What Happens When You Don't Take Care Of Your Hair?

[monishav]

What Happens When You Don't Take Care Of Your Hair?
If you don't take care of your hair, it may stop growing after a point. Slowly, you may start experiencing dandruff, hair fall, dryness and dullness.

Not washing hair for long periods can cause ingrown hairs. Yes, you heard it right! They can occur on the scalp too. Also, by leaving your hair unwashed for a long time, you are attracting more dust. Using wrong hair care products can make you feel itchy and lead to hair fall.

Wrapping Up

So by using chemical-free products created for your individual hair type, eating right, avoiding heat styling and following all the above tips, you can bid bad hair days a goodbye! But most importantly, if you experience excessive hair fall and damage despite following a good hair care routine, consult your doctor. And hair or no hair, celebrate yourself nevertheless.

What Is Hair Damage?

Hair damage occurs when aggressors (think friction, heat, and harsh chemical treatments) attack the protective outer layer of your hair (a.k.a the cuticle) leaving cracks in its exterior. Once cracked, the cuticle lifts (or opens up), causing your hair to look dull, dry, frizzy, or brittle, while also making it more prone to damage and breakage, thus continuing what can seem like a neverending hair nightmare. But don't worry—all hope is not lost! While you may not be able to completely repair hair that is already damaged, there are still plenty of steps you can take to help prevent it from happening in the future.

1. Improve Your Hair Brushing Skills
You may have heard that brushing your hair 100 strokes a day is part of a healthy hair care routine, but that's nothing more than a myth. In reality, an excessive amount of brushing can cause severe damage to the hair, especially when your hair is still wet, as that's when it is its most elastic and therefore, more likely to break. Instead, it's recommended that you apply a post-shower conditioner, like our fully customizable leave-in treatment, to wet hair and, using a wide-tooth comb, gently rake it through your strands, detangling them as you go. You should also avoid brushing your hair throughout the day, making an exception only when you need to detangle again, as dry ends are also at risk of snapping. 

2. Invest In Good Hair Ties
Now, don't get us wrong, we love our hair ties (how else would we be able to get through a workout?), but that doesn't mean that we don't see them for the hair-damaging culprits that they are. Useful though they may be, hair ties have a tendency to pull on the scalp and hair cuticles, which is why you may sometimes notice that your hair falls out a bit every time you undo your elastic. To prevent this, try wearing your hair down more often, or, at the very least, opt for a breakage-preventing style, like an Invisibobble.

3. Step Up Your Blow-Drying Game
It's no secret that blow-drying your hair every day can cause severe damage, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you need to commit to a lifetime of air-drying either. The key is to learn how to dry your hair the right way. That means allowing your hair to air-dry a bit first (about 75% of the way) before finishing it off with a blow-dryer, and giving your strands a break from the heat at least a few times a week. When you are drying your hair (preferably on the lowest heat setting), make sure to also put at least a half an inch of space between your strands and the dryer to avoid scorching your ends, and always, always, always apply a heat protectant first. (In case you haven't heard, our customizable leave-in treatment is an excellent option for this *wink, wink.*)

4. Don't Heat Style Dirty Hair
While we're on the topic, it's also worth noting that using a straightener or a curling iron on hair that hasn't been adequately cleansed is also a big no-no when it comes to combating hair damage. That's because, in addition to the already inevitable damage from heat styling, some styling products (dry shampoos, texture sprays, waxes, etc.) contain ingredients that aren't meant to be combined with excessive heat. Instead, reach for products that are specifically designed to hydrate and protect your strands in-between washes and, as always, never use your heat tools without applying a heat protectant first.

5. Know How Often To Wash Your Hair
Let's get this straight once and for all: how often you cleanse your mane is entirely up to you and is dependent upon your hair type, hairstyle, and lifestyle. That said, there is such a thing as over or under washing your hair, both of which can lead to damage. While daily washes are fine if you have oily hair, extremely dry hair may only need weekly shampooing, according to the Nemours Foundation. Either way, you want to make sure you're washing your hair with a shampoo that's formulated for your hair type at least every couple of days (or whenever it gets dirty) as infrequent washing can lead to a buildup of dead cells, product residue, oil, and bacteria, all of which can cause—yep, you guessed it—hair damage. 

6. Beware Of Overprocessing
Sorry, color-treated girls, but all of that chemical processing you're doing may be causing irreversible damage to your hair. While not all color treatments are the same in regards to the amount of damage they create (a semi-permanent process like a gloss is far less damaging than a double process like bleaching), they are still anything but harmless. That's because the harsh chemicals present in these dyes can make your hair shafts porous to the point of exposing the hair cortex, which once broken, leads to extreme breakage. To help counteract those adverse effects, it's important to keep the hair constantly hydrated and to use products that help repair the hair, like a deep conditioning mask or a daily leave-in treatment (seriously, is there anything a good leave-in product can't do?). The AAD also recommends extending the time between your sessions to 8–10 weeks, if possible, to ensure you're not overdoing it. Your hair can only take so much, after all.

Ready to say goodbye to your hair damage once and for all? Start by creating your perfect customized hair care formula here!

SOURCE-FUNCTION OF BEAUTY