Hair
How to Repair your Hair Damage?
Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash
Hair
How to Repair your Hair Damage?
Hair damaged by colouring, chlorine and the sun? Broken, brittle or dry nails? Ingrown hairs? A dull complexion? Don’t panic: Each problem has a solution. We asked several experts how to help repair the damage.
Healthy hair
- Diagnosis: Dyed hair, swimming in chlorinated water and UV exposure don’t mix.
- The result: dry, brittle hair, split ends and a lack of shine.
- To do: Healthy hair starts at the scalp, an often overlooked part of any hair-care routine. The first step to great hair is to exfoliate the scalp twice a month, which is known to stimulate blood circulation while deeply cleansing your hair and removing buildup. In your everyday routine, try spacing out shampoos every two or three days, even more if possible, and proceed delicately so you don’t stress already dry and fragile hair. For the same reasons, opt for a brush with soft bristles, whether they’re made of synthetic material or boar bristles.
Planning on spending your summer by the pool?
Hair sunscreen is essential, whether it comes in the form of oil, styling cream or mist, to protect your locks from damage caused by UV rays and chlorinated water. After each swim, it’s important to take the time to rinse your hair with clean water to remove all traces of chlorine and minimize the dehydration of your hair. Follow up with a hair serum or oil.
Pro tip
Who doesn’t tie up their hair during a heat wave? But try to avoid hairstyles that create too much tension. Melissa Tedeschi, national education manager for Kérastase and shu uemura art of hair, suggests opting for fabric-covered elastics like scrunchies, for example, which are much gentler on hair fibres.
Flawless nails
- Diagnosis: Damaged, brittle or split nails? Several factors can weaken the nail matrix, starting with poor maintenance of gel manicures, not to mention the regular use of drying hand sanitizers.
- To do: To keep strong nails that don’t split, avoid a back-and-forth motion when using a soft emery board or nail file. If the damage is already done, keep your nails short and round, then use a hardening or strengthening product. Applied daily, cuticle oil will also help restore suppleness to the skin surrounding the nail beds and help prevent hangnails. Don’t forget to disinfect your tools regularly!
- Good to know: Gel manicures are much less likely to damage your nails when you apply and remove them correctly. Remove your gel manicure after two to three weeks to avoid damaging your nail beds, and take a break in between to allow your nails to rehydrate. Never peel off gel polish because you’re also peeling off the top layers of your natural nails! Instead, use the appropriate removal products or go to a professional.
Pro tip
If your nails are yellow, it may be because you didn’t apply a protective base before your polish, suggests Nathalie Ouellet, president of Nail Création. Before your next manicure or pedicure, try gently filing the nail surface to remove any
yellowish pigments.
Smooth skin
- Diagnosis: If you’re anything like us and you ignored your legs and bikini area all winter long, now that it’s time to wear shorts and swimsuits, dry skin and ingrown hairs have come to the party. Plus, without proper protection, there’s always the risk of a sunburn.
- To do: The key to smooth skin all year round? Exfoliation! Exfoliating once or twice a week in the shower not only eliminates dead cells on the surface of the skin and promotes the penetration of our skin-care products, but it also minimizes the risk of post hair-removal ingrowns, and can even help to gently dislodge them. To do this, body scrubs made with salt or sugar work particularly well. Make sure to follow up with a moisturizer adapted to your skin type. Even more importantly, apply your sunscreen regularly, rain or shine, and always reapply every two hours and after swimming. Suffering from an unfortunate sunburn? To soothe sunburn, replace rich moisturizers or oils—which can sometimes trap heat in the skin—with cooling gel products.
Pro tip
Even in the summer, the skin on your face needs hydration, warns Mélany Renaud, vice president of skin-care brand Clayton Shagal. If your usual moisturizer seems too rich, simply switch it out for a light-textured gel or serum. Refrain from replacing your moisturizer with a sunscreen, says Renaud, because these products have two different functions. Instead, layer your SPF over your moisturizer.
Our product picks
1. Because your hair can be damaged by exposure to the sun, try a mist before styling to protect your coif from UV rays.
KÉRASTASE Soleil Huile Sirene Hair Oil Mist, $49/150 ml, kerastase.ca.
2. Perfect for medium and thick hair, this mask repairs and strengthens the hair while also making it more manageable.
Amika The Kure Intense Bond Repair Mask, $52, sephora.ca.
3. Coconut, avocado oil, rice protein and moringa seed combine to create a leave-in conditioner that detangles, hydrates and strengthens your hair.
Coco & Eve Like A Virgin Hydrating and Detangling Leave-In Conditioner, $28, cocoandeve.com.
4. This sugar and salt exfoliant helps prevent ingrown hairs while also prepping the skin for hair removal.
FUZZ WAX BAR Skin Perfecting Body Scrub, $30, fuzzwaxbar.com.
5. Damaged and weakened hair will come back to life thanks to this shampoo filled with plant-based active ingredients selected for their fortifying and nourishing properties.
RENÉ FURTERER Absolue Kératine Repairing Shampoo, $40, matandmax.com.
6. This ultralight sunscreen spreads like a charm and is quickly absorbed for an invisible, nongreasy finish.
VICHY laboratoires Capital Soleil Ultra-Light UV Lotion SPF 60, $30, vichy.ca.
7. Thanks to hyaluronic acid and grapeseed polyphenols, this soothing body lotion hydrates dry skin without leaving a greasy film.
CAUDALIE Vinotherapist Hyaluronic Nourishing Body Lotion, $42, caudalie.ca.
8. Made with refreshing menthol and hydrating aloe vera extract, this spray helps to accelerate the tanning process while also offering a shimmering effect.
THAT’SO All-in-One Tan Accelerator Refreshing Water, $60, thatsoitaly.com.
9. A sufficiently light treatment, perfect for hot weather, to apply under your sunscreen.
AVEENO Positively Radiant Gel Moisturizer, $22, amazon.ca.
10. An ultra-luxurious leave-in hair treatment to replenish every strand from root to tip.
SHU UEMURA art of hair Ashita Supreme Intense Revitalization Serum, $74, sephora.ca.
11. Since our lips can also be burned by UV rays, use an SPF lip balm to get all the protection you need.
SUN BUM Sunscreen Lip Balm SPF 30 in Banana, $5, well.ca.
12. All it takes is one spritz of this treatment water, containing trace elements and mineral salts, to cool off after a day in the sun.
URIAGE Thermal Water, $5.50/50 ml, uriage.ca.
13. This cream enriched with vitamin E protects the damaged skin of your hands while strengthening your nails. It can also be used on the feet after a pedicure.
CLAYTON SHAGAL Hand Cream, $19, claytonshagal.com.
14. This water-resistant sunscreen helps enhance your summer complexion with illuminating minerals.
Coppertone Glow Sunscreen Lotion with Shimmer SPF 30, $11, walmart.ca.
15. The pleasant smell of rose makes this cuticle oil a must for homemade manicures!
NAIL CRÉATION Cuticle Oil, $10, nailcreation.ca.
Recommended
Comments