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How to restore hair after unsuccessful home procedures: tips from a hairdresser
What if the quarantine experiments fail?
During the past self-isolation, we observed how girls en masse conducted experiments on their hair: someone dyed it in bright colors, others cut off their bangs, and still others curled their Instagram afro-curls. Such changes are not the easiest experience for hair, especially if they were done incorrectly, so after a season of experimentation, the recovery season should begin. Tatiana Lewinsky, a stylist-hairdresser at the Austrian health center Verba Mayr, revealed to Wday all the secrets of hair restoration after unsuccessful home procedures.
Hair stylist at the Austrian health center Verba Mayr
Each human hair is just a bundle of compressed protein with a small admixture of fat and traces of vitamins and minerals. It does not contain living cells and is supported only by the follicle, and the visible part of the rod has no metabolic activity. Taken together, however, hair can emit an almost mystical power – in terms of weight, their strength is comparable to that of steel.
About hair structure
There are three types of body hair:
lanugo;
cannon;
terminal.
It is the last type of hair that covers most of the head, so let’s take a closer look at its components. On the cut of the stem of the terminal hair, there are 3 layers: the cuticle, the cortical layer and the medulla. Each of them is responsible for the appearance of the hair, for its strength and elasticity. The cuticle is the outer protective layer of the hair that contains special proteins called keratins. This layer should ideally be smooth in appearance and reflect light. In simple words, it is this layer that is responsible for the outer shine of the hair. Unfortunately, it is he who is most susceptible to various damage. Most often, the cuticle is damaged due to mechanical, thermal, chemical influences or due to the environment. So, when the protective layer is chemically removed, for example, when exposed to an oxidizing agent during hair dyeing or perming, the hydrophobicity of the hair is lost. They become porous and vulnerable, the hair’s ability to stretch is lost, and its protective function is greatly reduced.
The cortical layer, or cortex, is responsible for all the mechanical properties of the hair shaft, that is, for strength and elasticity. But this layer is also highly susceptible to various types of effects, and is also dependent on the state of the cuticle. If damage to the outer layer appears, the cortex loses its ability to retain moisture, the hair becomes brittle, dull and fragile.
How to restore different types of hair?
Having figured out how our hair is arranged, let’s move on to the most interesting thing – hair restoration after an unsuccessful procedure. Hair, as you know, is different: straight, wavy and curly. They can absorb or lose moisture, change shape when wet or scratched. Depending on the characteristics of the hair, they need different care and restoration, since each hair is injured in a different way.
Girls with wavy hair it is worth paying special attention to moisturizing the hair, as they are more often exposed to high temperatures due to the use of straighteners.
Girls with straight hair more often suffer from a lack of volume, so they often resort to perms and other aggressive procedures. Because of this, the hair very quickly loses its vitality, becomes brittle and dry. Therefore, in the first place in the care for such hair should be moisturizing, nourishing products: conditioners, masks, hair milk.
Traditionally, if girls with straight hair try to curl them in all existing ways, then the owners of curly hair, on the contrary, dream of straightening them. But due to such manipulations, the hair suffers greatly, therefore:
it is undesirable to expose hair to high temperatures every day;
if you notice that split ends have begun to appear, and your hair is no longer as elastic as before, then products for intensive moisturizing and smoothness will come to the rescue again;
Curly hair can be revitalized with hot oils and protein products.
A tip that can be applied to any hair type, and it concerns staining. The wrong hair dye can ruin any, even the strongest and healthiest hair. That is why professionals do not advise changing the hair color on their own, even when it comes to simple painting over gray hair: often paint with a standard recipe is sold in stores, and for coloring the roots, you need to select the appropriate paint formulations. It is also important to take into account not only the structure of the hair, but also the sensitivity of the scalp, because if you overexpose the paint or choose too aggressive a composition, you risk getting burns.
Whatever your history of home experiments, we recommend entrusting the diagnosis to a specialist, because together with him you can return perfect hair.