5 Tips to prevent hair damage
Love straightening and curling your hair, but not what it does to its condition? Don't worry, we know just how frustrating it is when your hair turns rough, dry and damaged; and you're not alone.
The good news is, you don't have to cut your hair to get it back in great condition.
There's no one size fits all answer for what causes hair damage; usually it's a combination of our everyday hair habits that play havoc with our hair. Maybe you're straightening your hair every day, or bleaching to maintain your coveted blonde status, or colouring it regularly to get the hair look you want.
But while you may not be prepared to give up your hair dye or step away from the curling wand altogether, there are a few things you can do to fight the visible signs of damaged hair.
Let's get started with your 5-step plan for better looking and feeling hair. Ready?
How to prevent and care for hair damage
1. Make some room for a repairing conditioner
If you don’t already use it, adding a conditioner to your haircare routine is an easy step that can make a real difference. When rinsing you’ll feel your hair thanking you for the added softness.
A good hair routine is one that’s tailored to your hair’s specific needs and, in the case of damage, the key benefit you need is repair.
Conditioner helps to replenish lost moisture with nourishing ingredients, so slather it on with each and every wash!
Conditioner helps to replenish lost moisture with nourishing ingredients, so slather it on with each and every wash!
Pantene Pro-V Repair & Protect Conditioner combines moisturizing lipids, with our Pro-V blend and antioxidants to keep hair feeling soft and hydrated while protecting it against mineral impurities, helping prevent damage at the surface and core of hair. The Smart Pro-V technology is able to target the damaged areas of hair, to only work where needed, leaving your hair lightweight, but nourished.
2. Never skimp on heat protection
We understand if you’re in a bit of dilemma – you want beautifully styled hair every day, but know heat styling causes damage. What can you do?
Remember that hair that is wet or damp is more fragile and can break more easily – but most of us brush our hair and blow dry on full heat minutes after towel drying our hair. And it gets more serious with straighteners and curling wands as they apply heat in direct contact with hair. You basically fry your hair from outside (including heat blisters).
Because you still love the volume and smoothness heat tools give to our hair, heat protection is essential if you want to keep the damaging effects of heat styling to a minimum.
A heat protection spray creates a veil to shield your hair from heat and prevent hair damage, stopping that long-term dryness from occurring.
A heat protection spray creates a veil to shield your hair from heat and prevent hair damage, stopping that long-term dryness from occurring.
The Pantene Pro-V Gold Series Thermal Heat Protector infused with argan creates an invisible ‘second skin’ for your hair to shield it from damage, and conditions your hair for a much softer finish. Genius.
Use a leave-in conditioner before brushing or combing your hair
Even if you do not style your hair with heat styling tools, it’s still a good idea to use a leave-in conditioner before you brush or comb your hair. A good leave-in conditioner such as
Pantene Pro-V Gold Series Detangling Milk can be used both on dry hair or towel-dry hair. To keep combing or brushing damage to a minimum, start at the bottom and brush down, and then step by step start closer and closer to the roots.
3. Invest in restorative treatments
Deep treatments are a great solution to repair visible surface damage, as they deliver a much higher concentration of ingredients to your hair for a deep fix that takes a matter of minutes.
Used in the place or on top of your regular conditioner, the Pantene Pro-V Gold Series Repairing Hair Mask for thick and curly hair is infused with lightweight argan oil for hair, a beauty staple in Morocco that helps smooth out your hair. Or, try the Repair and Protect Mask to reduce visible damage and fortify the hair*. Leave on for 5-7 minutes (or longer if you have time to relax!).
3-5 minutes sound like a lifetime to you? For a quicker treatment,
the Pantene Pro-V 1 Minute Wonder Ampoule Rescue Shots get to work in just 60 seconds and can repair as much as 3 months’ worth of surface damage after one use. Use once a week in your routine for noticeably healthy-looking hair.
4. Avoid over-colouring your hair
The chemicals in hair dye change the structure of your hair so that the new colour can take hold, leaving your hair weakened and damaged over time.
When refreshing your colour, try to only cover the newly grown roots that have never been coloured before. This way you’ll minimise the build-up of damage to the rest of your hair.
When refreshing your colour, try to only cover the newly grown roots that have never been coloured before. This way you’ll minimise the build-up of damage to the rest of your hair.
Using products that help to prolong the life of your colour may also mean you feel you need to colour less often. The Pantene Pro-V Colour Protect Masque works to keep your hair colour vibrant by locking in moisture to prevent fade.
5. Get a trim regularly
If you love your long, free-flowing hair, don’t panic: we’re not saying you should regularly chop a couple of inches off, just that you should trim off the very ends. Getting your hair trimmed every 6-8 weeks removes the most damaged parts of your hair that are more at risk of splitting and peeling away.
Rest assured nobody will even notice your hair has been cut – what they will notice is its beautiful, healthy texture after a few trims. This is the secret to having amazing long hair that’s super shiny and healthy looking too.
Remember that prevention is better than a cure, so with these steps in your corner you can rest easy knowing your hair will stay healthy and free from pesky split ends. Here’s to stronger, happier and healthier hair.
