We are usually quick to blame the weather for our excessively dry locks. Sometimes it is the humidity and sun that wreck our strands, other times we blame the winds and the cold on depriving our hair of its moisture. There is no doubt that extreme weather elements contribute to turning our hair dry, but it is also imperative many other factors do their part too. Most of the times, our own negligence causes our hair to turn dry and brittle. Today, we are going to discuss what you can do to ensure your hair remains soft and supple at all times. However, first, we are going to look a bit into the science of dry hair.

Why Does My Hair Turn So Dry?

The dryness comes from one of two causes: either your scalp is not producing enough of its natural oil to moisturize your hair or the structure or condition of your hair is causing all the moisture to escape.

The first reason can be hereditary or occur over time as our body ages. This happens when our bodies lose the capacity to produce enough natural oil and thus our hair turns dry. Secondly, our hair condition too can be the reason for dryness. If our cuticle structure loosens, the hair turns dull as all the moisture escapes from the inner structure, leading to weak and dead hair.

Now, a variety of reason can cause this cuticle structure destruction. They include excessively hot styling tools, such as straighteners, blow dryers, curling rods, hot rollers etc. Then extreme chemical treatments such as hair bleaching and frequent dyeing can turn our hair weak, dry and brittle.

How Can I Prevent Dryness?

Thankfully, dryness is something you can control to a great measure, unlike other hair problems such as male or female pattern baldness. In cases where hair loss occurs from reasons including alopecia, pattern baldness, illness etc., you need extensive treatments including hair transplants or laser hair cap therapies.

However, hair dryness is not a huge problem where you need technological treatments. You can avert damage with the following:

• Try not to subject your hair to heating tools daily or frequently. Give a sufficient break to your hair from heating products and instead settle for safer hairstyles such as chignons, buns and braids.
• Even when you do use heating tools, go for the best quality ones that offer temperature setting options. Imagine if boiling water measure at 210 degrees, heating tools that go up to approximately 450 degrees will be brutal to your dry hair. So, do your hair a favour and dial down the heat to the lowest possible.
• Try to convert to ionic thermal tools. Manufacturers of ionic tools explain the existence of negative and positive ions in all substances. So, when your hair is wet, it is positively charged and the ionic tools inject your hair with negative ions. These let the water molecules penetrate deep into your hair. The result is rehydration for your hair.
• You must never apply heat without first covering your hair with a thermal protective formula. The formulated products serve as a barrier between the heat of the styling tools and your hair strands and provide a measure of protection against dryness.
• Use a shampoo with a formula for dry hair. These shampoos have a creamy texture because they generally contain ingredients such as kernel oil and aloe Vera that retain and replenish your hair’s moisture.
• If your hair is dry, you do not need to shampoo it daily or every alternate day even. You must give a gap of two days between each shampoo session to allow your scalp to use its natural oil to replenish your hair. You could try using a dry shampoo if case your scalp feels oily or your hair looks flat, to absorb the excess oil at the roots. This will make your hair look and feel fresher without washing all the moisture away.

Natural Ways to Prevent Hair Dryness

Vitamins

We all know how necessary vitamins are for the health and nourishment of our bodies, but some vitamins particularly affect the health of our hair and nails. Vitamin H or biotin as we generally refer to it, vitamin C. vitamin A and the mineral iron as the most beneficial for the health of our hair.

Include Antioxidants and Omega-3s In Your Diet

You need marine proteins to restore the shine and thickness of your dry hair. If you do not wish to resort to supplements but want the same results, then make sure, your diet contains a higher amount of marine proteins. This includes:

• Sardines
• Tuna
• Mackerel
• Oysters
• Salmon

These foods contain rich amounts of Omega-3s and peptides, thus your hair gets shinier and healthier.

Oxidative stress is another reason why your hair could look lifeless and lack health. To combat this stress, you must aim to include antioxidants rich food in your diet, including:

• Tomatoes
• Broccoli
• Blueberries
• Kidney beans
• Walnuts

Use Essential Oils 

One of the most popular remedies for dry hair has been essential oils since long. While there are no scientific reports on the exclusivity of this remedy, there is however sufficient claims from people of positive effects on the hair from essential oil usage.

You could massage a few drops of argan oil on the ends of the hair to make it feel and look suppler and softer. Other essential oils including lavender oil, peppermint oil and a carrier oil like almond or coconut oil may make a nourishing, moisturizing therapy for your dry hair.

Use Coconut Oil Often

You must be aware of coconut oil being a natural emollient. This means that coconut oil makes a good option for filling in the gaps in your locks if excessive heat and sun have damaged them. According to some scientific reports, coconut oil is effective in penetrating the fibres of your hair.

Final Thoughts

Some natural and man-made factors contribute to turning our hair dry and brittle. Lack of moisture makes the strands weak and easily breakable. Hair dryness is thankfully a very treatable hair condition and a few changes in your diet along with some home remedies can prove vastly effective in hydrating and moisturizing your hair thoroughly.