Are you aware of all the ways in which damage can happen to your hair?
Unfortunately hair damage can creep up on us, we can be doing the same thing over and over to our hair without much change then all of a sudden in what seems like one application your hair just fries, you think its happened all of a sudden and put it down to the last holiday or trip to the swimming baths, when actually you have been causing damage in advertantly for ages!
So what damages hair?
There are the obvious culprits, like colouring or using straighteners. But these can be used much more safely with the creation of new technologies like Olaplex and high heat protectors.
Its isn’t actually just colouring that damages your hair, if you stick with the same colour applied only to your regrowth, never to your ends then colouring your hair isn’t too bad, it is over colouring, changing your mind from light to dark more then once or painting over previously bleached hair which will cause the most damage to your hair. For tips on how to prevent damage when colouring your hair go to my blog on How To Repair Your Hair.
Straightening your hair uses intense heat (anyone who has burnt their finger whilst using a hot tool will tell you) curling wands, tongs and heated rollers carry a similar heat setting and they are all in the same category when damaging your hair. Using them occasionally is ok, but if you are using them more then once or twice a month then you are going to be causing damage to your hair that will only be noticeable when it is too late, your hair will become thin and feel brittle and dry, so would your skin if you fried it in 230 degree heat, even just for a second! For solutions and answers on how to protect your hair when using hot tools find my blog on repairing your hair.
We are finding more and more clients are coming to the salon with damage to their hair and scalp from poorly fitting extensions. There are so many stylists out there who are charging really big money for over priced hair and poor quality applications. You should never have bald patches from your extensions, neither should your tape extensions be reapplied without removing the glue properly. All of these can result in thinning, patchy hair that can no longer tolerate the weight of the additional hair, not a great place for anyone wanting thick long hair!! Our extension stylists specialise in micro ring and bonding extensions, they use Beautyworks, Racoon and Remi Cachet hair. All top quality to get the most wear out of your hair.
When you blowdry your hair on too high a temperature you run the risk of causing damage to your hair, especially if your hair is in a fragile state anyway. The brush you use is also really important, as much as your favourite, old faithful hair brush has seen you through uni, holidays, multiple break ups, a marriage, kids and possibly a divorce, it could be causing your hair to snap every time you use it!! Have a good look at the bristles on your hair brush next time you use it, if they are nice a straight you are fine to keep it, but if they are bent and twisted from being shoved in your handbag they will be snagging on your hair causing it to knot more and more!! More on knots later….
We all know that sunlight contains UV rays but are you aware of how much damage they cause to our hair? We also don’t consider it in the winter, when actually the UVA and UVB rays are at their strongest due to the trajectory of our planet, during our winter months we are closer to the sun so the rays are much stronger and more damaging, but because our hours of sunlight is reduced in wintertime, we don’t really think about it. For the best product that protect your hair from sunlight check out my linked blog about uv protection.
There are some chemicals that will also cause breakage. Chlorine in public swimming pools is always very high to prevent contamination making us ill, but it reeks havoc on our hair and skin, sometimes my very blonde hair can turn green from pool chlorine and we can always tell which of our clients are regular swimmers from the texture of their hair.
When hair is starting on the damaged route, even sleeping can aggravate the situation, if you wake up with bed head knots then it is time to take action with regular treatments at home and in the salon. Take care when brushing out these knots too as ripping them out will cause damage to the cuticle and then you end up in a vicious cycle that makes the damage worse. I've put some great tips on how to prevent knotting when sleeping in my blog on repairing your hair.
Damage can be caused by using the wrong products for your hair too. There are so many products to choose from it is understandably difficult to make the right choice. Quite often we buy according too the flashy advert that you watched last night during BGT! Unfortunately supermarket brands are cheaper for a reason, they usually contain low quality ingredients that can cause build up on your hair, ask your stylist to do a scrape test on your next salon visit. By gently scraping your hair with the scissor blades we can show you what low quality shampoos and conditioners leave on your hair, a fine white powder comes off from the silicons that don’t wash away when you rinse. These form a barrier on your hair shaft, stopping your hair accepting moisture and locking in the dryness.
As you can see there are many things that can cause damage to your hair. If you have multiple combinations going on in your world then your hair can end up looking dry, dull and lifeless, it won’t make your colour look good or make you feel great when you look in the mirror. For solutions to all of these problems check out my other blogs they are well worth a read...
OliviaC x