Dry, damaged hair is not only annoying, it's also often weak, frizzy and unsightly. Your hair can become dry, damaged and brittle due to overuse or improper application of chemical processes such as perms, dyes, relaxers and straighteners or heat processes such as blow dryers, straightening irons and heated curlers.
Features
No matter what the cause, dry, over-processed hair is usually weaker and more susceptible to breakage than healthy hair. If you've over-processed your hair with perms or relaxers, your hair may look frizzy, have split ends and break off, according to author Stephanie Henderson in her book, "Basic Hairdressing: A Coursebook for Level 2." Your scalp might even be sore or burned. Tinting or dying your hair can also leave it looking dry, frizzy and strawlike. Over-processing with heated appliances usually results in brittle, dry hair, fly-aways, frizz and breakage.
Considerations
Taking proper care of dry, over-processed hair is a crucial part of nourishing it back to health. According to Henderson, the best treatment for hair that has been over-processed is to cut off split ends and damage. Split ends will only continue to split up the hair shaft until the break off completely. Frequent trims may be necessary during the growing out process, in order to keep the new hair growth healthy. Inform your stylist that you're growing out your hair and you only want to trim the ends. This can help preserve the length without chopping off your entire head of hair.
Commercially Prepared Products
Adding moisture and strength to dry, over-processed hair is one of the most beneficial ways of improving the condition of your hair while it grows out. According to author Renu Gupta in her book, "Complete Beautician Course," you can add strength to your hair by using commercially prepared shampoos, conditioners and hair treatments containing protein, because the protein bonds with the damaged parts of your hair shaft. Additionally, using store-bought moisturizing deep conditioners and leave-in treatments help to add moisture and help hydrate and condition dry, over-processed hair. According to Henderson, commercially prepared restructurants are also helpful, as they can help to rebuild over-processed, brittle hair.
Home Remedies
You can also treat dry, over-processed hair by using specific, moisturizing ingredients you may already have in your household. According to Henderson, olive oil, almond oil and coconut oil are ingredients that you can apply to your hair for a deep conditioning treatment. This will leave damaged hair feeling soft, supple and shiny. Apply a 1/2 cup of your chosen oil to your hair prior to shampooing. Wrap your hair in a towel for 20 minutes, then rinse and shampoo as usual.
Warning
Avoid chemically processing your hair or using heated styling appliances on hair that is dry, brittle and over-processed if at all possible. According to the American Hair Loss Association, using chemical or heat processing on hair that is already weak and damaged may cause your hair to split off at the scalp, resulting in hair loss.
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