complete guide to treating dry, damaged and dull hair, with suggestions on what to do and what not to do and the most suitable products to obtain very soft and shiny hair!
DAMAGED HAIR, HOW TO RECOGNIZE IT?
Damaged hair is immediately recognizable because it appears dull, rough or knotty and tends to be dry, often characterized by split ends. All aspects that can be summarized in the so-called “straw effect”! This is what we see from the outside, observing and touching the hair.
In terms of hair structure, damaged hair has damaged cuticles. Normally, in healthy hair the cuticles are closed and smooth, so the hair is protected and shiny. In damaged hair, on the other hand, the cuticles are raised or broken: they make the hair rough, dehydrated and weak.
DAMAGED HAIR: CAUSES
The first step to understanding what to do for damaged hair is to identify the causes, which can be different and even genetic in nature. Recognizing the reasons why our hair is damaged is useful to understand which habits to avoid. Among the most common causes of damaged hair are:
- aggressive chemical treatments, such as bleaches, perms and dyes weaken the protein structure of the hair to the point of damaging the cuticle;
- excessive use of thermal styling tools, such as hair dryers, straighteners and curling irons, causes the hair to lose moisture and break;
- combing or brushing the hair aggressively promotes breakage and ruins the cuticles;
- prolonged exposure to atmospheric agents, such as solar rays, rain, wind, pollution and humidity, can damage the hair;
- salt water, salt and chlorine prove harmful in the long run;
- stress and an unbalanced diet can affect the health and appearance of hair;
- lack of adequate care, such as regular hydration and cutting of damaged ends.
The good news is that dry and damaged hair can be recovered, provided that you give it the necessary attention and care, with appropriate products. Recovering damaged hair is a process that can be long: it is essential to be consistent to produce visible results and limit future damage!
DAMAGED HAIR: CORRECT HABITS
We like to change our hairstyles often, but our hair is damaged: what to do? Let’s arm ourselves with a lot of patience and learn some healthy habits!
First of all, let’s learn to get our hair cut regularly! Getting regular haircuts, at least to eliminate split ends and damaged parts, helps make the hair lighter, stimulates the growth of the shaft and helps prevent future damage.
Let’s get used to protecting our hair when we expose ourselves to the sun with sunscreens for hair or when we go to the pool and the sea. Sun, salt, chlorine and salt water are the main causes of dullness and dryness of the hair. It is no coincidence that it is very important to take care of our hair after the summer, so as to reinvigorate damaged hair after the holidays.
DAMAGED HAIR: REMEDIES
We integrate masks, packs and natural oils into our dry and damaged hair care routine. Masks and packs for split ends and damaged hair are based on hydrating and nourishing ingredients that help restore shine and softness to the hair, helping the scales of the cuticle to close.
Natural oils, such as coconut oil, linseed oil, olive oil and argan oil for hair are a panacea for intensely nourishing and hydrating, strengthening, eliminating frizz and protecting the hair.
If we have damaged and thin hair, keratin for hair is a very useful remedy. Often this type of hair denotes a lack of keratin, the structural protein of the hair. Using hair products with keratin is useful for strengthening the hair and closing the scales, so the hair is smoother, fuller and stronger, less porous.
WHAT NOT TO DO IF WE HAVE DAMAGED HAIR
Remedies for damaged hair include various solutions and treatments, but also some actions to avoid as much as possible to avoid damaging the hair.
Always remember to apply heat-protective products before using hair dryers, straighteners and curling irons. Although it would be better to severely limit the use of heat, if we really have to use them, let’s do it at low temperatures and first protect the damaged hair with heat protection sprays or creams.
To take care of damaged hair, it is advisable to avoid:
- washing the hair too frequently to avoid breakage;
- performing aggressive chemical treatments for the hair to avoid stressing it
- changing hair color often. Dyes, especially those that involve an initial bleaching, act aggressively on the cuticles and cause potentially irreversible damage.
DAMAGED HAIR: GRANDMOTHER’S REMEDIES
Sweet almond, olive, flaxseed and coconut oils, eggs, yogurt and honey: this is not a recipe for a delicious dessert but for natural hair packs passed down from our grandmothers! These ingredients, easily available at home, are a panacea for the care of damaged hair for women and damaged hair for men. To nourish dry and damaged hair we can easily make one of these DIY hair masks, to be done before shampooing.
- Egg hair pack: mix a yolk with flaxseed oil and a few teaspoons of plain yogurt. Leave on the hair for 20 minutes and rinse.
- Hair mask with honey and yogurt: add a teaspoon of honey to a jar of plain yogurt, mix and apply to the hair. Leave on for 30 minutes and rinse with cold water.
- Coconut oil hair pack: apply coconut oil to the lengths and leave for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
- DIY mask for dry and damaged hair with banana, honey and olive and sweet almond oils.
HOW TO TREAT DRY AND DAMAGED HAIR: CLEANSING
So, how do you best treat damaged hair? You need to start from the basics, that is, cleansing, understanding how to wash damaged hair properly. In general, it is a good habit to prefer hair cleansing products that are rich in natural ingredients and specific for hair that tends to dryness. We can also consider the use of organic cosmetics for the care of dull and damaged hair.
Remember that washing your hair too often or with an excessively aggressive shampoo can remove the natural vegetable oils that protect the hair, causing dryness and fragility. Therefore, we prefer hydrating and delicate shampoos, which we can also find among the new shampoos, and try to space out the washes.
Shampoos rich in hyaluronic acid and ceramides that repair and strengthen the hair, preserving hydration, help us a lot. As a shampoo for damaged hair, coconut shampoo is excellent, highly nourishing and able to combat dryness and dullness.
HOW TO TREAT DRY AND DAMAGED HAIR
Hair masks must become our best friends! Let’s take at least 30 minutes to apply the product on the lengths and leave it on in a hot towel that helps the pack penetrate the hair well. We opt for products with a restructuring and nourishing action, formulated with argan or coconut oils, shea butter and honey. The collagen hair mask is ideal for combating split ends, dryness and frizz.
When it is necessary to detangle the hair, instead of the mask we use the conditioner. The conditioner must be hydrating and detangling, useful for closing the hair scales. We comb the hair with a wide-toothed comb, so as to easily untie any knots.
The oil for dry and damaged hair must never be missing at the end of the cleansing routine. On washed, damp and towel-dried hair, we spray or distribute with our fingers an oil or a hair serum based on nourishing, anti-frizz and restorative ingredients, so as to obtain a shiny and well-hydrated hair. We finish by applying a heat protector, to protect the hair from the heat before moving on to drying the hair.
DAMAGED HAIR: WHICH PRODUCTS TO USE
What are the best products for dry and damaged hair? We have identified some: from cleansing products, masks, conditioners and leave-in hair products to heat protection. Here are the products to use to treat damaged hair:
- Aveda’s Botanical Repair restructuring shampoo, sulphate-free, gently removes dirt and styling residue while strengthening and repairing damaged hair;
- damaged hair Collistar Attivi Puri Phyto-Cheratina mask, based on natural keratin and camellia sativa seed extracts, to repair and nourish the hair;
- Grow Gorgeous Intense hair and scalp mask, mixes oat extracts, caffeine, peptides, hyaluronic acid, shea butter and coconut oil that strengthen, nourish and give body to the hair;
- Absolut Repair conditioner by L’Oréal Professionnel, rich in quinoa extracts and proteins that nourish and strengthen the hair structure, for silky and shiny hair;
- N°7 Bonding Oil hair oil by Olaplex, anti-frizz, heat protective and restorative, makes hair soft and shiny;
- Extreme Play Safe heat-protective hair fluid by Redken, leave-in treatment with vegetable proteins and tourmaline. Reduces the appearance of split ends, prevents breakage and protects from heat up to 230°.
We hope we have given you some useful tips for treating damaged hair! What do you think of our advice? What remedies or habits do you adopt to strengthen dry and damaged hair?
