Dead hair shaft, keratinized skin particles. The living structure is the root: inside the cells divide, allowing the hair to grow. The health of curls, their appearance, and often their density depends on whether the roots receive the necessary nutrition. In human skin, in the root zone, there are sebaceous glands: they produce oil. This is a natural lubricant that envelops the scales of the hair shaft, lubricating it so that it is not frizzy, split, split, lies flat, smooth and shiny.
If the hair roots receive a sufficient amount of vitamins, and the sebaceous glands work without fail, then even long hair will have sufficient nutrition, it will look healthy and beautiful. But if some internal processes are disturbed or there are external irritants, the strands begin to split, break, become lifeless, dry, become too electric, lose luster, elasticity, and sometimes resemble straw.
You can restore damaged hair without delving into the reasons that provoked negative changes. But if you identify and then eliminate unfavorable factors, you will get long-term effects and more significant results. If not, the situation will soon return, which means you need to take action again.
Causes of hair damage
Outside, the hair shaft is protected by a layer of small scales, the cuticle. These scales fit closely to each other, which causes the hair to remain smooth, and all the vitamins, nutrients, and moisture are retained in it. Hair is considered damaged if the cuticle has been partially destroyed, for example, if some scales have peeled, opened or raised. As a result, flexible elastic rods lose the necessary water and become less durable.
Conversely, the cuticle is damaged if there is a lack of fatty lubricants. He can no longer hold and attach the scales, they fall off, the stem remains unprotected, and the moisture contained in it quickly evaporates.
Let's look at the most common reasons that cause a lack of fatty lubrication and subsequent damage to the cuticle.
Lack of vitamins and microelements
When the roots receive the vitamins and microelements they need, they supply them to the rest of the hair shaft. The vitamin also helps regulate the function of the sebaceous glands, that is, it provides a strong protective film on the cuticle.
All vitamins and microelements are important for health, but if you first want to take care of your hair, see if you have a deficiency of vitamins A, B, C, D, E. Vitamin A (retinol) improves the condition of the scalp, group B vitaminsnormalizes sebum production, accelerates the process of cell division, C (ascorbic acid) and D are beneficial for hair follicles, E helps the body absorb better. vitamins listed. Also see if you have a deficiency of zinc, copper, iron, calcium, selenium, manganese, silicon, phosphorus, because they help the hair retain moisture and have a good effect on the condition of the sebaceous glands.
Add fish oil, beef liver, meat (white, red), fatty fish, carrots, broccoli, herbs, sea buckthorn, bell pepper, citrus fruits, nuts, beans, buckwheat, oats, eggs, milk, vegetable oil to the dietyou.
Take a multivitamin complex after illness, as well as at the end of winter and spring, when the amount of useful elements in food decreases. Hair is one of the first structures that suffer from a lack of microelements, because it is more important for the body to nourish the tissue on which life and health directly depend.
Lack of moisture
When the cuticle is damaged, the hair shaft loses the moisture it needs. But deficiency can occur for other reasons, for example, if there is not enough water in the body itself. If you don't drink the prescribed amount every day, this will negatively affect sebum production.
The recommendation is simple: drink about 2 liters of clean water every day - this is the universal amount. And if you want to calculate your personal norm, then multiply 30 ml by your weight. Increase your dose if you exercise or sweat a lot. You need to drink water: the body considers soup and juice as food, and coffee also causes dehydration. If plain water doesn't taste good, add mint, lemon or cucumber. Drink before meals, make sure to drink a glass on an empty stomach as soon as you wake up.
When there is a lack of moisture, the body behaves as if it lacks vitamins, that is, it first normalizes the functions of the most important organs.
Eating dangerous food
The amount of nutrients is minimal in fatty, fried, spicy foods, bread, baked goods, sugary sodas and alcohol. If you eat such food or drink alcohol, the body will feel full, but will not receive micronutrients that are important for functioning. But do not think that you can eat unhealthy food and drink a multivitamin complex to compensate for vitamin deficiency. The fact is that this product contains elements that narrow blood vessels, negatively affect hormone levels, increase blood pressure, and put additional stress on the body. Even the supply of vitamins from outside will not be able to neutralize the danger.
Sometimes you can allow yourself to eat something fatty or spicy, but you can't get carried away.
Smoking
Tobacco contains harmful substances in large quantities. It also narrows the blood vessels, so the small capillaries that feed the hair roots may become completely clogged, and the follicles will not receive the nutrition they need.
Improper care, aggressive hairdressing procedures
The cuticle can be damaged from the outside, for example, if it is too dry, injured or exposed to too high a temperature. The following are considered dangerous:
- Poor quality cosmetics. Perhaps the shampoo, conditioner or other product does not nourish the tissue enough, contains fewer vitamins than your strands need, is not suitable for your hair type, and therefore does not solve your problem with curls. It is important not to dry your hair, but it is also dangerous to moisturize it too much. If all the necessary fat comes from the outside, this will interfere with the natural function of the sebaceous glands. The solution is simple - choose the product that really suits you.
- Wash the wrong one. Don't wash your hair too often - this will only wash away the natural protective layer. Find your optimal frequency to wash your hair.
- Too hot. Curling irons, hot air dryers, straighteners, curling irons and other thermal 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 under the hot sun. Keep the use of heat devices to a minimum, take a break from them at least once a month, and use heat protection. If you use a hair dryer, choose a cool air setting and direct the wind in the direction of hair growth, that is, from root to tip - this will smooth the cuticle.
- An aggressive procedure. Perm, dyeing, highlighting, bleaching - such procedures destroy the structure of the hair. For example, the composition used in coloring lifts the cuticle scales to wash away the natural pigment. If you can't refuse an aggressive procedure, then dye only the regrown ends, use a good dye, and then use intensive care designed specifically for colored hair.
- Mechanical damage. You should not comb wet hair, rub it with a towel, use a hard brush, for example, a metal brush, always use tight elastic bands, hairpins, or keep a towel on your head for a long time.
Illness
The worst effects on the condition of the hair and scalp are anemia, hormonal changes, diseases of the digestive system and blood circulation. For example, if a person has a pathology of the gastrointestinal tract, then the vitamins and microelements contained in the food will not be fully absorbed and will not enter the bloodstream, and therefore, to the hair follicles.
Always monitor your health, see a doctor as needed, undergo an annual medical examination, and do not get chronic diseases.
How to restore damaged hair
Since the hair shaft is made up of dead cells, it cannot receive nutrition by itself; So it is important to take care of his health. You also need to restore the cuticle: if you don't glue the scales together, then all the vitamins that come from the roots still won't be stored in them.
Is it possible to restore hair at all?
Hair shafts are dead cells, they cannot be revived, and their nutrition depends only on the roots. If the moisture it needs is lost from the hair, it cannot be fully restored. It is believed that damaged locks need to be cut, and then work only with the hair follicle so that the growing strands are healthy and strong.
But not everyone is ready to cut short hair, so cosmetics come to the rescue. He has several duties:
- Accelerates hair growth. Even if you are not ready to part with the length, you will cut the ends more often, so you will gradually completely remove the damaged strands.
- Give vitamins to the roots. The hair that grows back will be healthy.
- Glue the cuticle scales together. This will be a temporary effect - the scale will still spread. But if you always use good cosmetics, they will always stick together.
If you want to quickly get rid of damaged hair, you cannot do without good cosmetics.
What cosmetics should I use?
- Shampoo. Look for products designed to restore damaged curls - this action is usually written on the packaging. It is good if the composition contains oil, glycerin, panthenol. Choose a shampoo based on your hair type and pH level. If you have dry hair, the acidity level of your hair wash should be below 5.
- Balm conditioner. Don't ignore it, because it is this product that covers the scales that appear, gives smoothness to the hair, and helps retain moisture. For dry hair, the pH of the balm should be 4 or lower. If the acidity level is not indicated, see what effect the product has. Nourishing conditioner ensures rapid growth of healthy hair, protective conditioner will help if you often use thermal styling tools and walk in the sun without a hat, conditioning conditioner will ensure easy combing, which is especially important for long, thick or thin hair, and conditionera color protectant will help maintain the color and therefore reduce the frequency of re-dyeing. Usually, the balm is only used on the length, without affecting the roots, but there are products that act directly on the skin - this is written on the label. Regardless of the effect, you need to leave the balm for a few minutes and then rinse.
- Mask. They cannot fill the hair follicles and hair shaft 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 only weigh down the hair, overfeed, disrupt the natural mechanisms of regulation, nutrition, and hydration. As a result, dependence on the mask may develop, and in some cases, even the opposite effect is possible: the product that should moisturize will eventually begin to dry the strands. And use the mask correctly: anti-hair loss products are used mainly on the scalp, and cosmetic masks are used on the entire length, 5-10 cm from the roots.
- Lotion, oil. Such products do not need to be washed, so they act on the hair continuously and restore it well. Oils and lotions are applied to damaged dry or wet ends after each hair wash and effectively combat the delamination of cuticle cells, that is, they help restore the hair structure. Many products have a cumulative effect, which increases if you use cosmetics continuously. But make sure that the oil does not weigh down your hair; otherwise, the strands will look greasy.
It is good if you use all the products, not just one, and it is better if you choose cosmetics from one line. Often, such products enhance the effect of each other, so you will get the desired result faster than if you use only one thing.
Home Treatment
The best effect is provided by proven professional products sold in pharmacies and specialized stores. But the effect can be increased with the help of folk masks: eggs, honey, fruit, yogurt, kefir, henna.
Herbal decoctions have proven themselves well, especially from nettle, burdock root, hop cones, burdock, dandelion, chamomile, birch leaves, string, sage, calendula, St. wort. John's wort, lemon balm, linden flower. Use it after washing your hair or every day. Prepare decoctions immediately before use; do not store it, because the beneficial substances contained in it are quickly destroyed.