Do you want to cut your hair because it’s damaged? Just take a chill pill! There are many ways to treat damaged hair and restore it to its original health and shine. Here are 10 tips on how to treat damaged hair.
How Does Damaged Hair Look?
When looking at damaged hair up close, you will notice that each strand is weak and prone to breaking off easily when touched. This is because the cuticle has been stripped away from over-styling (such as blow drying) or from using harsh chemicals like bleach, which weaken its structure.
You may also see frayed ends where individual strands have broken apart into multiple pieces rather than one continuous piece of healthy-looking hair shafts. Additionally, there could be discoloration along certain sections due to heat styling tools being used excessively without proper protection, such as heat protectant sprays.
Just as you care for your skin, your hair is another area that you should pay attention to. While some people use different hair products to maintain their hair, some of these products can damage the hair.
Factors Responsible For Hair Breakage
i. Environmental Factors
When you start experiencing hair breakage, some factors are responsible for that. One is environmental damage due to excessive exposure to heat and sunlight. Prolonged exposure to these elements can cause the cuticles on your scalp and strands to become dry and brittle, making them prone to breakage or split ends.
ii. Harsh Chemicals
Another major culprit behind damaged hair is harsh chemical treatments like bleaching dyes, perms, relaxers, etc., which strip away natural oils, leaving them prone to further damage.
iii. Lifestyle/habits
Furthermore, bad habits such as over-brushing and blow-drying contribute significantly to the damage of one’s locks. Brushing vigorously damages both the scalp and the strands, while frequent blow drying makes them susceptible to split ends and frizziness due to a lack of moisture retention capacity within each strand.
Knowing the reasons why all of a sudden your long, shining hair is breaking will help you desist from those routines and seek ways to fix it. Here are ways how to treat damaged hair fast.
- Use a deep conditioning treatment once a week
- Avoid heat tools as much as possible
- Invest in quality haircare products
- Trim spiky ends
- Don’t over-wash hair
- Don’t comb wet hair
- Use shampoo and conditioner specifically formulated for dry or damaged hair
- Get regular protein treatments
- Use natural oils
- Eat a balanced diet
1. Use A Deep Conditioning Treatment Once A Week
This will help nourish your strands with moisture and protein, which helps repair the damage done by styling products or heat tools. Deep conditioners also provide an extra layer of protection against future damage from styling products or environmental pollutants like sun exposure.
2. Avoid Heat Tools As Much As Possible
If you’re searching for tips on how to treat damaged hair, you should avoid using heat tools. Heat can cause further damage, so try air-drying your hair whenever you can instead of blow-drying your locks every day.
When you use heat tools, make sure they’re set at low temperatures in order not to burn the ends of your strands, causing them even more harm than good.
3. Invest In Quality Haircare Products
One of the common causes of damaged hair is the frequent use of inferior hair care products. So how do you repair chemically damaged hair? Look for sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners that contain natural ingredients such as aloe vera, shea butter, coconut oil, etc.
These will help lock in moisture while gently cleansing away dirt without stripping away essential oils from the scalp and hair shafts.
Additionally, look out for leave-in treatments such as serums, oils, and masks, which work great at protecting and repairing dry, brittle locks too!
4. Trim Split Ends
Split ends occur when individual hairs become frayed due to either too much manipulation (i.e., brushing), excessive heating from hot tools (such as a curling iron), or a lack of proper nutrition leading up to those fragile areas where splits may arise.
To avoid further splitting, trimming off these sections with scissors every few months will help reduce their appearance and also prevent tangles, making brushing easier.
5. Don’t Over Wash Your Hair
One of the tips on how to treat damaged hair is to limit the number of times you wash your hair. Overwashing removes natural oils, leaving behind dryness and frizziness; thus, limiting the number of times per week would be extremely beneficial in the long run.
If you only need to refresh between washes, skip the rinse step entirely. Simply spritz some water onto the roots, followed by a light massaging motion to distribute evenly throughout the mane before finishing with serum sealant product(s).
6. Don’t Comb Wet Hair
Many hair stylists are guilty of this. Wet hair is more prone to snapping because it is weaker; therefore, avoid combing it while it is still wet; instead, use wide tooth combs designed specifically to detangle knots after washing sessions.
7. Use Shampoo And Conditioner Specifically Formulated For Dry Or Damaged Hair
Because dryness causes breakage, which leads to further damage, using damaged hair repair products is vital when attempting to treat damaged hair.
Shampoos and conditioners designed specifically for dry or damaged hair are essential for minimizing breakage while also rehydrating parched stands and restoring them to their former glory days!
8. Get Regular Protein Treatments
Protein treatments strengthen weakened parts of each strand, which prevent further breakage caused by everyday activities like combing through wet or dry curls. Opting for this type of treatment twice a week ensures maximum protection against future damage.
9. Use Natural Oils
Natural oils provide an extra layer of protection against humidity and other damaging elements found outdoors during summer months, especially if used in combination with leave-in conditions after washing sessions.
Hair oils such as Coconut oil, argan oil, and jojoba oil are excellent examples because they provide intense hydration as well as anti-inflammatory properties, which are ideal for restoring balance to dehydrated follicles.
10. Eat A Balanced Diet
Eating foods high in essential fatty acids, protein, and vitamins A and E promotes healthy growth while preventing breakage due to dryness. These nutrients work together internally within cells to provide much-needed nourishment externally through follicles onto each strand.
Conclusion
When it comes to restoring damaged hair to its healthy state, patience is key; results won’t happen overnight! So, don’t get frustrated if you don’t see immediate improvements after one treatment.
With consistent care, you should start seeing positive changes in both texture and appearance—just remember not to use too many products at once as this can weigh down the strands even further, leading to more breakage.
