Our hair is probably one of our most appreciated features, and we live in an age where we can style it anyway we want. However, there are times when we find our hair brittle, dry, and damaged to handle any styling. When that happens, you need to gear up and follow a few techniques to repair it. We’ve gathered 8 tips and tricks to restore your hair to become beautiful and healthy again.
Identifying the Reason for its Dryness
First off, you need to identify why your hair is the way it is. There are many factors that contribute to dry and brittle hair, and one of them could be seasonal. Spending our summers by the beach and exposed to the sun can cause it to be dry. Or it could be the colder months; this guide believes that the beginning of autumn and winter can be another cause of hair dryness. Luckily, it’s easily treatable if you change your hair care routine to fit the autumn months’ weather.
Other causes can be due to improperly using hair dyes, bleaching methods, or overly exposing your hair to heat through styling tools.
When you’ve identified the reason, then you can start fixing and restoring your hair. Follow these 8 tips below:
1. Turn Down the Heat
Constantly styling your hair using heated tools like a straightening/curling iron, or a blow dryer can cause semi-permanent damage to your hair. Consider lowering the temperature on your styling tools because the higher the temperature, the more damage it causes. Try blow-drying from a distance of six inches away to limit any further damage.
2. Go Natural
You can go natural altogether and avoid using any heat on your hair. Today, many women are opting to go on a “no-heat” or “heat-free” styling routine for their hair to avoid any permanent damage. The “Curly Girl” hair movement has been encouraging many women to style their hair at home by using a variety of protective products and avoid using heat completely.
3. Use the Right Products
When you feel your hair is overly dry, consider using specialized products to help restore it. If you must blow dry it, use heat-protective products. However, considering using natural dyes instead of harsh chemicals and bleach because they can often cause irreversible damage. Be sure you always use products tailored for dry and damaged hair, especially the shampoo and conditioner, which should also be sulfate-free.
4. Try Hair Treatments
Some oils can nourish your hair like coconut oil or jojoba oil as they help rehydrate the hair and keep it healthy and moisturized. Argan oil is rich in vitamins and helps prevent any breakage when you want to style your hair. Consider also using at home treatment masks to nourish your hair completely. You can buy masks aimed at dry and damaged hair, or you can make your own at home by using avocados or olive oil. Using leave-in treatments or conditioners will be the ideal protection for your hair as well. When you apply it on damp hair, it moisturizes it and makes it smoother.
5. Wash and Dry the Right Way
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Dry hair doesn’t need to be washed daily because it barely gets nourished by its natural oils. Don’t use shampoo every wash either because it strips the scalp and hair of its oils and moisture. When you condition, be sure to use it on all your hair and not just its ends. Try to rinse your hair with cold water because hot water tends to open up your cuticles whereas cold water helps keep the moisture in.
When drying your hair, try not to rub it excessively with your towel but wrap it instead. You can also use a microfiber towel or a cotton T-shirt and gently plop it or allow to air dry. Vigorous rubbing or drying with a towel will only create frizz, so be sure to avoid drying your hair this way.
6. Trim Your Split Ends
One awful symptom of dry hair is split ends; the hair breaks, and it looks frizzy and unmanageable. Consider trimming your ends every 5-6 weeks to keep your hair looking healthy, full of volume, and beautiful. Trimming it regularly, even in layers, will keep the breakage only in the ends and won’t allow it to grow unhealthily. It will also be better so you won’t have to get a dramatic cut every now and then.
7. Brush Your Hair Correctly
One of the other symptoms of dry hair is that it can easily get tangled due to frizz. Brushing tangled hair can be a messy task but necessary. Always start at the end and make your way upwards and detangle section by section; if you start at the top, you’re allowing for more breakage. If you can’t detangle certain parts, consider adding moisturizing leave-in treatments or coconut oil for a few minutes and then try again. Try not to over brush your hair as well, but only when necessary because it can cause frizz and breakage.
Meanwhile, brushing wet hair is probably the worst thing you can ever do because it can cause more damage and breakage. Instead, use a wide-tooth comb to seep through the conditioner or use a wet brush that is solely designed for wet hair.
8. Follow a Healthy Diet
If you feel that your hair is not only dry, but weak as well, then maybe you need to watch what you eat. Your hair might be missing some valuable nutrients, that’s why many hair supplements have become popular in the past few years. Consider following a healthier diet rich in whole grains, fruits like blueberries, and many vegetables.
Hair is a fickle thing that we need to take care of at all times. Having dry and damaged hair isn’t the end of the world; there are many ways you can still restore it to its former glory. If you follow a healthy diet, develop the right hair care routine, use the right products, and learn to deal with your hair for what it is, you’ll have healthy-looking hair in no time!
