Rescue mission: how to bring brittle hair back to life

You’re trying so hard to brush gently but no matter what you do, you still hear it - the unmistakable sound of hair snapping. If you’re living with brittle, damaged hair, you’ll know this frustration only too well.

Brittle hair not only breaks easily, it’s also more likely to shed, it’s harder to style and it can be dull in appearance too. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be that way. With the right products - such as Essential Haircare’s NOUNOU/ range - and a few good habits, you can build a haircare routine designed to strengthen brittle hair and gently bring it back to life.

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The science of brittle, damaged hair

There are many factors that can contribute to brittle hair, from natural porosity to hormonal changes. Hair type can play a part too. Curly and coily hair is more prone to brittleness because the curl bends create a natural stress point for breakage, and also because sebum travels more slowly down the hair shaft, making the hair naturally drier.

But brittleness can come from damage too, whether that’s due to chemical treatments, heat styling, environmental pollution, UV rays from the sun or even overly vigorous brushing.

When hair is damaged, the cuticle - overlapping scales that cover the hair shaft - lifts and the hair becomes porous. This exposes the inner cortex layer, which is made up of the dense keratin protein bundles that gives hair its strength and elasticity, and allows moisture and essential proteins to escape.

This process leaves it vulnerable to further damage, creating a vicious cycle that needs to be broken.

Gentle cleansing for brittle hair

One thing that brittle hair does not like is harsh cleansers. Traditional shampoos with strong sulfates can strip damaged hair of its already scarce natural oils, making the problem of dryness worse. What you ideally want in a shampoo for brittle hair is a formula with a low pH, a gentle cleansing action and added moisturizing properties.

Essential Haircare’s NOUNOU/ shampoo is a nourishing, strengthening shampoo that helps reinforce weak, brittle hair while restoring softness, smoothness and manageability from root to tip.

It is made with Regenerative Organic Certified™ lupin extract¹ from Mr. Giuseppe Pellegrino's farm , Cutrofiano, Lecce, Italy, which contains proteins, polysaccharides and fatty acids to strengthen, repair and reinforce the hair, locking in moisture and improving resilience.

As well as potentially changing to a more suitable product, you could also consider reducing the frequency of your hair washing to give your hair more of a chance to recover between shampoos and to build back naturally protective oils.

¹Sourced from Regenerative Organic Certified™ farms

Intensive hydration and repair

Conditioning is a crucial step in any haircare regimen dedicated to hair repair, as it helps to restore moisture and strength. While your hair is extremely damaged, you can use a rich, intensive conditioner at every wash to help hydrate the hair and seal the cuticles to prevent further loss of moisture.

In between this, you can layer up your impact with a hair mask for damaged hair every week or two to bring a deep moisturizing action. Both conditioners and hair masks should be evenly distributed through the hair and left for the recommended time for maximum absorption before being gently rinsed.

If you’re in a hurry, choose a fast action conditioner like NOUNOU/ conditioner, which needs just 30 seconds to act before you can comb through and rinse. With its strengthening and softening action, your hair will be more resilient and easier to manage after every use.

Protection and preventing further damage

While your hair wash ritual is important for combating the symptoms of brittle hair and helping to restore its natural vigour, you’ll need to add an extra layer of protection to prevent further damage. That’s where leave-in products come in.

Most leave-in treatments designed for brittle and damaged hair - such as cream, oils and serums - work by forming a protective layer that helps keep out environmental stressors while reducing friction.

Your leave-in product should also include heat protection, as heat of all kinds - both from styling techniques like blow drying and using straightening tongs, and from the sun - can cause damage and dryness.

The new NOUNOU/ oil is formulated to create a powerful barrier that protects against heat up to 446°F (230°C) while deeply nourishing the hair, leaving it smoother and more resilient. The result is hair that is up to 5.1² times stronger and up to 12.9³ times shinier after just one use.

²Instrumental test on hair strands treated with NOUNOU shampoo, conditioner and oil vs. untreated hair.

³Instrumental test on hair strands vs. untreated hair

Healthy habits for reviving damaged hair

As well as choosing the right products and treatments for damaged hair, there are changes you can make to your haircare routine that will help protect it and prevent further damage.

Gentle detangling
The mechanical action of brushing your hair can be damaging so make sure to use a wide toothed comb and start at the ends, working up gently.
Blot, don’t rub
When drying your hair, use a microfibre towel or old T-shirt - which has smoother fibres - and blot or gently squeeze the water away rather than rubbing, which can snap brittle strands.
Minimize heat styling
Wherever possible, air drying your hair is the best option for brittle hair. If you do need to use a blow dryer, prepare with a heat protectant and then use a low temperature setting.
Regular trims
Although getting your hair trimmed regularly won’t make it grow faster, it will remove split ends and prevent further splitting, which can compromise the structure of the whole shaft.
Eat healthily
As well as working on the outside, staying healthy on the inside has a huge impact on the hair, so be sure to eat a balanced diet, stay hydrated, and consider supplements where needed.
Overnight protection
Since rough fibres cause friction that can damage brittle hair, consider switching out your pillow cases for silk ones, use a silk bonnet or tie your hair in a loose braid while you sleep.

More hydration & strength support

Reveal nourished hair

Playing the long game

Repairing brittle hair isn’t an overnight process. It will take some time and effort. But by using products designed to restore and protect your hair, and making a few haircare and lifestyle changes if needed, you can make a difference.

And as you start to notice improvements, celebrate your progress. Let it encourage you to mindfully and consistently stick to your good habits over a number of weeks and months, until you have fully restored your hair’s strength, softness and shine.

If you’d like tailored advice to suit your hair needs, visit your nearest Davines salon to speak to one of our experts!