You've begun to notice that your hair doesn't have its usual sleek, healthy appearance. You don't know when this started to happen, but your hair seems to be brittle with split ends you didn't have before. You realize how your hair was damaged because you were outside on a windy day and felt your hair getting tangled.
Features
If you live in an area where wind is a common part of your daily life, you run the risk of that wind damaging your tresses. You can easily recognize signs of wind damage. Your hair gets dry and doesn't have its former smooth and shiny appearance. Your hair also begins to look like dry straw instead of normal hair and it's hard to manage.
Identification
You'll notice signs that your hair is overly porous and brittle, breaking every time you run your comb through it. If it becomes tangled, which is common in windy areas, it has little elasticity when you attempt to untangle it. You'll also notice split ends--those unattractive broken ends on your hair.
Whether you have straight, wavy or curly hair, wind-damaged hair starts to look frizzy. If you color your hair, the color either absorbs into the hair shaft too quickly or it fades too soon. When you wet it, it becomes matted, making it difficult for you to massage your shampoo or conditioner through your hair.
Effects
If you leave your hair down on windy days, you'll notice that it gets tangled. Eventually, even though you untangle it, individual shafts begin feeling rough although you use conditioner on a regular basis. As your hair becomes progressively more wind-damaged, the simple action of your hair rubbing on your clothing or neck--even on days with little or no wind--means you're going to develop large tangles or rat's nests that you have to work out of your hair.
Types
Hair that has suffered wind damage begins to look much "bigger" in volume. Even when you've washed and conditioned it, the frizziness really never goes away. Wind-damaged hair also takes on a dull appearance, looking more like straw rather than individual strands of hair with moisture throughout. When you try to keep your hair out of your face, it also begins to feel stiff and crackly.
Prevention/Solution
The best solution for wind-damaged hair is prevention. Don't wash your hair every day and use a conditioner that restores your hair's pH balance. Conditioners smooth the cuticle of each hair shaft, making it more difficult for them to catch on each other. For wind-damaged hair, using a hot-oil treatment weekly helps restore moisture to the hair. Find a protein-enriched hair conditioner, because your hair is made of protein.
Natural Treatments
If you wish, you can go with natural treatments for dry hair. These include an egg whipped into lukewarm water that you "shampoo" into your hair, then rinse out. Rinse your hair with 1 tbsp. of vinegar. This will reduce the frizzy appearance and help restore shine.
Mix an over-ripe banana and avocado, then smooth this mixture into your hair. Rinse it out with warm water after one hour. Massage either coconut or olive oil into your scalp and hair. Do not rub the hair because it's already damaged. Wear a cap to bed and leave the oil in your hair overnight, then shampoo it out, making sure you completely remove the oil.
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