Dry, damaged hair? Read this ASAP.
Split ends and frizzy hair got you down? Don't worry, we've got you covered! In this article, we will explore effective tips and techniques to restore and give new life to damaged hair.
At OOF!, we strive to be your trusted source of hair care knowledge and natural beauty know how. In this article, we will walk you through step-by-step routines and professional tricks, helping you understand the science behind hair damage and the best ways to improve it.
From deep conditioning treatments to expert cutting techniques, we will share valuable insights and practical solutions to give your damaged hair new life. We're sharing tips and tricks to help whether you're dealing with excessive heat styling, chemical processing, or environmental factors.
Want to Skip Ahead? Outline of Topics
Signs of Damaged Hair
Damaged hair can occur in many ways, and it's essential to know the signs so you can address the issue promptly. One common sign of damaged hair is split ends. Split ends occur when the hair shaft splits into two or more strands, often caused by excessive heat styling, chemical treatments, or rough handling.
Another sign of damaged hair is dryness and frizz. When the hair lacks moisture, it becomes brittle and prone to breakage, resulting in a frizzy appearance. Additionally, dullness and lack of shine are indicators of damaged hair. Healthy hair reflects light, but damaged hair appears lackluster and lacks the natural radiance.
Common Causes of Hair Damage
Hair damage can occur due to a variety of factors, both internal and external. One of the primary causes of hair damage is excessive heat styling. Frequent use of flat irons, curling irons, and blow dryers can strip the hair of its natural moisture, leading to dryness and breakage.
Chemical processing, such as hair dyeing, perming, and relaxing, can also damage the hair structure, causing it to become weak and prone to breakage. Environmental factors, such as exposure to UV rays, pollution, and harsh weather conditions, can further exacerbate hair damage. Additionally, poor hair care practices, such as using harsh hair brushes, tying hair too tightly, and failing to protect the hair during sleep, can contribute to hair damage.
First Up: Your Hair Care Routine
To restore and repair damaged hair, you want to establish a healthy hair care routine. The foundation of a good hair care routine starts with proper cleansing and conditioning. The first thing to think about is the ingredients you should be using in your hair products. How do you determine the best ingredients? Hair type.
Choose Ingredients Based on Your Specific Hair Type
Hint—this is just not just your curl type. This is understanding the structure, density, texture, and porosity of your hair. The structure (straight, wavy, curly, or coily) affects how easily natural oils travel along the strands. Texture (fine, medium, or coarse) determines the hair's strength and need for moisture or protein. Porosity, which reflects how well hair absorbs and retains moisture, influences ingredient choices like humectants, oils, or proteins.
Tailoring hair care to these characteristics ensures that products address specific needs, helping to minimize damage, enhance hydration, and maintain overall hair health.
A hair type chart is a great way to determine exactly where your hair type falls into each of these categories. The OOF! Hair Type Quiz is a great way to begin. It will tell you the best ingredients you need for your personal hair type.
Regardless of your hair type, it's good to use a gentle shampoo that is free of sulfates and harsh chemicals to avoid further stripping the hair of its natural oils.
Try Scalp Massage for Hair Growth
Do you know about scalp massage for hair growth? When you wash your hair is a great time to incorporate scalp massage to help your hair grow thicker and faster. Scalp massagers (also called head massagers or shampoo brushes) enhance blood circulation in the scalp, stimulating hair follicles and promoting hair growth.
By gently massaging the scalp, it helps to remove dead skin cells and unclog hair follicles, allowing for better nutrient absorption and oxygen flow to the hair roots. If you're looking to add scalp massage to your hair care routine, make sure and check out the OOF! Boho Heart Shaped Scalp Massager. It's great for handheld scalp massage benefits, and we think it's pretty cute too.
Steps to Restore and Help Damaged Hair
Now, keep reading for the full breakdown of the best ways to treat damaged hair for every hair type—whether you have bleached hair, fine hair, wavy hair, or 4c hair—along with tips from experts on how to choose the best products and ingredients and what to look for before you buy them.
Get a Trim (or Try Hair Dusting)
I know, I know, this goes without saying, right? But, it really is a super important step to getting your hair back on track. Start by getting a trim to remove split ends and prevent them from traveling up the hair shaft. If you're worried about length you might want to try hair dusting.
So, what is hair dusting? Not a hair cut, and not even a trim, hair dusting is a technique that you go strand by strand to remove split ends. Sound tedious? It's actually really not! Anyone can DIY it, and we've got plenty of advice and all the tutorials you need. Check out Hair Dusting 101 to learn more about this clever split end removing technique.
You've Gotta Read This About Shampoo For Damaged Hair
According to hairstylist Bridget Kinney, a repairing shampoo is one of the most important tools to battle damaged hair. "It's important to use a shampoo to help add moisture and strengthen damaged hair," says Kinney.
How to start? The most effective shampoos for damaged hair include ingredients such as keratin, biotin, amino acids, and peptides to aid in repairing damaged hair bonds and addressing breakage (although, unfortunately, nothing can truly fix split ends except for a trim). Since dry, brittle hair is more prone to breakage, a quality shampoo for damaged hair should also feature hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, as well as moisturizing oils and butters, such as jojoba oil, argan oil, and shea butter.
Choose a shampoo without sulfates. Sulfates (listed as sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate in ingredient lists) are harsh surfactants that can remove your hair's natural oils, causing dryness and breakage. They are also known for causing premature color fading, so try to avoid them in your shampoo whenever possible.
Conditioner Needs for Damaged Hair (Let's Talk Protein)
Follow up with a nourishing conditioner that provides hydration (avocado oil, castor oil, shea butter, jojoba oil) and helps restore the hair's moisture balance.
So, what about protein? Conditioners for damaged hair are classified as either high-protein formulas or low-to-no-protein formulas. Protein helps strengthen and repair your hair strand (yay), but too much protein can easily build up on your strand, causing it to dry out and break off (womp, womp). Although it seems counter-intuitive, using a lot of anti-breakage hair products can ultimately lead to more breakage and damage. So how do you know which formula to pick?
Your Hair is Lightly Damaged
What does this mean? Well, you maybe use heat tools but not every day. You sparingly highlight or bleach your hair. So, your hair is dry, maybe not as healthy as it used to be, but it's not obviously damaged.
You will want to use a moisturizing but a protein-free conditioner. You can add in a low-protein deep conditioner weekly or bi-weekly. (More on deep conditioning below.)
More Severely Damaged Hair
If your hair has more than a little damage from bleaching, relaxer, constant heat, etc. or some other hair catastrophe, you will want to use a low-protein conditioner regularly and add medium to high protein conditioner bi-weekly. (Yes, really! That is all you need. Do NOT overdo with the protein!)
Deep Conditioning for Damaged Hair
Depending on the formula you choose, deep conditioners (also called hair treatments or hair masks) are used for moisturizing, smoothing, and repairing hair. They usually have super-high concentrations of moisturizing ingredients (like avocado oil, castor oil, shea butter, jojoba oil) and strengthening proteins (like amino acids and keratin).
Deep conditioners are also packed with conditioning surfactants that stick to your strands and act as a sealant to prevent water loss, while also penetrating deep into your strands to hydrate.
Humectants in Deep Conditioning Treatments
Ok, let's talk moisture. Again, knowing your hair type can help. Here's the rundown on moisturizers to look for. Fine hair benefits from lightweight humectants like glycerin or propylene glycol, which draw in moisture without weighing strands down. Medium-textured hair responds well to balanced options such as aloe vera or panthenol, which provide hydration and softness while enhancing elasticity. Coarse hair thrives with richer humectants like honey or sorbitol, offering deep moisture retention and smoothing properties.
For high-porosity hair, humectants like hyaluronic acid or glycerin help lock in moisture and combat dryness, while low-porosity hair responds better to lightweight humectants such as aloe vera, which hydrate without causing buildup. Selecting the right humectants ensures each hair type stays properly moisturized, enhancing its texture, manageability, and overall health.
The Importance of Proteins (Choosing the Right One—and Not Overdoing It)
So, what to look for when it comes to protein? Keep in mind the rule about proteins. If you have lightly damaged hair you will want to use low-protein deep conditioner weekly or bi-weekly. For more damage, you can use a medium-high protein deep conditioning treatment, but limit it to once a week at most.
More About Proteins
Choosing the right proteins in deep conditioners is essential for addressing the specific needs of different hair types. Fine hair benefits from lightweight proteins like hydrolyzed keratin or silk protein, which strengthen strands without adding heaviness. Medium hair thrives with balanced proteins such as hydrolyzed wheat or rice protein that provide resilience and smoothness. Coarse hair requires more intensive options like hydrolyzed quinoa or soy protein to deeply nourish and improve manageability.
For high-porosity hair, proteins such as hydrolyzed keratin or silk amino acids fill gaps in the cuticle, reducing frizz and helping retain moisture. Low-porosity hair responds best to smaller proteins like silk protein or amino acids, which can penetrate the cuticle without overwhelming it.
Use Protection When Styling with Heat
Limit your use of heat styling tools and always use a heat protectant spray or serum before applying heat. Opt for lower heat settings whenever possible. These products create a protective barrier around each hair strand, helping to minimize the damage caused by high temperatures.
Look for formulas that contain nourishing ingredients such as argan oil, keratin, or silicone, which can provide added moisture and shine while protecting your hair from heat. Furthermore, whenever possible, opt for lower heat settings on your styling tools.
Avoid Chemical Treatments
Give your hair a break from chemical treatments such as coloring, perming, or relaxing. These processes can further damage already compromised hair.
Be Gentle When Handling Wet Hair
Wet hair is more fragile and prone to breakage. Use a wide tooth comb or detangling brush if you need to ease out tangles from wet hair. Always start from the bottom and work your way up.
Avoid rough towel-drying and instead, gently remove excess moisture by plopping or wrapping your hair with a cotton t-shirt hair towel or cotton t-shirt. Our HALO 100% cotton jersey knit t-shirt hair towels are great for reducing frizz and damage to fragile wet hair.
Terry cloth and microfiber towels can be really hard on wet hair because the material roughs up the hair cuticle, making it more prone to frizz and breakage. Using a t-shirt hair towel that's thick will make sure it's absorbent, but the surface area and smooth material leave your hair cuticle smooth.
By following these steps consistently, you can gradually restore and repair your damaged hair, revealing healthier and shinier strands.
DIY Hair Masks and Treatments for Damaged Hair
If you prefer natural remedies, there are several DIY hair masks and treatments you can try at home to restore and repair damaged hair. Remember to perform a patch test before trying any DIY treatment to ensure you're not allergic to any of the ingredients.
Banana, Honey, and Olive Oil Mask
Our favorite hair mask for helping damaged hair. Mix 1 banana with 1/4 cup of honey, and 1/4 cup of olive oil. You can always use a bit less if this seems like too much for your hair. Apply on damp or eve dry hair and let it absorb for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly.
Bananas are packed with potassium and vitamins, strengthening your hair, reducing split ends, and preventing breakage. Honey, with its humectant properties, repairs damaged locks by attracting and retaining moisture. Olive oil deeply conditions each strand with rich monounsaturated fats.
Avocado and Olive Oil Mask
This is a great solution for treating damaged hair. Mash half an avocado and mix it with two tablespoons of olive oil. Apply the mixture to damp hair, focusing on the ends. Leave it on for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
Avocado deeply nourishes the hair, promoting strength and preventing breakage. Olive oil, with its moisturizing properties, adds a luxurious shine while reducing frizz.
Coconut Milk and Honey Treatment
Mix half a cup of coconut milk with two tablespoons of honey. Apply the mixture to clean, damp hair and leave it on for one hour. Rinse thoroughly and follow up with a conditioner.
This power-packed duo brings a blend of hydration, nourishment, and antioxidant-rich properties making it a great treatment for frizzy hair. Coconut milk moisturizes and strengthens, while honey adds shine and helps retain moisture.
Yogurt and Egg Mask
Beat an egg and mix it with half a cup of plain yogurt. Apply the mixture to damp hair and leave it on for 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
Eggs provide essential nutrients that strengthen the hair shaft and promote growth, while yogurt nourishes and adds a dose of hydration. This is rejuvenating mask that leaves your hair with renewed strength, enhanced shine, and a touch of natural brilliance.
Professional Hair Treatments for Damaged Hair
If you're looking for more intensive and immediate results, professional hair treatments can be an excellent option. These treatments are often performed at salons by trained professionals who specialize in hair restoration.
Keratin Treatments
This treatment replenishes the keratin protein in the hair, making it smoother, more manageable, and less prone to breakage. It can help reduce frizz and improve the overall health and appearance of damaged hair.
Scalp Treatments
These treatments focus on nourishing and revitalizing the scalp, promoting healthy hair growth. They often involve exfoliation, deep cleansing, and the application of specialized serums to address specific scalp concerns.
Protein Treatments
Protein-based therapies typically involve products rich in amino acids, which strengthen the hair structure and promote overall health.
Cutting or Trimming
Trimming or cutting hair is a crucial component of addressing damaged hair and maintaining overall hair health. Regular trims help eliminate split ends and prevent the spread of damage along the hair shaft. When hair is damaged, the outer layer (cuticle) can become compromised, leading to split ends and breakage. Trimming removes these damaged ends, promoting healthier and stronger hair growth.
Lifestyle Changes to Promote Healthy Hair
In addition to using the right products and treatments, adopting certain lifestyle changes can further promote healthy hair growth and prevent future damage.
Protect Hair During Sleep
Use a silk or satin pillowcase to reduce friction and prevent hair breakage while you sleep. Alternatively, tie your hair in a loose bun or braid to minimize friction.
Avoid Tight Hairstyles
Avoid hairstyles that pull on your hair, such as tight ponytails, buns, or braids, as they can cause tension and breakage. Opt for looser styles or use soft hair ties that won't damage your hair. Use sating, silk, or jersey knit scrunchies when possible. These materials aren't as harsh on hair.
Minimize Heat Styling
Limit the use of heat styling tools as much as possible. Embrace your natural texture or experiment with heatless styling techniques, such as overnight curls or braids.
Protect Hair From Chlorine and Saltwater
Before swimming in a pool or the ocean, wet your hair with clean water and apply a leave-in conditioner or oil to create a protective barrier against chlorine or saltwater.
Manage Stress
High levels of stress can contribute to hair loss and damage. Practice stress-management techniques, such as meditation, exercise, and self-care, to promote overall well-being and healthy hair. Have you heard of guided breathwork for reducing stress and helping you fall asleep? Our personal favorite guide online is Breathing With Sandy. Check it out!
A few months ago I decided to bleach my own hair. Not a great idea. I have so much damage now and my hair is so porous. This was really helpful. Great info!