How to recover damaged hair: the definitive guide –

Damaged hair goes beyond split ends. Hair develops cracks in the outer layer (cuticle) causing it to split open in scales. Once the cuticle opens, your hair is susceptible to even more risk of damage and breakage, as its structure is exposed.

I.e: the answer isn’t always just cut the ends. Most of the time, hair damage is permanent because hair is actually a collection of dead cells, making them irreparable.

The only real cure is to wait for the damaged part to grow back (then cut it) and take steps to prevent further damage.

But don’t despair, with proper hair care and some targeted treatments, you can help restore the cuticle and start to improve the appearance of your hair.

“It is necessary to identify the capillary steps that are already part of the care routine and how to add certain steps to meet all the needs of the threads”, explains the dermatologist and specialist in trichology andrea fringefrom the Luciana Garbelini Clinic in São Paulo.

Check below where your damage comes from and what steps to add:

IF THE DAMAGE…

1

IT’S DYE

Whether you’ve had red hair, fantasy or just trying to cover up some gray, dyeing your hair can have consequences that outlast the color. Chemical dyes can strip your hair of its natural moisture, quickly making your hair rough.

Unless your hair was already light, you may also have bleached it before applying the dye (see “It’s bleaching” below to learn more about this).

– (Edgardo Contreras/Getty Images)

How to improve damage

Use hair oils. Vegetable oils have been shown to be an excellent source to help rehydrate the hair and smooth the cuticle.

Just be sure to wait a few days after coloring before using a treatment (which involves thoroughly oiling your hair for at least 10 minutes before rinsing it out).

How to avoid further damage

Experts recommend choosing a dye just three shades above or below your natural color, as unnatural colors are harder to maintain and need to be touched up more often — extending the time between touch-ups helps reduce damage. If possible, wait 8-10 weeks – or longer! — between one dyeing and another.

To make this more workable:

Wash your hair less often (so the color doesn’t wash out as quickly) Use only shampoos formulated for color-treated hair. Rinse off the shampoo and conditioner with cold water. (hot water can cause the cuticle to open or lift, allowing the dye to be rinsed off)

two

IT IS BLEACHING

It is used to remove the natural hair color from each strand. To do this, he swells the hair, allowing the bleach to reach the inside of the hair shaft, where it dissolves the melanin that gives hair its pigment.

This process can leave your hair dry, porous, brittle and fragile. Permanent changes in the structure of the hair can also make it less strong and elastic.

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How to improve damage

Bet on the capillary schedule (we explain it better below) and use almond oil. This sweet-smelling oil can help smooth and strengthen your hair. Apply a dime-sized amount to the ends of your hair before blow-drying to rehydrate strands and reduce frizz.

How to avoid further damage

Bleach Less Often: There’s no way around it, bleach always damages your hair to some degree, the less you do the better. Before bleaching, pay extra attention that your hair is hydrated. Avoid other unhealthy activities like flat ironing for a few weeks. Use sun protection. The sun’s UV rays can harm your hair. Bleached hair is especially susceptible to UV damage. Be very careful with chlorine. In addition to leaving your locks an unpleasant shade of green, chlorine can strip your hair of moisture and make it even more brittle and rough.

3

IT’S BECAUSE OF THE FLAT HAIR AND DRYER

Heat styling can “cook” the hair fibers and lead to raised cuticles and porous hair. Using heat too often or at high temperatures can make your hair more prone to damage.

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How to improve damage

In addition to also doing the hair schedule, use coconut oil. Oil molecules are small enough to penetrate the outer cuticle and hydrate from the inside out – but use a hair-specific one, so you don’t create fungus.

Look for products that include coconut oil, or apply the oil once a week as a deep hydrating mask.

How to avoid further damage

Dry from a distance. One study found that holding the dryer six inches away from the hair and moving the dryer continuously can help reduce damage. Use a thermal protector. These products are intended to help protect your hair and prevent split ends. Lower the temperature. The hotter the temperature, the more damage you can do.

4

IT’S FOR LACK OF CUT

Regular haircuts can go a long way in keeping your hair healthy and well-groomed. Going too long between cuts can lead to dry split ends. While the real answer here is to get a haircut to remove the problem ends, there are a few things you can do while waiting for your next salon appointment.

– (robertprzybysz/Thinkstock/Getty Images)

How to improve damage

Use a hair mask or moisturizing conditioning treatment. Hair masks cannot work miracles, but they can help hide and protect against split ends.

How to avoid further damage

Treat your hair well from the first day after cutting. Follow good hair care practices to avoid damage (such as avoiding heat tools, moisturizing frequently, and avoiding wind and sun).

You can also talk to your stylist to decide how much time you should go between regular tip cuts.

HAIR SCHEDULE: WHAT IT IS

*by Eric Barbosa

– (Piotr Marcinski/EyeEm/Getty Images)

You’ve definitely heard of hair schedule, haven’t you? He is indicated to recover damage wires and also to prevent new injuries from arising.

The capillary schedule is nothing more than a hair care routine, which intersperses three important treatments: hydration, nutrition and reconstruction.

The objective is to intersperse the three treatments, during the period of one month, so that all the needs that the threads may present are met, thus restoring capillary health.

THE ESSENTIAL STEPS OF A HAIR SCHEDULE

Hydration

Hydration is a well-known hair treatment. She is responsible for replacing water and essential nutrients from highlights that are lost daily.

The main assets to carry out the hydration of the wires are:

Functional amino acids: are responsible for regenerating hair fiber and providing strength, softness and emollience; Aloe vera: has the function, in addition to hydrating, regenerating and combating hair loss and is also a natural antioxidant; Extra virgin coconut oil: its composition is rich in fatty acids and vitamins; Olive butter: maintains long-term hydration in the hair; D-Panthenol: just like olive butter, it guarantees long-term hydration, also promoting shine and softness.

Nutrition

Nutrition is the phase of the capillary schedule whose responsibility is to replace lipids in the hair, that is, the fats produced by the sebaceous glands of the scalp, which protect and align the strands, in addition to leaving them soft and shiny.

It is natural for hair to become dry, especially those with greater curvature, such as curly and frizzy hair, since the oiliness of the scalp finds it difficult to reach the entire length.

There are three different ways to carry out the nutrition of the locks. Are they:

Wetting with vegetable oil: the hair is bathed with vegetable oils, it waits for approximately thirty minutes to act and then it is washed normally; Night wetting: when the hair is very dry, this is the recommended option. You pass the oil on your hair before going to sleep and only the next day you wash it; Nutrition masks: this option is more practical and suitable for hair that does not show so much damage. Specific capillary creams are used, which can be passed on the wires during the bath, with quick action.

For nutrition, prefer assets rich in vitamins, as is the case, for example, with:

amla oil; avocado oil; Sunflower oil; mango oil; Argan oil; Coconut oil; Castor oil; Egg protein; Olive oil.

Reconstruction

Finally, capillary reconstruction restores the hair fiber, replenishing the hair’s proteins, in greater numbers, keratin.

The need is perceived with the naked eye, when brittle, porous and very fine strands are observed, especially those that have been subject to many chemical procedures, such as straightening, bleaching and coloring.

It is the most powerful treatment on the hair schedule and that is why it should not be done all the time, but respecting the real needs that the hair has.

When locks are extremely damaged and elastic, they can undergo weekly reconstruction. However, as a rule, it should only be performed at least 15 days apart.

Among the assets used for reconstruction, the best are:

Cysteine: strengthens the wires and aligns the cuticles evenly; Arginine: acts in the reconstruction of the cold from the outside to the inside; Creatine: makes up the keratin chain of the hair, repairing damage; Collagen: prevents breakage, retains water and evens out the cuticles.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE A HAIR SCHEDULE

To set up a capillary schedule, it is necessary, in principle, to identify the greatest need for your hair. A hairdresser can tell you or you can find out yourself, through a simple porosity test.

The test consists of placing strands of hair that fell naturally, when combing, for example, in a glass full of water and waiting for ten minutes.

Next, it’s time to look at where the wires are. If they have sunk, they indicate high porosity. If they are in the middle of the glass, they indicate medium porosity. Finally, if they float, they indicate low porosity.

Having this information, it is possible to define which treatment should appear more frequently in the schedule.

Hair with low porosity (which floats) requires more hydration, which can be done every now and then, with an interval of a different treatment between them. Medium porosity hair (in the middle of the glass) needs more nutrition and can be done once a week. Hair with high porosity (at the bottom of the glass) needs more reconstruction, which is recommended to be done at…