We’ve all experienced damaged hair at one point or another. But your hair looking and feeling damaged doesn’t come from one cause, and definitely doesn’t have a ‘one size fits all’ type of solution. That’s why we’ve outlined the top causes for damaged hair, and the different ways that you can help fix it, depending on your hair condition.
Heat damaged hair
The damage caused from heat tools tends to disrupt and lift up the hair cuticles, leaving your hair more porous. Excessive use of heat tools on your hair will definitely make your hair more susceptible to other kinds of damage too.
Laying off the heat tools is the best thing you can do to minimise this kind of damage in the future. But understandably, this is not always an option! In these kinds of cases, make sure to use the right products that can best protect the hair cuticle. It’s no secret that heat protectant sprays will minimise the damage done by heat styling tools, so definitely make this a priority every time you flat iron, curl or blow dry your hair. When blow drying, also make sure to hold the blow dryer a few inches away from the strands to reduce the direct heat on the hair cuticles.
Dry damaged hair
If you find that your hair is overly dry, it’s likely also more susceptible to breakage. One of the most common reasons for your hair being overly dry, other than excessive heat damage or hair colouring, is over washing your hair. This tends to strip your hair of its natural oils, so in most cases, regardless of the hair type, you should be good to wash it just 2 to 3 times a week. This varies depending on your lifestyle too of course, but 2 to 3 times is generally a good amount. In the colder months when your hair tends to be dryer, also consider incorporating a regular hair mask or conditioning treatment into your hair care routine to lock in some extra moisture to combat the inevitable extra dryness!
Damage from hair colouring
While colouring your hair can add character to your hair, it does come at a cost. The chemical dyes used to colour your hair will often remove the natural moisture of your hair, leaving rougher feeling strands.
To minimise further damage, consider opting for colours that are not too far off your natural hair colour. The more unnatural the colour, the more you’ll need to get a touch up. But even if you have brightly coloured hair, there are steps you can take to decrease the number of touch-ups you need to get. This includes washing your hair frequency to slow down any fading of your hair colour, using hair products that are specifically formulated for use on coloured hair, and cleansing your hair with lukewarm or cool water. Overly hot water will lift the hair cuticles, causing more of the dye to fade with every wash.
Consistently incorporating these steps into your haircare routine will no doubt, have you seeing changes in the way your hair looks and feels. For more information on how our stylists at Radical Hair Design can help your hair look its best, contact us at (02) 9651 3200 or via email at info@radicalhair.com.au.
