5 ways to recover damaged hair
Is you hair feeling dry and damaged?Are you experiencing thinning hair or hair shedding? We hear you! Read below about our top tips for adding some vitality back to tired tresses.
Types of damage -
Mechanical damage
Mechanical damage refers to any structural damage caused from things like styling hair, snagging from brushing and excess tension.
What you can do
Try to reduce the amount of stress you put your hair under each day by being gentler to it when styling and brushing. Remove knots with a wide toothed comb or detangling brush when you have conditioner on the ends as this will reduce snagging and breakage. Browse our award winning Daily Calma Conditioner
TOP TIP to reduce breakage when brushing start from the ends and make your was up to the roots.
Read our blog post 'How to stop hair breakage' for more detail.
Chemical damage
Chemically processing such as bleaching or hair colouring can cause weakness and over processing causes structural damage especially bleaching already lightened hair.
What you can do
Hair is essentially dead cells, the living aspect of hair is in the base of the scalp at the follicle where the cells divide and grow. As chemical damage weakens the hair structure you may need to add keratin back into the hair to help strengthen it. Avoid harsh chemical processes on your hair especially if you have fine hair as chemical damage is one of the hardest to recover from and always use Sulphate-Free hair products
Heat damage
Heat damage is caused by using excessive heat on your hair. Heat above certain temperatures for prolonged use on your hair type damages the cuticle layer (the outer layer) and can melt the keratin (protein hair is made from).
Once the cuticle is damaged, hair looks and feels dry and rough. As the cuticle helps to protect the inner part of hair, damage to the outer layer it makes hair more prone to further structural damage.
What you can do
Avoid excessive heat* and reduce the amount of heat styling where possible. Always prep hair with a heat protecting styling spray, like our Unwind Detangling Primer.
If possible, always invest in hot hair tools with a variable heat temperature setting.
*Temperature guide in degrees C
Fine/chemically treated hair - 150-165°
Medium hair - 165 - 180°
Thick/curly/textured hair - 180° +
Environmental damage
UV rays from the sun affects hair just like it does skin, drying hair out, making it weaker, lighter in colour and more brittle. Other environmental factors to consider are pollutants such as fine particles in the atmosphere that cling to hair, making it look dull and lacklustre.
What you can do
Where possible, try to protect your hair from sun damage and your scalp too. We often apply SPF to our body and face yet forget the scalp which is prone to sun damage too. Wearing a hat is the best defence when sitting in sunshine but you can also apply our Unwind Detangling Primer throughout the day or after swimming as it contains Vitamin E and Glycerin to help protect from UVA rays and keep the cuticle layer flat.
The truth about hair recovery
Here's the deal. Hair growth is a slow process and if you are experiencing any kind of hair issue, there's sadly no quick fix or wonder product that will magically recover it. The way to improve your hair is a inside out and outside in approach, the root to healthy hair starts with your scalp.
5 ways to recover damaged hair
Although prevention is always better than cure here's our top tips for treating damaged hair. It is important to remember that hair is a dead fibre so caring for it correctly in order to avoid damage is the best option as once hair is damage beyond a point it is very difficult to recover from.
- Apply deep conditioning hair treatments weekly and try to wash you hair less frequently, focusing shampoo only on the scalp to avoid drying out damaged ends.
- Moisturise hair often, using oils like Argan, Olive and Castor, all found in our En-Root Scalp Treatment.
- Cold rinse your hair (only on the hair not scalp) after washing as this will help to close the cuticle layer, making hair smoother and avoiding more damage.
- Get regular haircuts. It is advised to get the split ends cut from hair regularly to avoid the hair shaft splitting upwards which weakens and thins hair.
- Invest in Silk or satin pillowcases and hair ties. This seriously works, silk pillowcase are amazing for your skin too. We have a selection of vegan friendly bamboo silk hair bobbles and scrunchies HERE. This will help to reduce tension and friction that can cause damage to hair and encourage breakage.
