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Damaged Hair – Fried, Dyed,
Laid to The Side

Damaged hair is a problem for a lot of people. Heat, chemicals, hair products, and improper brushing techniques all contribute to the damage.

If you are like most people, your hair gets abused regularly. So what do you do when your hair gets fried, dyed, and laid to the side?

The first line of defense for split ends, for example, is to get a trim. Split ends only get worse if you allow them to keep splitting. When that happens, the success rate for restoring your hair is minimal. Of course, the best way to prevent damage is not to screw it up in the first place.

damaged hair image If you want to create hair success, there are a whole lot of things you can do that won’t break the budget. You can have healthy beautiful hair, if you use your noggin and think about how you treat your hair.

There are many tips for damaged hair that you can use to treat it. The following tips are a great place to start and are the crème de la crème to promote good hair health and manageability.

Tips for Damaged Hair

Avoid over-brushing your hair. Brushing your hair a lot creates friction and can cause damaged hair. Do brush your hair before shampooing but gently comb out afterward when your hair is wet with a wide toothed comb.

Avoid washing your hair everyday. If you have long hair, this is especially important! Shampoos can be drying if used a lot. Washing your hair everyday strips the natural oils that create shine and reduce frizz. If you have shorter hair, it's OK to wash more often however, if you have damaged short hair, don't wash too often for the same reasons. Protein shampoos are a must have if you wash it a lot.

Use hydrating and moisturizing conditioners after you shampoo, especially if your hair is chemically treated. Do not completely rinse conditioners out of your hair if you have long hair. A little conditioner will help you comb out snarls and rats afterward.

Try not to over-use heat. Heat only damages your hair more. Avoid blow drying and allow hair to dry naturally as often as possible. Avoid ironing your hair more than once or twice a week.

Summer sun is especially drying to your hair. Limit the exposure time. If you are going for a boat ride or are going out in the sun all day, use a leave in conditioner. I always take a hair detangler and a wide tooth comb with me to the beach when I know I'm going into the salt water! Swimming pools filled with chlorine are just as damaging to hair.

Dry winter air can suck the life and moisture right out of your hair, skin, and nails. Use more conditioners in the winter months and leave in conditioners.

Limit chemicals. If you need a root touch up, then touch up only your roots. Do not overlap root color into hair that has been previously colored. When you apply color to your hair, it expands. Just a good thing to keep in mind when you're touching up your roots. Overlapping can cause breakage over time. Limit other chemicals too, especially harsh perms and bleach.

Try shine or defrizzing products that help lay down the hairs cuticle. This will cut down on the amount of frizz you have too.

Use deep conditioning treatments for damaged hair. There are so many that really rock and are good to use! Find one you like!

Be careful what hair ties you use. Opt for wide banded hair ties or cloth hair ties.

Remember heat damages your hair, so don't wash your hair with extremely hot water. Hot water will also strip away natural oils on your scalp which improve damaged hair.

Take hair vitamins. One of the best vitamins to take is Super Biotin. Biotin is vital to hair, skin, and nail growth. If you don't like to take extra vitamins, at least eat healthy foods.

Best Results for Damaged Hair

Try Something New - Instead of just getting a trim when you have damaged hair, it might be a good time to think about a new haircut. When you choose your cut, be sure to look around first. Don’t settle for the first one you find. Take a little bit of extra time, especially if you are considering a short style. Look at pictures on the net and don't forget about the hairstyling books located in every worthwhile salon. It doesn't cost a penny to go in and just thumb through the books! They are a great resource that many people forget to look into.

Your facial shape is very important too. You should choose a haircut for your face shape. You can always choose a new style by using free online tools.

Use Vinegar - Vinegar is almost a wonder cure when it comes to damaged hair. It can help prevent split ends annoying frizzies when your hair is dry. It is also very good at getting rid of dandruff. There are many ways to use vinegar. Simply mix a tablespoon of vinegar with water and use as a final rinse, massage it into your hair before you shampoo to help with the dandruff. Vinegar helps remove product buildup and dullness and can make revive your hair. When you get rid of ‘gunk’ on your hair, it reflects light better which really makes it shine!

Choose the Right Products - Many shampoos have cleaning agents that can actually damage your hair. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS) is the ingredient in shampoo that has been singled out as the most offending ingredient. If you use shampoo then you’re exposing your hair and scalp to SLS. It’s found in over 95% of commercial shampoos. SLS is a potent degreaser, acting as a surfactant, binding to the dirt and gunk on your hair and scalp. There are varying opinions about using products with SLS, but you are the only one who can determine if you need to switch to organic products that don't contain it. Use Aubrey Organics if you think SLS is causing your hair and scalp problems.

Some people begin losing their hair after using SLS for many years, some right away. If you have hair loss, you may want to consider using organic hair products only.

Another tip is to look for slightly acid shampoos with a PH between 4.5 and 6.7. Most conditioning shampoos and conditioners have the right PH for chemically treated hair and should be used if your hair has been chemically altered. Even if you have normal or virgin hair, these products are still extremely good for it.

For those who don't have problems with SLS, John Frieda products are my favorite. They are inexpensive to buy, work well, smell heavenly, and last a long time. Try Root Awakenings by John Frieda too. Its a brand new product that works well for me. It contains Eucalyptus, which is a natural healing ingredient. If you've got the frizzies, try John Frieda Root Awakening Health Boosting Detangling Spray. This vitamin enriched product rocks. Frizzies disappear instantly when you apply the product to your hair! Of course, there are lots of other protein treatments with moisture that work well too! Just find the product that works best for your hair.

When you shampoo, be gentle when you lather your hair and don’t shampoo too often. Shorter hairstyles can be shampooed more often while longer hairstyles should not be washed but once or twice a week. When you don’t wash your hair as much, you allow natural oils to build up and coat your hair, which helps promote strength and builds shine in your hair.

If your hair is frazzled and you need deep conditioning treatments, use products like hask placenta or other protein conditioners.

Just remember, when you use products that contain protein, your hair also needs moisture so it won't become dry and brittle. (sometimes an after-effect of using too much protein.) Try hask placenta with olive oil if you think your hair needs protein and moisture too.

Read Labels - Far too many people don't pay attention to the ingredients in their shampoos and conditioners. Look for products that have little or no alcohol. If your conditioner is extremely fragrant then it probably has more alcohol in it.

Some Foods Heal - Open up your refrigerator and you will probably find a few things that can help you invigorate your hair. Use mayonnaise like a conditioner - massage it into your hair and leave in for about 30 minutes before you rinse it out or lather a mixture of egg and warm water into your hair and then rinse it out.

The proteins found in eggs and mayonnaise help build up your hair and help prevent breakage. You can always just use your hands too! Oils found on your palms can help add oils back to your hair. During the day, run you fingertips through your hair for added moisture. The more moisture you have on your hair, the healthier it looks, the more it behaves, and the more it will shine.

Cut It If your hair is past help, the only thing left to do is to cut it. Many women forget that new styles or shorter hair, can create new life in damaged hair. Don't be afraid to sport a new shorter hairstyle for a while. Your hair will grow back and you hopefully will learn from the past mistakes you made that frazzled your hair in the first place.

There is no way to cure extremely damaged hair. The trick is to prevent it in the first place. It's said that a woman's true beauty lies in her hair. Be smart! Take good care of it!

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