Dealing with dry, dull and unmanageable hair that lacks lustre and vibrancy? You’re not alone. Especially if you need your hair colour fix on a regular basis.
Lucky for you, the newest crop of hair masks and treatments are not only formulated to bring much-needed moisture back to dull and dry strands, but they also nourish hair and scalp with healthy nutrients to repair damage, make hair silky soft, boost colour and revive with shine. Essentially, everything you want!
What Causes Hair to Become Dry?
There are many factors that contribute to making hair dry, damaged and unmanageable. First on that list is over-processing it with too many chemicals, such as those used for hair colouring, highlighting, or straightening. That’s why any good salon or hair colourist will never recommend more than two chemical processes during the same appointment. And this is also the reason why going from dark to platinum blonde can’t happen overnight. Literally. See more about lightening hair to blonde, here.
Oh, and let’s not forget those powerful hot tools we like so much to smooth or curl, which can lead to dryness and breakage. To prevent this from happening, always use a heat-protective product or spray, or use the hot tool at the lowest setting possible.
Other potential causes of dry hair include over-stripping it with irritating shampoos made with sulphate – incidentally, professional shampoos are never formulated with these strong chemicals –, as well as environmental damage from UV rays or chlorine.
In-Salon Hair Treatments
An in-salon mask is recommended every time you colour your hair or have any type of chemical service to beat dry hair. Masks offer the most emollient, nutrient-rich treatments that will restore moisture, shine and manageability, while sealing the cuticle to prevent further damage. But even if you don’t colour your hair, a treatment is like a special treat for your hair, like getting a facial.
There are many treatments to choose from, and most professional hair care brands have fine-tuned their own formulation. In fact, many colourists at premium salons will offer to add an after-colour treatment such as Olaplex, a super popular repairing treatment that helps diminish hair breakage.
Italian eco-brand Davines has also fine-tuned Spotlight Circle, a glorious illuminating hair mask that gives extra shine, polishes and smooths hair, all the while providing a deeply conditioning effect without weighing hair down.
At-Home Hair Masks
The majority of pro hair brands have also formulated a variety of hair treatments for at-home use. And if you’re looking to enhance natural or coloured hair between appointments, there are some conditioners with a high concentration of direct pigments that can be customised to your colour by your colourist, such as Alchemic from Davines.
What are direct pigments, you might ask? Simply put, they are pure pigments that deposit colour on the hair without the need for any activator, such as peroxide.
Alchemic Conditioner from Davines is a coloured conditioning cream packed with natural, nourishing and biodegradable ingredients with a high concentration of pure pigments formulated to intensify and maintain the brilliance of hair colour – it’s great for pastels! –, and is paraben- and silicone-free.
Add a conditioning treatment to your next colouring service, or once a week between appointments, and your hair will thank you!