Choosing the perfect hair repair product isn’t easy. It requires detailed research and a bit of knowledge of the type of products on the market. Also, you should know how to hydrate hair for the best effect. Most articles focus solely on products for a particular hair type. That is why you can find carefully designed products for thin and thick, dry or greasy, curly or straight hair on the shelves in the drugstore. However, rarely any of those articles highlight the essential aspect in terms of hair care. Every hair type has specific needs based on its current condition.
How to hydrate hair with the right products
To get the best results in hair care, it has to suit your hair type. Otherwise, it could damage your hair even more. The types of products we use are directly related to the effect we want to achieve. Some of the things you should think about when looking for ways to improve your hair care are conditioners and different types of treatments. In particular, you should pay special attention to moisturizing or protein, oil, and oil-free products.
Since most women have a hard time deciding which products to make a part of their hair care routine, this article presents the best hair products to help you make the right decision and learn how to hydrate hair.
The right hair moisturizer for every hair type
What does it mean to have dry hair? It means the hair structure doesn’t allow the transfer of natural oil or sebum from the scalp to the ends. While most women think naturally dry hair is common for curly and wavy hair, it is the straight hair that is most prone to drying out. In this case, knowing how to hydrate and moisturize hair is crucial.
Hair dye, bleach, or hot styling tools can also cause dry hair. Additionally, even weather conditions such as heat, cold, sun, wind, or humidity can cause your hair to be dry and brittle.
At this point, we should make one thing clear – moisture refers to oil in your hair, and hydration refers to water in your hair. Together they mean the same thing – keeping the water inside your hair in order for it to be elastic and healthy.
How to keep hair hydrated
How to hydrate hair is something every woman should know in order to have shiny and healthy hair. I always recommend leaving hydrating treatments and hair moisturizers on as long as possible. Whenever you have time, let it sit in your hair. When it comes to moisturizing products the rule is – the longer the better. For even greater effect, wrap your hair in the plastic bag or a shower cap, heat it with the hairdryer for a minute or two, and then rinse.
This treatment is called deep conditioning and it is highly recommended for every hair type, especially dry hair. The technique makes the most out of hydrating ingredients and maximizes their effect.
I explained the whole deep conditioning process in detail in this article so be sure to check it out.
How to choose the best moisturizing hair product
A good treatment, hair mask, or conditioner should have a long list of ingredients with the best ones on their top. The best ingredients are the following:
- natural oils such as sunflower oil, argan oil, olive oil, Palm oil, Shea butter, Avocado oil, etc.
- fatty alcohols, emollients, glycerin, and all that contains the word “glyceryl”
- Cetearyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, lanolin alcohol, isopropyl palmitate
- Isopropyl Stearate, Isostearyl stearate
Every time you see a new hair product on the shelf you want to try out, check out the ingredient list. You don’t have to learn them by heart. They are easy to recognize and can work wonders on your hair. So, don’t be embarrassed by taking some time to go through the list and see whether the product contains any of these ingredients.
One of the certain ways to check your ingredient list is to enter it to the website cosdna.com
You should look for emollients, moisturizers, antistatic ingredients. Soon enough you will become an expert in ingredients, so you will know exactly which ones to look for and which ones to avoid.
In case you stumble upon preservatives like citric acid and alcohols at the end of the ingredients list, don’t freak out. Their concentration is very low which is why they are at the bottom of the list. They are used as preservatives and aren’t strong enough to dry out your hair.
How to hydrate hair with protein-based hair repair products
When it comes to hair care, the greatest problems women face are the loss of keratin and not knowing how to hydrate hair. Keratin is the main component of hair. What causes this problem is harsh processes such as bleaching, extensive blow-drying, hair dying, straightening, and curling.
If you want to repair your damaged hair you need to get a good, rich protein treatment. Good hair repair products have proteins at the beginning of the ingredients list. Next on the list should be several of the abovementioned moisturizing ingredients. They make sure your hair gets all the moisture and hydration it needs.
In combination with proteins, professional hair masks also include amino acids. Amino acids penetrate cuticles, and in that way, they regenerate and strengthen the structure of the damaged hair.
How to keep hair moisturized with protein-based products
You should leave your protein hair mask in between 5 and 15 minutes, depending on your hair damage level. If your hair is relatively healthy there’s no need to leave it in longer than 5-10 minutes. However, if your hair is severely damaged, be sure to leave it for at least 20 to 30 minutes.
Hair repair treatment tends to leave your hair harsh and not very silky because the proteins penetrate your hair filling out the dents in your cuticle. It might be more difficult to comb it, but don’t let that discourage you – it means it’s actually working! Just use a good leave-in conditioner afterward and you’ll be fine.
Believe it or not, protein hair care products for damaged hair are more often recommended to women with thin hair. Fine hair is usually more sensitive and prone to damage unlike thick and coarse types of hair. That is why they use protein treatments less often.
It would be best if you could completely switch to products that combine proteins and moisturizing ingredients. When choosing the right hair repair product you should pay attention to the following ingredients:
Proteins:
Hydrolyzed keratin, Hydrolyzed wheat protein, Hydrolyzed Silk, Hydrolyzed silk protein, Hydrolyzed soy protein, Hydrolyzed wheat protein, Keratin, etc.
Amino acids:
Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Behentamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Isostearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, etc.
How to hydrate hair with moisturizing and protein-based products
Almost every easily accessible drugstore protein hair mask contains both moisturizing and protein ingredients. This way, the manufacturers have made sure their products suit different hair types. If you take a look at any mask containing “repair” in its name, you will notice it contains at least one protein. Usually, the proteins that help preserve hair color or add shine are moisturizing ones.
So, in drugstores, you will easily find what you are looking for. Those masks should, if formulated right, be suitable for most hair types and everyday use on not so damaged hair. Therefore, be sure to check out the ingredient list before you decide to buy a product and potentially ruin your hair.
How often should I moisturize my hair
How often should I moisturize my hair is one of those questions every woman has ever asked themselves. Hairstylists strongly advise using these products with each wash.
Healthy and untreated hair is easier to care for and manage than the one that is treated and dry. This doesn’t mean that you should skip the basics of hair care. There is a saying that “long hair is old hair” and it is prone to cracking and drying out. To prevent this, you should follow the basics of hair care after each wash.
For relatively healthy hair I usually recommend a combination of moisturizing and protein-based treatments. You can use this combination once every two weeks or even once a month. That will do the trick.
On the other hand, if your hair is bleached, dyed, or regularly treated with hot styling tools you need to carefully select your hair care products. In this case, professional protein-based repair treatment is a must, in addition to the rich moisturizing treatment. Preferably, both hair repair products need to be from the professional range of products.
If you’re on a tight budget, you can go to the nearest drugstore and start reading the ingredient lists and trying out products. You can find good value for money.