We have all been there. Looking at our reflection in the mirror, wondering “Is my hair dry or damaged?”. Today’s tale is about damage control. There are three major levels of damage when it comes to our lovely locks.

Mechanical Damage – your hair looks and feels dull, little pieces of hair fall onto your clothes. In some cases the hair looks singed. (kinked and fuzzy)

The Cause –  brushing/teasing the hair (in excess – picture Priscilla Presley’s wedding photo), and using thermal styling tools without the proper products.

The Solution – A good conditioning treatment once a week and using a thermal protection spray each time you use a flat iron or curling iron

Environmental Damage – your color fades and it feels like product build up is on your hair.

The Cause – Sun exposure and pollution.

The Solution – Most professional hair care lines have U.V. protectants in their products, and there are many spray leave in conditioners that have U.V. protectants as well. A good clarifying shampoo once or twice a month (depending on how much product you use) will help as well.

Chemical Damage – your hair looks and feels fuzzy, it will not hold a style, looks like frayed cloth. It breaks off , inches at a time.

The Cause – over use of chemical services such as hair color, lightening, perming or chemical straightening.

The Solution – Stop whatever chemical process you are doing right now. Give your hair a break for a while – buy a hat if need be. You need to get a good deep conditioning treatment done with your stylist ASAP. If you can’t get to the salon – I highly recommend JOICO Kpak Revitaluxe. The newest addition to the Kpak family – this treatment is restorative and strengthens the hair with each use.

I highly recommend that you use Professional Salon products. Too many knock offs and drug store brands have too many sulfates, detergents, silicone’s and alcohol which defeats the purpose – your hair may feel good but those products don’t always penetrate the hair – they just coat the hair, which will lead to further damage.