Dry Hair? PK’s easy tips to banish Dry Hair Days!
‘Dry hair’ is perhaps one of the most frustrating hair woes. This is especially true in the summer when you have heat, sun, sea and chlorinated water to contend with. You can have the best colour, cut and hairstylist – but if your hair is dry it’s never going to look or feel its best. Thankfully though, there are many easy steps you can take to restore hydration, shine and health to your tresses. And also ways to keep it from getting dry and damaged in the first place.
MOISTURIZE
Dry hair lacks moisture. And this is what causes it to look dull and also to break easily. The best way to re-vitalise fragile, dry locks is to hydrate them with a leave in pre-shampoo conditioning treatment. What surprises many people though, is that daily shampooing can help with this too. Water is your hair’s most natural hydrator – it’s moisture, not oil content that keeps your hair supple. The use of a leave-in conditioning, protective spray can also be beneficial– acting as both a curative and preventative styling tool.
CONDITION
You should always use conditioner after you shampoo, but it’s especially vital if you have dry hair. Dry hair usually has a rough cuticle, which means it can’t reflect light well. Daily use of a post-shampoo conditioner for your hair texture will smooth your hair cuticle, giving you lovely light reflection and shine.
PROTECT FROM CHEMICAL PROCESSING
Dry hair is already fragile, so take extra precautions when you colour or highlight it. Make your stylist aware of your dry hair concerns and stress that you don’t want them to overlap previously bleached areas of hair. For extra protection and hydration, use an intensive moisturising mask 3 days before and then again after any colouring or bleaching.
UV PROTECTION
The summer is a great time to let your hair dry naturally and give it a break from heated styling aids. However, don’t leave your hair to dry in the sun. While the sun’s rays may be ‘natural’ they are just as damaging to your hair as bleach and can burn both your hair and scalp (just like they can burn your skin). ‘Natural’ can be a bit of a misleading word - after all, aren’t poison ivy, hemlock and bee stings ’natural’? If you’re going to sit in the sun all day, we suggest using a hair mask that contains UV protection, and then wash your hair at the end of the day. Philip Kingsley makes a great product called ‘Swimcap Cream’. It’s both a sunscreen and a moisturising treatment, so when you wash it out after getting back from the beach, you’ll find your hair’s in better condition than it was before!
HEALTHY DIET
This dry hair remedy isn’t a ‘quick fix’, but in the long term a healthy, well balanced diet will produce much stronger hair that’s in better condition. Your hair only grows half and inch a month, so you will see results from a nutritious diet in about 6 months. We suggest eating at least 120g of protein with breakfast and lunch (your hair is, after all, made of protein!) and including a mixture of complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables into your daily regime. Try to eat red meat, such as steak or liver, at least twice a week, especially if you are menstruating. Red meats contain both iron and ferritin (a stored iron that helps make hair cell protein) and are essential for strong, healthy hair growth.
STYLING
If you use a blow-dryer to style your hair, make sure to hold it at least 6 inches away, and stop when’ just dry’ . Correct blowdrying doesn’t dry out your hair – it’s applying heat to already dried hair that does the damage. Straightening irons are never good for your hair, but they can certainly tame hard-to-control tresses. With this in mind, we suggest limiting their use to twice a week – and always use a styling aid with heat protection when doing so.
Seriously dry hair? Book a relaxing Spa Treatment at our Philip Kingsley Clinic London for 20% off. We are running a fit, healthy hair special offer during the Olympics and Paralympics on intensive hair treatments with one of our Philip Kingsley trichotherapists!
PRODUCTS TO COMBAT DRY HAIR
hi, i am wondering what foods you recommend to reach 120g of protein for breakfast and lunch? I know an egg – supposed to be a rich source of protein- only contains 6 g! so advice on how to reach that big target would be much appreciated
Hi. Sorry for the confusion! We mean 120g in weight of any form of first class protein i.e. 120g of chicken, fish or lean meat – not the actual protein amount in grams stated in the nutritional info. For instance, for lunch a salad/sandwich containing an 120g can of tuna is sufficient! We hope this helps. The PK Team.