We’ve all been trapped inside for weeks at a time. Whether you have been stuck in the house because of the coronavirus, or because you have had a long winter shut-in, your hair may be suffering. Your hair might also be damaged due to over-styling, using the wrong products, illness, and disease, or over-brushing. If you have damaged hair, you need to fix it as soon as possible to avoid breakage. We recommend a wide variety of products that will help repair and grow thicker, stronger, longer hair. Our products are designed to restore health and vitality to dry and damaged hair from the inside out.
Damaged hair can be frustrating, and make you feel self-conscious, even lowering your self – esteem. There is so much more to you than your hair, but we get it. You want to feel good about yourself. Your hair is a part of you, and you want to feel good about it also.
Dry, brittle, and damaged hair can be more difficult to style, resulting in consuming too much of your time. Taking the time to carefully, and naturally repair your hair, is going to be very worth it.
Why Does Hair Become Dry and Damaged? How Can It Happen So Quickly?
There are lots of reasons why hair can become damaged:
- Your hair may have lost moisture because of over-styling through the use of various types of heat stylers, such as curlers and straighteners, as well as blow dryers.
- You may be using harsh shampoos and conditioners that can strip your hair of essential oils.
- You may be over washing and or over-brushing your hair.
- Medication can cause dry and damaged hair as well.
- Your hair can become dry and damaged because of improper nutrition.
- Weather can also conspire against you and cause damage to your hair, especially when the humidity is low.
How Heat Damages Your Hair
We all do it. Our lives are crazy busy at times. The last thing we have the time or patience for is our hair. We want it done, and we want it done quickly, so we turn up the heat. The hot blow dryer dries it quickly. You know those moments when you turn the dryer on high heat and the highest speed? You can feel your scalp burning, but that hair is dried fast!
And the irons… have you ever read the settings on those things? The temperature can get really high! Like, fry an egg on it kind of high. That can’t be good for our hair, and indeed it is not.
Our hair can withstand quite a bit, but eventually the heat from our favorite hair dryers, curling, and flat irons, will catch up with us, and unfortunately show up in the form of split ends, and damaged, brittle hair.
How is Shampoo Damaging My Hair?
Shampoos can be rough on your hair. Most of them contain harsh detergents and chemicals. They are created to strip the dirt and oil out of your hair, which is great, but also not so great. You need some of those oils to keep your hair soft, shiny, and easier to manage. If you are not using the correct shampoo and conditioner for your hair type, you may be washing your head with a mix of ingredients that are doing more harm than good.
You also may just be washing more often than necessary. Shampooing is drying to your hair. If you wash every single day without fail, you are stripping your hair of moisture, and that just is not necessary. Constantly clearing out the moisture, makes room for damaged hair.
Consider a dry shampoo once in a while to give your hair a break. Dry shampoos absorb excess oils at your roots, without stripping your entire head of moisture. Think of your hair as being thirsty. As you strip the oils daily, you are dehydrating your hair rather than quenching its thirst.
Brushing
Just as you may be over washing, you may also be over-brushing. It is only natural for us to want to do a lot of a good thing. Brushing is great for stimulating the oils in your scalp, but it can be damaging when overdone. Every time you brush, you are tugging on your strands of hair, and eventually that can take its toll.
Brushing can also lead to frizzies. However, don’t stop brushing your hair. Just be careful not to do it more often than absolutely necessary.
Medication and Damaged Hair
It can seem a mystery as to why a medication you are on would cause hair damage, or worse yet, hair loss. There is actually a pretty simple answer.
Our hair has a growth cycle. Certain medications interrupt that cycle. This leads to the problems with hair damage and loss. Talk with your doctor if you are about to start a new medication, to find out if you will be at risk.
The good news is that most often, hair can repair itself once the medication is no longer being used.
Nutrition
Nutrition affects everything. It seems to be one of the hardest part for many of us to do correctly. We are bombarded in our society daily with unhealthy options. For most people, it isn’t easy to choose an avocado or salad over a cheeseburger. But with a new mindset, and purposeful choices, you can get there eventually.
How hair thrives on certain nutrients, keeping it healthy, and helping it to grow quickly and properly. If you are focusing on hair nutrition, stock up on these items at the grocery store…
Berries, eggs, fatty fish, sweet potatoes, nuts, avocados, shrimp, oysters, sweet peppers, and beans are all excellent sources of nutrition for your hair. Not a bad list, really, and your hair will thank you!
What Does Low Humidity Have to Do With My Hair?
Our hair needs moisture. Humidity creates moisture in the air, and our hair loves it. Usually, we do not like the humidity ourselves, because it can cause our hairstyles to fall flat, and the frizzies to fly. But our hair drinks up that moisture in the air, and that is a good thing.
Just the opposite, the dry air, or lack of humidity dries out our hair. Dry hair quickly leads to brittle, easy to damage hair.
If your home seems dry, most likely in the winter, you may need to look into purchasing a humidifier, which will add moisture to your home’s air. A whole-house humidifier can even be installed onto your furnace.
Healing Your Damaged Hair Naturally
Take a walk down the aisles of the beauty supply store, grocery, or pharmacy stores, and you will see plenty of items for purchase, claiming to heal your damaged hair. Many of these products work great! If you want to save money and avoid harsh chemicals, though, we suggest some inexpensive, natural treatments to aid in the healing of your lovely locks.
With some items often found in your refrigerator or pantry, your hair can go from dry and brittle, to luscious and flowing. Some of these ideas are so yummy, you’ll have to resist the urge to eat them!
Avocado For Damaged Hair
If you have an avocado or two on hand or are about to go to the grocery store, you can use a ripe one with the pit removed to help your hair quickly. Avocados have fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals to help your hair begin on a healthy journey.
Mix the avocado with an egg. You will want to apply it to wet hair and leave it on for 20 minutes. For damaged hair, you will want to use this remedy once each week.
Besides applying the avocado directly to your hair, start bringing those wonderful avocados into your daily, or at least weekly menu. Avocados are chock full of vitamins E and B, which strengthen your hair on the cellular level. Yes, you can eat guacamole and heal your hair at the same time! Happy you and happy hair.
Butter – Regular or Shea
I don’t know about you, but we read this one a few times just to be certain. We all know butter makes everything better, and we mean everything… even your damaged hair. If you are the type that feels if one teaspoon of butter is needed, then two would be even better, you may enjoy this butter treatment for your hair.
We know it sounds crazy, but one way to repair damaged hair, especially hair damaged by the sun or in the pool, is by using butter. You can decide whether you want to use regular butter or Shea butter. For this repair, you’ll want to spread the soft or melted butter (regular or shea) on your dry hair, and cover your hair with a cap for half an hour, and then rinse it out. You can repeat the butter treatment each week.
Butter your popcorn, then butter your hair. Perfect.
Olive Oil
Olive oil has great essential vitamin E and nutrients such as fatty acids with antioxidants for healthy hair. To use olive oil on your hair, warm up ½ a cup of olive oil. Be sure that you don’t overheat it because you could burn your scalp. Massage the olive oil into your dry hair, and let it stay on your hair for 45 minutes. Then you need to thoroughly rinse it out.
As with any healthy choice, such as olive oil, not only is it good to use topically on your hair, but because of the fatty acids and vitamin E in olive oil, be sure to include this healthy oil in your diet, to heal hair from the inside out. Always consult with your doctor first, to make sure introducing a new food is suited for your needs.
Tea
Tea is not just for drinking. You can use it as a rinse for your hair, and it will restore its healthy shine.
If your hair is dull and lifeless, think about restoring the shine to your hair with tea. To use tea as a rinse for your hair, you will need a quart (4 cups) of unsweetened tea. Boil water and steep the tea bags for about five minutes. Remove the tea bags and let the tea cool so you don’t burn yourself.
You can use the tea as a rinse instead of conditioner after your final shampoo. One of the best things about tea is that it will enhance your hair color and really make it shine. Check out this list of which tea to use for your particular hair color.
- If you are a blonde, you need to use chamomile tea, which can restore the luster to blonde hair. Strawberry blondes can also use chamomile tea.
- If you are a brunette or you have black hair, use black tea to make your brown or black hair sparkle.
- If your hair is red, you can restore the luster with Rooibos tea.
- Black tea also works well with gray hair.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Many people use apple cider vinegar as a natural remedy for a variety of medical issues. Apple cider vinegar can aid with weight loss. It can also be used to lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels if you are a diabetic.
To use apple cider vinegar as a mask for your damaged hair, combine a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil with three egg whites. Rub this mixture into your hair and cover it with a shower cap or with plastic. After half an hour, you can shampoo and rinse your hair out.
Apple cider vinegar works well with your hair by lowering your hair and scalp’s PH level. Doing this encourages growth and strength in your hair.
Eggs
One thing everyone with damaged hair has in common is that there is not enough protein in the hair that is dry and damaged. In order to put more protein in your hair, you can do an egg mask.
Whip up an egg with a small amount of your shampoo, and let it sit on your hair for 5 minutes, then shampoo and rinse as normal. Although this may seem like a short amount of time, a five-minute mask two or three times a week can be really helpful when it comes to restoring damaged hair.
Don’t forget to include some protein-packed eggs into your daily diet. Restoring your hair requires plenty of protein to trigger the production of keratin for your hair.
Other Botanical Oils
Different botanical oils will also add important fats and antioxidants to your hair. One of our favorites is using coconut oil as a mask. Be sure that you rub the coconut oil from the scalp to the tips of your hair. You can then cover your hair with a warm towel, wrap, or shower cap. Coconut oil is great for people with thick hair. If you have fine hair, this is not the treatment for you, because it will weigh it down.
If your hair is fine, use sandalwood oil instead of coconut oil as a mask. Sandalwood oil is great at restoring luster to your hair. You can add the sandal oil to olive or jojoba oil and then smooth it through your hair all the way to the ends. Then, your brittle, fine, flyaway hair will be smoothed and easier to comb. And as a bonus, whether coconut or sandalwood, your hair will smell amazing!
Other Tips For Repairing Damaged Hair
Some of us are harder on our hair than others. And it isn’t always heat damage or poor nutrition that is the cause of our need to repair our hair. Sometimes, doing something great for yourself like swimming, or sweating from exercise, which both can lead to washing our hair often, that can lead to damaged, dried out hair.
If you wash your hair frequently out of necessity, or you swim a lot, covering your hair in chlorine, which again leads to frequent washes, you may want to think about a rinse to help your damaged hair each time you wash your hair. Consider mixing a natural rinse which can be kept ready for you in a container in the shower.
For this daily rinse, you mix ¼ cup apple cider vinegar and ¾ cup of water. Use this mixture instead of your regular shampoo, and then condition it as you normally would.
When you wash your hair, do not rub it dry. This can cause additional damage to your already-damaged hair. When we rub our hair with a towel, imagine the tangles and breakage it could cause.
Instead, you will need to wrap it up in a towel for a few minutes, and then let it air dry. Naturally drying your hair cuts down on breakage and damage from blow dryers or other styling tools.
Dampen The Air In Your Home
You also might want to use a humidifier, especially during the winter months, when the air is so dry. Some climates, such as in the Western United States, stay dry for most of the year. Dry weather dries your hair out more quickly than the humid weather does. And dry hair can be damaged more easily.
If you are living in dry weather, or in an eternally dry climate, you may want to sleep with a humidifier in your bedroom. Humidifiers not only help you breathe better, but they help put moisture back into your hair.
You can speak with your HVAC service about adding a house humidifier to your furnace. During the extra dry winter months, the humidifier can turn off and on as needed along with your furnace.
Accessorize, But Not Too Much
Accessorizing is fun, and we’d never tell a girl not to do so. Unfortunately, too much of anything can sometimes not be good. Accessories too often in your hair can cause damage.
If you love hair accessories in your hair, but your hair is dry or damaged, you need to be careful of them. Be sure that if you always wear your hair up, make sure that you take it down for a few hours each day to rest your hair and prevent breakage. Consider hair ties that are created to cause less damage. The traditional elastics can really tear your hair. There are ribbons and other soft ties available.
Also, while it is tempting to sleep with accessories in your head, which can help keep hair in one place, reducing frizz and tangles, it doesn’t help your hair at all. Sleeping in accessories at night will further damage your hair. As you roll from side to side in your sleep, those hair ties are rubbing and pulling on your hair, and that can lead to breakage.
Lastly, if you have hair accessories with sharp points or edges, you need to avoid those completely. Damaged hair will break more easily when coming in contact with such accessories. And if your hair is not damaged, why risk causing damage with an accessory?
Shop around and get creative. Keep plenty of bobby pins on hand for quick updos and pulling back your sides with minimal damage.
Long Term Solutions
While all of these short term speedy fixes are great, they are temporary solutions. Nothing can completely make something like a split end go away. However, with regular use, many of these treatments can smooth out your hair, making it look better, and possibly prevent further damage. As you treat your hair with these natural treatments, make sure you are also avoiding further damage with things like, improper accessories and heat.
If you are looking for long term solutions, we have a couple of suggestions. First, you will want to beef up your vitamins, especially those vitamins that strengthen hair, such as a multivitamin or a vitamin for hair, skin, and nails. The vitamins for hair health would include vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K. These vitamins help to repair damaged hair and strengthen it from the inside out. Vitamins also fight hair damaged through daily wear and tear as well. Once your hair is stronger, it is easier to prevent breakage.
Fatty acids are also great for the health of your hair. So if you like fish, especially salmon, oysters, or nuts, go ahead and enjoy them! Your hair will soak up those fatty acids from the inside, and you’ll begin noticing beautiful results on the outside.
One of the best ways to begin healing your damaged hair is often the least favorite, but it is a quick fix, with excellent results. Cut your hair. If you love long, flowing locks, it is a tough one to hear. But think about it this way… if your long hair is damaged, and you are in a constant battle with it, trying to get it healthy, cutting the damaged ends off and starting over may be worth it in the long run.
Once it is cut, you can put healthier practices into place, and regrow your hair. That’s the beauty of hair – it grows! With some patience on your end, proper nutrition, less heat, and fewer hair ties, you can easily grow a healthy head of hair after a good cut.
You may be surprised how wonderful your “new” hair ends feel. You may even discover you love wearing it short!
Products That Can Permanently Help
When all else fails, you may need the help of some hair repair and growth products. Be sure to speak with your stylist about what is best for you. If you are considering supplements, which is a great idea, also speak with your doctor.
There are some great hair products that work together to strengthen damaged hair, prevent it from breaking, and help new hair to grow. One of our favorites is the “Love Your Hair Regrowth System.” It includes the KeraViatin Hair and Scalp Supplement to strengthen your hair, the Lift and Repair Treatment spray to protect against heat damage, and the Hair Regrowth Treatment for Women Spray, which stimulates your hair follicles. This stimulating helps with new hair growth.
Don’t get overly concerned if your hair is damaged. Both quick fixes and long-lasting treatment systems can help your hair look its absolute best each time you step out the door. We want you to love your hair! Repairing damage requires a lot of patience, and sometimes a few changes in our lifestyle. Just remember, your hair is a part of you and does reflect your health. Take care of it just as you would the rest of beautiful you!
If your hair is suddenly thinning or you are losing an abnormal amount of hair, it could be due to an underlying health issue, or a change in hormones. As always, you should see your doctor to get to the root cause of your health and hair problems.
Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-for-hair-growth
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