There are so many interesting things you can do with your hair nowadays. You may wear it in cute French braids, tie it up into a messy bun, or have your hair stylist color it rose gold. Beach waves one day, sleek and smooth glass hair the next.
Then, since it’s Saturday, why not attempt balayage? By all means, experiment with your magnificent locks and express yourself. But be cautious! Over-styling, over-lightening, or simply overdoing it can result in damaged, brittle, and broken hair.
Follow this advice from Matrix to avoid those things from happening or to restore your hair if it has already been damaged.
1. Reduce the Heat on Your Tools
God bless and protect your curling iron, flat iron, and blow dryer. They’re the wands that turn ordinary or unmanageable hair into gorgeous waves and curls or enormous, blown-out glory. But all that heat causes heat damage, including as dryness, brittleness, and flyaways.
One of the most common errors, according to Matrix experts, is setting the temperature too high while styling hair with heat. Unless you have really thick or coarse hair, a mid-range temperature setting on your equipment will suffice. When possible, avoid using heat to style your hair. Look for air-dry treatments that assist shape and hold your hair without the need of heat. When you do use heat, make sure to apply a heat protection product to safeguard your hair from thermal damage.
2. Use Caution When Handling Wet Hair
When your hair is damp, it is most fragile. And the risk of damage increases if your damp hair is fine, curly, or delicate. Handle with caution. Never try to brush your damp hair with a brush unless it is particularly made for the purpose.
To detangle, most professionals recommend using a wide-tooth comb. When getting out of the shower, avoid forceful rubbing. Instead, wipe your hair gently with a fluffy towel, or even better, a microfiber cloth or soft t-shirt. This reduces friction, which can cause damage to sensitive hair. When your hair is damp, avoid using an elastic band to bind it—this might cause breaking.
3. Treat Yourself to Rich and Healing Hair Masks
Hair masks are conditioning treatments. They are high in reparative and moisturizing components including as vitamins, oils, and organically derived elements. They’re also thicker than ordinary conditioners, so they remain in place when applied to damp hair. This allows these solutions to go deeper into the hair surface and fill up the gaps and nicks that occur on the surface of damaged hair. Masks continue to operate even after you rinse them.
Choose a mask that is appropriate for your hair type, such as color-treated or exceptionally coarse and unmanageable. Use your hair treatment mask at least twice a week. And don’t rush—the longer you keep it on, the more effective it will be.
4. Accept Substitutes
Leave-in conditioners and treatments are like 24-hour bodyguards for your hair. Because you don’t rinse them out, they continue to serve and protect from shampoo to shampoo. Leave-ins, like other hair treatments, may be tailored to your specific hair type.
A leave-in conditioner for brightly colored hair, for example, will provide UV hair protection to keep the color from fading. A leave-in conditioner for frizzy, unmanageable hair will provide moisture and make your hair smoother and easier to maintain. Apply leave-in conditioners to damp, not dripping wet, hair and comb through with a wide-tooth comb for uniform distribution.
5. Seek Professional Help
For severely damaged hair, a DIY routine isn’t always adequate. That’s when you might need to call in the experts. Professional, in-salon hair treatments include the maximum concentration of active chemicals available. They tackle any form of hair damage, from over-processed or fragile strands to hair in desperate need of hydration. Typically, your stylist will apply a hair damage treatment right at the shampoo bowl, and because these solutions are so concentrated, you’ll notice and feel a difference right away!
6. Strengthen Your Bonds
The procedure of chemical treatments is one of the reasons why damage happens when you color or lighten your hair. Hair color or lighteners must loosen the structural links of your hair in order to perform correctly. When hair links are broken, your hair is more prone to breakage, dryness, and damage.
Your hairdresser may avoid bond degradation by applying specific bond-preserving formulations to your hair color and lightener. Furthermore, these formulae take preventative actions to prevent future injury. Clients who have their hair colored frequently and significantly refer to professional bonders as “game changers” in the field of hair health.
7. Remove Split Ends
Have you ever snagged a fine cloth only to watch as the little snag slowly unravels a large chunk of the garment? That’s what might happen when your hair’s ends split. The hair will begin to unravel from the roots upward, resulting in a dull, broken, frizzy mess.
To avoid split ends in the first place, use fortifying shampoos, conditioners, and leave-in treatments to maintain your hair elastic and strong. Visit your hairstylist on a frequent basis to keep split ends under control. You don’t have to lose much length—your hairdresser may merely “dust” the ends to maintain your hair healthy, strong, and free of flaws.
8. Swim and sun safely
Regular laps are good for your body but bad for your hair. Salt water, chlorine, and other pool chemicals can cause hair to become brittle and fragile, not to mention the effect they have on the color of your hair! Swimmers should always wear a swim hat to preserve their hair. If you’re going to the beach, keep your hair out of the sun, which can be drying and cause your hair color to fade. Put on a cap! You can also take it a step further by using a hair treatment before stepping out—it will treat and protect your hair while you’re out. After swimming or sunbathing, quickly rinse and condition your hair with mild, nourishing solutions.
9. Avoid allowing your hair to become thirsty.
Because dry skin seems cracked and drab, you should never miss your moisturizer. Dry hair is the leading cause of hair damage and breakage because without the proper amount of moisture, your hair, like your skin, will become brittle and fragile. If you have dry hair, try a moisturizing program that includes a hydrating shampoo, conditioner, mask, and leave-in conditioner. It’s the simplest technique to keep your strands from drying out.
10. Shampoo Wisely and Thoroughly
Choose a sulfate-free shampoo designed for damaged hair. Using shampoos with natural origin elements will help restore your damaged hair.
Avoid shampooing too frequently. On the second or third day, use a dry shampoo to rejuvenate your hair and scalp. Finally, rinse your hair with lukewarm or cool water and end with a shot of cool water. Cool or cold water can benefit damaged hair by shutting the cuticle and forcing the hair shaft to lay flat, resulting in shinier, smoother hair.
