One of the most widespread problems is certainly that of dry, damaged and brittle hair... why? They are usually the result of many small abuses perpetrated on our poor hair which add up over the months and years, creating real damage that can no longer be ignored!

With our hair care routine and the right remedies for dry and brittle hair, your hair will be reborn to a new and splendid life!

If you've ever dealt with dry and brittle hair you already know how hard and challenging it is to cope with. It may look dull and lack vitality. There is good news though: there exist effective solution to restore the heatlh and shine of your hair. Reading trough this article, you will find out what are the best practices to take care of dry and brittle hair and to turn them beautiful. Here there are the contents of the article: 

• Dry and damaged hair: Causes
• Dry and damaged hair: some tips
• The Beauty Routine for dry and damaged hair
  Scalp Pre-Treatment
  Hair Pre-Treatment: pre-shampoo hair masks
  Specific cleansing: shampoos for dry hair
  Hair treatment: the perfect conditioner for dry hair
• Styling for dry hair
• Dyeing dry hair with Henna
• The Complete Package

Dry and damaged hair: causes

Hair can get dry and brittle due to several factors that may interact one with the other until they damage the natural structure of hair. One of the main causes is loss of moisture.

Each hair is made up of an outer layer called the cuticle and an inner layer called the cortex. The cuticle consists of tiny scales that should overlap evenly to protect the inner cortex.

Sun exposure, constant use of hair-dryer and hair-straightener, along with excessive use of chemical products like hair-dye and permanent, and frequent washing can damage the cuticle. This may cause loss of moisture and make your hair weak and dry. Moreover, external agents like humidity and pollution may make things worse for your hair. Even a diet lacking essential nutrients such as proteins, vitamins and minerals can have bad influence on the condition of your hair, thus contributing to its dryness.

To sum up, hair gets dry because of several internal and external causes that jeopardize both hydration balance and hair structure.

Dry and damaged hair: some tips

So, how to deal with dry and damaged hair? Here there are some tips to follow:

• Pay attention to how you dry your hair! Avoid using the hair-dryer at high temperatures and try not to approach the scalp and the hair roots. Keep it at a certain distance from your mane, and if you have the time... why not air dry your hair instead?
• Use the right tools! If you notice split ends along your mane, changing your brush can make a difference. Use a wooden comb or brushes with smooth and soft bristles, avoiding those with small beads at the ends. Avoid brushing your hair when it's wet; wait until it's partially dried and then gently comb through!
• Avoid using hair straighteners and curling irons at high temperatures! If you use them too often you will only weaken the structure and cause split ends!
• Limit invasive treatments! Colorings, bleachings, and perms are treatments with strong chemical agents that, if used too frequently, can seriously compromise the health of your hair.
• Watch out for UV rays! If your hair is already damaged, UV rays can penetrate their structure, so try to protect them from prolonged sun exposure.

The beauty routine for dry and damaged hair

It's important to use specific products that can give our hair the nourishment and care it needs, particularly if we suffer from dry and damaged hair. Here there are more tips: 

- Always use a specific shampoo and conditioner for hair in need of hydration, nourishment or for damaged hair!
- Make a mask at least once a week, to offer your hair an intensive restructuring treatment.
- Use oils on dry hair to nourish your hair (especially the ends!) and to give it softness and brightness.

A complete beauty routine for dry, damaged, and treated hair as well as focusing on hair care, will also act on the health of the scalp, a fundamental prerequisite for beautiful and healthy hair.

The first step is doing scalp pre-treatment, which cleanses and soothes the scalp; hair pre-treatment, specific cleansing, hair treatment and styling will follow, all aimed at improving the strength and integrity of the hair, which will finally be free to shine!

Scalp pre-treatment

Detox Scalp Scrub

If our skin is not healthy, our hair will hardly be shiny and beautiful... for this reason it is very important to take care of our scalp even before our hair... because a shiny hair is rooted in a healthy skin !

You can opt for a pre-shampoo treatment using Detox Scalp Scrub: this scrub is perfect for deep cleansing, removing dead cells, reinvigorating the scalp and having shiny hair.

The organic rosemary helps stimulate circulation, promoting hair growth and regulating sebum production. The chicory prebiotic strengthens the natural microbiota present on our skin and helps to regain balance and prevent dandruff. The natural mint and nettle extracts purify and stimulate the scalp and follicles, the aloe and witch hazel gel have a moisturizing and soothing action. Organic peppermint essential oil purifies and gives a refreshingly invigorating scent that also revives the senses!

We recommend using this product once a week if you have an oily scalp, and twice a month if you have a normal or sensitive scalp. Wet the hair, apply this product on the scalp and massage the scalp with the fingertips, with particular pressure above the ears, on the nape of the neck and on the central line. Make the microgranules and natural extracts work, which will help you remove dead cells, toxins and... bad thoughts!
Leave it on for a few minutes, rinse and then proceed with normal washing.

Soothing and moisturizing scalp lotion

The health of the skin is closely linked to the balance of the microorganisms that populate it and the chicory prebiotic contained in this Soothing and moisturizing scalp lotion strengthens the natural skin microbiota by restoring the balance of our skin and improving its resistance against external irritants!

The calming, moisturizing and soothing effect of this precious lotion is enhanced by the extracts of chamomile, licorice, witch hazel and green tea, which combined with beetroot amino acids restore integrity and strength to hair and scalp.

When needed, apply the lotion directly to the entire skin or only to the affected areas (in this case a vial can be used for 2 or 3 applications), massage gently with your fingertips and leave it on for at least 20 minutes. If necessary, wash your hair.
Do you want to carry out an intensive treatment? apply the lotion for 4 consecutive days, then repeat the application 2 times a week for a month.

Hair pre-treatment

Making nourishing hair masks once a week is a crucial step for those with dry hair, as it significantly improves their health and appearance. Dry hair, as we've seen, is often the result of a lack of hydration and essential nutrients, which can be replenished through the regular application of specific masks.

We can use natural oils that penetrate deep into the hair structure, repairing damaged cuticles and providing long-lasting hydration. This process not only makes the hair softer, silkier, and easier to manage but also helps prevent future damage and reduce breakage by increasing elasticity and shine. Here are the perfect oils and products for making a hair mask for dry hair:

• Vegetable silicone + Amla: before washing your hair with shampoo and conditioner, you can apply this oil with a dry and silky touch as a mask for at least 15 minutes. Vegetable silicone is a completely biodegradable ester of coconut oil, capable of deeply nourishing the hair without weighing it down. Amla extract, an ancient beauty secret of Indian women, has a strengthening effect on the hair due to its content of vitamins, flavonoids, and antioxidants. It helps them grow healthy and strong and makes them easy to detangle. The presence of Amla in our Pure Hair Actives does not darken the hair: our Silicone + Amla preserves the hair's original shade.
  
  
• Organic flaxseed oil: thanks to its emollient and repairing properties, flaxseed oil can be used to treat dull and lifeless hair, making it soft and shiny.; useful for counteracting the formation of split ends, it gives body and nourishment to dry hair. It is very rich in essential omega 3 and omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and saturated fats such as stearic and palmitic acid, in addition to vitamin C and vitamin E. Flaxseed oil also contains numerous mineral salts, especially magnesium and calcium , but also potassium, zinc, iron, manganese, copper, phosphorus and selenium. You can use it pure or with the addition of a few drops of lemon essential oil, as a restructuring and nourishing pre-shampoo pack for dry and brittle hair, to remove frizz and make it shiny and silky.
  
  
• Aloe Vera Gel: this aloe juice is an excellent natural remedy for dry and brittle hair! A true elixir with a rebalancing, moisturizing and emollient action. Thanks to its antioxidant and detoxifying properties, Aloe acts on the hair shaft by purifying it, restructuring it and making it stronger. Make a pre-shampoo pack for 30 minutes for bright and shiny hair!
  
  
• Restorative Mask: this is a mask specifically designed for dry and treated hair, providing perfect nourishment! With organic coconut oil that intensely nourishes the hair, making it soft and elastic—thus less prone to breakage—and giving the hair a healthy, shiny appearance. The synergy of wheat proteins and phyto-keratin (a plant-based protein derived from peas, rice, and soy) provides the hair with a real protein boost, helping to repair damaged strands, reduce split ends, and thicken the hair from root to tip, making it stronger, more vital, and shinier. It can be left on for 30 minutes before washing the hair, or it can be used instead of conditioner, after shampooing, and left on for 5 minutes.
  

Specific cleansing: shampoos for dry hair

When you have dry and brittle hair it is very important to choose a shampoo that is specially formulated to hydrate and nourish the hair. There are the features to look for in a dry hair shampoo: 

• Intense hydration: it's best to choose a shampoo that provides intense or deep hydration using ingredients such as flaxseed, coconut oil, hyaluronic acid, or extra virgin olive oil.
• Paraben and Silicone-free: Avoid products containing parabens and silicones. This is not only an eco-friendly choice but also highly recommended for those with dry hair. Silicones, in particular, create a barrier on the hair that prevents water from entering or leaving, leading to further dryness. We discuss it in more detail in this article on our blog.
• Avoid harsh and irritating surfactants: stay away from aggressive and irritating surfactants like Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), which can strip away the natural oils in your hair. This is something to be especially cautious about if you have dry hair.
• Create a comprehensive routine: choose a nourishing hair conditioner suitable for dry hair to be followed by a specific hair conditioner.

Here there are some suggested shampoos for dry hair:

Liquid shampoo for dry hair

The Strengthening Shampoo for dry and treated hair is enriched with functional and nourishing ingredients such as flaxseed, vegetable proteins, moringa and sunflower extracts, and it is scented with pure sweet orange and geranium essential oils. A perfect recipe for those with dry, thin, and damaged hair, and also for those seeking a gentle shampoo that strengthens and protects the hair.

Since it is concentrated, to better use it you can dilute the shampoo with either water or hydrolate (1 part of shampoo and 3 parts of water), gently massage onto the scalp and rinse. 

The solid alternative: solid shampoo for dry hair

Wht's the best solid shampoo for dry hair? It's our Strengthening Solid Shampoo with strenghtening and soothing effects. It is often believed that solid shampoo don't do good on dry hair because they might tend to dry them even more: this is not always true since it depends on the formula! Energia Solid Shampoo has a formula that suits dr hair: thanks to beet amino acids and flaxseed your hair is hydrated and restructured, while chicory prebiotic strengthens the natural skin microbiota to restore balance and soothe the skin. It also contains marshmallow, calendula and witch hazel which add sweetness to the recipe and give serenity to the skin and shine and splendor to your hair!

Choosing a solid shampoo instead of a traditional liquid shampoo allows you to have a small and compact, but highly concentrated product that is good for you and for the environment! In fact, 50 grams of this shampoo correspond to 300 ml of a traditional shampoo, perfect for traveling in your hand luggage! Its packaging is minimal and 100% recyclable (recyclable cardboard and biodegradable film!)

It's very easy to use: pass the solid shampoo through wet hair, or first massage it between your hands to make it foam and apply it to the scalp and hair, then rinse. For an extra pampering, also apply a (wonder) hair mask.

Powdered shampoo: a Zero Waste alternative

If we don't want to give up the liquid texture because it's more convenient for us to use, but we want to reduce single-use plastic bottles, we now have an additional alternative: powdered shampoo to rehydrate. The best option for dry hair? Definitely the Powdered Strenghtening Shampoo with Coconut and Hyaluronic Acid.

It is ideal for dry and damaged hair, containing low molecular weight hyaluronic acid to hydrate, coconut to nourish and add shine. For healthier and stronger hair, we’ve also added ginkgo biloba extract and wheat proteins, which, thanks to their affinity with keratin, protect and smooth the hair.

How to use it? Simply dissolve the crystals in a 200ml bottle, we suggest this one but you can also use one you already own, to say goodbye to plastic and make your hair shine, leaving it soft and glossy!

Hair treatment: the perfect conditioner for dry hair

Those who have dry and brittle hair need hydration. Leave-in and nourishing conditioners are more than welcomed.

Conditioner for dry hair

One of the best conditioners for dry hair is Nourishing Conditioner. It doesn't contain silicone or any other damaging ingredient, but it scented with orange blossom coming from Sicily and Ylang Ylang. Flaxseed, sunflower and moringa will deeply nourish the hair making it stronger and glowing!

You can also apply this conditioner to each wash on wet hair after shampooing! Leave it on for a few minutes, rinse, proceed with drying and get ready to shine!

Forza solid conditioner

A specific conditioner for dry and brittle hair is certainly the Forza solid conditioner! The good news is that it is formulated with wonderful ingredients, the even better news is that being solid it does not need bottles: this is why its use has a positive impact on the Planet

Inside we find the amla extract that stimulates hair growth and the beetroot amino acids that hydrate and strengthen the hair. Coconut oil and cocoa butter give strength and vitality to even the driest and most damaged ends while turmeric makes hair bright and shiny thanks to its powerful antioxidant action. It also contains linseed oil, rich in Omega 3, which performs an ideal regenerating action for dull, dry and brittle hair. The special acid pH closes the scales of the hair and counteracts the frizz effect.

How to use: There is nothing difficult about using a solid conditioner. Just pass the stick on wet lengths or you can first massage it between your hands and apply the foam that forms on the hair, leave it on for a few minutes and finally rinse.
Its 40 gram format is equivalent to 200 ml of traditional conditioner: small, compact, light and pack-free, it is the essential hair treatment for those with dry and brittle hair!

Specific treatment for dry hair: Hair Actives

Dryness is mainly caused by hydration loss. Thanks to Vegetable Keratin it is possible to give back to hair its strenght and volume, thus preventing it from breaking and getting brittle. 

Spray it on your hair after washing but before drying to achieve a healthier mane. Our Vegetable Keratin is rich in peptides, oligopeptides, and polypeptides aimed at restructuring and repairing the hair, protecting it from oxidative damage. It contains a significant amount of cysteine and sulfur. The formula is also enriched with rose and cornflower for shiny hair and a burst of floral energy. It can be used on all hair types, both straight and curly, thanks to its light texture specially formulated to avoid the buil-up effect, which is the accumulation of product on hair.

It is ideal for bleached, fine, and easily breakable hair. It has a double action:

• Restructuring effect: it can be used after dyeing since it prevents the shaft from breaking and the ends from splitting by restoring the hair's three-dimensional structure.
• Volumizing effect on the hair, leading to an increase in the thickness of each individual strand by 17%. The hair appears more voluminous and full.

Styling for dry hair

Your dry hair finally needs one last touch to stop being dull and become shiny and silky. We can use:

• Plant Crystals: a true beauty elixir to nourish, protect, discipline and make hair silky. We created it by mixing fantastic organic coconut, flax and hemp oils with argan oil, which was produced by a women's cooperative in Morocco, to nourish the locks without weighing them down, leaving them shinier than ever.
  You can use it after shampooing on damp hair, to make it soft and manageable or on dry strands to fix the fold, tame the frizz effect and make your hair shine.
• Argan oil: this precious nourishing oil thanks to the high presence of natural antioxidants (Vitamin E) and Omega 3 - 6 - 9, gives shine to dull and brittle hair, with an anti-frizz effect. On damp hair or after drying it, apply a few drops to the ends and massage. Your hair will be shiny and soft and will be protected from damage caused by the heat of the hair dryer.

Dyeing dry hair with henna

If your hair is really dry and brittle, traditional dyeings won't do any good since they tend to dry the hair even more. And so? If you want to dye your hair, maybe to cover white hair, what should you do? You can rely on dyeing herbs, natural treatments that do not dry out the hair but rather make it fuller and shinier. The colour can be chosen always starting from your natural colour: just follow the procedure on the packet to prepare the batter, leave on for 30 minutes to make a strengthening mask up to 1 hour and 30 minutes to cover the whites. The longer the application time, the more intense the dyeing power will be. 

Does henna dry your hair further? The answer is it depends. It depends both on the formula and on the origin of the herbs. Our Hennetica dyeing herbs are organically grown and also ethically sourced; we check all imported samples and they are herbs of the highest quality. They contain no sodium picramate, ammonia, metal salts and no chemical additives. 

Restructuring treatment for dry hair with dyeing herbs

Sand-coloured vegetable dye - Devi

Our Sand coloured vegetable dye - Devi is excellent as a restructuring and strengthening mask for all hair types, even dry hair, as it has no dyeing power on dark hair! So if you have dark hair and do not need colouring, you can use this plant dye as a strengthening and restructuring pack, to be left in for up to 30 minutes and rinsed out.

The complete package

Still confused after all these tips? Are you asking yourself what shampoo is the best for you? We suggest you complete package: it is a Dry or treated hair - Strengthening Routine This is a package of products with a 15% discount and free shipping!
Inside you can find everything you need  to strengthen your hair from roots to ends!

The beauty routine can be structured by following these steps:

Step 1: healthy hair roots grow in a healthy scalp: nourish your scalp with the Soothing and Strengthening Lotion, a true treatment with prebiotics to restore the scalp's balance and provide more resilience to your hair!

Step 2: cleanse, with the Strengthening Shampoo based on prebiotics capable of giving shine and splendor to the hair.

Step 3: nourish, with the Nourishing Conditioner, the acid rinse to be carried out with the Sage Hydrolat, to be sprayed on the hair without rinsing.

Step 4: strengthen, with Restorative Mask to be applied once a week instead of conditioner to give the hair shaft more body and more resistance.

Step 5: after washing, volumize and strengthen with the Vegetal Keratin Spray Treatment, which adds more structure to the hair shaft.

Step 6: for styling, you can apply plant crystals, useful for nourishing, protecting, regulating and making hair silky.

👉 Find here the Dry or treated hair - Strengthening Routine 👈

Still searching for the perfect routine for you? You can take our Hair Test to get a personalized recommendation 👇