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| How To Repair Hair Breakage, According To Experts |
The first thing to do? Figure out the source of your hair damage. “People forget that hair is elastic and needs to be treated carefully, especially when it’s chemically treated or wet,” adding that even ripping out topknots and ponytails are more common causes of weakened hair than one might think.
What’s more, there are two different types
of hair damage: Mechanical damage comes from harsh physical
treatment, such as brushing knots out too aggressively or wearing your hair up
in tight styles too often, Chemical damage, on the other hand, is often the
result of bleaching and/or dyeing hair, straightening treatments,
and/or perms — any process during which a chemical is applied to the
hair.
Breakage tends to happen mid-way down the
hair shaft or close to the root, leaving those pieces significantly shorter
than the rest of your lengths. If this sounds familiar, don’t fret: There is
plenty you can do to repair your locks. Read on for what pros recommend if
you’re looking to fix hair breakage.
Be Gentle With Your Hair — Especially When It’s Wet
When
your hair is wet, it’s at its most vulnerable state, which calls
for extra-gentle TLC. Avoid excess mechanical damage by carefully combing,
brushing, and/or styling your hair, and be sure to remove styles gently. “Are
you aggressively brushing your hair, especially when it's wet? Are you ripping
out that topknot or ponytail? If you answered yes, you are doing your hair a
disservice and more likely to see breakage and have brittle hair,” Min
warns. also points to brushing wet hair as an unexpectedly common cause of hair
breakage, and suggests only using a wide-tooth comb to gently
detangle before drying.
It’s
possible the way you’re towel-drying your hair could be sabotaging your
strands, too. “Use a microfiber towel to blot hair dry hair before
blow-drying,” This helps reduce damage-inducing blow-dry time, and blotting the
hair dry instead of rubbing the hair can help reduce breakage.” Similarly, Experts
advise always ensuring your hair is completely dry before using a flat iron
or curling iron, as accidentally heat-styling wet hair can impair it even
further.
Switch To Sulfate-Free Shampoo
The pros
also recommend sticking to a shampoo that doesn’t contain any sulfates,
aka a category of cleansing agents found in many formulas. Experts say sulfates
can strip your hair of its natural oils. “Sulfate-based shampoos can also cause the color to fade,” adding that harsh sulfates can weaken and harm the hair,
leading to excess damage.
Wash Your Hair Less Often
Do you know how showering too often
can dry out your skin in the wintertime? Such is the case for your hair as
well — but this applies all year round. “Sometimes people with oily hair tend
to over-wash or use aggressive cleansers, which can cause the scalp to over-compensate
with sebum production and exacerbate the issue,” adding that washing too
often — such as every day or even every other day — is an increasingly common
cause of hair weakness and damage.
To combat this, Experts suggest trying
to go as long as you can between washes. “Give hair a break and allow your
natural oils to produce,” they say.
Always Use Heat Protectant
Every hair pro says it’s incredibly
important to protect your hair before heat styling. “Hot tools dry out hair,
causing it to become brittle, A nourishing mask or thermal protectant is
both easy-to-use options that protect your hair from thermal damage.”
Minimize the Use Of Hot Tools
It can be difficult to completely
avoid hot tools like blow-dryers, flat irons, or curling irons, which
is why experts universally suggest limiting the use of these styling devices
and turning down their temperatures whenever you do use them. “I recommend
minimizing hot tool use when possible and lowering heat settings to the
lowest effective setting,” Experts say.
When heat-styling, also be sure to keep moving and avoid repeatedly going over the same section of hair. “Don’t leave the tools on the hair for longer than necessary,” Experts say. Of course, Experts note that your hair will benefit the most from a hot tool break entirely, even if it’s a short one — so try to let your hair air dry every once in a while.
Keep Hair Hydrated & Protected
Protecting your hair doesn’t end once
you’ve finished styling: McLaren notes that protecting hair from environmental
factors like pollution, free radicals, and UV exposure will help prevent damage, in the long run, so turn to hair care products that contain UV protection.
Experts also suggest protecting your
hair’s ends with a hydrating serum or oil on a daily basis, as this
will aid in combatting breakage, as well as applying a heavy-duty repair
mask once a week for a boost.
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