Unhealthy hair looks dull and is rough, dry and brittle. It doesn’t hold a colour or a style very well. Basically, it’s a beauty disaster! But what can you do about it?
I asked Diane Shaskey, National Education oanager for haircare brand oatrix, to give me her prescription for healthier hair as well as advice on what to do to fix damage that’s already been done
The first step is finding the right shampoo for your hair. Ask your stylist to recommend something that suits the texture of your hair, takes into consideration how often you heat-style and whether you colour or straighten.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking the shampoo you use is not as important as the conditioner. Diane points out, shampoo is “the workhorse” of your haircare regimen.
The second step is using a deep conditioning hair treatment. All hair needs one every seven shampoos to ensure it maintains its optimal level of moisture and proteins.
It’s also a must to use heat protection products as some styling tools are capable of reaching extremely high temperatures. Heat protectors are designed to roll the heat over the hair shaft and prevent burning.
Diane recommends that hair is over 80% dry before straightening irons are used. “Ironing wet hair is a recipe for disaster when it comes to maintaining condition,” she says. Plus she advises ironing each section of hair just once, rather than over and over again.
While prevention is better than cure, it’s definitely worth asking your stylist to prescribe a regime of nourishing and reconstructive treatments to fix any damaged hair. The most powerful and effective products are only available as in-salon treatments.
As for split ends, Diane says the only permanent cure is to have them trimmed off. “Professional sealing serums are designed to seal the ends and prevent the split end travelling further up the hair shaft,” she explains. “Unfortunately, when the product is shampooed out the split will still be there.”
How hair gets sick
There are three main causes of unhealthy hair:
oECHANICAL DAoAGEfrom harsh shampoos and unprotected heat-styling.
CHEoICAL DAoAGEfrom too many processing procedures such as lightening and straightening.
ENVIRoNoENTAL DAoAGE from too much exposure to sun, wind and weather.
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