8 Tips on How to Strengthen Weak Hair
Weak hair is, unfortunately, all too common. Hair becoming thin and weak happens to the best of us, as many things that can damage hair—from chemical treatments like hair color, to overzealous heat styling or brushing, to harsh environmental conditions. But weak hair isn’t a state of affairs you have to accept—there are ways to power up your hair! What makes hair stronger? If you’re dealing with hair that is very thin and weak, the pros at Matrix are here to share insider tips on how to make your mane super strong.
Diagnosing Weak Hair
Have you had the thought—why is my hair so weak? Weak hair can be defined as limp, droopy, thin or falling out. Split ends, extreme dryness or excessive oiliness can all be signs of weak hair. The reason for this is often genetics handed down from a parent, or it can be caused by hormonal factors such as menopause or childbirth, birth control pills or other medications. Disease or illness, poor diet, stress, a fungal infection of the scalp or cancer treatments can also be factors that relate to weak hair. In addition, environmental impact from sun exposure, chlorine or salt water, air conditioning or heating and pollution can weaken hair.
We typically lose 100 to 150 hairs each day, but since most of us have about 100,000 hairs on the head, this loss is not significant. When a hair is lost, a new one grows back in its place. This process continues until middle age when hair re-growth slows down or stops.
Hair loss from breakage differs from normal loss. How so? Hair that falls out naturally comes from the scalp, typically with the bulb attached. Breakage from weakness is when the hair breaks off below the scalp. While some breakage is normal, excessive breakage indicates weakened hair and that often can appear in the form of split ends, which can travel up the hair shaft and break off.
1. The Right Products Avoid Further Damage to Weak Hair
What strengthens hair follicles is using the best products for weak hair—that’s essential to restoring your hair back to health. Use a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner like Matrix Unbreak My Blonde with citric acid designed to reinforce and strengthen fragile hair. For extra protection, try the Unbreak My Blonde Reviving Leave-In Treatment. This formula works throughout the day and night to strengthen hair and keep it soft.
Did you know dry hair is vulnerable to breakage? If your hair could use a little extra TLC, look for hydrating formulas like Matrix Food For Soft Hydrating Shampoo and Detangling Hydrating Conditioner. These lightweight products infuse hair with the moisture it needs to stay supple. When conditioning your hair, concentrate on the mid-lengths and ends, which tend to be weaker than the “new” hair near your scalp. A deep conditioning treatment like Food For Soft Rich Hydrating Treatment with avocado oil and hyaluronic acid can provide weak hair with an extra boost of valuable moisture. Enhance the hydrating action by wrapping a hot towel or shower cap over your head for about 20 minutes to allow the treatment to penetrate deeply into the hair.
Avoid any products that are drying to your hair, including styling products. Opt for formulas that treat as they style, like Matrix A Curl Can Dream Light-Hold Gel with Manuka honey or A Curl Can Dream Lightweight Oil with sunflower seed oil. Last but not least, try to limit your shampooing to every other day or even less frequently if your scalp doesn’t produce too much oil. To refresh your scalp between shampoo days, mist it with a no-show dry shampoo like Matrix Miracle Extender. It absorbs excess oil and leaves your scalp feeling refreshed.
2. Take Care of Weak Hair by Limiting Chemical Use
Color with care. Abusing and over-processing hair can lead to weak strands. Continued use of strong chemicals, whether it’s through coloring, bleaching, straightening or re-texturizing, can damage hair fiber and make hair weak. When used too frequently or in too strong a dose, these chemicals can cause permanent damage, making weak hair dry and frizzy, with split ends and breakage the result.
When it comes to your chemical services, be a smart shopper. For example, some modern hair color and lightener products—like Matrix SoColor, SoColorSync and Light Master contain hair bonding ingredients that protect hair against damage and breakage. Hair color pros also understand how to apply hair color wisely and use the right formulas to minimize damage, so put your hair in their hands.
Counteract chemical warfare by using a shampoo and conditioner for damaged hair—like Matrix Instacure Anti-Breakage Shampoo and Conditioner. These formulas contain essential liquid proteins that minimize breakage in dry, brittle hair. Then, seal the deal with Instacure Anti-Breakage Porosity Spray before styling your hair. It contains liquid protein + vitamin B5 to fill in porosity and reduce split ends,
For severely weakened hair, use a deep-conditioning treatment like Matrix Miracle Creator Multi-Tasking Hair Mask once a week. Apply the treatment all over hair that has been cleansed with a hydrating shampoo and leave it on overnight (wrap your hair into a bun and sleep with a towel on your pillow). Then, rinse the treatment out in the morning. That’s how to make hair follicles stronger.
3. Weak Hair Hates Heat, So Don’t Play With Fire
Excessive heat from blow-dryers, hot curlers, curling irons and flat irons can cause weak hair and breakage. Using a too-hot blow-dryer on wet hair heats the water remaining under the hair’s cuticle and causes it to expand inside the hair, leaving spaces—or blisters—inside fibers, which weakens hair. These parched strands soak up moisture from the air, causing frizz.
One solution? Rather than fighting your natural texture, work with what you’ve got and opt for air drying. For straight hair, enhance the health and shine while building body with a volumizing range. For curly hair, use products created for your texture, such as the Matrix A Curl Can Dream Collection, designed to encourage natural curl patterns and reduce frizz. This is how to make hair stronger and not fall out when you heat style it.
Keep styling tools set on low temps and apply a heat protection product like Miracle Creator Multi-Tasking Hair Treatment before styling with dryers or irons to protect from thermal damage. Finish with products like Food For Soft Multi-Use Hair Oil Serum. This serum is infused with protective oils like avocado oil.
4. Switch Up Your Style
Stuck in a style rut? Consider changing up your go-to look from time to time to strengthen your hair. Wearing your hair down day after day can result in tangles and split ends. But ponytails, tight braids and dreadlocks can also stress tresses and cause weakening. If you have weak hair, switch styles frequently to avoid strain and give your look a pick-me-up. When wearing your hair up, use hair-caring ties and coated elastics that have no metal on them, to avoid snagging and pulling at weak strands.
The friction of over brushing and wearing tight-fitting hats can also cause hair to weaken. Don’t get too zealous when brushing, and never brush wet hair. It’s best to use padded brushes and those with animal hair bristles on delicate locks. A good detangling spray like Miracle Creator Multi-Tasking Hair Treatment will help defend weak hair while brushing. Spritz it on before combing through wet hair to ease strand stress.
5. How To Prevent Frizz
When frizz is an issue, keeping your hair trimmed can help prevent further damage and stop the splits from traveling up the hair shaft. Using a shampoo and conditioner with protein, like Matrix Instacure Shampoo and Conditioner, can help restore weak, damaged hair. But this won’t happen overnight; you’ll need to use these formulas regularly to notice a difference.
After shampooing, use serums and leave-in conditioners to help tame frizz. One pro favorite is Matrix Mega Sleek Blow Down, a medium-weight cream. Concentrate your application on the mid-lengths and ends and keep it off of your scalp and you’ll get frizz control without making your roots oily.
6. How To Treat Split Ends
A hair divided isn’t happy or healthy. There’s no total cure for split ends, but you can keep them at bay with a trim every six to eight weeks. For more temporary remedies, use a gentle shampoo and conditioner like Unbreak My Blonde. You can also apply a treatment oil like Food For Soft Multi-Use Hair Oil Serum to just the tips of tresses. Try to resist the urge to separate your split ends, even if you’re stuck in a boring Zoom meeting. This bad habit does weak hair no favors, it only weakens strands even more.
7.How To Care For Your Scalp
Hair health starts at the top. When working to heal weak hair, start with the scalp. If your scalp is healthy, your hair will follow suit. Scalps can be dry and flaky or oily, and products are designed to work with each type.
For dry scalps that feel tight or itchy, the solution is Instacure Tension Reliever Scalp Ease Serum. It’s infused with liquid proteins, biotin and avocado oil. It relieves the feeling of tension in the scalp and leaves It feeling refreshed without buildup or flaking. It gives off a lovely, cooling sensation and works on all hair types and textures to soothe and nourish dry roots.
If your head is itchy and you’re regularly finding flakes, you may have dandruff. Nothing kills a good look quicker than a shoulder covered in scalp snow, so if dandruff is a problem, get a recommendation from your stylist or medical provider.
8. A Healthy Diet Helps Restore Weak Hair
What to take to strengthen hair is one question, but what you should eat and drink is another. Weak and thinning hair can be caused by what you do to your hair, but it can also be brought on by what you do to your body. An unhealthy diet, crash diets or even an endocrine disorder can lead to weak hair or even hair loss.
What you eat has an effect on the health of your hair and scalp. The nutrients from healthy food provide the energy that fuels hair growth. A diet that includes iron-rich protein feeds your scalp and hair by building strong keratin, the protein that strengthens hair, improves texture and stimulates growth. Consume lean meat, fish, low-fat cheeses, egg whites, spinach and soy to keep your head happy in more ways than one. In between meals, snack on fruits, vegetables and grains.
If you’re asking yourself, what can I take to strengthen hair? The answer is vitamins, which are also key to hair health. Vitamin C keeps blood vessels in the scalp healthy by supporting hair follicles. Vitamin C also helps you absorb iron from plant proteins. Biotin, an essential B vitamin, strengthens weak hair and improves its texture. Biotin is found in salmon, carrots, egg yolks and sardines. Vitamin supplements can help weak hair as well. Silica, a nutrient found in oats, rice, cucumbers, asparagus, cabbage and sunflower seeds, supports growth of hair and nails, as does calcium, found in dairy products, fish and leafy greens.
Water is another essential for your body and your hair. Adequate hydration helps keep your body functioning like a well-oiled machine and helps strengthen weak hair. It’s best to drink plenty of water throughout the day and evening.
There you have it! There are so many ways to strengthen weak, damaged hair. If these hair care tips don’t help make your weak hair stronger and thicker, consider seeing your doctor or dermatologist to rule out a medical condition.
