Dry Hair, How to Hydrate and Repair

The way we need water to quench thirst is similar to how the hair needs moisture to remain hydrated. So when you start noticing dull, frizzy, and lackluster strands, you should know that those are the indications of an impending dryness in the hair. And if care isn’t taken in due time, this may result in hair breakage or, worse, hair damage.

As scary as this might appear, the good news is that nobody wants their hair damaged when there’s a solution to prevent it. However, the solution is only good if you understand the causes of dryness. If you’re wondering what that is and how to prevent it, you’re at the best place to find out.

Here, we’ll discuss the steps to keep your hair hydrated and repair it from dryness. But before we delve into it fully, let’s first discuss what causes dryness in the hair.

Causes of Dry Hair

The fact remains that hair is naturally dry, but dryness is eliminated when the sebaceous glands provide oil that moisturizes the hair. So when your hair is dry, the chances are high that the scalp isn’t supplying the much-needed moisture or oil to keep the hair hydrated. Alternatively, it could be that your hair has lost its ability to retain moisture that keeps it hydrated.

The root causes of dry hair vary from one person to another. However, they fall into the following categories: genetics, dry scalp, old age, environmental exposure, lifestyle habits like smoking, health, psychological conditions, and so on. While each of these causes is potent enough to cause dryness in the hair, sometimes they combine to create this devastating effect that could lead to hair damage if not cared for.

Now that you know what can make your hair dry, how then do you hydrate the hair or repair already dry hair?

How to Hydrate the Hair and Repair Dryness

The following are easy steps on how to keep your hair hydrated to prevent and repair dryness:

1. Use Hydrating Shampoos

The good thing about most shampoos is that they are made from natural oil that carries immense nutritional value for the hair. These oils include argan oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, apricot oil, almond oil, and kernel oil. All these oils carry nutrients like fatty acids, vitamins, and antioxidants, which help with hair hydration.

Another good thing about using this type of shampoo is that the nutrients also improve the hair’s reserve from the food supply. These work together to enhance hair health and show its best features in length, texture, and shine. Glycerine and aloe vera are other ingredients that also help hydrate the hair’s dry ends.

2. Avoid Using Shampoo Daily

This may seem counterintuitive since you need hydrating shampoo to keep your hair moisturized. But it’s also a good way to allow your hair to take a natural regenerative course. When you avoid daily shampooing, you create an environment where your hair is encouraged to recover its natural oil.

Apart from this, too much shampoo can also cause damage to the hair, and that may defeat the purpose of its usage. And if you have naturally oily hair, you may need to use a different type of shampoo known as a dry shampoo. This works perfectly in absorbing the excess oil in the root of your hair.

3. Practice Scalp Care

You probably aren’t aware, but the truth is that the health of your hair is tied to the health of your scalp. So you have to ensure you practice scalp care. This is a do-it-yourself-care practice that involves scalp cleaning with recommended scalp-friendly scrubs that’ll maintain scalp health and scalp massage to encourage blood flows to hair growth cells.

Also, it’s crucial to avoid so much oil around your scalp. That’s because the scalp naturally produces oil, and that’s why you see it smooth even when you don’t oil your hair. In addition, avoiding additional oil prevents buildups that could lead to inflammation that could open up your cuticles and cause infections.

4. Stop or Reduce Heat Styling 

We can’t deny that the result of heat styling the hair is always beautiful. But that effect is too temporary and smaller compared to the consequences it brings. Heat styling the hair using irons and dryers further dries the hair.

And one way to keep the moisture in your hair is to stop heat application on the hair. Most of these heat tools have their temperature at 350°F, which may be too harsh for the hair. However, if you must use heat, ensure you wear a heat protectant and reduce the temperature to 200°F.

5. Use Leave-in Conditioner

There are so many things that deplete the moisture in the hair, like constant washing, heat application, and environmental exposure, amongst others. So while you can’t avoid depletion of moisture, it’s only important to restore lost moisture to keep the hair hydrated. And a way to do this is to condition the hair.

However, conditioners are only highly effective if left in the hair for long. If you’ve lost faith in conditioning shampoos or other products, you can use natural oils to condition your hair. But don’t forget to apply them moderately and shampoo them off as and when due.

6. Avoid Chemical Applications

Chemical applications are good for hair straightening, effective even. But pose a big threat to the oil in your hair. They sap the oil out, leaving little to nothing to keep the hair hydrated. Hence, another effective way to keep the hair hydrated is to avoid chemical applications on the hair.

They are not the ideal solution for frizzy hair. Instead, you should try natural oils that are highly effective for the hair. These oils will add more elasticity, softness, and malleability to your hair. You can use either olive oil or argan oil for this purpose.

Conclusion

Taking note of the causes of dryness in the hair and avoiding them would help improve your hair condition. Combining this with strict adherence to the suggestions on hydrating the hair goes a long way in correcting dryness and repairing it.