3 Tips to Fight Hair Distress

Is your hair waving a white flag that screams “HELP ME?” Are you ignoring your hair’s silent plea for help? Hair distress is really common. Every day, I see my relaxed and natural hair clients with different degrees of hair distress.

In a nutshell, distressed hair is weakened hair. Hair distress can show up as hair breakage, dry brittle hair, or split ends. The most common distresses are caused by chemical and mechanical stressors. Chemical distress is typically cause by over-processing. This can be caused by color or straightening treatments or other chemical treatments. The typical culprits of mechanical distress are blow-drying, thermal irons, and everyday brushing.

Salon professionals can help you evaluate which distress is making your hair weak, dry and prone to breakage. As a trichologist, I can analyze your hair and scalp with a microscope to view any signs of distress or damage up close. For my clients, I compare the hair follicle before and after treatments.

Here are some tips that can protect your hair from distress when you are maintaining your hair at home between visits. 

  

Tip 1: Wrap and pin curl your hair each night. Making this ritual a part of your daily routing can really save your hair. When you wrap your hair in a circle it is really like a big pin curl. Once you get your pin curling technique down, you will learn how to vary the tightness of the curls. For those of you who prefer rollers, try using the pin curl method. Many types of rollers actually cause hair breakage.

Tip 2:  Don’t rush to relax. In general, relaxing every 8 to 10 weeks should be sufficient for most hair textures. If you hair is very fine or thinning, your best bet is to use heat to straighten your hair and avoid relaxers. For courser hair, you may want to relax more frequently (6 to 8 weeks).

It is important to wait until your hair has at least ½ inch to 1 inch of new growth before getting a touch-up. A salon professional can help you safely straighten your hair with heat while you wait for enough growth. The best hairstyling option is to choose a style that does not tempt you to over-process or use too much heat. Also, keep in mind, your hair craves moisture right before you need a relaxer so it may need a little extra TLC.

Tip 3: Be gentle while combing your hair. Make sure that you don’t comb natural hair too hard in an effort to detangle. If you hear your hair literally “popping,” you are damaging your hair by fracturing the hair shaft. To ease the stress from detangling, use a hair softener such as a Shea butter or keratin conditioning treatment. Also, try to opt to sit under a steamer of heat cap to allow the conditioner to fully penetrate your hair. Don’t be tempted to just apply an oil sheen product. When your hair is thirsty for moisture, oil-based products will only coat your hair. Take the time for a full deep treatment.

If you are dealing with hair distress now, take advantage of our August special for our Healthy Hair Distress Treatment System.