Your hair faces a barrage of damaging agents on a daily basis: the sun, pollution, styling products, heat-based haircare tools, rubber bands and even the way you sleep. Fixing all that damage won’t happen overnight, but you can make certain changes to your haircare routine that will start to show results in just a few days.
Step 1
Get a cut. The only surefire way of repairing damaged hair is to cut it off. Even if you don’t want to make a drastic change, an inch-long trim can make a big difference in how healthy your hair looks by removing split ends.
Step 2
Try a hair mask. Stylist Kattia Solano of New York’s Butterfly Studio tells "InStyle" magazine that a twice-weekly application can help hair recover from intense sun damage. These ultra-nourishing creams deliver the moisture your hair needs to recover from stressful styling. Apply the cream after you shampoo, let it sit for a few minutes, and gently rinse it out.
Step 3
Switch to a non-sulfate shampoo. Formulas that contain sulfates can over-dry hair, stripping it of essential moisture. The most common sulfate is sodium lauryl sulfate. "Good Housekeeping’s" product reviewer Charmaine Gillespie notes that although sulfate-free shampoos don’t lather up like traditional shampoos, they leave hair clean and soft, with less eye and skin irritation than sulfate formulas.
Step 4
Change your hair-washing habits. If you shampoo every day using hot water, you’re contributing to further hair damage. Washing strips hair of moisture and sweeps away the scalp’s natural oils—all things your hair needs to look healthy. Los Angeles stylist Amanda George tells "InStyle" magazine that rinsing with cold water adds instant shine. She also suggests shampooing your ends sparingly since they’re drier than your roots. Go as long as you can between shampoos to avoid stripping your scalp oils.
Step 5
Brush your scalp. Beverly Hills hair stylist Corey Powell tells "Marie Claire" magazine that brushing the scalp increases blood flow and stimulates new hair growth. Scalp health and hair health are linked, notes Powell.
Step 6
Keep hair oil on hand. When you need a shine boost for a special event or want to distract from the look of dry, damaged hair, a quick hair oil treatment boosts moisture and produces a healthy-looking gloss. "Lucky" magazine recommends leaving it on dry hair for 20 minutes and then washing out.
Tips and Warnings
- Let your hair air dry instead of using a blow dryer. Easing up on the heat stress keeps fragile strands from drying out and breaking.
Things You'll Need
- Hair mask treatment
- Sulfate-free shampoo
- Brush
- Hair oil
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