You'll see an improvement straight away after a haircut, but generally, it can take 6-8 weeks for hair to respond to new treatments and gentler styling, depending on the length of your hair and the extent of the damage.
How long does it take to heal hair breakage? Depending on your hair growth cycle and texture, expect to wait anywhere between four to six months to see hair return to its beautiful, healthy self.
When hair breaks, the broken strands do not grow back, but the hair follicles themselves remain intact and can continue to produce new hair. As long as the underlying scalp health is good and the causes of breakage are addressed, new hair should grow in to replace the broken strands over time.
As we've noted, damaged hair repair isn't possible because the protein bonds and cuticles have been permanently altered. Instead, the focus should be on maintaining hair to prevent further damage. If your hair is severely damaged, the most extreme solution is to cut it off and start fresh.
“You can improve the quality of hair after slight chemical damage using bond-building products that will rebuild the amino acid bonds that make up the keratin in hair, however, you cannot restore split ends or breakage in severely damaged hair,” details Caspara.
Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is essential for creating the cells that develop into hair follicles. It also supports healthy bones and your immune system. If you have hair loss and low vitamin D levels, your doctor may recommend vitamin D supplements.
What does hair breakage look like? Knowing when your hair is damaged is a special skill in itself. The main symptoms are broken hairs in your brush or drain, split ends, fly-aways, extreme dryness, a loss of volume, and tangles or knots after washing.
Vaseline, with its unique formula, offers a myriad of benefits for hair. It acts as a moisture-locking agent, sealing in hydration to prevent dryness and breakage. This property is especially beneficial in harsh weather conditions, where hair tends to lose its natural moisture.
All experts agree on this: when hair is damaged, it must be cut off. “If the damage is so bad (you're bleaching too much or using too much heat), that's when it becomes a cut instead of a trim,” says Polko.
In most cases, hair replenishes itself by growing back to maintain a full head. However, you may experience unusual hair breakage due to stress, illness, hormones, or aging. Simple observations and daily assessments can help to keep your hair healthy for as long as possible.
Stylists say the easiest way to do this is by examining the ends. “Breakage often appears frayed or split at the end, while new growth tends to have a smooth, tapered tip,” says Ona Diaz-Santin, the owner of 5 Salon & Spa in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
One of the easiest ways to repair and prevent hair breakage is to hydrate curls and coils with a hair mask, deep conditioning treatment or leave-in conditioner. Try a hair breakage treatment after using shampoo and conditioner to lock in moisture and help with gentle detangling.
Using products that are designed to nourish the scalp and hair can definitely speed up this process, but on average you'd be looking at six months to a year to fully see a difference in your hair's condition.
Generally, he says, the range is somewhere between once a day and once a week. “If you have very fine or thin hair, you may need to wash more often, while those with thick or curly hair may need to wash less often,” says Dr Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand, a double board certified dermatologist and hair health expert.
Vitamin D affects the health of many parts of the body, including the skin and hair. Vitamin D plays a role in the creation of new hair follicles. Hair follicles are the tiny pores from which new hairs grow. New follicles may help hair maintain thickness and prevent existing hair from falling out prematurely.
This simple test measures the severity of hair loss. During a pull test, a dermatologist grasps small sections of hair, about 40 strands, from different parts of the scalp and gently tugs. If six or more strands fall out, you have what's known as active hair loss.