How to Fix Damaged Hair? 6 Tips from Professionals

How to fix damaged or dry hair? Whether your hair is curly or straight, your first step is to eliminate common causes of hair damage. These include heat from styling tools and UV exposure, over-brushing, aggressive towel drying, and chemical over-processing. Once you've addressed these factors, look for products designed to protect and repair your hair. Special shampoos, conditioners, heat protectants, hair masks, and treatments can all make a difference. If nothing seems to help, you may need to consider getting a haircut. Learn more in this article!

How to Fix Damaged Hair? Our 6 Expert Tips

We all want beautiful, healthy-looking hair and do our best to achieve it. Yet, despite our efforts, our hair can still end up damaged. Don't worry, there are proven ways to handle this! Here are our top tips to repair damaged hair and restore its beauty.

1. Eliminate Damaging Factors

To repair your damaged or dry hair, you need to start by addressing the root causes. Let's explore the main reasons your hair might be dry or prone to breakage.

• Heat: heat removes essential oils from your hair and makes the outer layer more susceptible to breakage and damage. To keep your hair as healthy as possible, avoid heat whenever you can and help protect it when you can't. Here are some tips to help you avoid heat damage to your hair:

  • Wash your hair in cooler or lukewarm water.

  • Cover your hair during the summer or when basking in UV rays.

  • Minimize the use of heat-styling tools.

  • Use heat-protectant and UV-protecting leave-in products.

• Physical damage: aggressive brushing or drying with a towel might also cause your hair to break. Don’t worry, though. There are some good practices that can help prevent this from happening:

  • Use an old T-shirt or towel designed for hair instead of a regular bathroom towel. It’s less abrasive and will help the hair dry smoother.

  • Use a detangling brush or wide-tooth comb to detangle your hair before any styling, shampooing, or coloring – it will create less friction, preventing breakage.

• Chemical Damage: chemical processing including perms, relaxers, hair color, and highlighting can all contribute to hair damage if the hair becomes over-processed. It doesn't mean you can’t do any of these things with your hair, but you want to be mindful of not overdoing it and using less harsh products to do so.

2. Keep Your Hair Hydrated

Have you ever had dry skin? If yes, you know what it looks like. The same thing happens with hair if it becomes too dry. This is why you need to make sure that your hair is at the optimal moisture level. How do you fix dry hair? Here are some products that can help:

• A targeted moisture treatment.

• Hydrating shampoo and conditioner: rinse conditioner out with cool water to lock in the conditioner and seal the cuticle.​

3. Use Products Designed for Damaged Hair

There are quite a few hair care products with formulas designed specifically for heat-damaged, bleach-damaged, or dry hair. Special conditioners, shampoos, masks, or sprays can all help mitigate the damage and return your hair to its desired condition.

Using a product specifically formulated to repair damaged hair is crucial to get your hair back to optimal health. A bond-building treatment repairs the bonds that are broken from within the hair shaft while also treating and smoothing the outer cuticle layer of the hair.

4. Don’t Wash Your Hair Too Often

Your hair's natural oils are essential for keeping it protected and healthy. However, regular washing is also necessary to keep your hair clean.

When you wash your hair, you remove some of its natural oils. Washing too frequently can lead to dry, malnourished hair. The key is finding the right balance. So, how often should you wash it?

There’s not one answer for everybody, as it depends on your specific hair type and routine. What is clear is that you shouldn’t shampoo daily. Instead, wash your hair anywhere from every other day to once a week. Natural oils on the scalp and hair are fine, and will even protect your hair from damage or becoming too dry. When you wash your hair, focus the shampoo mainly on the scalp and just massaging through the ends lightly. This will avoid the lengths of your hair from drying out.

5. Switch to Less Harsh Hair Coloring Products

Did you know that most hair color contains ingredients that can be harsh on your scalp and hair? Ammonia, PPD, resorcinol, parabens, phthalates, gluten, SLS, titanium dioxide – all of these can result in your hair becoming dry or damaged. This is why, if you’re coloring your hair regularly, you’ll need a hair color product that’s made with ingredients you can feel good about.

At Madison Reed, we’re as passionate about what we put into our formulas as what we leave out. All of our products are free of harsh ingredients and full of hair-loving ingredients like keratin, argan oil, and ginseng extract. Our award-winning Radiant Cream Color gives you 100% gray coverage and leaves your hair feeling healthy, conditioned, and shiny. Plus, it’s clinically proven to be non-damaging to scalp health and to improve the condition of hair.*

6. When Nothing Else Works, It's Time for a Haircut

If you've tried everything and your hair is still damaged, a haircut could be the best solution. Think of it as an opportunity to start fresh and try a new hairstyle. While it is a last resort, sometimes it's necessary to get your hair back to looking and feeling as healthy as possible.

The Takeaway

How to fix damaged hair? Repairing damaged hair isn't easy – it takes time, effort, and patience. Start by minimizing the factors that cause damage and use the right hair care products to address the issue. If you feel overwhelmed, don't hesitate to ask your hair colorist for advice. Their knowledge of your hair can be invaluable in choosing the best products for you.

You might also read: What Are Bond-Building Hair Treatments?

 *According to an independent clinical study.