Dry Hair & How to Treat It

Dry hair is a common issue for many people. When hair is dry, it can appear lifeless and dull… not a good look!

Comparable to anything that lacks moisture, dry, dehydrated hair truly does lose its shine. It can also appear brittle and frizzy, and the minute there is any sign of humidity in the air, it becomes completely uncontrollable! 

It’s not only your hair that suffers when it is dry, your scalp does too – becoming itchy, flaky, and not producing its natural oils. 

The main culprits that cause dry hair are:

• Heated styling: Too much excessive heat is a major cause of dry hair, stripping it of its natural moisture.
• Wrong haircare products: using the wrong types of products for your hair type can cause more harm than good.
• Too much washing and chemicals: Washing hair too often can strip it of its natural oils, resulting in dry, dehydrated strands. Also, using harsh chemicals such as dyes and bleaches can also dry out your hair. 
• Ageing: As we age our hair’s natural oil production begins to slow down, this as well as hormonal changes all take their toll on our hair.
• Environment: Sun exposure, pollution, extreme heat and cold, humidity, all cause havoc on our hair.

How to treat dry hair

Heat protection

Excess heat can strip your hair of its natural oils leading to dryness and damage. To help maintain the health of your hair, trying to give your heated styling tools a miss every now and then. If heated styling tools are must for your look, then make sure you use heat protection!

Don’t wash too often

Wash your hair only once or twice a week, especially if you have moisture-craving curly hair. If you need a refresh between washes, dry shampoo is your saviour.

Use the correct products for your hair type

Make sure that you use the correct products for your hair type. Although your hair might be dry, it could also be fine too, and so a heavy moisturising shampoo and conditioner will be too much for fine hair and make it feel worse. A professional stylist will be able to recommend the best products for your hair type.

Deep condition weekly

With dry hair, a deep conditioning mask used regularly is a great way to up the ante. Products that contain oils such olive, avocado, and almond are a great way to add natural moisture back into the hair. Further ingredients like shea butter, aloe vera and glycerine are also great at adding moisture.

Go gentle with the brush

Brushing can help to distribute moisture throughout your hair, but if your hair is really dry, try using a detangling spray and a wide-tooth comb instead of a brush to help minimise breakage and damage. Keep in mind too that when wet hair is more prone to damage, and avoid brushing it immediately after your shower or swim, let it dry a little first.

Cover up

In the summer, wear a hat or scarf when out in the sun for long periods of time, as sun exposure can cause dryness and damage to your hair and scalp. Also, before swimming, put on a swim cap or tie your hair into a topknot to help protect it from UV rays and chlorine.