I’m so honored to be in my favorite beauty magazine, New Beauty for The Beauty Report Issue sharing my tips on how to protect your hair from breakage! I always had beautiful, shiny hair until 2 years ago when I started getting addicted to color and last year when a stylist damaged my hair to the brink of daily tears. On the upside I learned and tried everything about how to fake it until your hair grows out and fix/prevent further damage.
Since I give a quick Q&A for the magazine, I wanted to dive into the subject more and what products you should look for since a lot of you have this issue. Lack of moisture can be a big cause of breakage and damaged hair. while there isn’t a shortage of hair strengtheners, split end menders, oils (bows down to Leonor Greyl), hair masks (Shea Moisture, and Kerastase are gold), and supplements (Nutroful is my ride or die) on the market, when addressing hair health and growth, I wanted to share additional tips that often get overlooked.
1. Trade in your towel for a microfiber towel or soft tee shirt. Your hair is most vulnerable when it’s wet which is why you should never dry your hair aggressively with a towel. Microfiber towels are more absorbent and gentler on strands. I’ve been using Aquis for over a decade so I’m partial to them (they come in a bunch of colors), but any brand should be fine. Alternatively you can also use a soft tee shirt, just be very gentle if you’re using a towel.
2. Stay away from hair elastics and opt for hair clips or ties that are gentler and use words like tug-free on the packaging. We make fun of scrunchies, although they are supposed to be making a come back, I personally sleep in a silk scrunchy (we don’t go out in public) and it’s best for preserving a blow-out. Grace Eleyae is a super cool brand, they have silk scrunchy and also silk inside baseball and beanie hats and silk turbans to protect your hair. Genius! Silke also makes a line of BEAUTIFUL silk hair wraps.
3. Sleep on a silk (satin works too) pillowcase! This is also better for your skin as well. It doesn’t absorb product the same way cotton can and is more gentle on your hair. Slip is really chic and comes in a bunch of colors and is so soft and luxe. Alternatively there’s The Hollywood Silk Solution or Starlet Satin, which are are great as well and boost hair and skincare benefits.
4. Use a heat protectant. In a perfect world you’re not using a hair dryer, curling or flat iron. If that’s not a reality using a heat protectant and ideally a low heat setting is your best alternative. I’m not loyal to one brand, but I do love Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil UV Protective Dry Oil Finishing Spray (which is very light or the original Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Primer), Amika Blockade Heat Defense Serum, and Alterna Caviar CC Cream all for different reasons.
5. Find products that restructure hair. I love peptides in skincare because they restructure the skin and when I my hair was ruined by a devil hairstylist last year with a color mishap, the stylists that tried to help me fix it (and others that gave me blowouts would tell me to get hair products that restructure my hair — one even recommended Infusium, which I have not tried yet). I didn’t really register what ‘restructuring meant’, I just assumed moisturizing products I tried Seven Kente Bond Shampoo, Conditioner and Reparative Spray and OH MY GAWD did it breathe life into my otherwise dead hair #notsponsored. I’d never heard of this brand, and I randomly went to an event where they were doing blow-outs — Portia de Rossi is the face of the line (Arrested Development for life!), and it literally changed my hair. Then I looked it up and it talked all about how it resturctures and the light bulb went off. If you are super dry or damaged hair (they have other hair lines as well for strands that don’t need to be resuscitated), definitely check this line out.
6. Invest in a showerhead filter. Have you ever noticed that your hair looks different when you travel, even though you’re using the same products? A lot of that has to do with the water, which can contain chlorine or other harmful impurities that can weigh down hair and dull skin. We filter our drinking water, same should apply for our showers! I use T3 (they have a showerhead and handheld version), there are more affordable ones at Home Depot but they’re amazing — just change out the filters every 3-4 months.
7. Supplements – the general consensus is biotin is a band-aid and not enough (although a great active in a larger supplement). From the million of stylists I talked to the recommendations are always Nutrafol and Viviscal as the best. I’ve only used Nutrafol and it makes my hair grow so fast! It also has turmeric in it, which is great for inflammation in addition to hair loss. I did also get a BioSil endorsement from a hair stylist that’s been using it for 6 years which is also on my radar now. Keep in mind it’s a minimum of 3 months before you’ll see any results with a hair supplement so see it through if you try one.
8. Never brush your hair when it’s wet or if you do take it slow and be gentle. Hair is most vulnerable when it’s wet.
9. Get regular hair treatments, ideally Olaplex treatments and have conversations with your stylist.