Major repairs for damaged hair
8 December 2020 Estimated time: ~2 min.
Let’s see how we can recognize the degree of damage and how to choose the right treatment to restore health and shine to the hair!
Hair damage begins when the protective lipid layer inside the cuticle is exposed daily to external influences. To know what kind of treatment we should apply to damaged hair, it is good to detect the degree of damage to the hair.
The main causes of hair degradation
Styling tools based on hot air or heated surfaces are the main causes of hair degradation. The styling by which the structure of the hair is thermally deformed to obtain curls or, on the contrary, perfectly straight strands, is the one that gradually degrades the hair and leaves split ends.
Likewise, aggressive chemical treatments - dyeing and bleaching - affect, over time, the natural structure of the hair. The use of mechanical styling procedures in an inappropriate way (aggressive hair combing, curling too tightly on curlers) can also damage the health of the hair.
How do we recognize the degree of hair damage
Damaged natural hair is sensitive and fragile, has an open cuticle (split ends) and can be a few shades lighter in color than natural, even if it has never been bleached and degraded for other reasons. It always needs balm treatment to be combed when it is wet.
The extremely damaged hair has a broken cuticle, the hairstyle line is affected and it becomes extremely easy to tangle. It can harldy be colored, beacause the result is not the desired one, and to continue to bleach it it’s almost a... crime!
How do we treat damaged hair
The first step is to refresh the hairstyle - trimming the split ends until the entire extremely degraded area is removed. Do not hope to fix it with haircare products, from a certain level of degradation upwards, only scissors is the solution.
For a few months, until the hair recovers, apply the dye only on the roots (only if you have gray hairs). Otherwise, let it recover or even out its color with dye shampoo, without ammonia or other aggressive substances that slow down the healing of the cuticle.
Once a week, apply a nourishing hair mask on the entire length of the hair, after shampooing, on damp hair, and leave it for 20 minutes under a warm towel. Then rinse your hair with lukewarm water, not very hot. On days when you do not apply the mask, use after each shampooing with a mild shampoo, a hair conditioner. Let it work while you wash your body, then rinse.
If you have long hair, sleep with a light bun or braided tail, to avoid rubbing too aggressively with the pillowcase. It is best to sleep on a natural silk pillowcase.
