How to Repair Chemically Damaged Hair at Home

Does your hair feel dry and damaged? Have you been using a lot of chemicals in your hair recently, perhaps from coloring, relaxing, or other chemical treatments? If your hair has been stripped of its natural goodness, there are many things you can do to restore it.  That is why we are here to tell you how to repair chemically damaged hair.

This article will help you decide if your hair has suffered from chemical damage. It will also give you tips to reverse this damage at home and make your hair soft, shiny, and manageable.

Table of Contents

• 1 How to Tell If Your Hair Is Chemically Damaged?
• 2 How to Repair Chemically Damaged Hair at Home?
  • 2.1 Use A Quality Shampoo With The Right Ingredients
  • 2.2 Apply The Right Conditioner
  • 2.3 Use Protein Hair Products
  • 2.4 Try Hot Oil Treatments
  • 2.5 Apply a Leave-in Conditioner
  • 2.6 Try Repairing Hair Masks
  • 2.7 Give Your Hair Time to Recover
• 3 Using Oleplex No.3 To Repair Damaged Hair
• 4 How to Prevent Your Hair from Further Damage
• 5 Conclusion: How to Repair Chemically Damaged Hair?

How to Tell If Your Hair Is Chemically Damaged?

The following are the telltale signs of chemically damaged hair. If you notice one or more of these problems, then chances are your hair is chemically damaged.

• Hair loss or shedding which could result in thinning or balding in certain areas.
• Hair that feels dry and brittle.
• Lack of moisture.
• Hair easily breaks, and split ends are visible.
• Hair is hard to detangle after it has been conditioned (matted hair).
• Itchy scalp.
• Hair looks dull and lacks natural shine.
• Lack of elasticity, if your hair snaps upon pulling when wet (protein deficiency).

How to Repair Chemically Damaged Hair at Home?

If your hair is damaged by the chemicals in your hair care products, it is possible to improve its condition and repair broken hair follicles at home. Simply follow these steps to repair your hair. You’ll have your hair feeling soft and subtle and looking great again in no time.

Use A Quality Shampoo With The Right Ingredients

The first step in repairing damaged hair is to ensure that you are using a good quality shampoo with the right ingredients. Choose a shampoo that is sulfate-free and has been formulated especially for damaged hair. This type of shampoo can be used if you wash your hair frequently.

A sulfate-free shampoo is a lot gentler on the skin and hair. This is great if you have a sensitive scalp or damaged hair as it causes less irritation. It is also a good product to use if you have dyed hair as this type of shampoo reduces the color fading process, which will make your dyed hair hold its color for longer.

Another benefit of sulfate-free shampoo is that it helps to reduce hair loss as well as frizziness. It will help to repair brittle hair and give your hair a healthy appearance.

When it comes to reversing damage, you should use shampoos with reparative and strengthening ingredients like keratin and biotin. It is also important to look for some moisturizing ingredients, such as coconut oil, or jojoba oil.

The frequency of washing depends on the type and texture of your hair. For example, if your hair is coarse or tightly coiled, you may need to wash it once a week. This is because your curly hairs make it hard for oils to move along from the follicles and build upon the tips. If you have straight and fine hair, oil build-up may be fast, requiring several washes in a week.

Apply The Right Conditioner

Chemically damaged hair will require regular maintenance to restore it to perfect condition. Shampoo can remove natural oils from your hair, so you should condition your locks with a good quality conditioner after shampooing.

Choose a conditioner that contains nourishing and strengthening ingredients; this will help to repair damaged hair. Conditioners that have been specifically designed for use on dry and damaged hair contain essential oils such as olive, coconut, or argan. These work amazingly well on hair that’s been chemically damaged. Use the conditioner on the tips and lower half of your hair strands.

Use Protein Hair Products

Your hair’s outer layer is made of a naturally occurring protein called Keratin. We have varying amounts of Keratin in our hair. When your hair suffers chemical damage, Keratin is lost. Protein-based products work on the hair from the outside and help repair it by coating your hair shafts and strengthening them to prevent breakage.

After using a quality protein-based product, you’ll notice that your hair is stronger and shinier. However, remember that it’s all about balance when it comes to protein treatments. It is advisable not to overuse protein products; otherwise, your strands can become weak, dry, and brittle. Once or twice a month is more than enough.

Try Hot Oil Treatments

Hot oil treatments help protect and nourish dry and brittle hair by sealing the hair cuticle. These plant-based oils are extracted from almond, coconut, argan, and olive. Olive oil is particularly beneficial as it softens hair and replenishes moisture if your hair is dry and brittle.

The following are the other benefits of hot oil treatments:

• Increase hair strength.
• Reduce frizz.
• Reduce hair and scalp dryness.
• Helps replenish moisture and elasticity.
• Reduce split ends.
• Increase blood flow in the scalp, for enhanced hair health.

It is essential to shop for natural oils, which do not have synthetic ingredients.

Apply a Leave-in Conditioner

You may underestimate the role played by leave-in conditioners in nourishing and moisturizing your hair. Leave-in conditioners contain water, which is critical for moisturizing your hair.

Unlike shampoos or regular conditioners, leave-in conditioners serve several crucial roles, including detangling, taming frizz, softening, and preventing split ends and hair breakage.

Try Repairing Hair Masks

There are many different hair masks available to help improve chemically damaged hair at home. Hair masks work in a similar way to conditioners, but they come with more moisturizing and reparative formulas. They can provide your hair with lots of benefits, including softening, hydration, boosting growth, promoting a healthy scalp, and adding shine to your hair.

When a hair mask is applied to your hair’s strands, the formula will deeply penetrate your hair and begin repairing any damage. Hair masks continue to work after you’ve rinsed your hair.

If you decide to try a hair mask, look for one that contains natural ingredients and has been specifically designed for color-treated and dry hair.

Give Your Hair Time to Recover

You must allow your hair the time it needs to recover and repair itself. This will generally depend on how damaged your hair was in the first place.

To give your hair the best chance of recovering quickly, apply hair care treatments such as protein, leave-in conditioners, or hair masks twice a week. Don’t be in too much of a hurry for your hair to be repaired as it can take time, especially if your hair has suffered from severe chemical damage.

Using Oleplex No.3 To Repair Damaged Hair

Olaplex No. 3 has become a favorite among people who want to maintain their hair at the optimum condition when using chemical treatments. Treating hair using chemicals comes with more risks, which must be mitigated upon.

Besides helping your hair to achieve your desired color, Olaplex No. 3 helps make your hair healthier, stronger, and shinier. Additionally, this product helps take care of hair damage from previous treatments and protects against further damage.

Olaplex No.3 helps repair the hair’s disulfide bonds, which are shattered when hair is bleached. You can be able to bleach your hair as often as you wish, without experiencing hair damage or loss when you use it.

Oleplex No.3 is a great product to use if your hair has been severely damaged from over-styling as well.

How to Prevent Your Hair from Further Damage

Once your hair has been restored to its former condition, you’ll likely be looking for ways to prevent further damage. The following tips can help.

Use a heat protection hair spray or serum before blow-drying or straightening your hair

When your hair is exposed to heat every time during styling, this can cause damage. You can help avoid hair damage due to heat by using a heat protectant and being cautious about the amount of heat used.

Use lower heat settings when blow-drying or straitening your hair

Use lower heat settings when blow-drying or straitening your hair to keep it in good condition as heat is one of your hair’s worst enemies. Heat can weaken your hair, making it susceptible to split ends or breakage. Therefore, it’s a good idea to lower the temperature slightly when using tools or stop using hot tools entirely if you don’t want to damage your hair.

If you have fine hair, it is more likely to suffer from damage since its strands are naturally weak. You should avoid using a hairdryer with a heat setting above Medium if you have fine hair.

Consider buying a hair straightener for damaged hair and a professional hair dryer that have adjustable temperatures. Take note that even coarse hair can suffer from damage if you use too high temperatures.

You can also air-dry your hair instead of using a hairdryer and limit your use of straighteners and other styling tools.

Avoid using harsh chemicals

Harsh chemicals are very abrasive and can irritate your scalp. An irritated scalp is sure to cause weak hair, which can potentially fall off. That’s why you may like to leave your hair its natural color for a while, rather than dying it, or you could use a sulfate-free hair-lightening shampoo. Avoid using too many hair care products as these contain harsh chemicals.

You could also avoid going to the swimming pool as chlorine can damage the condition of your hair.

Protect your hair from the sun

Prolonged exposure to the sun can be detrimental to your hair. Sun’s rays contain UVA and UVB light, which are capable of causing damage to the hair cuticle and other inner structures of a hair strand. Hair that is light-colored or that has been bleached is especially vulnerable to being damaged by the sun.

Signs of hair damage due to exposure to the sun include:

• Faded hair color.
• Frizzy hair.
• Weakened and thinning hair.
• Dry and brittle hair.
• Broken or split ends.

You should use SPF products such as hair sprays with SPF and wear a hat to help protect your hair from sun damage when out of the house.

Treat your wet hair with care

Wet hair is more delicate to handle than dry hair since the structure of hair strands is altered. Handle your hair strands gently after you shower to help prevent breakage.

Hairstylists recommend that you wait until your hair is properly dry before you brush it. This is because wet hair is more brittle, and if you brush it, it can break more easily. Wet hair can also be overstretched, which will damage the entire hair shaft.

It is also vital to use the right products on your damp hair including leave-in conditioners, lightweight gels, UV-ray protectors, and volumizing sprays.

Eat a healthy diet

A healthy diet plays a vital role in ensuring you have healthy hair. Eat a balanced diet that contains protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Make sure that you consume lots of healthy whole foods such as fruits and vegetables and whole grains.

Protein is vital in ensuring you have strong and healthy hair. Vitamins help protect against sun damage while iron promotes the growth of hair and protects against loss. Your scalp requires being healthy to avoid hair loss, which is why you should eat foods rich in selenium and zinc.

Drink plenty of water

Your body requires to be hydrated to support strong and healthy hair. Your hair cannot grow when you are dehydrated since mineral and vitamin absorption requires water. Additionally, taking plenty of water is key to preventing dandruff.

Sleep on a silk pillowcase

You can enhance the health of your hair by sleeping on a silk pillow. Silk pillowcases help to reduce frizz and keep your hair in good condition.

In addition, silk has a super smooth texture, which makes it possible for hair to glide over without any friction. When you sleep on a silk pillow, you are less likely to wake up with tangles and curly hair. Using a silk pillow helps preserve hairstyles like blowouts and braids for longer.

Trim Your Split Ends

Split ends make your hair look damaged, dull, and lifeless. Split ends also hinder the growth of your hair due to the development of ‘feathers’ at the tips. Trimming split ends will make your hair look even.

Hairdressers often recommend that you have your hair trimmed every six to eight weeks, but you can discuss it with your hairdresser to decide what’s right for your hair.

Conclusion: How to Repair Chemically Damaged Hair?

Unfortunately, you can’t go back in time and undo the damage that’s been done to your hair. But you can follow the above tips to repair your chemically damaged hair at home and then change your habits to help keep your hair in good condition. This way, you will not have to worry about how to have healthy and strong hair without having to spend a significant amount of money going to the salon.

If you haven’t seen any improvements after a few weeks, you may like to get a professional treatment at the hairdresser. You could also get an appointment with your doctor, who can check that you don’t have any underlying medical conditions. A dermatologist can also help you improve your hair’s condition, especially if you’re having problems with your scalp.