Hair is dead, keratinized skin particles. The living structure is the root: it is where the cells divide, allowing the hair to grow. The health of the curls, their appearance, and often their density depend on whether the roots get the necessary nutrition. In the human skin, in the root zone, there are sebaceous glands: they produce fat. This is a natural lubricant that envelops the scales of hair, lubricating them so that they do not bristle, do not break, split, lie flat, are smooth and shiny.
If the hair root receives a sufficient amount of vitamins, and the sebaceous glands work without malfunctions, then even long hair will have enough nutrition, it will look healthy and beautiful. But if some internal processes are disturbed or there are external irritations, strands begin to split, break, become lifeless, dry, become excessively electrified, lose shine, elasticity, and sometimes even resemble straw.
You can restore damaged hair even without getting into the reasons that caused the negative changes. But if you identify and then eliminate unfavorable factors, you will get a long-term effect and a more pronounced result. Otherwise, the situation will soon return, which means that you will have to take action again.
Causes of hair damage
On the outside, the hair is protected by a layer of tiny scales, or cuticle. These shells fit tightly together, which is why the hair remains smooth, and all the vitamins, nutrients and moisture are trapped inside. Hair is considered damaged if the cuticle is even partially destroyed, for example, if one of the scales has peeled, opened or lifted. As a result, the flexible elastic bar loses the necessary water and becomes less durable.
In turn, the cuticle is damaged if there is a lack of fatty lubricant. She can no longer hold and glue the scales, they fall off, the stick remains unprotected, and the moisture contained in it quickly evaporates.
Let's look at the most common reasons that cause a lack of fat lubricant and subsequent damage to the cuticle.
Lack of vitamins and microelements
When the root receives the necessary vitamins and microelements, it provides them to the entire hair shaft. Vitamins also help regulate the work of the sebaceous glands, i. e. create a strong protective film on the skin.
All vitamins and microelements are important for health, but if you want to take care of your hair first, then check if you are deficient in vitamins A, B, C, D, E. Vitamin A (retinol) improves hair condition. scalp, group B vitamins normalize sebum production, accelerate cell division processes, C (ascorbic acid) and D are useful for hair follicles, E helps the body to better absorb these vitamins. See if you have a deficiency of zinc, copper, iron, calcium, selenium, manganese, silicon, phosphorus, because they help the hair retain moisture and have a good effect on the condition of the sebaceous glands.
Add fish oil, beef liver, meat (white, red), fatty fish, carrots, broccoli, herbs, sea buckthorn, peppers, citrus fruits, nuts, beans, buckwheat, oatmeal, eggs, milk, vegetable oils to your diet.
Take multivitamin complexes after illness, as well as at the end of winter and spring, when the amount of useful elements in food is reduced. Hair is one of the first structures that suffers from a lack of microelements, because it is more important for the body to nourish the tissues on which life and health directly depend.
Lack of moisture
When the cuticle is damaged, the hair loses the necessary moisture. But the deficiency can arise for other reasons, for example, if there is not enough water in the body itself. If you do not drink the prescribed amount per day, it will negatively affect sebum production.
The recommendation is simple: drink about 2 liters of clean water every day - that's the universal amount. And if you want to calculate your personal norm, then multiply 30 ml by your weight. Increase the dose if you exercise or sweat a lot. You must drink water: the body perceives soups and juices as food, and coffee even causes dehydration. If plain water is not tasty, add mint, lemon or cucumber to it. Drink before meals, be sure to drink a glass on an empty stomach as soon as you wake up.
When there is a lack of moisture, the body behaves as if it lacks vitamins, that is, it first normalizes the work of the most important organs.
Eating harmful food
The amount of nutrients is minimal in fatty, fried, spicy foods, buns, baked goods, sugary soda and alcohol. If you eat such food or drink alcohol, the body will feel full, but it will not receive microelements important for functioning. But don't think that you can eat junk food and drink multivitamin complexes to make up for vitamin deficiency. The fact is that these products contain elements that narrow blood vessels, negatively affect hormone levels, raise blood pressure and create additional stress for the body. Even supplying vitamins from the outside will not be able to neutralize the damage.
Sometimes you can allow yourself to eat something fatty or spicy, but you shouldn't get carried away.
Smoking
Tobacco contains harmful substances in large quantities. It also narrows the blood vessels, so the small capillaries that feed the hair root can even become completely stuck, and the follicles will not get the nutrition they need.
Improper care, aggressive hairdressing procedures
The cuticle can be damaged from the outside, for example, if it is dried out, injured or exposed to too high temperatures. The following are considered harmful:
- Poor quality cosmetics. Perhaps the shampoo, conditioner or other products do not nourish the tissue enough, contain less vitamins than your strands need, are not suitable for your hair type, and therefore do not solve your curl problems. It is important not to dry your hair, but it is also harmful to moisturize too much. If all the necessary fat comes from the outside, it will disrupt the natural functioning of the sebaceous glands. The solution is simple - choose the products that suit you completely.
- Improper washing. Do not wash your hair too often - you will only wash away the natural protective layer. Find your optimal hair washing frequency.
- Overheat. Hair straighteners, hot air hair dryers, curling irons, curling irons and other thermal devices evaporate moisture from the surface of the hair. For the same reason, it is not recommended to wash your hair with hot water or walk without a hat under the hot sun. Reduce the use of thermal devices to a minimum, take a break from them for at least one week a month and apply thermal protection. If you use a hair dryer, choose cold air and direct the wind in the direction of hair growth, i. e. from the roots to the tips - this way you will smooth the cuticle.
- Aggressive procedures. Perms, dyeing, highlighting, bleaching - such procedures destroy the structure of the hair. For example, the compositions used in coloring raise the scales of the cuticle to wash away the natural pigment. If you can't refuse aggressive procedures, color only the grown ends, use good colors, and then use intensive care designed specifically for colored hair.
- Mechanical damage. You cannot comb wet hair, rub it with a towel, use a hard brush, for example a metal one, constantly use tight elastic bands, hairpins or keep a towel on your head for a long time.
Diseases
The most severe effects on the condition of the hair and scalp are anemia, hormonal changes, diseases of the digestive and circulatory systems. For example, if a person has pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, then vitamins and microelements contained in food will not be completely absorbed and will not enter the bloodstream, and thus into the hair follicles.
Always take care of your health, visit a doctor as needed, undergo annual medical examinations and do not develop chronic diseases.
How to restore damaged hair
Since the hair is composed of dead cells, it cannot obtain food on its own; That is why it is important to take care of her health. You also need to restore the cuticle: if you do not glue the scales together, then all the vitamins that come from the roots will still not be retained inside.
Is it even possible to restore hair?
The hair shaft is dead cells, they cannot be revived, and their nutrition depends only on the roots. If the moisture it needs is lost from the hair, it cannot be fully restored. It is believed that damaged strands need to be cut and then only the hair follicles should be worked on to keep the growing strands healthy and strong.
But not everyone is ready for a short haircut, so cosmetics come to the rescue. She has several tasks:
- Accelerate hair growth. Even if you are not ready to part with the length, you will cut off the ends more often, and gradually you will completely remove the damaged strands.
- Give vitamins to the roots. The hair that grows back will be healthy.
- Glue the cuticle flakes together. This will be a temporary effect - the scale will still dissipate. But if you keep using good cosmetics, they will keep sticking.
If you want to get rid of damaged hair quickly, you can't do without good cosmetics.
What cosmetics should I use?
- Shampoo. Look for products designed to restore damaged curls - this action is usually written on the packaging. It is good if the composition contains oils, glycerin, panthenol. Choose a shampoo based on your hair type and pH level. If you have dry hair, the acidity level of your hair wash should be below 5.
- Balm for regeneration. Do not neglect it, because this product closes the raised scales, gives smoothness to the hair and helps retain moisture. For dry hair, the pH of the conditioner should be 4 or lower. If the acidity level is not indicated, see what effect the product has. Nourishing conditioner ensures fast growth of healthy hair, protective conditioner will help you if you often use thermal styling tools and walk in the sun without a hat, conditioner will ensure easy combing, which is especially important for long, thick or thin hair, and color protection conditionerit will help preserve the color and therefore reduce the frequency of repainting. Usually, balms are applied only along the length, without affecting the roots, but there are products that work directly on the skin - it says so on the label. Regardless of the effect, the balm should be left on for a few minutes and only then washed off.
- Masks. They cannot fill hair follicles and shafts with moisture, but they actively feed them and fill them with useful substances. But don't use masks too often - 2-3 times a week is enough. Otherwise, it will only weigh down the hair, feed it, disrupt the natural mechanisms of regulation, nutrition and hydration. As a result, an addiction to masks can develop, and in some cases even the opposite effect is possible: products that should moisturize over time will begin to dry the strands. And apply masks correctly: anti-hair loss products are applied primarily to the scalp, and cosmetic masks are applied along the entire length, at a distance of 5-10 cm from the roots.
- Lotions, oils. Such products do not need to be rinsed off, so they work continuously on the hair and restore it well. Oils and lotions are applied to damaged dry or wet ends after each hair wash and effectively fight the delamination of the cuticle cells, i. e. they help restore the hair structure. Many products have a cumulative effect, which increases if you constantly use cosmetics. But make sure that the oils do not weigh down your hair, otherwise the strands will look greasy.
It's good if you use all products, not just one, and even better if you choose cosmetics from one line. Most often, such products reinforce each other's effects, so you will achieve the desired result faster than if you use only one thing.
Home Remedies
The best effect is given by proven professional products sold in pharmacies and specialized stores. But their effect can be supplemented with the help of folk masks: eggs, honey, fruit, yogurt, kefir, henna.
Herbal decoctions have proven themselves well, especially from nettle, burdock root, hop cones, thistle, dandelion, chamomile, birch leaves, spathe, sage, calendula, St. John's wort, lemon balm, linden flower. Use them after washing your hair or even every day. Prepare decoctions immediately before use, because the useful substances they contain are quickly destroyed.