Because hair is not a living tissue with regenerative ability, it cannot heal and repair. You can use oils, conditioners, hydrolyzed proteins or other ingredients to disguise the issues temporarily but it's akin to using makeup on the face.
Unhealthy hair usually has a rough texture, lack of shininess and luster, have split ends, lack of moisture and elasticity even after treatment and easily broken. Damaged hair will also get tangled up and result in knots due to hair dryness.
Harsh shampoo, hair treatments, styling products, and excessive brushing contribute the most to poor hair health. However, other culprits include: overconsumption of alcohol. low-calorie and crash diets.
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.
Fortunately, in the vast majority of cases, you can eventually grow the damaged hair out as long as the follicle itself has been preserved. The most common causes of damage are below. Damaged hair can still grow eventually, but routine damage can result in negative consequences for your hair.
Harsh chemicals like bleach or relaxers can break down the bonds of the hair, making it weaker and thus more prone to breakage. Heat styling can also put enough stress on your hair to cause breakage, so it is always important to use a protectant before you grab a hot tool.
Split ends are a sign that your hair has been weakened from chemicals and exposure to heat, wind, and sun, Blaisure adds. Trimming is the best way to keep ends from fraying and causing further damage. (Check in with your hairstylist every six to eight weeks even for a light "dusting.")
Damaged hair has less elasticity and is prone to breakage and splitting. Split ends are absolutely not repairable and are very challenging to conceal, especially when there are a lot. Another downside to split ends? If they're not removed, the strand will split even farther, faster and unevenly as the hair grows.
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.
Take an inch-wide section of hair between two fingers and gently pull them down the hair, right to the ends. Concentrate on the texture: does it feel smooth all the way down? If you feel an uneven surface, with kinks and sections that snap off under tension, these are damaged hair warning signs.
You're Hard on Your Hair
Using too much shampoo, brushing or combing your hair when it's wet, rubbing hair dry with a towel, or brushing too hard or too often can all strain your strands and make them break. Two big causes of breakage include braids that are too tight and weaves that weigh down the hair.
Telogen effluvium hair loss — the type of hair loss linked to stress — typically affects your scalp and may appear as patchy hair loss. However, it can also cause you to shed more body hair or notice less hair on your body than you normally would.
While the term hair damage is pretty broad, the five most common forms of hair damage include split ends, heat damage, color damage, chemical damage, and hair loss.
using heat-based drying and styling tools too frequently. shampooing too often. using a shampoo with harsh ingredients, such as sulfates, that are drying for your type of hair. not using a conditioner often enough or one that's designed for your type of hair.
If you've got damaged hair (thanks, hot tools!), genetic structural abnormalities (they typically cause hair to break off at a certain length) or certain hair types, your hair might also grow more slowly.
Typically dry hair appears flat and dull, think no shine. Dry hair is also usually more difficult to manage and when you touch it, it has a noticeably brittle texture i.e. knots and tangles, etc. If your hair isn't maintaining a blow-dry this can also be a sign that your hair is lacking hydration levels.