How To Care For Dry Hair? Don’t Make These 10 Mistakes I Did!

Are you wondering how to get rid of dry hair? Do you dream of silky and smooth hair? Do you really know how to care for dry hair? Dry damaged hair occurs when your hair doesn’t get enough moisture. Maybe all you need to do is check out my 10 big mistakes and take some action.

My mistakes can be your best dry hair care tips!

One of the factors to define your hair type is to know your hair’s moisture level. That’s pretty easy. All you have to do is to determine if you have dry, oily or combination hair (which is usually oily scalp and dry ends).

My hair is dry and I’m going to share with you the mistakes I’ve made with my hair care in the past. It would be silly of me not to stop doing them, since now I know how bad they are for my hair’s health.

In this 1st part*, I’m going to elaborate on the 5 mistakes I’ve made in the past while washing and conditioning my dry hair. All these are bad habits that led my hair to dryness or made it difficult for my hair to hold on to its moisture.

So let’s see how to care for dry hair!

(…by avoiding my mistakes!)

1) I was washing & conditioning my hair with the wrong products.

My hair was pretty damaged for several reasons, but the most obvious was the constant use of the hair straightener. My hair strand was breaking too easily so I thought I had to use shampoos and masks to restructure and give strength to my hair. You know, like the ones that are fortified with keratin.

However, I wasn’t aware that too much protein can make my hair feeling dry, frizzy and rough as well! Furthermore, I didn’t check the pH level of my hair care products, if they contained alcohol or harsh detergents. And I also forgot all about moisturizing it. Now I know that balance is the key!

Do you need a natural DIY hair mask recipe for dry hair? Here I have 3 choices for you.

2) I wasn’t having regular oil-based pre-poo hair treatments…if any!

Now I know that applying oil before shampooing helps my hair in two ways:

a) prevents stripping all the natural oils which my scalp hardly produces.
b) helps the hair shaft not to expand from excessive intake of water.

Oil-based pre-poo hair treatments nourish and hydrate the hair.

Oils that are able to penetrate the hair shaft can perform even better in holding the moisture in. Penetrating oils such as coconut oil, babassu oil, olive oil or avocado oil can protect the protein structure by making it water-repelling.

From my research I found out that the best oil for dry and damaged hair is coconut oil.

How to care for dry hair? Use oils!

I use coconut oil and I love it, but my hair loves olive oil even more! So you’ll have to find out what’s your hair’s favorite too!

Note: oils have different penetrating properties, some penetrate even better when heat is applied, while others don’t penetrate at all and work as sealants.

Dry hair needs the hydration, but what it doesn’t need is to swell by taking on too much water fast and losing it too quickly as well. That’s exactly what happens, especially if your hair shaft is highly porous. Dry damaged hair is usually highly porous!

Easy test to check out the porosity level:
Place a clean hair strand in a bowl of water.
-It’s high, if it sinks quickly.
-It’s normal, if it takes some time to sink.
-It’s low, if it floats near the top.

DOWNLOAD FOR FREE THE GUIDE

“15 DO’s WHEN HAVING A PRE-POO HAIR TREATMENT”

(click on the image)

You’ll find all the essential and practical secrets when having a pre-poo hair treatment at home.
Don’t miss it!

3) I was shampooing my hair with hot water.

In the past, when I didn’t really know how to care for dry hair, I wasn’t really paying much attention to how cold or hot was the water I used to wash my hair. To be honest, after a stressful day at work all I wanted was to take a hot shower to relax. So using hot water on my head was the only option I guess!

But hot water can dry out the hair and scalp, making it frizzy and prone to breakage.

Therefore, I use lukewarm water to shampoo and after the mask or conditioner treatment I rinse it with cold water to seal the cuticle and prevent frizziness. However, have in mind that cold water can reduce the volume of your hair.

I’m a pinnable image! Pin me!

4) I didn’t use any moisturizers.

Moisturizers are used to prevent the evaporation of water from the hair. They can be oils that seal the moisture in, or a mix of water and oils.

Check out this recipe of my favorite natural moisturizer for dry hair. It’s so easy to make it!

Moreover, humectants can act as moisturizers, since they help the moisture to stick on the hair.

Natural humectants, such as aloe, honey and glycerin, attract water from the air and hold on to water where an increased level of hydration is needed. They help to deliver moisture and nutrients to the scalp, as well. That’s why honey is so widely used in homemade masks!

5) I rarely used a leave-in conditioner, moisture sealant or heat protectant.

Can you imagine that I used the hair straightener all the time and I never used something to protect my hair from the heat? I don’t know what I was thinking, really!… (obviously I wasn’t thinking of how to care for dry hair!)

It’s best to opt for hair products that are creamy or oily, because these are the best textures for dry hair. Don’t forget them! You need to apply something to protect the hair and keep the moisture too.

If your hair is dry then your scalp isn’t producing enough of its natural oils (sebum) to moisture the hair too. Therefore, the hair has no natural lubrication and it needs your help.

In addition, dry hair which is usually highly porous is letting moisture escape. That’s why you need to coat your hair with an oil, such as jojoba oil or argan oil, or use a hair product designed to lock the moisture.

Leave-in conditioners help cuticle’s layers to close while keeping them tightly together, in order not to lose the moisture.

If you have dry & frizzy hair, check out more reasons why!

* I wanted to elaborate on my mistakes and not simply name them to provide more value to you, so the article became too long for one read. That’s why I decided to divide it in 2 parts.

Check out Part 2: The Best Dry Hair Care Tips?

Are you doing any of these 5 mistakes? Which is the one that you think you must stop doing right now?

To You With Love.

Would You Like To Share It With Your Friends? That Would Be Awesome!