While you cannot completely reverse or cure hair damage after it occurs, you can minimize the appearance of damaged hair, making your hair beautiful and manageable once again. Most damaged hair remedies focus on smoothing, strengthening and covering over the existing damage. Far from being a temporary fix, many products penetrate the hair shaft and remain in the hair even after subsequent shampooing.
Products
Certain products and procedures can improve strength, cover damage, add shine, smooth, moisturize and revive damaged hair. Such products fill in the gaps caused by damage in your hair’s cuticle layer. A ruffled cuticle layer is the main cause of dullness and frizz.
Choose products according to your needs. Anti-snap and strengthening shampoos and conditioners reduce breakage. Smoothing products tame ruffled, frizzy hair. Leave-in silk conditioning serums are ideal for adding shine, taming frizz and hiding split ends.
Styling Tips
When the outermost layer of the hair becomes ruffled, pitted and damaged, hair looks dry and frizzy. Certain styling techniques smooth down the outer or cuticle layer of the hair to make it look healthy and shiny once again. These procedures also prevent further damage. First, rinse your hair with cool water to seal in conditioner and smooth the cuticle layer. Blow dry your hair on low heat, directing the heat down the hair shaft toward the ends of the hair. Apply a small amount of silk serum and smooth the hair with a ceramic flat iron set on low heat. Spray with a light, shine enhancing hair spray.
Conditioning Treatments
Protein conditioning treatments add strength to weakened hair. Intense conditioning treatments should be performed once or twice a week depending on the severity of the damage. Apply a liberal amount of the treatment and cover your head with a shower cap. Leave the product on for 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing. Many treatments work better with heat, so be sure to use heat if the directions specify. To add heat, warm a damp towel in the microwave and wrap it around the outside of the plastic cap.
Salon Solutions
If you want to correct or remove hair damage completely, visit the salon. Get a haircut to remove most or all of the damaged hair, such as split ends. Choose a style that compliments your hair type and texture, and talk it over with your stylist. In many cases, you do not have to cut your hair extremely short to get rid of all the damage. Layers and texture remove a lot of hair without removing a lot of length. You may also get by with only removing the most severely damaged portions instead of removing all of the damage. Removing an inch can change the appearance of your hair dramatically and make dealing with damage more bearable.
