How to restore damaged hair?

Hair shafts are dead, keratinized skin particles. The living structure is the root: cells divide in the root, allowing hair to grow. The health, appearance, and density of your curls often depend on the roots getting the necessary nutrients. In the root area of human skin, there are sebaceous glands: they produce fat. This is a natural lubricant that coats the scales of the hair shaft and lubricates them so that they do not stand up, split, break, lie flat, and are smooth and shiny.If the hair roots get enough vitamins and the sebaceous glands work properly, even long hair can get enough nutrients and look healthy and beautiful. But if certain internal processes are disrupted or there is external stimulation, these threads can begin to split, break, become lifeless, dry out, become overcharged, lose their luster, elasticity, and sometimes even resemble straw.You can repair damaged hair without even delving into the cause of the negative changes. But if you identify and eliminate the negative factors, you'll get long-term results and more visible results. Otherwise, the situation will return quickly, which means you will have to take action again.

Causes of hair damage

On the outside, the hair shaft is protected by a layer of small scales, the cuticle. These scales fit tightly to each other so the hair remains smooth and all the vitamins, nutrients and moisture are retained inside. The hair is considered damaged if the cuticle is partially destroyed, for example if some of the scales fall off, open or rise. As a result, the flexible elastic rod loses the water it needs and becomes less durable.In turn, if there is a lack of fatty lubricants, the stratum corneum will be damaged. She can no longer hold and glue the scales, they fall off, the pole remains unprotected, and the moisture contained in it quickly evaporates.Let’s look at the most common causes of fatty lubricant deficiency and subsequent cuticle damage.

Lack of vitamins and trace elements

When the roots receive the required vitamins and trace elements, they provide them throughout the hair shaft. Vitamins also help regulate the function of sebaceous glands, that is, they provide a strong protective film on the stratum corneum.All vitamins and trace elements are important for health, but if you want to take care of your hair first, then see if you are deficient in vitamins A, B, C, D, E. Vitamin A (retinol) improves the condition of the scalp, B vitamins normalize sebum production and accelerate the cell division process, C (ascorbic acid) and D are good for hair follicles, and E helps the body better absorb the listed vitamins. Also look to see if you are deficient in zinc, copper, iron, calcium, selenium, manganese, silicon, and phosphorus, as these help your hair retain moisture and are great for the condition of your sebaceous glands.Add to your diet fish oil, beef liver, meat (white meat, red meat), fatty fish, carrots, broccoli, herbs, sea buckthorn, bell peppers, citrus fruits, nuts, legumes, buckwheat, oatmeal, Eggs, milk, vegetable oil.After illness and in late winter and spring, the content of useful elements in food decreases, so multivitamins should be taken. Hair is one of the structures most susceptible to micronutrient deficiencies, since 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 shaft loses the moisture it needs. But a lack of fluids can also occur for other reasons, such as if the body itself doesn't have enough water. If you don't drink the prescribed amount of water every day, it will have a negative impact on sebum production.The advice is simple: drink about 2 liters of clean water every day - this is the universal amount. If you want to calculate your personal standard, multiply 30ml by your body weight. If you exercise or sweat a lot, increase your dose. You need to drink water: The body treats soups and juices as food, and coffee can even cause dehydration. If plain water tastes bad, add mint, lemon or cucumber. Drink it before meals and be sure to drink it on an empty stomach after getting up.When there is a lack of water, the body behaves as if there is a vitamin deficiency, that is, it normalizes the functioning of the most important organs first.

eat harmful food

Fats, fried foods, spicy foods, breads, baked goods, sweetened sodas, and alcohol contain very few nutrients. If you eat such foods or drink alcohol, your body will feel full but will not absorb trace elements important for function. But don't think you can make up for vitamin deficiencies by eating unhealthy foods and drinking multivitamins. In fact, these products contain elements that constrict blood vessels, negatively affect hormone levels, increase blood pressure and cause additional stress on the body. Even an external supply of vitamins cannot eliminate this hazard.You can allow yourself to eat something greasy or spicy sometimes, but you shouldn't get carried away.

smoking

Tobacco contains a lot of harmful substances. It also constricts blood vessels, so the small capillaries that provide nutrients to the hair roots may even completely stick together and the hair follicles won't get the nutrients they need.

Improper care and aggressive hair care procedures

The stratum corneum can be damaged externally, for example, if it is excessively dry, injured, or exposed to excessive temperatures. The following content is considered harmful:

• Poor quality cosmetics. Maybe the shampoo, conditioner, or other product doesn't nourish the tissue enough, contains fewer vitamins than your hair needs, isn't suitable for your hair type, and therefore doesn't address frizz problems. It's important not to let your hair dry out, but over-moisturizing it can also be harmful. If all the necessary fat comes from outside, this will disrupt the natural function of the sebaceous glands. The solution is simple – choose a product that is exactly right for you.
• Improper washing. Don't wash your hair too often - this will only strip away the natural protective layer. Find the optimal frequency of washing your hair.
• overheat. Curling irons, hot air blow dryers, hair straighteners, curling irons and other heat 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 in the hot sun. Minimize the use of hot equipment, take at least one week off per month, and use heat protection measures. If you're using a hair dryer, choose the cool setting and blow the wind in the direction your hair grows, from roots to ends - this will smoothen the cuticles.
• Radical program. Perms, dyeing, lightening, bleaching – these procedures destroy the structure of your hair. For example, compositions used for coloring will lift the cuticle scales to wash away the natural pigments. If you can't resist radical surgery, then dye only the regrown ends, use a good dye, and then use an intensive treatment designed for dyed hair.
• Mechanical damage. Do not comb wet hair, rub with a towel, use a hard brush (such as a metal brush), frequently use tight elastic bands, bobby pins, or leave a towel on your head for long periods of time.

disease

The most serious effects on hair and scalp conditions are anemia, hormonal changes, and digestive and circulatory disorders. For example, if a person suffers from a gastrointestinal disease, the vitamins and trace elements contained in the food will not be fully absorbed and will not enter the bloodstream and thus the hair follicles.Monitor your health regularly, see your doctor as needed, get an annual physical, and avoid chronic diseases.

How to Restore Damaged Hair

Since the hair shaft is made up of dead cells, it cannot obtain nutrients on its own but only from the hair follicle. So it is important to take care of her health. You also need to restore the cuticle: if you don't glue the scales together, all the vitamins from the roots still won't stay inside.Is it possible for hair to fully recover?The hair shaft is a dead cell that cannot be resurrected and relies only on its roots for nutrition. If the moisture your hair needs is lost, it cannot fully recover. It is believed that damaged strands need to be cut and only the hair follicles treated in order to make the growing strands healthy and strong.But not everyone is ready to cut their hair short, so cosmetics can come to your rescue. She has several tasks:

• Accelerates hair growth. Even if you're not ready to cut off the length yet, you'll cut off the ends more often so that you'll gradually remove the damaged thread completely.
• Provides vitamins to the roots. The hair that grows back will be healthy.
• Glue the cuticle scales together. This will be a temporary effect - the scales will still fall apart. But if you keep using good makeup, they will keep sticking together.

If you want to get rid of damaged hair quickly, you cannot do without good cosmetics.What cosmetics should I use?

• Shampoo. Look for products designed to restore damaged curls - this is often written on the packaging. It would be great if the composition contains oil, glycerin, panthenol. Choose a shampoo based on your hair type and pH level. If you have dry hair, your shampoo should have an acidity level below 5.
• Conditioner Cream. Don't ignore it, as it's this product that seals raised cuticles, makes hair smooth, and helps retain moisture. For dry hair, the pH of the hair cream should be 4 or lower. If acidity isn't stated, check the product's performance. The nourishing conditioner ensures healthy and fast hair growth, the protective conditioner will help if you regularly use heat styling tools and walks in the sun without a hat, and the conditioning conditioner ensures effortless combing, which is great for long, thick hair. This is especially important if you have thin or thin hair, a color-protecting conditioner will help preserve color, thus reducing the frequency of re-dying. Usually, balms are applied only to the lengths and do not affect the roots, but some products act directly on the skin - this is written on the label. Regardless of the effectiveness, you'll want to leave the balm on for a few minutes before rinsing it off.
• mask. They do not fill hair follicles and hair shafts with moisture, but they actively nourish them and fill them with useful substances. But don’t use the mask too often – 2-3 times a week is enough. Otherwise, they will just weigh the hair down, overfeed it, and disrupt the natural mechanisms of conditioning, nutrition, and hydration. As a result, a dependence on the mask can develop, and in some cases, it can even have the opposite effect: products that are supposed to be moisturizing can end up starting to dry out your hair strands. Apply the mask correctly: anti-hair loss products are mainly applied on the scalp, and cosmetic masks are applied on the entire length, 5-10 cm away from the root of the hair.
• Lotions, oils. These products do not need to be washed out, so they continue to work on the hair and allow it to recover well. Oils and lotions applied to damaged dry or wet ends after every hair wash effectively combat the delamination of cuticle cells, that is, they help restore hair structure. Many products have a cumulative effect, which increases if you use cosmetics regularly. But make sure the oil doesn't weigh down your hair; don't apply too much or your strands will look greasy.

It would be great if you use all the products and not just one, even better if you choose cosmetics from the same range. In most cases, such products enhance each other's effects, so you'll get the results you want faster than using just one product.

home remedies

Proven, professional products sold in pharmacies and specialty stores provide the best results. But their effect can be supplemented with the help of folk masks: eggs, honey, fruits, yogurt, kefir, henna.Herbal decoctions have been shown to work well, especially nettles, burdock root, hops, burdock, dandelion, chamomile, birch leaves, thread, sage, calendula, St. John's wort, lemon balm, linden flowers. Use them after washing your hair or even every day. Prepare decoctions immediately before use; do not store them as the beneficial substances they contain are quickly destroyed.