Lena Rivera
Damaged hair is characterised by dryness, dullness, frizziness, and brittleness. It can be caused by a variety of factors, including heat from styling tools, UV exposure, over-brushing, aggressive towel drying, chemical treatments, and dyes. While it is important to address the root causes of hair damage, there are several treatments available to restore hair health. These include special shampoos, conditioners, masks, and sprays formulated to repair damaged hair, as well as salon treatments such as protein and moisturising treatments. In some cases, a haircut may be necessary to remove severely damaged hair and allow healthy hair to grow.
Characteristics and Values Table
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Damaged hair | Hard to detangle, loses shine, feels thin and dry, keeps shedding, stretchy when pulled out, brittle, breaks easily |
| Causes of damage | Heat from styling tools, UV exposure, over-brushing, aggressive towel drying, chemical treatments, hair dyes, bleach, perms, relaxers, highlights |
| Solutions | Use a heat protection spray or serum, cover hair with a hat, use a microfiber towel, use a deep conditioner, use a color-safe hair rinse, use a hair mask, use a bond-building treatment, use a detangling brush, use a shampoo and conditioner designed for damaged hair |
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What You'll Learn
Heat damage: avoid using hot tools and opt for air-drying
While it is possible to repair damaged hair, preventing heat damage is the best way to keep your hair healthy. Heat damage can cause irreversible damage to your hair, so it is important to take steps to protect your hair from heat.
One way to avoid heat damage is to reduce the use of hot tools and opt for air-drying instead. Air-drying is a gentle way to dry your hair and can help prevent heat damage. When air-drying your hair, it is important to be gentle. Blot and squeeze your hair gently with a towel instead of rubbing it. You can also use a hair wrap or a small microfiber towel to dry your hair. These materials are highly absorbent and can help reduce drying time without causing damage.
If you do use hot tools, it is important to take precautions to minimize heat damage. First, make sure your hair is not sopping wet before using heat tools. Allow your hair to air-dry or towel-dry until it is about 90% dry before reaching for your heat tools. This will reduce the amount of time your hair is exposed to heat. When blow-drying your hair, use the nozzle attachment and point it down your hair shaft toward the ends. This will help reduce direct heat on your strands and cut down on cuticle ruffling.
In addition to air-drying and proper blow-drying techniques, you can also use heat protectants to shield your hair from heat damage. There are many spray-on conditioners and moisturizers on the market that contain silicones or hydrolyzed wheat protein, which are effective in protecting your hair from heat. These products work by coating the hair and creating a protective barrier, allowing your hair to heat up more slowly and reducing overall damage. It is important to note that heat protectants do not offer 100% protection, and the best way to completely avoid heat damage is to lay off heat styling altogether.
By combining air-drying, proper blow-drying techniques, and the use of heat protectants, you can effectively reduce heat damage and keep your hair healthy and strong.
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Chemical damage: caused by dyes, bleach, perms, etc
Chemical damage to hair can occur when hair becomes over-processed by dyes, bleach, perms, relaxers, and highlights. This type of damage can result in hair that is dry, brittle, dull, frizzy, and difficult to manage. To fix chemically damaged hair, it is recommended to use products specifically formulated for chemically damaged hair, such as bond-building treatments, targeted moisture treatments, and hydrating shampoos and conditioners.
When colouring hair, chemicals such as ammonia are used to open the hair shaft so that dye can be deposited, which can strip the hair of its natural moisture. To limit the damage caused by hair dye, it is recommended to choose a colour within three shades of your natural colour and opt for shades that are darker rather than lighter. Unnatural colours are more difficult to maintain and require more frequent touch-ups.
To repair chemically damaged hair, it is important to address the root causes of the damage and take steps to prevent further harm. This includes eliminating common causes of hair damage such as heat from styling tools, UV exposure, over-brushing, aggressive towel drying, and chemical over-processing. Instead of using a regular towel, it is recommended to dry hair with a microfiber towel, an old t-shirt, or a towel designed for hair, as these are less abrasive and create less friction.
To restore moisture to chemically damaged hair, oils such as olive oil can be used. Oils help rehydrate the hair, smooth the cuticle, and replenish moisture. Additionally, deep conditioners or hair masks can be used weekly to provide higher concentrations of conditioning ingredients. When using hair colour, it is recommended to opt for semi- or demi-permanent formulas, as they are less harsh than permanent dyes.
While it is possible to treat chemically damaged hair at home, some major colour changes can cause significant harm, including hair breakage or loss, when done incorrectly. Therefore, it is advised to leave such drastic changes to professional colourists, who can use the correct products to minimise damage.
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Hair elasticity: a test to check if your hair is damaged
Hair elasticity is a simple test to check if your hair is damaged. It is a way to check your hair's moisture balance, which is essential for healthy hair. If the balance is disrupted due to natural moisture loss or damage, the resulting loss of elasticity can make your hair difficult to style, dry, and prone to breakage.
To perform the hair elasticity test, take a strand of hair when it is wet, hold it securely at the root, and gently stretch it with the other hand. If the hair stretches and returns to its original length when released, then your hair's elasticity is good. If there is any breakage or if your hair doesn't return to its original shape, it has low elasticity.
Hair that has low elasticity has lost moisture. This can happen due to various factors, such as sun exposure, wind, central heating, styling, or chemical treatments. These factors cause the cuticle (the outer layer of your hair) to become damaged, resulting in moisture loss.
To improve hair elasticity, it is important to add moisture and restore a smooth outer layer to lock in moisture. This can be achieved through a routine of deep conditioning and the use of nourishing hair products. Eating a healthy and balanced diet can also contribute to good hair growth and moisture retention.
Additionally, when using hair colour, chemicals such as ammonia are used to open the hair shaft. This can make the hair porous, leading to moisture loss. It is recommended to minimise the use of heat-styling tools and opt for a simple approach to styling to maintain hair health and elasticity.
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Hair porosity: damaged hair is more porous
Hair porosity refers to your hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture. It is an important aspect of hair care that is often overlooked. Every strand of hair is porous to some extent, but porosity levels can differ greatly from person to person. Innate factors like genetics and ageing can contribute to high porosity hair, but hair damage is also a significant factor.
Hair damage can cause the hair cuticles to become raised and open, allowing moisture to be absorbed into the hair shaft easily but making it difficult for the hair to retain moisture for long. This results in issues with dryness, brittleness, and frizz. The more damaged the hair, the higher the porosity tends to be.
Heat, UV exposure, and chemical processing from bleaching or dyeing can all negatively impact hair porosity levels. To avoid further damage, limit the use of chemical treatments and hot tools, and protect your hair from the sun with UV-protective hair care products or a wide-brimmed hat when outdoors.
To determine your hair porosity, you can try the glass of water test. After shampooing and rinsing your hair to remove any product buildup, drop a single strand of clean, dry hair into a glass of water. If the strand floats, you likely have low porosity hair, while sinking may indicate high porosity.
Once you've identified your hair porosity, you can choose the right products and treatments to improve the health and manageability of your hair. For example, if you have high porosity hair, look for protein-free conditioners that can be easily absorbed and avoid products with oils, which may have a harder time penetrating the cuticle.
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Hair treatments: products to repair hair damage
While colouring your hair can disguise some damage, the only way to truly repair damaged hair is to cut it off and let it regrow. However, there are products that can help improve the appearance and texture of damaged hair.
Shampoos and Conditioners
A good shampoo and conditioner can help replenish the hair's protective outer layer, which is stripped away in damaged hair. Davines' Nourishing Shampoo and Redken's Acid Bonding Concentrate shampoo are recommended for repairing damaged hair. Conditioner is especially important for damaged hair, as it helps replenish the hair with emollient ingredients like silicones and plant oils (such as coconut oil) and butters. A deep conditioner or hair mask can be used weekly to provide more intensive conditioning.
Bond-Building Treatments
Bond-building treatments work to repair amino acid bonds that make up the keratin in hair. Olaplex No. 3 is a popular bond-building treatment that has been praised for making hair noticeably softer and stronger, with less breakage, improved elasticity, and a smoother, shinier appearance. Living Proof's Triple Bond Complex is another bond-building treatment that is loaded with moisture-sealing lipids and strengthening peptides to reduce frizz and add softness.
Oils and Serums
Virtue Healing Oil contains a patented keratin protein that is identical to the keratin naturally found in the body, allowing it to repair and transform dry, brittle hair. Living Proof's No Frizz Vanishing Oil is another oil-based product recommended for repairing damaged hair. Before heat styling, a heat protection serum that contains silicones or polymers can be applied to create a protective barrier over the hair strands, reducing breakage.
Salon Treatments
Salon protein and moisturising treatments can help infuse hair with moisture and nutrients while stimulating new hair growth.
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Frequently asked questions
Your hair might be damaged if it dries almost instantly after showering, feels thin and dry at the ends, loses its shine, and keeps shedding.
Painting your hair, or dyeing it, can sometimes cause damage, especially if you go from a very dark colour to a very light one, or use unnatural colours. However, if you visit a professional colourist, they will know how to use the correct products to minimise damage.
There are many ways to repair damaged hair, including using targeted treatments, shampoos, conditioners, masks, and sprays. You can also try to prevent further damage by avoiding heat, covering your hair in the sun, minimising friction, and using a detangling brush or wide-tooth comb.
