How does healthy hair look like? Well, we all have opinions on that one, but we can all agree that when your hair loses its sheen when it becomes dull and lifeless, then we have a problem! Hair that doesn’t retain enough moisture dries up.
Your hair is multilayered. When your hair is healthy, the outer layer which consists of natural oils protects the inner layers. Natural oils reflect light too, giving your strands a glowing look that we all love!
Hair is fragile, but dryness and breakage are not always caused by one action. Usually, it’s a combination of hair-care mistakes that leave off your strands looking like straw.
What causes dry air?
Let’s look at some of the environmental factors that affect your hair’s health:
Temperature shifts
If you live in a part of the world that experiences extreme weather, your dehydrated hair can be a significant challenge for you.
In the four seasons of the year, your skin and hair have to adjust to temperature changes, humidity, and even the sun’s intensity. In cold weather, your hair becomes dehydrated, and that gives it a dull look and increases the chance of split ends.
Your hair-care habits may also be damaging your hair. Here are habits that leave you with frizzy hair:
Overusing heat-styling tools
Brittle strands split ends, and breakage are sworn enemies that by no means, should have anything to do with your hair. But that’s precisely what happens when you overuse straighteners, dryers, and curlers. Heat-styling tools leave your hair brittle and dry.
Under and over-washing
How often do you shampoo your hair? If you have long hair, you may feel the need to shampoo every day. But ideally, you should wash it twice, three times a week. Here is why: too much shampooing strips your hair of the natural oils that protect it and give it that healthy glow. Over-washing, not only leaves your hair dry, but it also leaves your scalp itchy.
When you shampoo too little, oils and products build and block the release of natural oils. That also equally damages your hair. Finding a healthy balance in your washing schedule is essential to your hair’s health.
Skimping on moisture
A lot of moisture is lost when you shampoo your hair, that’s why you need conditioner. If you don’t let your hair socking in conditioner long enough or if you’re using the wrong formula, your hair won’t get the nourishment it needs to thrive.
Chemical styling
Is your hair chemically colored, curled or straightened? There is an obvious reason why stylists insist on wearing gloves when managing the process. Chemicals burn, and they can ruin your hair’s health!
Hair is delicate. Your hair is much more vulnerable and porous than your skin, so you can imagine the damage you can cause if you apply wrong chemical products.
Hard wet hair brushing
Wet hair is even more delicate and prone to damage. When your hair is wet, for instance when you’ve just walked out of the shower, brushing it will cause your hair to break. Now if you brush wet hair frequently, your hair ends will be brittle, and you will lose a lot of hair.
Skipping wetting your hair before taking a dip
Whether you want to jump into the pool or swim in the ocean, the water has elements that can damage your strands – chlorine and salt respectively. If you take a dip and your dry hair is submerged in water containing those two elements, it will soak in the chlorine and salt. That will make your hair brittle and lead to breakage.
Wetting your hair with fresh water protects your hair from soaking in much chlorine or salt.
Skipping the trim
When you want to grow your hair long, it’s tempting just to let it go and forget the usual trip to the salon to have it trimmed. But it only takes six weeks for the ends to start to break. If your hair develops too many splits ends, it’ll end up looking frizzy and dry. A trim a month will keep it healthy and shining.
If your hair looks fried or you have damaged hair, fear no more. You can have it back in shape. It only takes a little deliberate effort and patience. Your hair didn’t dry up over-night. Therefore it won’t get healthy over-night, but with a bit of effort, you can get it back to being hydrated, healthy and glowing.