Our hair takes a lot of hits: styling, heat, color, sun exposure and even daily brushing all contribute to damaged and dried-out tresses.
These in-the-know tips and products will revitalize your hair so it’s as healthy and shiny as Marcia Brady’s.
1. Remove buildup with a clarifying shampoo.
Constant use of styling products can weigh hair down and leave it feeling “coated.” Your hair may also feel dry no matter how many conditioning products you try. This is when you need to use a clarifying shampoo.
“A good rule of thumb is to clarify once a week. It takes away a week’s worth of product buildup, hard water residue and environmental pollutants,” Anthony Volpentesta, owner of Salon Vole in Highland Park, says. “We recommend using a sulfate-free clarifying shampoo like Weekender by Unite orClarify by Moroccan Oil. Also, by clarifying your hair before a color treatment, it ensures even color coverage.”
2. Do NOT shampoo every day.
Try washing your hair at least every other day. When you wash your hair daily, you strip it of its essential oils (which keep hair healthy and moisturized) and incur more breakage. By skipping a shampoo, your color will last longer too.
3. Switch your shampoo and conditioner.
If hair is damaged, you may need a specialty shampoo and conditioner that gives hair a much-needed boost. Brenda Bonomo, stylist and salon educator at Pascal Pour Elle in Glencoe, says, “I like using proteins and collagen hair treatments. This combination promotes hair strength, manageability and life. My go-to products are label.m Intensive Repair Shampoo & Treatment Conditionerbecause they are loaded with amino acids, plant proteins and moisture to revitalize hair from deep inside.”
If you’ve lost hair (post child-birth, from illness or from excess heat usage), there are ways to build it back up with your products. Volpentesta recommends Bumble and Bumble Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner.
“It helps give fine, struggling hair a lift, builds body and helps seal split ends. Biotin supplements fromWhole Foods and a nighttime treatment like Bumble and Bumble Thickening Serum enhance the process, as well.”
Photo courtesy of Bumble and Bumble.
4. Use a moisturizing mask.
Apply a mask to your hair one to two times a week. For deep conditioning, put a shower cap over your hair and let the mask soak in for an hour. After rinsing out the mask, use a shampoo and conditioner to ensure that there’s no product buildup leftover. Try Carol’s Daughter Monoi Repairing Hair Mask, Macadamia Deep Repair Masque or Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Pre Shampoo Treatment.
5. Get a trim.
If the ends of your strands are feeling brittle, get a trim. This doesn’t mean you have to get a drastic new style, but cutting the ends will encourage new growth.
6. Use a heat protectant.
Bonomo recommends using a heat protection spray, explaining, “It prevents damage for those who use the hair dryer and hot tools often.” Try label.m Heat Protection Spray or GK Thermal Styling Cream.
7. Own the right tools.
Heat doesn’t have to wreak havoc on hair when you’re using the right tools. Invest in a high quality hair dryer and flat iron. They will last you longer and keep your hair in better shape. T3 Hair Dryersdry hair in minutes and have a patented Tourmaline technology that improves the condition of hair as it’s styled. Remington T Studio Wide Plate Straightener with Tourmaline, BaByliss Pro Nano Titanium-Plated Straightening Iron and GHD Gold Professional are consistently top rated.
