How to Prevent and Repair Damaged Hair?

Some may take the phrase “I’m having a bad hair day” lightly while many others seriously do define their day by the state of their locks. If this is you, then you’ll appreciate this article and the advice it shares on how to prevent and repair hair damage.

“If my hair looks good, I can deal with anything”

Lorna Moore, Creative Educator at GHD

Now, while we certainly are living in an exciting era where there are countless hair tools and products on the market, our first tip is to encourage you to pace yourself. We always do motivate expression through hair and overall looks, but too much of anything can be bad.

So, as enticing as it may sound to jump from smooth and sleek hair one day to bouncing curls the next, or to go from a brilliant brunette to blonde to brunette again in a matter of a month; over-styling and over colouring your hair is what will cause damage either in the short or long run.

However, even if you don’t over-process or frequently style your hair, this doesn’t leave you exempt from damage. Your diet, your habits, your environment – all these factors can affect your hair.

What’s the solution, you ask?

Instead of providing you with one failproof solution that, in fact, doesn’t exist, we’re about to share a few “tricks of the trade” with you. These tips come from the mouths of qualified professional hairstylists themselves and can easily be applied without making any drastic changes to your current lifestyle.

The result – beautiful natural looking hair that tells your story.

Prevention Is Better Than a Cure

The best way to prevent damaged hair is early detection. This means that you should be on the lookout for early signs that indicate that your hair is not at its happiest. These signs can include:

• A flaky, probably malnourished, scalp
• An increase in broken or flyaway hairs
• Hair that suddenly knots easily
• An increase in hair fall

If you notice any of these signs, then we encourage you to nip the damage in the bud by absorbing the below suggestions into your haircare routine.

It’s in the Way You Brush

Myth buster: the ancient old-wives’ tale “100 strokes and your hair will become shiny and full” is far from true.

As a matter of fact, if you brush your tresses too often, then you apply more pressure to your hair than necessary, causing it to snag as a result.

For a smoother snag-free brushing experience, add a quality hair oil or serum to your hair prior to brushing. Rossano Ferretti offers a luxury hair oil that features protective qualities and ingredients that help your locks to look shinier and healthier.

A good hair oil product or serum will also help to keep your hair looking smoother for longer, eliminating the need to brush it.

Go Sulphate-Free

While sulphates are by no means dangerous, they do tend to strip your hair and scalp of natural oils, leaving it dryer and more vulnerable to breakage.

So, the next time you shop for hair products, look for sulphate-free shampoos that will be more forgiving on your locks.

Don’t Over Wash Your Hair

We’re by no means endorsing dirty hair, we’re just stating that it doesn’t need to be washed every day. Every time you wash your hair; you remove the natural oils that your scalp has worked very hard to create. These oils keep your strands hydrated and they also act as a protective barrier to guard against heat, toxins, and other harmful elements.

Try washing your hair every other day, or even better, every third day.

Treat yourself! Try this cruelty-free and vegan-friendly lux Dry Shampoo Crème by Rossano Ferretti Parma. This clever formula will keep your hair looking and feeling fresh in between washes.

Know How to Work with Heat

Hairdryers, straighteners, and curling wands are magic. They can transform ordinary hair so that it emanates radiance and style – but with all that heat, comes heat damage. So, wherever possible, avoid these tools or, at the very least, limit their use.

However, if you simply cannot let go of your beloved hot hair equipment, then you can compensate by:

• Adjusting the temperature of the tools to a low setting
• Using a professional heat protective spray

Excellent advice: instead of blow-drying soaking wet hair, give your hair time to dry a bit on its own first. This way, you can reduce the amount of time you’re applying heat.

A Small Trim Can Make a Big Difference

Just like our skin ages, so too does our hair. This means that our ends are going to become frail and damaged no matter what protective measures we put in place.

A frequent trim can, therefore, go a long way. By making sure your ends are in a good condition, you can prevent broken points from splitting up the hair shaft.

The good news is that there’s no need to go full-blown bob (unless that tickles your fancy). Just a trim of about 1cm or 2 in length will do.

Understand the Fragility of Wet Hair

As strong as your hair may feel when it is wet, it’s during this stage that it’s at its most vulnerable. If you are too harsh on your hair after you have washed it, you can potentially accelerate damage.

Our advice is to ditch the towel and, instead, pat your hair dry with a cloth shirt – this will help to avoid friction. We also prefer wide-toothed combs or a gentle detangler brush to detangle wet tresses – they’re less likely to get stuck and snag away at your strands.

Hydrate, hydrate, HYDRATE!

Our last suggestion may just be the most important one. Hair that is optimally nourished and moisturised is more likely to be in a strong condition. The stronger your hair is, the less likely it is to break.

There are multiple ways you can deeply hydrate your hair, but our favourite moisturising products have to be Rossano Ferretti Parma’s Intenso Smoothing Mask and Dolce Nourishing Mask. These two treatments have been specifically formulated to hydrate even the coarsest hair and draw inspiration from the thick, vigorous hair of the people of Sicily and Sardinia. These are both luxury hair masks that give notably instant results.

Rossano Ferretti Parma is a well-established hair salon that’s run by stylists with over decades of experience. The team believes that hair should be cared for using ingredients that will allow locks to fall naturally for the ultimate flattering look.