If your hair is dry and frizzy, bad hair days may seem to come up more often than not. What can you do to have more good hair days or banish bad hair days forever? A simple change of routine may be what you need.
If you looked at hair strands under a microscope, you would see that hair in good condition looks relatively smooth; if you see any “shingles,” they lie flat like the shingles on a new roof. Dry, frizzy (possibly chemically damaged) hair appears cracked and like the “shingles” are sticking up and out at odd angles. For dry and frizzy hair, conditioning is of the utmost importance. Conditioners make the “shingles” of the hair’s cuticle (outer layer) lie down.
There are different kinds of conditioner and you need to look for the words “for dry hair” or “for frizzy hair” or “for controlling frizz”…anything along those lines will be ideal. These conditioners are generally thicker than conditioners made for normal or fine hair. Dry-hair conditioners are made to weigh the hair down somewhat and smooth down the cuticle.
Rinse-out conditioners are usually inexpensive and found next to the shampoos they’re made to complement on our shelves. For dry hair, it’s better to comb
the conditioner through (with a wide-tooth comb) in the shower and rinse without disturbing. Just let the water run down the shaft of the hair. The hair should feel slippery at this point, which is what you want.
Dry-hair conditioners are usually paired with dry-hair shampoos. These shampoos often have emollient ingredients in them to be gentler on hair than traditional shampoos. They shouldn’t strip the hair of its natural oils. You should avoid frequent shampooing for the same reason (no stripping). Once or twice a week is usually enough to shampoo dry hair. In between shampoos, you can still cleanse your hair with “conditioner washing.” Just wet your hair, comb conditioner through thoroughly and then rinse. This is usually helpful to people who exercise frequently and need to rinse perspiration from the scalp, but don’t want to dry their hair out.
For hair that’s damaged, a reconstructive or deep conditioner
may be in order. These conditioners, which are normally mud-like in texture, are meant to be left on the hair any length of time from a few minutes to an hour or so. Some instruct users to use a plastic cap and/or heat to get the full benefit of conditioning.
Shine products can smooth down the cuticle, making it appear smoother. There are several brands of silicone and non-silicone smoothers that can be found in Salon4. Shine drops are meant to be applied to freshly shampooed hair while the hair is still wet and then air-dried or blow-dried. For dry hair, it’s best to use a diffuser, which is a tool that can be attached to the end of the blow dryer to diffuse the heat in a larger area instead of concentrating the heat in one space. Shine spray can be applied before and/or after drying or allowing to air-dry.
Gels are also good products for smoothing hair, but be careful not to use gels with a high alcohol concentration since alcohol is drying. There are gels made specifically for frizzy hair and these contain low or no alcohol.
Too much heat applied to hair can also damage it or dry it out further. You’ll have to be judicious about the use of curling irons, flat irons, and hairdryers. The higher the heat or the longer heat is applied the more damage that can be done. Again, a diffuser is often dry hair’s best friend. It’s also better to use the low setting on a dryer.
If your hair is damaged beyond repair, whether from overzealous perming or coloring, the only way to achieve healthy hair is to cut the damaged portion off. It may be best to consult with a professional for this. Under no circumstances should you perm or color hair that’s already damaged.
To find which products work best for you, you may have to experiment. Once you find what works, stick with it. If a product makes a claim that sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If a drugstore brand works better for you than a high-end salon brand, stick with the drugstore brand. Just because it’s more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best for you.
With a few simple tweaks to your hair-care routine, you may find yourself having more and more good hair days until your bad hair days are a thing of the past.
