Nowadays everyone wants to be on top of their hair game, with the latest styles, colours and cuts. New techniques and trends are popping up constantly and between trying them all and neglecting proper care, it’s no wonder our hair starts looking like a used floor mop. Here we have delved deeper into some common hair care problems that you might encounter and offer solutions on how to fix them. 

Hair Breakage

Hair breakage is one of the worst things that can occur to your hair, yet one of the most common issues. Overdoing it with heat tools such as straighteners, curlers and hair dryers, as well as over processing your hair with bleach and other chemicals are the leading causes of hair breakage. In most cases, the break doesn’t happen at the root, but instead, along the hair or towards the ends, at its weakest point where it usually has an overaccumulation of bleach or hair relaxers. The end result? Chunks of hair breaking either whilst brushing or washing, creating uneven pieces of hair typically with shorter pieces at the front.

Unfortunately, deep conditioning is not an instant, miraculous fix since the hair is, at this point, too damaged to be salvageable. Cutting the hair is the number one solution since doing so will ensure that most of the damaged ends are cut off, while it will even it all out. Of course, this could mean quite a hefty chop but it is necessary in order to allow the hair to grow strong again.

Staying away from harsh chemical procedures is also a must as most breakages occur after continuous chemical use. Giving yourself a bleach break and going darker might not be what’s trending, but it’s what’s needed.

Dryness

Dry hair is something that almost everyone with hair past their shoulders complains about. The dryness can result from simple sun exposure, lack of conditioning or simply due to its natural hair texture that makes it more dry. Dryness can also be caused after using too much bleach since it tends to remove the natural moisture of the hair if left on too long, giving it a very dry, bristle-y feel. You’ll know if your hair is damaged if it takes too long to dry. Since the hair has no moisture left in it, it will try to cling to the water for as much as possible. 

As always, prevention is better than cure, so here are a few simple steps to follow.

• Avoid drying out your hair when spending a day at the beach by adding a UV sun protector to your ends which will help protect your hair from sun damage.
• Deep conditioning your hair on a weekly basis will also inject moisture back into your hair. A good treatment mask may not be a magic cure for all your hair problems, however, it can do wonders to dry ends while it can help you maintain the hair’s natural condition.

• When dyeing your hair opt for a brand which contains aloe vera, since it adds moisture into the hair along with the pigment. And if you’re dyeing your own hair, make sure you leave the dye on for the recommended time. Leave it on for too long will open up the hair cuticle way too much, giving it a dry feel.
• Rinsing off the hair with cold water after each wash seals moisture into the hair cuticle leaving it looking shinier than using hot water.
• Using serums and oils on the ends after a wash moisturises the hair.

Frizziness

Whether your hair is naturally super frizzy or you just happen to live in a humid place, hair frizz is one of the most annoying hair issues to have to tackle, mainly because it has a mind of its own. Frizz occurs when small strands of hair do not align properly with the rest of the hair and what happens instead is it stands right up or curls.

If your hair is naturally frizzy, conditioning it with specially designed conditioners can help weigh it down. Pomades, gels and waxes also help keep the small hairs at bay and permanent treatments such as the keratin treatment help reduce the frizziness for longer periods of time.

In humid places, moisture in the air causes the hair to swell up, starting to twist and bend, causing the so-called unwanted halo effect. If this is what’s happening in your case, it’s best to use humidity repellants or blockers. Yet, frizz can also occur in damaged hair. When the hair breaks, the short ends curl up and away from the rest of the hair, creating this unpleasant look. Again, avoiding heat and harsh chemicals is the best option to keep the hair healthy and frizz free.

Colour fading

This process is expected with all coloured hair and although it might not be a hair care problem as such, it is often the result of one. When hair is dyed, pigment goes into the hair, giving it a different colour. With time, these pigments start falling out and slowly the colour fades. Although this happens in most cases, dye fades much quicker when it comes to porous hair because the cuticles are not closed properly, which means that when it is dyed, the colour is absorbed quickly but is also lost as quickly.

To help maintain the colour, most especially if it’s a bright, vivid or a pastel one, it’s important to use the right shampoos. Your stylist will be able to recommend a good colour save shampoo and conditioner. In addition, when showering, use warm water instead of hot, while you may want to utilize toning-conditioners that will help refresh your colour in between salon visits. These are highly pigmented conditioners, most commonly red, copper and purple that are applied whilst showering, they are left on for a bit and they are then rinsed out. Such conditioners act as a temporary dye to keep the colour fresh at home.

For super porous hair, make sure you deep condition it by using leave in-conditioners to help ‘close’ the hair and prevent colour from fading. What’s more, colour also fades when using hot tools such as straighteners so make sure you use them in a low-temperature setting.

Hair Loss

Hair loss is a common and very unfortunate hair problem present in both genders which can be caused by different factors. Male/Female pattern baldness is hair loss that can occur as people age. In males, their hairline starts receding backwards, whereas in females, their parting starts broadening. 

Alopecia areata is a type of spot (patchy) baldness caused when the body attacks its own hair follicles, resulting in small patches of hair falling out. Traction Alopecia is also a type of hair loss caused mainly when the hair is pulled frequently in the same direction such as when wearing a tight ponytail or bun. Other causes of hair loss can be hereditary, medication, stress, dietary changes and other factors.

The best way to fix hair loss is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Avoid tight, repetitive hairstyles, take care when brushing and washing as rubbing it too hard can cause hair to fall or break. Sudden changes to your diet can also cause the body to shed more hair than it should, so take care when trying certain weight loss diets and ideally consult with a nutritionist beforehand. Wearing extensions for prolonged periods of time can pull too much on your hair, so consider whether you should go for clip-ons or bonded ones and make sure you remove clip-ons when going to sleep to give your hair a break.

If hair loss is already present, it might be best to try different hairstyles to cover up any bald patches. If your hair is becoming sparse around the hairline, part it down the centre and let it hang to frame your face. If on the other hand you have patchy hair loss, avoid braids and tight hairstyles and opt instead for loose curls, hair accessories and messy styles and perhaps you’d like to try hair growth serums and vitamin pills which can help increase hair growth.

An easier and full-proof option for any type of hair loss is wigs and glue-on hair pieces. Wigs offer a full head of hair, in any colour, length and thickness and can be put on and removed quickly. For male baldness, glue on hair pieces can be an option where the top portion of the head is shaved off completely and a hairpiece of the same colour and texture is glued on and styled to the person’s liking. The hair piece is removed once the hair underneath starts growing out.

Although hair is often regarded as an element with which we can make a fashion statement, while we often tend to believe that it is replaceable, in reality, we tend to forget that it takes years to grow and it needs proper care and love to maintain its length, texture and health. And although wigs, extensions and hair dyes are all there to make us look and feel better, nothing beats the feeling of natural, strong and healthy hair.

Whether you need further advice or would like to purchase good quality hair care products, these hair salons can certainly help you out.

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