Damaged hair: how to restore at home

It is simply impossible to look good without beautiful and well-groomed hair. That is why every woman pays maximum attention to her hairstyle. Hair care recipes and products that help hair look good will always be among the most popular cosmetic products.

Human hair consists of several layers:

• Medula is the medulla of the hair. It is not always present in the shaft, does not interact with cosmetics in any way. Presumably, the medulla is responsible for thermoregulation and helps to retain heat in the scalp.
• The cortex is the main tissue of the hair, consists mainly of keratin. The cortex is very strong and dense, it can stretch by 30% of its length, and without any damage, it is the cortex that contains moisture, which makes the hair strong and elastic.
• The cuticle is the upper protective layer of the hair, consists of tightly adjacent scale cells. The tighter they are adjacent to each other, the better the hair looks. It is the degree of adherence of the scales to the hair shaft that determines their smoothness, shine and ability to not tangle.

In addition, each hair is covered with a thin fatty film on top - a natural conditioner.

Causes of hair damage

If the hair is damaged, this is immediately reflected in its appearance. Violation of the protective layer, drying out of the cortex, the appearance of cavities in it leads to:

• split ends
• hair brittleness
• loss of shine and radiance.

In addition, damaged hair loses volume, gets dirty faster and tangles easily.

There are many reasons for hair damage, we will definitely list them below, but the mechanism of hair destruction is always the same. First of all, the protective layer of the hair - its cuticle - begins to deteriorate. The scales begin to adhere to each other less tightly, sometimes they peel off and can expose the cortex. When the protective layer is lost, moisture quickly evaporates from the cortex, which is what gives the hair strength and elasticity.

Most often, the problem begins with split ends, since the cuticle layer at the bottom is already weakened by trimming. It is worse when the hair begins to break two or three centimeters from the root, this signals that the cortex is in very poor condition and the hair needs urgent help.

There are many reasons for hair damage:

• Incorrectly selected care: too aggressive shampoo, frequent washing and even improper towel drying. Remember that hair cannot be "rubbed", it must be gently blotted with a towel. If you do not use conditioner or any acidifying rinse, the cuticle does not close properly and this also leads to drying out and brittleness of the hair shaft.
• Frequent thermal exposure also has a bad effect on the condition of the hair. Drying with a hair dryer, using a straightening iron or curling iron - dries out the hair, destroys the protective layer. chemical dyeing – raises the cuticle, makes the hair porous for better pigment penetration, disrupts the acid balance of the hair, makes it more alkaline.
• incorrect combing – causes mechanical damage to the hair. If you do not comb your hair for several days in a row, it becomes more brittle, and if you comb it wet, it stretches and also breaks.
• nutrition, smoking, lack of vitamins, exposure to the sun or cold, and swimming in the sea also do not contribute to the beauty and health of hair.

Of course, we do not suggest locking yourself in a tower and, like Rapunzel, growing luxurious hair, protecting it from every speck of dust. Proper care will help not only protect your hair from adverse factors, but even correct existing damage.

Ingredients for restoring the hair shaft

We talked about the structure of the hair above, but in order to understand which cosmetic components can help restore damaged hair, you also need to know the composition of the cortex.

Hair mainly consists of keratin (protein), color pigment – ​​melanin and trace elements containing metal. Usually the latter enter the hair directly through the hair follicle or are absorbed from the environment.

And we also remember that the main problem of damaged hair is moisture loss. Hence the main conclusion: moisturize and supply the necessary “building blocks” to fill the cavities in the cortex. And the necessary building blocks are proteins and amino acids, ceramides and phytosterols.

Moisturizing components for hair

Deliver moisture to the cortex or prevent its loss - these are the main tasks of moisturizing components.

Active ingredients such as Aquaxyl, Aqua shuttle, Multivit Shuttle, Japanese natural moisturizing factor Prodew 500 will help restore moisture to the hair cortex.

These components are appropriate to use in hair masks, and the pH of such masks should be 5.5 - 6.0 so that the cuticle scales rise and “let” the moisturizing active ingredients into the hair shaft.

Components that can help retain moisture in hair include Chitosan, hyaluronic acid with a high molecular weight, any polysaccharides that form an elastic protective film on the hair. Such components can be added to protective moisturizing sprays and other leave-in products, and their acidity should be close to the pH of the hair - 4.0 - 4.5

Protein components for hair: hydrolysates and amino acids

By the way, hydrolysates are also components that help retain moisture in the hair. Their molecules easily attach to the hair and form an elastic protective film. Hydrolysates of keratin, collagen, silk and cereals, in particular wheat and rice, are used for hair.

Due to the difference in the size of the amino acid molecules, although they also belong to protein compounds, they act differently. You can read more about the difference between hydrolysates and amino acids in our article. Let's just say that amino acids, unlike hydrolysates, are smaller particles, they can penetrate the hair structure and serve as a building material, filling the cavities in the cortex and restoring damaged protein structures.

In the Beurre store, you can buy a new generation of keratin hydrolysate with a low molecular weight under the trade name Gluadin. This is a keratin of plant origin, unlike cheaper hydrolysates, it is able to penetrate the hair cortex and act like amino acids. It is able to reduce the ability of hair to adsorb heavy metals, and also acts as an antioxidant.

Another type of keratin for hair from our range is Nutrilan. This is a keratin of animal origin, but it is also able to penetrate the cuticle, its effect is long-lasting, the component is even able to eliminate hair breakage. Both keratins can be combined and used in both rinse-off and leave-in products, since the mechanism of their effect on hair is slightly different.

Among the many types of keratin, hydrolysates and amino acids, I would like to highlight the Sepicap MP component. It is a mixture of amino acids and panthenol, cross-linked with phosphorylated water-soluble silicone. Sepicap has an immediate restorative and protective effect on damaged hair as a result of daily stress. But the main feature is that it serves as an active thermal protection for hair and its effectiveness under thermal influence (hair dryer, curling iron, iron) even increases. That is, if you introduce Sepicap MP into leave-in sprays or conditioners, you will both restore your hair and protect it from aggressive influences.

Phytosterols and ceramides for damaged hair

Phytosterols and ceramides are actives that repeat the substances that skin and hair are built of. That is why their effect is gentle, but very effective.

The most famous restorative membrane-lipid complex (MLC) containing phytosterols is Amisol trio. It consists of phospholipids, glycolipids, phytosterols and is an indispensable conditioning component in hair care products, which restores hair along its entire length, gluing scales, reduces brittleness and split ends, and reduces the effect of frizzy hair. Even after a single use of cosmetics containing Amisol trio, the appearance of hair is significantly improved: brightness and shine appear, hair becomes soft.

Phytosterols are plant components, the effective action of which is undeniable in any hair care products. In the Beurre store, you can buy mustard phytosterols Plantasens Crambisol to combat damaged hair. It has been proven that Plantasens Crambisol helps thicken the hair shaft by 30%, increases its elasticity, improves combing and returns shine and color intensity to hair. This component is actively used in hair shampoos, conditioners and restorative wash-off masks.

Ceramides are a natural component of the skin and hair, these are natural lipids that are part of the protective layer of the skin and hair. And of course, they will become indispensable components of recipes for damaged hair.
Thus, the Ceramide Complex CLR (or Ceramide A2) complex of ceramides restores the keratin layer of hair along the entire length, has a moisturizing effect on the scalp, moisturizes and nourishes the hair, increases hair density and stimulates its growth. Also in the assortment of the Beurre store you can buy a ceramide-like emollient Eldew, which can replace fatty oils and other emollients in hair cosmetics. It is effective when introduced at only 0.5%, promotes long-term hair hydration and restores the cell-membrane complex of the hair, which ultimately leads to the restoration of the hair itself.

We are sure that now in order to restore damaged hair you need to buy cosmetic components, and also look at our YouTube channel to find the necessary recipes.

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