The Beginning of Treating Hair
Wonder when people’s urge to fix hair damage started? Like any inventions, there’s always a certain problem that triggers the creation of something cool or awesome – and useful of course! Take for example the wheel, one of the greatest inventions of all time. The Mesopotamians invented the wheel around 3500 B.C. to facilitate the creation of pottery. It was only after 300 years that it was used in chariots, giving birth to the mode of transportation we know of today. There must be a good reason why hair treatment came about too. What could it be?
Hairstyling Throwback
First, a throwback to hairstyling.
Ancient hairstyling began as early as 1500 B.C. when people use heated iron bars to curl their hair. In Rome, women wear their hair in complicated styles involving curls, waves, or braids. The Greeks and Egyptians were also fond of braiding too. Changing one’s color of hair is also popular then. When opting for lighter color, people use wood ash or sodium bicarbonate. Marinating copper filings, oak-apples, or leeches with wine and vinegar creates a solution to darken hair. Some would even use bizarre ingredients such as animal fat!
Needing Hair Treatment
Eventually, hairstyles evolved into more complex styles that require attention and maintenance. With its wide practice throughout the ancient times, hairstyling was not without confronting some hair issues.
Egyptians began to use hair products made with animal and plant fats to combat hair damage. Ancient Greeks, on the other hand, used olive oil to condition their hair. Then, the rest is history.
As people became interested in reinventing looks, the need for products increased. More products emerged until the modern day liquid shampoo was invented in the late 1920s. Realizing that the formula was causing hair dryness, the rinse-off conditioner we know today came in the 1970s. Hairstyling trends, commercial hair products, and treatments constantly grow. Various brands introduce improvements or innovations season after season.
Modern-Day Treatments
In this brave new era of various hairstyles, more techniques are coming forth. With reference to celebrities who are constantly changing their looks, more people are also driven to find their own style. From color, to cut, to hair products – there is always something new to look out for. Even the techniques and devices that modern hairstylists use have changed through time. The heated iron tongs that the Greeks and Romans use before is now your curling iron. It comes in various types and sizes perfect for home or professional use.
Want to know more about the best hair tools used today? Discover the different types of hair straighteners, dryers, and combs. See which one would work for you.
Who Needs A Hair Treatment?
If you have any of these hair situations, you probably have or will eventually get your hair damaged. To mitigate the damage, a deep nourishing hair treatment is what you need.
Overgroomed Hair
Your hair loses life due to many things, which normally are good but sometimes are overdone. Frequent washing and shampooing strip off the natural oils of your hair. This results to dry brittle hair that easily breaks. For hair types that must wash daily, use a milder shampoo. Pair it up with hydrating conditioners like oils. Argan oil conditioner is good for hair since it replenishes lost moisture of hair while repairing damaged strands. Other hairstyling practices that damage your hair include overuse of heating tools, over-brushing, and harsh towel drying.
Bleached Hair
Bleach and highlights remove the natural color of your hair by oxidation. It decolorizes the pigment in your hair shaft, thus turning it to almost white. This is potentially the most damaging. It makes the hair dull and brittle as well. Your hair strands become more vulnerable to other hair-damaging processes such as blow-drying.
Colored Hair
Similar to bleached hair, oxidizing chemicals are also used when dying hair. This helps the coloring agent penetrate deeply to the strands and show a more distinct color. As time goes by, colored hair may turn dull and lifeless. A good hair treatment may be necessary to bring its vibrancy back.
Permed/ Straightened Hair
A permanent wave is commonly called a “perm”, short for permanent. It involves the use of chemicals and heat. This breaks and reforms the structure of hair to get the desired effects, either straight or wavy. The hair’s building block protein is broken, so the hair stretches and softens. With the use of either curlers or combs, the process curls or straightens the hair.
Most of these practices are damaging to your hair. While this is true, it doesn’t mean you cannot do them. A rejuvenating hair treatment will keep your hair looking fabulous.
Signs of Damaged Hair
Sometimes, great things may do worse than good. This is especially true when you do not really need them, such as a hair treatment. For a treatment to be necessary, ask yourself: What is it that needs to be treated?
When planning to get a hair treatment, a proper personal assessment is important to avoid further damage. If you are certain you are in desperate need of it, then proceed with the one that suits your hair situation. You can tell that you have damaged hair with these few basic signs:
- Dryness
- Split ends
- Extreme breakage
- Terrible tangles
- Dulled shine
- Lifelessness
- Stiffness
- Hair fall
How to Choose Your Hair Treatment
Visible signs of damaged hair are often warning for tough-to-beat hair problems. Mitigating their unattractive effects could be tricky. You need a careful thought on what you need to do or apply to your hair to prevent damage from getting worse. For a particular hair problem, there must be an appropriate hair treatment. So, you think you’re ready to find your perfect match? Dig in!
Split Ends
How do the ends of your hair split? When the protective cuticle of your hair has been stripped away at the ends of hair strands, it results to splitting of hair fibers. Typically, it divides into two or three strands and can be 2 to 3 centimeters in length.
As the hair grows longer, less oil reaches the ends to protect it from damage. Any physical or chemical trauma wears the hair out, eventually leading to split ends. Some common causes are sun exposure, hair products, and heat styling tools. The longer the hair, the further from the roots the ends are. Meaning, the ends had endured damage-causing elements much longer!
Aside from getting a regular trim and healthy hair care practices, providing your hair with enough moisture will help ease the condition. A split-end-prone hair will benefit from hair repair treatments and hydrating hair treatment. Do it once a month to keep the tips of your hair nice and pretty.
Breakage or Weak Hair
Extreme dryness, hair fall, and split ends are all signs of weak hair. It looks limp and lifeless, compromising your personal style and self-image. Sometimes weak hair could be genetic or due to certain medical conditions. But more often than not, it could be your own undoing.
Sun exposure, chlorine or salt water, too much heat, and pollution weaken hair. Overuse of chemical products, as well as excessive heat from styling tools, damage the hair’s protective layer. Snap! You probably realize that you should have been more kind to your locks. Snap – that’s your hair breaking.
Losing hair is normal in the hair growth cycle. Once hair falls off, a new one grows in its place. Don’t confuse this natural process with breakage. Normal hair loss comes from the scalp, typically with the bulb attached. Breakage due to weak hair happens somewhere along strand’s length.
Make sure to use the right products to avoid further damage to weak hair. Choose shampoos, conditioners, and styling products infused with protein and other strengthening properties to help reinforce hair. Limit the use of strong chemicals through perming, coloring, bleaching, and straightening. Slow down on exposing your hair to too much heat from blow dryer, curling iron, and straightening iron. Then, to restore the health of weak hair, go for a deep-conditioning protein hair treatment once a week or so. Back it up with a protein-rich shampoo and conditioner for regular use.
Hair Loss
Suffering from hair loss could take a toll on anybody’s confidence especially in men who are prone to baldness. Good thing there are various leaps you could take to try to prevent or even treat hair loss. Committing to a healthy diet is one of the most practical ways to do it. Your hair needs protein, iron, and other vitamins you get from lean meats, beans, and leafy vegetables.
Over-the-counter hair loss treatments such as food supplements or topical solutions, even prescription drugs, are also available. While these options may work, going for a natural hair treatment for hair loss is one of the safe ways to go. Some essential oils made with organic ingredients contain fatty acids and nutrients that enhance hair growth. It thickens hair while keeping it strong and healthy. Massaging your scalp with essential oil boosts blood circulation, thereby aiding the development of hair.
Dryness and Nourishment Deficiency
Like your body and skin, hair needs constant hydration and nutrition as well. If you are lacking on this, your hair may look lifeless and it could lead to other detrimental hair problems. Frizz, split ends, and dryness are among the unattractive visuals you don’t want your hair to end up with.
Don’t let people see your hair suffer. Pamper your hair with a nourishing hair treatment rich in oils and moisturizing ingredients. Other brands would name such products as a hydrating hair treatment, moisturizing hair treatment, or deep conditioning treatment. Whatever you call it, use these hair treatments for nourished hair that shines.
You can buy these products at beauty stores and online, or you can try other natural options. Creating homemade nourishing hair mask made with kitchen ingredients is fine. Egg yolk, avocado, and honey are among the most popular kitchen finds used for various hair care recipes. Coconut oils and castor oil are effective moisturizers too. Either way, enough moisture in your hair is the key to keeping it healthy.
Discoloration
Are you a true-blue blondie? Whether born with naturally blonde hair or chemically induced to have it, hair discoloration could be a common problem for you. A bright platinum blonde hair could turn into a sad yellow-green hue. Many think it’s caused by the chlorine in treated water you bathe your hair with, but it’s not. It’s not even the hair dye that’s changing its color (unless yours is a color-changing hair dye). The real culprit? The by-products of chlorine put in water.
Chlorine causes the compounds in water, such as iron or copper, to turn green. It clings onto your hair and cast a greenish color over time. The best hair treatment to wash this off is a clarifying shampoo. It brings blonde hair back to its naturally bright hue. Special hair remedies for discoloration also remove brassiness and purify the hair. Use it at least once a week to reveal your blonde hair’s true radiant shine.
Scalp Care
Maintaining a healthy hair begins with caring for the scalp. Itchy, dandruff-laden head is totally uncomfortable. Simply scratching the itch isn’t going to stop it. You need a scalp treatment that removes scale buildup simple shampooing can’t. Look for soothing ointments, oils, or balms infused with moisturizers and salicylic acid. It softens dry, flaky buildup so it washes off more easily. After getting rid of dry irritated scalp, invest in a moisturizing hair treatment so your hair and scalp stay hydrated.
What about the opposite – an oily scalp? Oily scalp leads to oily hair. Having a good source of natural oil is fine, but excessive oiliness could weigh down your hair so you lose the bounce. The extra sebum plus dirt around you is also the perfect formula for nasty buildup. It could lead to scalp irritation or infection.
To get rid of greasy scalp and hair, you need a weekly oily scalp treatment. It is designed to regulate oil levels as it balances the scalp and soothes inflammation. For chronic scalp problems like seborrheic dermatitis, it’s better to seek advice from a medical expert. A dermatologist can prescribe special shampoos and topical creams that counteract scalp problems. Remember that proper hair care should start from the roots. A scalp that is in tip-top shape is more likely to develop healthy tresses.
Texture and Volume
Shiny hair is never enough. That’s true. You want your hair to not only look gorgeous but feel so soft and smooth to touch as well. Especially with straight and wavy hair, you would rather want it to more manageable and sleek. So how do you even get that? You need a smoothing hair treatment that also goes by the name of keratin or protein treatment. It temporarily realigns your hair structure using chemicals that are less damaging than hair straighteners are.
If you got fine, thin hair you might want to use a volumizing hair treatment that adds body, strength, and volume to hair. Even curly hair may weigh down and lose some natural bounce. Restore its vivaciousness with a hair treatment that gives hair instant volume. Then back it up with volumizing shampoos and conditioner for better, bodied look that lasts.
Looking for the best brands of hair products? Bite into the best selections of hair conditioners, shampoos, and other hair products. Check them out and find out why they work.
How to Get a Hair Treatment
Noticed an unpleasant hair situation taking form? Don’t worry. A nutritious intervention is what your hair really needs. Today, getting a hair treatment is no trouble especially with the different options available. Here are four of the best ways to do it.
1 | Visit a Hair Expert
Go to a salon near you and have a chat with your stylist. Tell the stylist about the hair problem that’s bugging you. Then let the hairstylist analyze your hair and give a recommendation. If you already have identified the best solution to your hair situation, then you can probably ask for that specific hair service right away. Otherwise, seeking a hair expert’s advice is better than taking it into your own hands.
2 | Go to a Clinic
Mild scalp problems such as dandruff and dryness can be treated with shampoos and bottled scalp treatments. For scalp infections and other serious conditions, seeing a dermatologist is the best thing to do. You will get a more professional diagnosis for your condition and proper treatment or prescription as well.
3 | Buy in Stores
Beauty stores and beauty sections of department stores typically sell various brands of hair treatment products. When you choose to go down this alley, make sure that you know what you are looking for. Have a clear idea of what type of product you are buying. You can have a consultation with a hairstylist before coming. Otherwise, you can ask the store attendants for assistance. But there is no guarantee that they know much about the product unless they are official brand representatives.
What’s good about buying in stores is you get to pay less, compared to paying for salon services. You also get to keep the product for your next use.
4 | Order Online
Since the birth of online stores, looking for products you need has never been easier. Go to credible online stores such as Amazon who has a wide range of options. You can look for your favorite brand or simply type in the name of hair treatment you’re looking for. Similar to buying in a physical store, it’s best to have knowledge of the product you are buying.
When you receive the product, make sure to understand fully the instructions. Don’t use the product for anything it’s not intended for to avoid any mishap. It is best to conduct a patch test too, so you can test your sensitivity to the product especially when using it the first time.
Making Healthy Hair Last
After restoring the beauty of your hair with a hair treatment, it is important that you stick to a regular hair care routine and upkeep. Using products such as shampoos and conditioners helps maintain your hair’s gorgeous look. Avoiding the causes of your most-eluded hair dilemma will also preserve the effects of hair treatment. Using protective products such as heat protectant spray mitigates damage due to excessive heat.
Always make sure to look after the health of your hair. Have a regular hair treatment that fits your hair needs. This way, you are certain no hair damage can ruin your best hair moments.
Want some tips and tricks on how to keep hair healthy? Learn about the ‘6 Noticeable Signs of Healthy Hair and Scalp’ and the ‘5 Simple Ways to Get Soft and Shiny Hair’.
