Dry, brittle hair… It can sometimes affect your mood and your self-confidence. It's often hard to grow your hair to a good length when it's dry, because it quickly becomes brittle or simply looks less beautiful. So let's work out together what causes dry hair, and discover 5 good habits to adopt to put an end to dryness! Ready for beautiful, healthy hair? Let's go!
Protect your hair from heat
You've probably heard it again and again, but it matters! One of the biggest causes of hair breakage is exposure to heat. Heat damages the cuticle, the thin protective layer that surrounds the hair, and so gives it a dry, brittle look.
The best way to protect your hair from heat is to avoid heated tools such as straighteners, curling irons and hair dryers. A study(1) carried out in 2011 on hair showed that using a hair dryer causes more damage to the surface of the hair than air drying. So it's better to gently dry your hair with a bamboo fiber towel, without too much rubbing, then let it air dry.
If you do use heated tools, protect your hair beforehand with a heat protectant spray.
Many people with curly, frizzy or coily hair feel the need to straighten it every day or several times a week, either out of personal choice or because they don't know the styling techniques that suit their hair type. Rather than fighting your curls and damaging your hair, you can check out the great tips from @lesbouclettesdeceline on Instagram! They'll help you bring out your natural curls and learn to love them!
Use a suitable shampoo
Another common cause of dry hair can be the sulfates found in shampoos. Sulfates are used to make shampoo lather in a great many cases, but they are known to be detergents, and can therefore weaken the hair fiber and damage the scalp.
If your scalp is dry and itchy and your hair is dry or brittle when you use a shampoo with sulfates, that's a sign it's time to switch! In that case, you can use a gentle shampoo, free from sulfates, and see whether it improves the condition of your hair and scalp.
The ideal when you have dry hair and/or a dry scalp is to use a Nourishing Shampoo, containing oil, which will sheathe and condition the hair.
The LAO Nourishing Shampoo contains hemp seed oil, known for being rich in omega 3 and 6. Hemp seed oil improves the elasticity of the hair, restores volume and adds shine! ✨
Protect your hair from UV rays
UV rays are known to damage hair(2) and are also harmful to the skin, and so to the scalp too! To reduce the hair damage caused by the sun's rays, it's important to protect your hair!
LAO created a unique formula, patented and based on hemp seed protein. After several tests and a lot of research, hemp seed protein proved to be anti-UVA, and so helps protect hair from the sun's rays. ☀️
Sheathe your hair
Dry hair is hair that needs to be sheathed. So you can use a conditioner or a hair mask after your shampoo to condition your hair and strengthen it.
Little tip: you can apply a few drops of oil to your lengths before shampooing to protect and sheathe them. Oils smooth the hair fiber and make it water-resistant and better able to withstand friction and the outside aggressions that hair can face.
Hair doesn't need to be too coated at the root, so avoid applying oils and masks to the scalp, which already produces its own oily liquid, called sebum!
Avoid applying your shampoo to your lengths
Why is it best not to systematically apply shampoo to your lengths? Quite simply because some of the surfactants found in shampoos can make your lengths static and dry out your hair.
So the best practice is to apply the shampoo to your scalp and massage it to stimulate blood circulation. For your lengths, opt for a conditioner or a mask, once you've rinsed your hair well after shampooing. This will make brushing easier and so reduce hair breakage!
For more tips on dry hair, head over to Instagram @lao.care: we share hair tips every week and answer your questions! 🤗
Sources
(1) Lee Y, Kim YD, Hyun HJ, Pi LQ, Jin X, Lee WS. Hair shaft damage from heat and drying time of hair dryer. Ann Dermatol. 2011;23(4):455-462. doi:10.5021/ad.2011.23.4.455
(2) Dario MF, Baby AR, Velasco MV. Effects of solar radiation on hair and photoprotection. J Photochem Photobiol B. 2015 Dec;153:240-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2015.09.025. Epub 2015 Oct 8. PMID: 26454659.
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