Frequent shampooing, coloring, blow-drying, straightening... While our hair can withstand all kinds of stress, even the most resilient, it sometimes reaches the point of no return. Its fatigue then expresses itself through various signs, for example, dehydration, breakage, frizz, and split ends. Fortunately, some expert treatments are doubling down on ingenuity to come to the rescue of damaged hair and restore its brilliant shine in record time.
The main component of our hair is a protein chain called keratin. In healthy hair, keratin has a smooth and solid structure. In damaged hair, however, the structure is irregular, with varying degrees of breakage. There are many causes: poorly adapted hair care, frequent blow-drying at too high a temperature, straightening with irons, and repeated bleaching all put a strain on hair. Sooner or later, you have to pay the consequences. Your hair is then dry as straw, dull, brittle, and split. So how can you repair damaged hair and its breaks on the surface of the fiber? Depending on your hair type, there are several highly effective products available.
Damaged hair is often fragile, especially if it's curly or frizzy. As we've seen, frequent bleaching or highlighting promotes dehydration and the formation of these breaks in the cuticle. To remedy this, you can use:
Certain plant-based hair oils: These can restore silkiness, for example: macadamia, argan, or sunflower oil. These hair oils all contain unsaturated fatty acids, very similar to the lipids naturally produced by the sebaceous glands, which are then absorbed by damaged hair.
Shea nut extract: Shea butter is ideal for caring for dry and devitalized hair. Particularly rich in vitamin E and carotene, this plant-based butter contains so-called unsaponifiable components that are deposited on the cuticle for a preventative antioxidant action.
Formulas with liquid hair ingredients, such as keratin, are the best solution if your damaged hair is rather fine and smooth. They target the gaps on the hair's surface with high precision. Once these are filled, your damaged hair is elastic again, regaining all its suppleness and shine.
To avoid further damage to your hair, it is important to adopt a hair care routine specific to your needs:
Gentle washing is essential: it's essential to always cleanse your damaged hair extremely gently. Instead of washing it every day, adopt the dry shampoo habit. Avoid using hot water and opt for lukewarm water when shampooing.
When detangling: always use a wide-toothed comb, as wet hair is particularly sensitive to mechanical tension.
- When drying: If you can't do without a hairdryer, it's essential to apply a heat-protective treatment. Ideally, choose appliances with adjustable temperatures and ionic technology and, from time to time, let your hair air dry.
The styling stage: this can be improved, for example, by using styling mousses and special hairsprays for damaged hair. Containing moisturizing glycerin, their abundance of vitamins and precious fatty acids provide well-being and shine to damaged hair.
Your hair then needs real reconstructive treatment:
Start by trimming your ends regularly to eliminate split ends and choose gentle shampoos and nourishing conditioners.
For very damaged hair, you can use a homemade or professional hair mask and leave it on for half an hour to overnight before rinsing. However, be careful with hair damaged by bleaching. In this case, you will need to opt for a specific mask to avoid altering the color.
These are extremely effective last resort remedies for hair that is seriously lacking in care. However, you need to be patient, as the regeneration of very damaged hair takes time.