The Top Five Ways to Prevent Damage To Your Hair

Admit it – you’ve been hard on your hair. As if the wind, snow, rain, and city air weren’t bad enough, all the styling tools, colouring, blow dryers and Pinterest-inspired styles have most certainly done your locks some harm. But thankfully for us style junkies, damaged hair isn’t a life sentence -- check out our picks for the top five ways to prevent hair damage without sacrificing style.

1. Stop Brushing So Hard! Your Brush Isn’t a Weapon.

Aggressively brushing your hair can cause some serious mechanical damage and broken strands, which translates into frizz and unmanageability. Instead of frantically brushing out knots, we recommend consistently using a conditioner and detangling with a wide-toothed comb when your hair is wet. The wide tooth will reduce pull on each individual strand, leaving your locks knot-free and causing far less mechanical damage than the alternative. But be careful! Hair is far more prone to breakage and damage when it’s wet, so remember to be gentle. Also, working knots out from the ends upwards (rather than the top down) will help prevent all sorts of damage.

2. Give Your Hair a Break: Try the Air Dry/Blow Dry Combo.

Here’s a tip: instead of blow-drying soaking wet hair, wait until your hair is around 80% dry, then hit it with the heat. That way you’ll minimize the amount of time you’re applying heat, and still get the perfect blow-dry.

3. Teasing is Not Your Friend.

Backcombing or teasing is a sure-fire way to create some instant volume, but the damage it’s doing to your hair is definitely not worth it. Every time you backcomb, you’re rubbing strands together, causing breakage, which results in damaged-looking hair. Instead of teasing, try a volumizer and blow dry your hair upside down. These tricks will add space between the individual hair shafts, giving you that voluminous look and some added oomph without the damage.

4. Protect Your Skin & Hair From Summer Sun.

As with skin, the sun’s UV rays will cause damage to your hair. Darker hair has a bit more built-in UV protection, but lighter hair is really vulnerable to the sun’s damaging rays. Pro tip: out in the sun this summer? Don’t forget to wear a hat!

5. Try a Damage-Blocking, Anti-Oxidant Shampoo

Try a shampoo with damage-blocking antioxidant technology minerals in your shower water can actually lead to oxidative damage, which weakens your hair.The damage-blocking antioxidants in your shampoo can help protect your hair from future damage, while the conditioner’s ingredients smooth micro-cracks and rough edges along the outside of the hair strand.

By following these hair damage remedies, you will be well on the way to getting healthier, less damaged hair. But in the meantime, you can minimize the appearance of damage and split ends by using a hair repair lotion or by rocking a perfectly imperfect pony or topknot.