Hair Care

We get the shaft every day from our hair—and that’s a good thing. Each strand of hair on our head is a hair shaft. If you zoom in on a hair shaft, you’ll see that it has an outer ring called the cuticle, an inner ring, or the cortex, and a core, the medulla. Remember these parts—cuticle, cortex and medulla.

The cuticle, or outer ring, is made up of scales that look like roofing tiles. They overlap each other from the scalp all the way out to the tip of each strand of hair. Like undamaged roofing tiles, healthy scales lay flat on one another and reflect light evenly to give your hair a silky sheen. Cuticles with scarred or broken scales leave the inner portion of the hair shaft exposed and unable to retain moisture. And those damaged or stripped cuticles also allow the fibers of the inner ring, or cortex, to unravel. We commonly call this unsightly unraveling “split ends.”

Shampooing, your first step in a hair care regimen, protects the cuticle by cleansing the hair, without drying the scalp or damaging the hair shaft. The cleansing agent in a shampoo produces the lather that lifts the oil and dirt from your hair and scalp, so they can be rinsed away. The cleansing agents most commonly found in shampoos are sodium lauryl sulfate — a harsher cleanser often found in less quality shampoos — and sodium laureth sulfate—a milder cleanser used in higher quality shampoos.

Ruffled scales snag on one another, creating a head full of tangles that resist combing. Pull a comb through tangled hair and you break the hair shafts and produce split ends. Conditioners stick to the hair shafts, where they can do their extraordinary work. Protein, found in most conditioners, patches damaged or cracked areas of your hair shaft.

The cortex is composed of protein fibers that extend lengthwise within a hair strand—much like a cable filled with many pliable threads. This cable-like structure makes hair strands strong and gives your hair its color, texture, and elasticity. When hair coloring is applied to hair strands, the cuticle’s scales have to be opened so the new color can flood into and be absorbed by the cortex. As it passes through, permanent color damages the cuticle, causing light to reflect unevenly, and depriving your hair of a silky shine. Your hair also won’t be able to hold the moisture it needs to maintain a healthy, supple texture. So you’ll have hair that looks brittle, dull, and limp. And that’s why many hair care products for color-treated hair are formulated to repair and care for the damage they cause to the cuticle when coloring occurs.

At the hair shaft’s core is the medulla, which runs horizontally through the hair shaft like a canal. Instead of water, the canal is filled with air bubbles. Although the specific function of the medulla is unknown, it exists in hair types other than very fine. Often, the medulla is missing completely from very fine hair.

Identifying your hair condition is key to understanding how to treat your hair. And the products we use either help or hinder us in reaching our goal of achieving ideal hair. No matter how challenging your hair condition is, you can achieve your ideal hair with a regimen—or sequence of steps. Shampoo, condition, style, hold—the four regimen steps that clean, protect, shape and maintain the ideal hair you want.

For most of us, shampooing is a rushed step. Slowing the shampoo process down feels good and it protects our hair and scalp from unnecessary damage. We have to strike a balance between washing away and retaining enough oil to keep our hair healthy.

The conditioning step is where you can undo some of the damage done by overzealous shampooing or the hair’s daily maintenance and exposure to the elements. Conditioning smoothes and protects the hair shaft from tangles and split ends, while adding moisture to improve sheen and body. Just a dab of product is enough to coat your hair and make it appear fuller, softer, and shinier. Pay close attention to the ends, the older hair, which is where most of the damage to hair occurs. The condition step also neutralizes the electrical charge in the hair shaft to eliminate static electricity and calm your hair.

Now that your hair is squeaky clean, and smooth and protected, it’s in optimal condition to achieve the style you want. Style products accent the features you like most about your hair. They also give you the volume and fullness you need, while helping to restore any damage your hair has suffered.

A light spritz of a spray styling product gives fine hair a fuller look, thin hair volume and curly hair control. If you’re looking to lift, separate or have your hair stand on end, there are products to help you achieve your desired style. Styling products also do their part to restore and strengthen damaged hair.

Now that you’ve got every hair where you want it, it’s time to hold and fix your style. Hold products can also add volume, as well as maintain your desired hairstyle. Hairspray has been the hold product of choice for years. When applied to roots and strands of fine, thin hair, it can add volume. And a light spray to curls or waves keeps them in line. For greater holding power, set the style with thick, strong pomades or waxes.

Hair conditions are caused by factors within and out of our control, including genetics, improper hair care products, over-processing, lack of moisture, and the weather. No matter what the cause, achieving ideal hair is as close as finding your total hair care solution, so let’s take a look at hair care solutions for specific types of hair.

Dry, Damaged Hair

If your hair is dry, it just doesn’t have the moisture or oil to produce the ideal sheen and silky texture you want. Instead, it looks dull and lackluster. Sometimes, dry hair is in our genes—we’re born with it. Other culprits are over-processing—from perms, hot curling and blow-drying ... And excessive shampooing—or using a harsh shampoo. The result: Hair strands are damaged, they can’t retain moisture and hair becomes dry and brittle.

Your dry hair needs a deep moisturizing or therapeutic shampoo. They’re specially formulated to minimize the drying effects of shampooing and add moisture to the hair shaft. Many are labeled, “For Dry Hair.” The condition step is a must for dry and damaged hair. Dry hair conditioners smooth and coat the hair with ingredients that draw and replenish moisture. Many conditioners contain a liquid vitamin that plumps hair and makes it appear thicker. Apply an intensive treatment conditioner for ten or more minutes, once or twice a week to rebuild and strengthen your hair. These treatments are not meant for daily use.

Use a mousse or gel to style your dry hair. These products add volume and body, give dull hair luster, make hard to manage hair behave, and hold desired styles. A light hair spray will set your style nicely.

Color-Treated Hair

Today we can color our hair almost as often as we change our clothes. Wash-in color is available that only lasts through a few shampoos. Permanent color can last for several months but can take a toll on our hair. In order for permanent hair coloring to transform the color of hair, it has to penetrate each hair strand. As it penetrates, permanent color damages the surface of the hair strand, causing light to reflect unevenly, and depriving you of a silky shine. The damaged surface means the hair strand can’t hold moisture, so color treated hair can look brittle, dull, and limp.

Many products for color-treated hair are formulated to repair and care for the damage they cause during the coloring process. Color-treated hair shampoo cleans the hair shaft without further damaging the hair. It penetrates hair strands and prevents color from fading. Look for a shampoo that’s labeled “For Color-treated Hair.” Conditioners for color-treated hair help seal the new color. Conditioners restore luster and sheen that may have been lost during the color treatment. Leave an intensive treatment conditioner on for ten or more minutes, once or twice a week, to strengthen the hair. Treatments are not meant for daily use.

A mousse or gel for styling provides volume and body, gives dull hair luster, makes hard to manage hair behave, and holds desired styles. Use a light hair spray to set your style.

Oily or Greasy Hair

Grease and oil are dreaded words when it comes to your hair. The oil attracts dirt like a magnet. So you end up with clumpy, slicked-down hair that gets no fashion points. Sometimes, we’re born with oily hair, other times oil glands near the scalp are stimulated by hormones, stress, or sweat. Your hair’s color and texture can also signal your predisposition for oily hair. People with fine, straight, and blonde hair generally experience the oiliest hair.

If you have oily and greasy hair, you’ve probably experienced a lifetime of extreme measures, aimed at completely drying out your hair. Any relief these remedies brought you were short-lived because your scalp counters your drying action by producing even more oil. So the key to a long-term, total solution is balancing – stripping away some of the oil, but leaving enough to meet your hair’s needs.

You need to shampoo frequently, but only with shampoos that are mild enough for everyday use. So, use shampoos labeled for “Frequent-Use” or “Balancing” or “For Oily Hair.” Your oily hair should be conditioned less frequently than dry hair, since additional moisture is not needed. If you feel you just have to condition daily, make sure you use just a dab of a light conditioner to soften and protect your hair.

Cream or lotion styling products work best with oily and greasy hair. They’re lighter than mousses or gels, and won’t add too much moisture and increase the oily look you’re trying to neutralize. Then a light-holding hair spray will set the style in place.

Thin or Fine Hair

Thin and fine actually describe two different attributes of hair. Both look limp and lifeless, but thin lacks quantity and fine lacks thickness. Thin is a measure of the number of hairs in a square inch. You can determine thin hair by pulling your hair into a ponytail. If the ponytail’s diameter measures an inch or less, your hair is thin. Fine refers to the thickness of your hair strand. Your genes help determine whether your hair is fine or coarse. Thin or fine, you’ll have flat hair that either hugs your head or falls limply on your shoulders.

Just as moderation is the key for oily hair, “More” is definitely in order for thin or fine hair. Thin hair lacks quantity and fine hair lacks thickness. You need as much volume and body enhancing as possible to keep hair from hugging your head or falling limply on your shoulders. “Volumizing” or “For Fine Hair” are the shampoos to use for thin or fine hair. They make hair appear thicker and fuller. These shampoos are specially formulated to provide body and protection to your hair. Use volumizing conditioners specially made for thin or fine hair. Most are labeled “Volumizing” or “For Fine Hair.” Massage a dime-size amount of leave-in conditioner into your hair to add volume and eliminate tangles.

A cream or lotion works best for a lighter style. But for a more extreme style that requires extra firm hold, use a volumizing mousse or gel. A light hair spray will hold the style in place without flattening the volume or style you’ve worked so hard to get. Spraying the roots, as well as the hair, adds volume.

Wavy or Curly Hair

We always seem to want the hair we don’t have. If our hair is straight, we’d rather have rippling waves or bouncy curls. But curls and waves can cause a sea of challenges. The difference between wavy and curly hair is a matter of degree. Wavy hair is like gentle ocean waves that ripple across the water. Curly hair is like a thunderous, unpredictable wave with major undertow. Curls can grow into ringlets, or, if the hair is kinky, into tightly coiled curls.

Frizzy hair is a close cousin to wavy and curly hair. It ranges in appearance from overly full to flat and lifeless. Extreme weather helps determine the hair you’ll see in the mirror. On humid days your hair soaks up excess moisture in the air, giving you that overly full, unintentional “Big Hair” look. On extremely dry days, frizzy hair gets robbed of moisture, leaving it flat and lifeless. Damage throughout hair strands results in a lackluster appearance, split ends, and an undesirable texture.

If you have wavy or curly hair, it’s important for you to look for a moisturizing shampoo specifically formulated for your hair. Any other shampoo may further dry out your hair or give it an unwanted springiness that verges on the woolly look. Shampooing two or three times a week is sufficient. Conditioners labeled for curly and wavy hair make combing and styling easier, tame the frizzies, and turn a potentially bad hair day into a good one. If your curly hair is thin, use a conditioner that doesn’t weigh your hair down and make it limp.

Cream or lotion style products continue conditioning curly and frizzy hair and make styling easier. A strong styling product, like mousse, enhances and holds curly hair. A spray or wax can set your style, but a pomade will give you extra hold AND protect against the frizzies.

Dandruff or Dry Scalp

We assume dandruff is caused by a dry scalp, but it’s usually caused by an overly oily one. When our scalp’s production of oil goes into overdrive, the result is unsightly, white or gray OILY flecks of dead skin—or dandruff. Some people experience dandruff year-round, and others suffer only during the winter, when cold weather and harsh indoor heat change the condition of their scalp. Dry scalp is caused by excessive indoor heat, blow-drying, frequent shampooing, or the application of conditioners directly onto the scalp. The telltale sign of dry scalp is DRY, not oily, flaking.

Treatment for dandruff starts by determining whether it’s dandruff or dry scalp. They have a similar look — white unsightly flecks of dead skin loosely clinging to hair and clothes. Both make you feel the urge to scratch your itchy scalp. Dandruff is a skin rash that produces large, greasy white flakes. Smaller, less-oily flakes are the telltale signs of dry scalp. Dandruff shampoos and conditioners contain effective anti-dandruff ingredients aimed at ridding you of the flakes while protecting your hair and scalp.

Styling products are more determined by the end look you want. However, dandruff and dry scalp sufferers should use products that add oil to the hair. Also, since heat and drying are dry scalp culprits, products should be used that require little or no heat. A cream or lotion is a lighter alternative for styling. Any styling product can be followed with a light or heavy hair spray to set the hairstyle.