Dry and damaged hair can be the result of a variety of things including excessive exposure to harsh weather, the sun, salt water and chlorinated water.

Over use of hair dryers, curling and straightening irons and a poor diet can also have a major impact on our hairs’ health. The good news is that with a little foresight most of these things can be prevented.

HOW CAN YOU FIX DAMAGED HAIR?

How can you fix damaged hair is something hairdressers are asked on a daily basis. Prevention is always preferable to cure, but once the damage is done, how can it be fixed?

Follow the tips below and your dry and damaged hair will soon be a thing of the past.

1) Cut Back On Shampooing

We all hate bad hair days and they always seem to occur at the wrong time when we want to look our best, such as when we have an important meeting or social event to attend.

At times our hair appears to have a mind of its own, but there are things we can do to limit bad hair days. One of those things is to keep our hair in optimum condition.

The best way to do this is to treat and condition it regularly and to avoid subjecting it to any harsh treatment.

Dry hair is more susceptible to damage than normal or oily hair. If your hair is dry don’t shampoo it every day as this will dry it out even more.

Try to go a week between washes if you can. You can still condition your hair every day without washing it. When you do wash your hair use a sulphate free shampoo and condition with a moisture replenishing conditioner.

If your hair is really dry you can also use a leave-in conditioner and use a nourishing treatment at least once a week. If money is tight there are some great home remedies for dry hair that can be used.

2) Limit Chemical Usage

It’s no coincidence that the question how can you fix damaged hair is most often asked by those whose hair has suffered chemical damage through over use of hair bleach, perming or chemical straightening.

Damage from these can be difficult to treat successfully, but regular use of high quality hair care products that are especially formulated to counteract this type of damage can greatly improve the condition of hair. Unfortunately, if the damage is really bad there is only so much hair care products can do.

Aim to keep your hair undamaged by cutting back on any chemical treatments. While the newer chemical agents are far more gentle than those used in the past, for those with very dry hair they can still result in hair becoming stressed, brittle and damaged. Subjecting your hair to more than one chemical treatment in a single session is asking for trouble.

A responsible hairdresser will recommend you wait at least a week or two in between bleaching and perming or chemically straightening your hair.

Other things that can cause hair damage are frequent use of hair dryers, straightening irons, crimpers and curling tongs. Applying a protective sealant to your hair before using these will help, but give your hair a break by letting it air dry as often as possible.

3) Use Home Remedies

Do-it-yourself treatments are a great alternative that for me work just as well as, if not better than, many of the drug store products and expensive hair treatments available in hair salons.

a) Mayonnaise

Most of my favourite and most effective home remedies for dry hair incorporate mayonnaise. Not the low fat variety, but real mayonnaise that contains olive oil and eggs though I do add both of these to the mix I make.

Quantities will vary depending upon how long and thick your hair is.

Those with shorter, fine hair will find they can get away with far less. Our advice is to start with around a quarter of what I list or even less. Experiment. You can always add more if need be. Those with long, thick hair may need to use more.

b) Mayo, Olive Oil and Egg Yolk Hair Mask

Combine 1/2 cup of real mayonnaise with 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1 or 2 egg yolks, making sure all ingredients are at room temperature. Comb the mixture through your hair, pile your hair on top of your head then cover it with a shower cap. It also helps to wrap a towel on top of your head, preferably one you’ve wrung out in hot water.

Alternatively, heat the olive oil briefly in the microwave. Just be sure to test it’s not too hot before applying it. The heat will enable the mixture to penetrate better. Leave on for twenty minutes to half an hour, or overnight if desired.

Use an old pillow case to protect your pillow if you decide to leave it on overnight. Rinse off the mixture under the shower making sure the water isn’t too hot as the eggs have a tendancy to scramble. Wash and condition your hair as usual.

c) Olive Oil and Avocado

Another home remedies for dry hair uses equal parts of olive oil and avocado.

Warm 1/2 a cup of olive oil and add a mashed avocado. Comb mixture through hair, place a shower cap on your head and leave on for at least twenty minutes to half an hour before rinsing your hair in cool water, then washing and conditioning.

d) Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is also great for dry hair.

Warm some in the microwave then comb it through your hair. Again, top your hair with a shower cap. If you don’t have a shower cap try using cling film or even a plastic bag. Leave on for a minimum of twenty minutes to half an hour, then finish off as above.

Try to make the final rinse in cool if not cold water, or use stale beer. Both of these will add shine.

4) Cut Your Hair

Sometimes you will have to either cut your hair or put up with it, trimming regularly until the damaged hair grows out. Our hair grows approximately 1/2 inch a month. While this might not sound like a lot, that’s six inches of new, undamaged hair a year!

BLEACHED HAIR

When it comes to bleached and damaged hair, home remedies surprisingly enough provide the best results. One good example is olive oil. While not many professionals would recommend olive oil as a form of treatment, it actually revitalizes the hair and has an especially good result if your hair is over-bleached. Using mayonnaise as a masque also works very well though again, professionals would probably not recommend it.

Damaged hair that doesn’t involve being overly bleached might not have much to gain from this method, but over-bleached hair does. Simply apply it on the hair and give it an hour to settle in. Afterwards, gently wash it off but do not blow dry it.

Bleached hair can be a lot of trouble because of the way it looks. To anyone who doesn’t understand how hair can repair itself, bleached hair will definitely look like something that can remain for a long time.

And it will actually remain if you do nothing to treat it. The little home remedies above should be enough to treat you damaged hair and return its original brilliance and color soon.