Damage to hair is caused, most often than not, by excess of exposure to sunlight, hair treatments and bad hair care products and pollution. While the results of exposure to these factors may not be visible immediately, long term abuse of hair in this manner does eventually manifest itself. Nonetheless, this does not mean that you can’t fix what you’ve done. However, since almost everyone is usually fully aware of the consequences of such hair abuse, it is actually more advisable to practice caution and care than to regret when it’s too late. The best way to do this is to invest in a few good hair care products that work for you.
A strand of hair is basically composed of three layers, the most important to you right now being the outermost layer or the cuticle. This cuticle is formed by scales that lie flatly over the other two layers and it thus also performs the role of protecting the inner two layers from damage. It is these scales which reflect light and cause the hair to look healthy and glowing.
Therefore, when hair starts getting damaged, the cuticles are the first thing to go – they begin to crack open, revealing inner layers. As the layers separate, they lose their uniform flatness and thus expose the inner two layers to external factors like the environment, sun and chlorine. Overtime, the inner layers weaken and become dry, making the hair brittle and the hair fall more common. As the strand weakens, hair also tends to lose its natural sheen as the cuticles can no longer reflect light properly.
This damage can be the result of several factors working in tandem; the more prevalent of these are the commonplace environmental factors like dust, sunlight and pollution. Extensive blow drying ironing, dying and perming can also have the same effects, chemical treatments to straighten or curl the hair also deserves a very special mention because the harsh chemicals used severely damage the cuticles, and sometimes even outright break the hair. Curler or straightening irons too can have the same effect but they do so by drying the hair out of its moisture.
The damage done by these factors can be dealt with in two ways: using homemade recipes or buying ready to use market products. Some people prefer to use the market products because of many reasons like lack of time and lack knowledge of how to prepare them. Products available in the markets are usually categorized according to the hair type or the kind of damage you want to treat. However, some medicinal products should only be used upon the recommendation of a dermatologist.
The far better alternative, however, is that of home recipes. They are easy to prepare, the ingredients are easy to understand and find and allergies are non-issues. Also, since they use fresh and natural ingredients, they are more beneficial for hair than most chemical based formulas available on the market. More so, for hair damaged by heat, these are especially effective, one such treatment is as follows: toss in an egg with two tea spoon of mayonnaise and a tea spoon of olive oil, then work it into your hair for half an hour before washing it off for stunning results!
Isobela Fernandez has been coaching all about different Hair Care Products for in excess of fifteen years now. Her site on natural cleansing techniques and remedies contains many popular posts. If you’d like more information about cleansing methods,hair care and a range of treatments then click here: Permanent Hair Removal.
