Split ends. Tangles. Breakage. To avoid the dire consequences of dried-out strands, knowing how to hydrate your hair is essential. And while it’s true that most hair-moisturizing advice and styling products can be applied to everyone, there’s still a wrong and right way to combating dryness. The not-so-secret secret to hydrating hair is picking out a product (or three) with the proper ingredients that work best with your hair type.
So if you don’t know where or how to start your hydrating hair journey, we’ve got you. Below, the experts break down how to approach dry hair for every type and texture. The road to healthy hair starts here.
Key Takeaways
- Our hair can get dehydrated for many reasons, such as harsh ingredients, excessive use of hot styling tools, and environmental stressors.
- The key to rehydrating your hair is treating it with the right products for your hair type.
- Fine hair that is dehydrated will benefit from lightweight products with hydrating ingredients. Thicker and naturally curly hair should lean on leave-in conditioners and masks.
Causes of Dry Hair
Your hair type and texture do affect how your hair retains moisture. As Kari Williams, certified trichologist and Cécred’s head of education, explains, fine hair can dry out easily from heat styling and overwashing, despite it being more prone to oiliness. Thick hair, by comparison, can struggle to absorb moisture evenly, leading to dry ends. Curly and coily hair are naturally more prone to dryness as they have low porosity, making it difficult for natural oils to travel down the hair shaft and for nourishing ingredients to penetrate effectively.
But how does hair dry out in the first place? According to Marisa Garshick, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology, dry hair happens when your scalp doesn’t produce enough natural oil or when your strands lose moisture. The causes for these can be due to a number of different things, but the most common ones are:
The products we use can be the number one culprit in dehydrating our hair. Dr. Garshick says to be careful with shampoos that contain ingredients like sulfates and alcohol, as those can strip strands of natural oils and leave hair dry and prone to breakage.
It can be hard to put down the curling iron, but you may want to use it sparingly. Dr. Garshick says that excessive heat from hot styling tools breaks down the hair’s protein structure and depletes moisture. This will then make your strands brittle and weak. If you do use a hot styling tool, one of the best hair protectant tips is to use a heat protectant spray or product to limit damage.
Chemical treatments like coloring treatments and relaxers can cause a variety of damage to our hair if we aren’t careful. Dr. Garshick explains that these treatments may compromise the cuticle and lead to increased moisture loss.
Dr. Garshick lists environmental factors like sun exposure or dry weather, chlorine from swimming pools, as things that can dry out hair. She explains that UV radiation and pollution can damage the hair cuticle, allowing hydration to escape and leading to dryness over time.
As we age, the oil production in our scalps decreases, which will then lead to dehydration. Dr. Garshick explains that too little oil production can impact hair dryness and dehydration. “If your scalp underproduces oil, your hair may not get enough natural moisture,” she says. “This is especially common in curly or coarse hair, where oil has a harder time traveling down the shaft.”
How to Hydrate Fine Hair
There are different ways to hydrate hair based on hair type. The key to hydrating fine hair is finding that perfect balance between lightweight and nourishing ingredients. “Look for products with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, or aloe vera, which hydrate without leaving a greasy residue,” says Dr. Garshick. “Use a lightweight conditioner and avoid heavy oils or creams. A leave-in conditioner spray or a volumizing conditioner can also help add moisture without making hair flat.”
She recommends something like the Vegamour Hydr-8 Weightless Repair Oil that works within the strand to strengthen hair without weighing it down. And as an added bonus, it smooths out frizz and boosts shine.
How to Hydrate Thick Hair
The thicker the hair, the richer the ingredients need to be. Dr. Garshick says to look for products with shea butter or coconut and argan oil to provide deep hydration that will penetrate the hair shaft and keep moisture locked in. You’ll want to use a moisturizing shampoo (she loves the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Shampoo) and conditioner, and try to incorporate a weekly deep-conditioning treatment. Hair masks with rich oils and proteins can help restore hydration, and oil-based serums can seal in moisture after washing. Try a conditioning mask like Color Wow’s Money Mask Deep Hydrating Strengthening Hair Treatment or Fable Mane’s HoliRoots Hair Oil, or opt for an overnight mask for extra hydration.
How to Hydrate Naturally Coily and Curly Hair
Like thick hair, products and ingredients that deliver intense hydration will hydrate curly hair. Naturally coily and curly strands require low porosity hair care, and Williams suggests looking for ingredients such as moringa oil, squalane, and argan oil to provide deep moisture to define curls and prevent dryness. Something like Cécred’s Moisture Sealing Lotion will lock in hydration and boost shine.
Dr. Garshick likes the Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl and Shine Trio, which is a complete hydrating shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in system that uses moisture-rich ingredients like shea butter and coconut oil to nourish curls.
How to Hydrate Aging Hair
As we get older, our hair gets drier and more brittle. Janiene Luke, MD, clinical professor in dermatology at Loma Linda University, explains that the hair cycle changes as we age, shortening the amount of time it is in the growing phase and the amount of sebum produced. Luke adds that the diameter of hair will also get smaller, resulting in dry, dull, and damaged strands.
Dr. Garshick recommends looking for hydrating and strengthening products that have ingredients such as collagen, niacinamide, peptides, and argan oil and to use something like the Kerastase Aging Hair Shampoo to moisturize and soften hair.
DIY Treatments and Other Tips
Besides using the right products in your daily hair-care routine, there are a few habits you should adopt for your hair hydration routine, as well as DIY treatments you can turn to. Williams recommends limiting heat styling as those blow-dryers, curling irons, flatirons, and other hot tools can strip moisture. (If you must style hair with a hot tool, be sure to use a heat protectant.) She also says to avoid washing hair with hot water, opting for lukewarm water instead, and keep up with regular trims to keep hair healthy overall.
Luke adds you can steam hair at home through a portable steamer or a heated conditioning cap that will allow for better penetration of water and other conditioning ingredients. For those looking for an easy DIY solution, she recommends hair oiling.
Used for centuries by many parts of the world, hair oiling locks in moisture, reduces frizz, adds shine, and protects hair from environmental stressors. And it’s pretty simple to incorporate, as Luke says there are a couple of different types of oils you can use. Jojoba oil, for example, has a high concentration of vitamin E to help protect the skin and hair against oxidative damage. Coconut oil is a known emollient that she says can penetrate the hair shaft to trap moisture. Argan oil also contains vitamin E, which gives you that antioxidant benefit on top of adding moisture to your strands. Simply pick an oil you want to use and comb it through, and you’ll be good to go.
How long does it take to rehydrate your hair?
Dr. Garshick says that this depends on your hair type, the level of dryness, and how consistent you are at using hydrating products. In general, fine hair is a bit easier to rehydrate; she says it will only take a few treatments to get hair feeling less dry. By contrast, thicker or naturally curly hair may need several weeks of deep conditioning and care to restore moisture levels.
Can you put lotion in your hair?
Lotion and leave-in conditioners are very different. Lotions are formulated specifically for the skin, says Dr. Garshick, and may contain ingredients that can weigh hair down, clog the scalp, or create buildup. For hydration, you’ll want to use leave-in conditioners or hair oils.
How to tell if your hair is dehydrated?
It’s pretty easy to tell if your hair is dehydrated. Dr. Garshick says that you’ll want to look out for dullness, frizz, brittleness, and breakage, as these are common signs that your hair is dehydrated. This can happen to any type of hair, but she says that those with naturally curly hair will see more visible signs of dehydration because of its natural structure and how much harder it is for oils to travel down the hair shaft.
How do you keep hair moisturized?
There are a couple of products you can use to keep hair moisturized. Dr. Garshick recommends using a sulfate-free shampoo followed up with a hydrating conditioner. You’ll want to incorporate a deep conditioning mask weekly, she says, as well as leave-in conditioners and lightweight oils to help lock in moisture.
Prevention is also key to keeping hair moisturized. She says to do this, you’ll want to limit exposure to harsh ingredients like sulfates or drying alcohols and minimize use of hot tools (“remember to always apply a heat protectant,” she says). If you’re spending time under the sun or swimming in chlorine water, use a leave-in conditioner after to treat any damage and sleeping on a silk pillowcase helps keep hair from friction and further damage.
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