PROBLEM: HEAT DAMAGE
FIX: “As scary as losing length is, especially if you are growing long hair, this is the only way to sort this issue out. Give your stresses a break, stop using any heat styling tools until your hair’s health is restored,” Betito Ebengo, Head Stylist ORS SA
PROBLEM: SPLIT ENDS
FIX: When hair is damaged, the cuticle begins to crack and expose its internal cortex. Once the internal structure of a strand of hair is exposed, it quickly becomes weak and dry, leading to split ends. Depending on where it is located on the hair shaft, a split end can frizz and travel quite a bit along the hair shaft. While the only real way to get rid of split ends is to cut it off, there are several things you can do between to improve the appearance of the damage and prevent more cracks to occur. “A deep conditioning split finishing hair mask can help strengthen the hair shaft and reduce damage,” advises Betito.
PROBLEM: COLOUR DAMAGE
EXPERT TIP: Always conduct a Skin Allergy Test. “Behind the ear and using a cotton-bud, apply a small quantity of the unmixed colourant product sufficient to cover an area of 1 to 2cm (size of a small coin). Leave for 48hrs without washing, covering or touching. If during this time you develop a rash or skin sensitivity, redness or swelling in around the test area. You must refrain from using the colour,” says Head Stylist at Lóreal Insitute, Hansen Ndabeni.
FIX: Stop chemical colour treatment while restoring the hair’s health. Bleaching agents can cause more damage than what has already taken place. You need fresh approaches to colour the hair, such as ammonia and semi-permanent formulas
PROBLEM: DAMAGED EDGES
FIX: Skip wigs! Your hair needs oxygen to thrive and grow. When you smother your hair with a heavy wig, you cut the oxygen supply and shrink the cuticle, weakening each hair strand. Avoid hairstyles that stress your hair. Braids, cornrows, weave, tight buns, and even simple ponytails can put stress on your hairline. Keep your hair down to reduce the amount of stress placed on your follicles.
EXPERT TIP: “Steaming your hair is one way of promoting hair growth: - steam helps in reducing hair breakage by increasing moisture levels and increase the penetration of treatments which leads to richer, shiner, healthy hair,” advises Hansen
Use the right shampoo. There are plenty of shampoos that claim to regrow hair, but some work better than others. Apply hair oil on your hairline often and moisturize as often as possible.
