Dry Hair

Dry Hair

Bad hair isn’t intentionally trying to ruin your evening, it’s trying to tell you something. “Your hair is kind of smart, if you listen to it,” says Barbara Bealer, assistant education director of the Allentown School of Cosmetology in Pennsylvania. “It tells you what it needs.”

So what is your hair trying to tell you when its ends look like the bristles on a broom? “It’s telling you to stop doing whatever is causing it to dry out and find a conditioner that will help replace some of the natural oils that are being stripped out,” says Clay Cockerell, M.D., clinical associate professor of dermatology and pathology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Whatever is causing the dryness, you can minimize the damage with these simple strategies.

Try This First

Condition the condition. After each washing of your hair, Dr. Cockerell suggests applying a conditioner specifically designed for dry hair. Look for a conditioner that says “for dry hair” on the label. Conditioners replace or lock in the natural oils that often get stripped out. Conditioning your hair after each washing should help you lubricate your once-dry hair, he says.

For best results, leave the conditioner in your hair for three to five minutes before rinsing, says Bealer. Deeper conditioners require longer timing, so check the directions before application.

Other Wise Ways

Oil it up. For both dry hair and a dry scalp, good old-fashioned castor oil provides an effective solution, says Kenneth Battelle, owner and master stylist at Kenneth’s Salon in New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. If you have a dry scalp, warm up some castor oil by putting a small amount into a pot and heating it on a very low setting until it is warm to the touch. Then massage it into your scalp. Wrap your head in a hot, steamy towel for 15 minutes and then wash, he says. (To get this effect, you can run towels through the washing machine using hot water but no detergent.) Or you can wrap your oiled-up head in a dry towel and sit under a hair dryer set on low for 10 minutes, he says.

If the ends of your hair are dry, but not your scalp, Battelle recommends applying the heated oil only to the ends of your hair. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes and then wash with a shampoo designed specifically for dry hair. Battelle notes that castor oil is very hard to get out of your hair, so you’ll need to wash your hair with hot (not scalding) water and plenty of suds. If you don’t have castor oil on hand, olive, mineral, avocado, or even vegetable oil should work just as well.

Wash every other day. If you have a problem with dry hair, your hair needs a day off between washings. “Somewhere along the way, it became vogue to wash your hair every day. But there’s no rule that says you have to,” notes Dr. Cockerell. “Constant hair washing with a harsh shampoo strips the natural oils,” he says. By washing every other day, you’re still getting your hair clean enough, and the alternating schedule helps save your hair from drying out.

Take a walk on the mild side. When you do wash your hair, use a gentle shampoo such as a baby shampoo, suggests Fredric S. Brandt, M.D., clinical associate professor of dermatology at the University of Miami School of Medicine. “Using a mild shampoo is a good idea because it won’t strip away too many of your hair’s protective oils,” he says.

Turn to the rinse cycle. After swimming in the ocean or a pool, rinse your hair immediately to get rid of the salt or chlorine. “People of all ages who swim often should be sure to wash the chlorine or salt out of their hair as soon as possible, because it can do some damage to your hair over time,” says Dr. Brandt.

Don’t give your hair a knockdown blow. Folks with dry hair should avoid excessive blow-drying. When your hair is wet, just let it dry naturally. “That’s better for the overall health of your hair,” he says. If you must use a blow-dryer, use a spray-in conditioner while drying your hair to protect it from excess damage, he adds.

Spoon-feed it. People on low-fat diets might not be getting enough oils in their bodies—and if that’s so, then their scalps and hair might be deprived. But of course, you don’t want to add a lot of heart-hurting, fat-producing oils to your diet just to improve your hair.

The solution? Supplement a low-fat diet with some heart-healthy olive oil. “I suggest taking a teaspoon of olive oil per day,” says Dr. Brandt. “You should see a difference in the dryness of your skin and hair in a week or two,” he says. Try incorporating the oil into a salad dressing, or drizzle it over bread.