How to Repair Damaged Hair
When it comes to our hair, there are countless different styles, colours and trends to try out. However, excessive styling and colouring can cause our hair to become damaged, brittle and broken.
If you are beginning to notice a lack of moisture, split ends, breakage, dullness or weak hair strands, it may be time to give your hair a break.
Here are our top tips on how to repair and restore damaged hair:
1. Take a break from lightening sessions
Lightening and colouring is a great way to transform your hair and your look. However, these chemical treatments strip your hair of all it’s moisture, leading to damage and dryness.
If frequent lightening sessions are the culprit of your hair damage, it may be time to give the blonde a rest and work on bringing your hair back to life instead. Consider trying out a new look by dyeing your hair a more natural shade instead.
2. Nourish your hair with masks
If you have dry, damaged hair, make hair masks your new best friend. Hair masks are a step-up from conditioner as they contain high concentrations of reparative and moisturising ingredients.
Find a hair mask designed to suit your specific hair type and concern and use twice a week. Ensure that you leave your mask in for long enough to give the formula time to penetrate deeply into the hair surface, nourishing your locks from within for stronger, healthier hair.
3. Trim your hair regularly
Split ends may be common, but this doesn’t mean you should ignore them. If not trimmed regularly, the breakage will begin to travel upwards, leading to a dull, broken, frizzy mess.
To avoid further damage from split ends, visit your hairstylist for regular trims. This doesn’t mean losing the length you’ve worked so hard to grow - a simple trim off the ends is enough to keep your hair healthy and un-frayed.
4. Wash your hair less
While we may love the feeling of freshly washed hair, repeated washing will strip our hair of its natural oils. Instead, only wash your hair two to three times a week in lukewarm water, depending on your hair type.
If you find that your hair needs refreshing, use a dry shampoo in between washes.
5. Turn down the heat
We all love styling our hair with heated tools such as straighteners and blow dryers, however excessive heat styling can cause irreversible damage.
If you can’t skip the heat styling altogether, at least use a heat protectant and turn the temperature down. Unless you have incredibly thick hair, a mid-range temperature setting should do the trick.
6. Look after your hair in the summer
As we enter the warmer months, we need to be taking extra care to protect our hair. While we may love laying at the beach or by the pool, sun, salt water and chlorine is a recipe for colour fading and brittle, fragile hair.
If you plan on spending your summers outdoors, protect your hair from sun exposure by wearing a hat. If you’re looking to protect your hair from salty or chlorinated water, be sure to rinse your hair with fresh water as soon as you hop out of the pool or ocean. Additionally, you can repair your hair after swimming by washing with a clarifying shampoo and restore moisture with a leave-in conditioner.
7. Indulge in professional treatments
If your hair is extremely damaged, it may be time to seek some professional assistance. After all, salon hair treatments can work wonders for damaged, lifeless hair.
Next time you get your hair done at the salon, as your hairdresser what hair treatments they have available in-salon. Whether it’s Olaplex or Keratin, professional, in-salon hair treatments can target any type of hair damage, from over-processed locks to dehydrated strands. Containing the highest possible concentration of active ingredients, professional treatments will make an immediate difference to damaged hair.
8. Switch up your hair routine
Your everyday shampoo and conditioner may not provide the hair-fortifying and moisturising properties that your damaged hair is in desperate need of.
If you are suffering from dry, damaged hair, sulphate-free hair care products are essential. Choosing a sulphate-free shampoo that is formulated for damaged hair will help to maintain the natural oils in your hair and scalp, protecting your hair against further damage.
