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5 Easy Tips to Make Dry Hair Shine with Vitality

Hi Kim,

Hair gets dry and dull-looking for a number of different reasons. There could be genetic factors involved, dietary deficiencies (low levels of Vitamin B, inadequate essential fatty acids, lack of proteins) and/or bad lifestyle practices. To repair and prevent dry brittle hair, you have to make a few simple changes to your daily routine to add shine and put moisture back into your crowning glory.

Make Dry Hair Soft and Silky Smooth

1. Stay Away from Frequent Hair Coloring

While color treatments can give you an exciting new look and bring out your unique personality, coloring your locks too much or too often can dry out hair, especially if bleach in part of the process.

If you want to color/dye your hair, I suggest you either wait till it becomes stronger and healthier, or use a no ammonia or low peroxide hair color that is gentler on dry damaged hair. And, how long you should wait before you color your hair again? The recommended time interval between hair colorings is a few weeks, about 2-3 months is ideal.

Popular hair color brands with ammonia free and low peroxide formula include Herbatint, L’Oreal Natural Match No-Ammonia Color-Calibrated Creme Hair Color, Clairol's Herbal Essences Bold 'n Brilliant Color, and Naturtint.

2. Avoid Intense Heat Sources When Using Hair Styling Appliances

Heat from styling tools – blow dryers, heat lamps, curling irons and flat iron – can damage your hair, stripping hair of its natural oils, leaving your hair dry and lack-luster.

If you have to blow dry your hair on a regular basis, make sure to hold the nozzle at least 5-6 inches away from your head and use a medium/cool setting. And, avoid direct air flow at any one section for more than a few seconds at a time. It's also a good idea not to blow dry your hair until completely dry; it's best to leave a little moisture in.

Consider other alternatives to heat styling such as air drying, wet wraps, pin curls and steam rollers.

Also, be aware that ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun, and tanning beds, as well as pool chemicals can wreak havoc on your hair. To protect your mane from chlorine damage, always clarify your hair after a swim. Clarifying shampoo helps remove chlorine, salt and other hair buildup.

3. Protect Your Hair While You Sleep

Did you know that your cotton pillow cases and sheets can damage dry hair further when you toss and turn in your sleep? While you sleep, your hair rubs against the pillow or sheets, creating friction. The friction can result in hair breakage, split ends and dryness.

To keep unwanted friction from destroying your tresses, protect hair by wearing a sleeping cap, scarf, or use pillowcases made from soft smooth fabrics such as silk or satin. Unlike cotton or wool, silk and satin are much gentler on dry hair. They allow hairs to slide smoothly when you move in your sleep and hence less likely to snag hair fibers.

4. Avoid Over-Shampooing

Washing your hair every day or more is not necessarily a good thing. Research suggests that over-shampooing can wash out natural protective oils and moisture, causing your hair to become dry.

You should wash your hair, about 3-4 times a week to help your scalp produce natural oils. If daily shampooing is unavoidable, especially during hot summer months or after a fitness workout, make sure you use a mild low pH shampoo, don't scrub your scalp too much and use only cool water.

To avoid the adverse effects of over-shampooing, always follow up with a good quality hair conditioner after shampooing.

5. Condition Hair Daily

Conditioners are a must if you desire shiny, silky hair. Conditioning dry hair every single day keeps it soft, bouncy and well-moisturized.

Simply apply a generous amount of conditioner on your hair and cover with a plastic shower cap or saran wrap. Make sure to towel dry or gently squeeze excess moisture out of your hair before applying conditioner as water can dilute its concentration and stop it from working effectively. Then leave it on as long as possible to allow deep conditioning.

For severely dry hair, deep condition at least twice a week. You might also want to consider salon conditioners that contain high-quality proteins which penetrate deeper into the hair shaft and lock in moisture. They might be a bit more expensive than those in the drugstores but trust me, it doesn't take much time before you see and feel the difference they make.

And, since you mentioned that olive oil does very little to improve dry hair problem, I highly recommend you try out this incredible product – Moroccan oil. It absorbs into the hair very quickly to give you immediate shine and strengthening benefits. Moroccan oil has a lovely fragrance that dissipates fast after application and it doesn't feel greasy at all.

By Tiffany Moore

My hair is dry and the ends look brittle even though I avoid chemical treatments. I've tried to soften it with olive oil once a week and conditioners don't seem to make my dry, coarse hair smooth either. I want my hair to look very shiny and silky, and manageable. Any solutions/tips to fix dry damaged hair problems? – Kim, Montreal.

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