Unhealthy hair can be rather glaring and hard to overlook. It can display itself in various ways and symptoms, including but not limited to split ends, brittle-like texture, hair breakage and excessive knots and tangles..
Unhealthy hair is usually as a result of exposure to harsh conditions like indiscriminate chemical processing, heat styling, color treating, exposure to sun, chlorine, harsh weather conditions and generally inadequate hair care practices. In some cases, medical conditions may also contribute to an unhealthy state of hair.
Extremely damaged hair develops cracks in the cuticle (outermost layer). Once the cuticle lifts (opens), the hair is at risk of further damage and breakage. To restore hair health, damaged hair requires small, consistent adjustments like proper hair care and a few targeted treatments that can help restore the outer cuticle and begin to improve the look and feel of your hair.
Here are 5 tips to restore damaged, unhealthy hair;
Reduce the heat
Heat styling -to curl, straighten, or add volume to your hair- may come with heat damage. This might be the reason why your hair is brittle and drying out. One of the biggest mistakes people make is setting the temperature too high when styling hair with heat. Whereas, a low or mid-range setting will also get the job done. So be sure to set heat tools on the lowest possible temperature that works for your hair and always use a heat protection product to shield your hair from thermal damage.
Hot water is another source of heat to avoid. Super-hot water can strip your hair of essential oils, which can make it feel even drier. Use lukewarm water when washing your hair instead.
Pro tip: Skipping heat styling altogether would be fantastic.
Wet Hair; Handle with Care
Your hair is at its most vulnerable when it’s wet therefore handle it with care. When you step out of the shower, skip vigorous rubbing or brushing of your wet hair. Instead, use a microfiber towel or soft, cotton t-shirt to remove excess water. Doing this avoids friction that can put stress on your already vulnerable hair.
Pro tip: You can brush moist hair but NOT wet hair.
Deep Condition/Treatment
Deep conditioners provide layers of protection and hydration for hair that is over-processed, dry or lacking strength and elasticity. When you experience breakage, it may be due to a lack of elasticity, meaning the hair is in a fragile state and cannot stretch much without breaking.
To get your hair back to a state of health, there needs to be a balance of protein and moisture that can only be gotten from deep conditioning treatments. Use Deeva’s Deep Treatment Hair Masque with Rice Extract and Castor Oil to strengthen and moisturize your fragile strands.
Pro tip: Bi-weekly deep conditioning is considered adequate for damaged hair.
Moisturize! Moisturize! Moisturize
One of the tips to restoring hair health is making sure your natural hair is infused with as much moisture as possible. A good moisture routine includes frequent shampooing and conditioning. Pick out Deeva’s Moisturizing, Sulfate-free Shampoo that will remove any build-up and Deeva’s Hair Softening Leave-in Yoghurt for repairing dry, frizzy hair and minimizing future damage.
Pro tip: Shampoo every week or two weeks and moisturize with your leave-in conditioner daily or once in two days.
Trim your Split Ends
Split ends are one of the most obvious signs of damaged and unhealthy hair. They may be as a result of harsh weather or dryness. Split ends are absolutely irreparable and if they’re not removed, the strands will split even farther, faster and unevenly as the hair grows, contributing to thinner, less healthy-looking hair. It does not matter if you’ve been growing out your hair for years or if you are a newbie, it’s important to get regular trims to remove split ends.
Pro tip : Many products are said to repair split ends. However, the only real solution is to trim them off regularly.
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