Damaged
hair repair
With hair that is extensively processed you must be careful with
it and treat it gently. If you have long hair it can be quite difficult
as long hair equals old hair and old hair is inevitably more damaged
than young hair. Old hair has been washed more times, exposed to
air pollutants for longer, combed more often and so on. All these
physical and chemical processes will add more damage, which accumulates
over time. If you have extensively processed long hair the best
response is to cut it short! At the very minimum, cut the ends of
the long hair every three weeks or so to remove and prevent split
ends.
Damaged hair cannot be repaired. There are however some treatments
that can improve the look of the hair. These effects are only temporary,
largely cosmetic, and have to repeated regularly to maintain the
effect. First, choose a mild shampoo and a deep conditioner. I suggest
using separate shampoo and conditioner rather than the all in one
shampoos, you will get a better result and deep conditioning is
only really possible with a separate conditioner. Many manufacturers
now produce hair cosmetics specially formulated for damaged hair.
Hunt the shelves and you should find something appropriate.
At the salon and sometimes on the shelf at the local pharmacy,
there are hair repair products. They usually involve either hot
oil or some kind of protein binding agent, basically a glue. Hot
oil imparts some luster to dull and dry hair and help make it more
flexible. The binding agent based products essentially coat the
hair with a protein of some kind. This provides a little protection
and holds the damaged cuticle in place. These effects are not permanent
and they get washed away with regular shampooing. As such, regular
reapplication is necessary.
Some other tips for damaged hair. After shampooing and conditioning,
pat your hair dry with a towel, do not rub or scrub. Avoid hair
dryers, or if you must use one, use it on a low heat setting. Combing
and brushing should be limited as much as possible. Never brush
wet hair, for wet hair you should only use a comb. You should use
a wide toothed comb or brush to reduce damage and friction. Metal
combs are hard to find, but they avoid static electricity when combing
dry hair unlike some of the plastic combs available. Brush or comb
gently. Start at the ends of long hair and work back wards to avoid
tangles which are more common with damaged hair. Always brush away
from the scalp and of course do not tug on the hair if the brush
or comb gets stuck.
While these things will help, the only long term answer to getting
rid of damaged hair is to grow it out and cut it off. Sorry, but
there is no other action that gives a one hundred percent result.
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