Dry hair is a signal that you are having more than just a few bad hair days. Hair is alive like your skin; it should be soft and supple. When you hair is constantly dry, this is a clue that something is wrong with your diet or your hair grooming routine. In some cases, severely dry hair is an early warning of a health condition that may eventually affect more than your tresses.

Dry hair is much more easily damaged than hair that has enough natural lubricants. The hair shaft is rough and breaks more easily when you brush or comb it. Split ends are also more likely to become a problem when your hair is excessively dry. This will often result in the loss of entire strands of hair, if you do not remove them. (Despite advertisements to the contrary, there are no products that can repair a hair shaft that has split.)

Blow dryers are one of the chief causes of dry hair. Never use the high setting on your blow dryer. Start with the medium setting and allow enough time to dry your hair with the least amount of heat possible. As the water in your hair evaporates, lower the heat setting until you are only using air.

Hair that is air-dried will never develop the constant dryness that we associate with blow dryers. Forgo the convenience of instantly dry hair occasionally. Towel dry your hair. Then use a detangling comb to help loosen your hair enough for air to flow through it. Use your fingers to fluff your locks and separate your hair, until it is all completely dry.

Apply oil and moisturizing products sparingly. Your scalp can usually produce enough natural oil to give your hair the lubrication it needs. Although hair is porous, it cannot absorb massive amounts of oil, other moisturizing products, mousse and styling gel. Over application of these products creates a vicious cycle that makes it necessary to shampoo your hair more frequently or to use more shampoo to clean your hair. And, in the process, you will wind up with dry hair all over again.

Tags: blow dryers, conditioners, dry hair, hair follicles, hair shaft, shampoos, split ends

This entry was posted on Friday, June 12th, 2009 at 10:46 pm and is filed under Natural Hair Growth. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.