Help Your Hair...

How to Make Your Dry Hair Beautiful Again

When you look in the mirror, do you see brittle hair with split ends and a lackluster appearance? If so, you may be suffering from dry hair. Dry hair can be a challenge since it can be fragile and prone to breakage. You may need a dry hair treatment to get your hair back to an undamaged state. Here are some simple dry hair care tips to give your dry, frizzy hair a moisture boost:

1. Don't wash your hair every day. If you wash your hair every day, you'll deplete the natural oils in your hair, resulting in hair becoming dull, dry, and frizzy. Shampoo, at most, every other day.

2. Blow-dry your hair as little as possible. The heat from a blow dryer can aggravate dry, damaged hair and contribute to the formation of split ends. Heat causes expansion of the hair shaft followed by contraction with cooling. This places a lot of excess stress on the hair, resulting in breakage. Let your hair dry naturally and save the blow dryer for days when you're in a real pinch for time, and then only use it on a low setting.

3. Don't comb or brush your hair when it's wet. Dry hair is quite fragile when it's wet. Combing and brushing while hair is damp can cause breakage. Let your hair dry naturally before tugging on it with a comb or brush.

4. Use a mild shampoo without a lot of added ingredients. Choose an acidic shampoo with a pH in the range of 4.5 to 6.5. You want to avoid shampoos that are alkaline (with a pH above 6.5) since these can promote dryness. The unfortunate fact is shampoos often contain harsh detergents which can completely rob your hair of its natural oils. Many of the so called "additives" such as natural botanicals that sound like they would help dry hair actually have the opposite effect. The best approach is to choose the shampoo with the mildest detergent you can find with added humectants like panthenol which can help to hold water onto the hair shaft and reduce dryness. Don't count on protein additives to restore or rebuild your hair. Hair is dead and can't be rebuilt.

5.Follow up your shampoo with a conditioner. Again, don't count on a conditioner to rebuild or restore your hair since the hair shaft is dead. Conditioners will coat the hair shaft, thereby giving the hair a moist appearance and make it easier to style.

6. Keep your hair covered when you're out in the elements. The elements, particularly the sun, can wreck havoc on dry hair. Wear a large brimmed hat or scarf to keep direct sunlight off of your hair, not to mention your face. Don't count on "sun protectants" added to your shampoo. These are usually washed down the drain when you rinse your hair.

7. When you swim, wear a bathing cap. The chlorine in pools as well as sun exposure can create big problems for dry, frizzy hair. Make sure your hair is well protected.

8. Be sure you're eating a healthy diet. Two dietary deficiencies that can cause hair breakage and dryness are a diet too low in protein and one that’s too low in fat. Keep a journal of what you eat for a week and use an online nutrition calculator to make sure you're getting adequate quantities of both of these important elements.

9. Do a twice weekly scalp massage. A gentle scalp massage can help to stimulate oil production by the oil glands in the scalp. Be gentle. You don't want to contribute to dry hair damage and breakage.

10. Use a hot oil treatment once a week. One home remedy for dry hair is a natural hot oil pack. Try heating a bowl of olive oil in the microwave until it's warm. Let it set for a few minutes and then apply to hair from ends to just below the top of the scalp. Leave on for 20-30 minutes and rinse. Shampoo with a mild formula designed for dry hair.

11. Avoid using hair dyes and bleach. Bleach is a particular problem for dry hair. One bleach job may be all your dry hair needs to experience extensive breakage. Use a natural substance like henna to add some highlights to your hair. Now that you know how to do dry hair treatments, you can avoid spending money on dry hair cures that don't work. Give these suggestions a try and you are sure to see a difference in the look and texture of your dry hair.
by Kristie Leong

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