No matter hair kind, dry, brittle hair comes for many of us in some unspecified time in the future in our lives. It’s an enormous bummer and could be perplexing to handle should you’ve by no means handled it earlier than. Fortunately, wholesome and hydrated hair is feasible for everybody, even when it does take a little bit of troubleshooting and further TLC. Belief me—studying the right way to moisturize hair is value it. Nobody ought to should dwell with hair that isn’t feeling and looking its finest!
Seems, there are a lot of completely different the explanation why your tresses could also be drier than typical—all the pieces from genetics to the climate can play an element. However as soon as you discover the best treatments and merchandise to your hair kind, you’ll be on the street to glad, moisturized hair.
To reply the query of the right way to moisturize hair, we tapped a few execs: Devin Graciano, hair stylist and Head of Product Improvement at Goldie Locks, hairstylist and curl knowledgeable, April Kayganich, and Mane Addicts hairstylist, Brittany Sully. That they had so much to say in regards to the causes of dry hair, in addition to the right way to moisturize hair no matter hair kind. Learn on for his or her knowledgeable insights!
Featured picture by Belathée Photography.
What causes dry hair?
Unfortunately, there is no simple answer. According to Kayganich, there can be multiple causes of dry hair. Genetics, hormones, and even the environment you live in can all be a factor. And did you know that both dry and humid climates can zap hair of its moisture depending on your hair texture or porosity? Yup, we can’t win!
Graciano breaks down the science, citing the hair’s cuticle as being the key player in taking and sealing in hydration. “Anytime our cuticle layer is exposed to natural and chemical compositions, it’s affecting your hair and many times will start to expose or lift layers of our cuticle causing hydration to slip away.”
Using the wrong products also plays a part. Low-quality ingredients like alcohols or silicones that aren’t water-soluble can contribute to dry, brittle hair. Sully also noted that sun exposure and swimming in chlorinated water can cause dry hair.
Newly graying hair will also be a trigger for dry hair! You may embrace it or you’ll be able to dye it, and there are many superb merchandise to maintain hair wholesome, shiny, and clean regardless. Fortunately, utilizing hydrating shampoos and masks makes an enormous distinction with grey hair.
How can we keep our strands and scalp moisturized when air drying hair?
While we love the look of a fresh blowout, in the summer heat, spending quality time with your hair dryer sounds less than ideal. While we’re all for giving our strands a break from heat-styling tools, Graciano emphasizes the importance of removing “most of the water with a quick blowout” to support scalp health. This, she says, strengthens “the hydro and salt bonds in our hair.”
Graciano’s Tips for How to Moisturize (Mostly) Air-Dried Hair
- Add a hydrating leave-in conditioner (for those with unruly or frizz prone hair, try a few pumps of Goldie Locks Signature Hair Serum on towel-dried hair).
- Comb or brush by way of for even distribution.
- Gently blow out extra water with a blow dryer on low-mid warmth and mid-strength. Give attention to getting the hair close to the scalp largely dry.
- For these eager to exit in town wanting their finest with an air dry—the trick is to shine the ends of the hair and the entrance hairline. Focus a blow dry with a spherical brush on the information of the hair and across the entrance hairline whereas permitting all the pieces else to dry au pure.
12 Expert Tips for How to Moisturize Hair
Use regular hair masks
Ultra-hydrating hair masks help to nourish, moisturize, strengthen, and protect hair. “Invest in a hydrating hair mask that you can supplement in lieu of your daily conditioner,” says Graciano. She recommends using a mask no more than once a week to help your hair develop a healthier, shinier, and softer texture.
Wet your hair before swimming
If you’re planning on taking a dip in the pool, Sully reminds us to try wetting the hair first so that it’s already saturated before getting in. This way, it isn’t able to absorb the chlorinated water. Not only does chlorine lead to dry hair, but it also affects hair color.
Use hot oil treatments
In general, hot oil treatments are great for your hair, but you’ll definitely want to check them out if you’re dealing with dry hair. Hot oil treatments not only reduce dryness of both the scalp and hair, but they increase hair strength, reduce frizz, and prevent split ends.
Ditch shampoos with sulfates
Sulfates can potentially damage the hair, stripping it of its natural moisture and proteins, causing irritated, itchy skin and dryness. Luckily, most brands have sulfate-free options these days. On the topic of shampoo, Graciano also encourages opting for a protein-free shampoo. “Protein is selfish and thrives to strengthen your inner hair strands but it only works well after it eliminates hydration and moisture,” she notes.
Avoid products with alcohol
Those with curly tresses especially want to keep away from drying alcohols like isopropyl and ethyl alcohol, warns Kayganich. They can actually cause changes in your curl patterns.
Wear a Hat
An easy, but effective tip. If you’re already wearing one as a part of your skin’s suncare routine, then it is a win-win. Graciano loves incorporating hats into her hair-protecting wardrobe to maintain strands hydrated and recent. “Whereas hair merchandise can present UV safety, it’s even higher so as to add the accent of a hat including a layer of safety.”
PHOTO: Smiling woman with glowing skin, gut health and skin
Don’t over-process hair
Put money into a terrific stylist if you wish to go lighter or dye your hair—it’s value it to go to knowledgeable who gained’t over-process and injury your hair. Graciano provides a phrase of warning: go straightforward on the hair lightening. “For these persistent to get blonde, take it gradual and thru a number of appointments reasonably than an 8 hr+ appointment in at some point.” She notes that the chemical substances utilized in these therapies dehydrate hair, creating an “escape route to your hair’s moisture.”
Keep away from warmth styling
Everyone knows that extra warmth styling dries your hair out, however should you can’t get round it, Kayganich recommends investing in a good hairdryer and warmth protectant.
moist hair completely earlier than including styling product
When you’re rocking waves, curls, or coils, Kayganich recommends ensuring that the hair is saturated with water earlier than you start including styling merchandise. In her opinion, water is the perfect factor you’ll be able to add to curly and wavy hair because it’s the place they get their moisture.
Keep away from silicones
Kayganich explains that since silicones aren’t water-soluble, they merely create the phantasm of shiny, wholesome hair. They really coat the hair and should be eliminated with sulfates, which, you guessed it, dries out hair.
Reduce on washes
By now we all know that most folks (no matter hair kind) shouldn’t be washing their hair on daily basis. Kayganich stresses that those that battle with dry hair ought to actually solely wash it as soon as every week, twice max. Sully suggests rinsing the hair or co-washing in between your wash days for a refresh that gained’t strip your hair of its pure oils.
Add a Depart-In Conditioner To Your Routine
“These merchandise are true heroes in balancing your hair’s pH and guaranteeing you could have a light-weight protecting forged of hydration penetrating your strands all through the day,” says Graciano.
16 Best Products For Moisturizing Hair
This post was originally published on July 14, 2021, and has since been updated.
