Top Culprits Behind Dry Hair

After working behind the chair for over a decade, I’ve fielded many questions and concerns from my clients. While I am not a medical professional, I have learned a thing or two about the some of the most likely reasons behind our most common hair issues. Depending on the type of issue, I will often times recommend seeking out the advice of your doctor.

One of the most common concerns I’m presented with on a daily basis is when my client is noticing that their hair is feeling particularly dry. After thoroughly inspecting the integrity of the hair and asking certain lifestyle questions I can generally put my finger on the reason for the change. Although, as I’ve stated, sudden differences should always be noted and it’s not a bad idea to bring up to your doctor if you’re concerned. That being said, here are some of the top culprits behind the dryness and fragile state of your hair(in no particular order).

• You’re Not Using a Heat Protectant Consistently

Be honest, are you using a heat protectant product specifically designed to be a barrier between the extreme heat of a hot tool(ie blow drier, flat iron, curling iron, etc) and your hair EVER SINGLE TIME? When I have asked this question to my clients some have been super honest and admitted that no, they haven’t been consistent. I cannot stress this enough, it is EXTREMELY important that you are using heat protectant every, single time. All it takes is one time of skipping it to do some serious damage to the hair strand. When you destroy that natural outer layer of protection on the hair strand, it will feel dry and rough. Repeated omitting of heat protectant will quickly follow a cycle of dryness, brittleness, splitting, and breakage.

To make things slightly more complicated, it is important to add heat protectant before each session of using a hot tool. What I mean by this, for example, let’s say you added a leave in heat protectant prior to blow drying your hair. This leave in acted as a shield between your hair and the heat, which is often seen as steam coming off your hair(not smoke). Now let’s say after that you want to throw some curls in or flat iron. Are you putting ANOTHER heat protectant on prior to doing so? Don’t feel bad if you didn’t realize this was an important additional step. Many people do not. However, it is also extremely important to add a specific heat protectant made to go onto DRY hair prior to that next step in styling.

Ask me about which products I would recommend for each step and your hair specifically at your next appointment.

• Your Hair Isn’t Completely Dry Prior to Using a Flat/Curling Iron

I can’t tell you how many people don’t make sure their hair is COMPLETELY dry before using a flat or curling iron. Your should needs to be bone dry and ,as I stated above, have a dry heat protectant on it before touching your hair with those hot tools. To give you a visual on why this is so damaging, let’s say you were getting ready to make a stir fry. Think of the frying pan you have heating up on the stove and let’s say you toss in your veggies and you hear the loud sizzle of them hitting the bottom of the pan as the heat reacts with the moisture of the veggies. It’s the same concept for your hair. When the heat of the iron reacts with the dampness of your hair, it can quietly be sizzling your hair(ie cooking it).

Always make sure your hair is completely dry and has the added layer of heat protectant to prevent this.

• You’re Using an Old or Low Quality Hot Tool

Not all tools are created equal, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend $400 on each tool(most professionals definitely don’t). You should absolutely invest in high quality tools, especially if you use them on a daily basis(and even if you don’t).

Why is it worth is to spend a little more on a quality tool?

Higher quality tools will have better components and more controlled heat. This is important because better components will evenly distribute and maintain heat so that it doesn’t just continue to get hotter and hotter and damage your hair. And if that isn’t enough motivation, a better tool is going to give you better results in less time.

Wondering what I would recommend for good quality tools? Send me a message and I’ll give you some links to my favorites.

• Your Tools are Too Hot

It can be tricky to know what temperature to set your hot tools at. Depending on your hair type, most people should have it set somewhere between 350-375 degrees. Course/resistant hair will likely need higher heat while fine/fragile/thin hair may need to be slightly lower. Basically, you want the level of heat that will mean less passes through each section(find a nice happy medium). You don’t want to default to the lowest setting and continue to make passes on each section without achieving the desired result.

If you have questions about finding the right setting for your hair with your specific tool settings, let me know!

What can you do if your hair is currently feeling dry/rough?

Come see me for one of my customized treatments that I will select for you based on your current hair needs. I’m also happy to recommend products for you to use in your own hair care routine.

Text 630 853 1046 to get your next appointment on the books!

Look out for my upcoming post on Best At Home Habits for Healthier Hair