Let's explore together the causes of damage, the key ingredients to nourish hair, and how a natural hair routine can truly make a difference!
Here’s what you’ll find in this article:
- Damaged hair: causes and characteristics
- How to repair dry and damaged hair
Key ingredients to look for in INCI
- The best natural hair routine for dry, brittle, and damaged hair
- Natural restorative treatments to complete your routine
Damaged hair is one of the main concerns for those who desire strong, healthy locks. Yes, concerns, because we often think that once our hair is damaged, it can never shine like it once did!
But why does hair get damaged? And what exactly does it mean to have dry, damaged, or brittle hair? Let’s dive deeper into the main causes and characteristics that distinguish damaged hair from healthy hair.
Behind these poor strands, there is actually a combination of environmental factors, styling habits, and the characteristics of the hair fiber itself. Some of the main causes of damage include:
- Excessive Heat: when we use heated tools like blow dryers, straighteners, and curling irons, we expose our hair to temperatures that can reach up to 200°C. This extreme heat weakens the keratin proteins in the cuticle, the outer layer that protects the hair’s internal structure, making it porous and vulnerable. Over time, excess heat can lead to split ends, dryness, and dullness.
- Aggressive Chemical Treatments: hair dyes, bleaching, perms, and chemical straightening alter the hair’s natural structure, destroying some of the proteins and lipids that make up the hair, leaving it fragile and prone to breakage. Chemically treated hair tends to be drier and requires more hydration and care.
- UV Exposure and Pollution: these factors expose the hair to oxidative stress. UV radiation damages melanin and keratin, leading to color loss and weakening the hair’s structure, while pollutants accumulate on the hair, clogging follicles and making hair dull and fragile.
- Frequent Washing and Harsh Products: harsh shampoos and too-frequent washing strip hair of its natural hydrolipidic film, a protective barrier made of sebum and water. This barrier is essential for maintaining hydration and hair health; without it, hair becomes dry and vulnerable to external factors. Substances like sulfates and silicones can dehydrate the hair and, in the long run, make it fragile and dull.
Damaged hair can be recognized by a series of visible signs and tactile sensations that differ significantly from healthy hair, including high porosity, roughness, dullness, fragility, and split ends.
Taking care of damaged hair requires patience and a few extra precautions, but with a careful routine and nourishing products derived from the strength of nature, it's possible to restore vitality and softness to your hair!
Let’s look at some practical tips that anyone can follow:
When searching for the perfect hair routine to quench dry hair, the first crucial step is to focus on the ingredients: looking at the INCI (ingredient list) of products and seeking ingredients that provide hydration, nourishment, and protection will already set you on the right path and halfway to your goal!
Let’s explore some of the best natural ingredients to support dehydrated and damaged hair: from natural oils to strengthening proteins, each of them plays a specific role in repairing the hair fiber and keeping hair healthy and soft over time.
Here are some key ingredients:
- Natural oils, like argan oil and coconut oil, are highly nourishing and penetrate the hair, improving elasticity and reducing dryness.
- Vegetable butters, such as shea butter and cocoa butter, have emollient properties and provide deep nourishment.
- Hydrolyzed proteins, like keratin, collagen, and wheat, silk, or soy proteins, help strengthen the hair shaft, repairing damaged areas and giving the hair structure greater resilience.
- Aloe vera has hydrating and soothing properties, helping to retain moisture and calm the scalp, reducing frizz.
- Panthenol (provitamin B5) has a moisturizing and repairing effect, improving softness and adding shine to dry hair, making it easier to detangle.
- Glycerin, a natural humectant, attracts and retains moisture, leaving the hair softer and more hydrated.
- Hyaluronic acid is excellent for moisturizing the hair, as it holds water and makes the hair more elastic and resilient.
- Vitamin E has antioxidant properties, protecting the hair from environmental damage, and improving circulation in the scalp, promoting stronger and more resistant hair
By now, we know that following a hair care routine tailored to your hair's needs is crucial! In the case of dry and damaged hair, choosing products made with natural ingredients and adopting a few daily tips can help restore hydration, softness, and shine to your locks.
Let yourself be won over by this simple yet effective hair routine that includes a strengthening shampoo and a nourishing conditioner, to be alternated with an intensive treatment like a restorative mask, to be applied once a week. Let’s take a closer look at everything!
The perfect recipe for soft, energized hair!
The Strengthening Shampoo - Organic Sunflower and Orange has always been a favorite for dry and treated hair. It is rich in nourishing and functional substances, including:
Organic Sunflower: restructuring, hydrating, and antioxidant
Moringa Extract: protective, restructuring, and purifying
Isomerized Saccharide: deeply and long-lastingly hydrates both the scalp and hair
Organic Aloe Juice: hydrating, soothing, stimulating, and balancing
Organic Flax Seeds: hydrating, restructuring, and antioxidant
Organic Sweet Orange Essential Oil: relaxing, fragrant, and astringent
Organic Geranium Essential Oil: balancing and refreshing
Grapefruit Essential Oil: sebum-regulating, revitalizing, and fragrant
This Organic Shampoo for Dry and Treated Hair is beloved by all hair types that suffer from brittle and dry lengths, often due to factors like bleaching or the use of blow dryers and straighteners. With each wash, hair will regain its softness and shine!
A conditioner with a sweet, heavenly scent, dedicated to dry and stressed hair!
This Organic Nourishing Conditioner works wonders on all dry, treated hair in need of nourishment and hydration. Flax seeds, Aloe Juice, and Avocado have nourishing properties that help keep the hair hydrated, soft, and flexible. Organic Sunflower has an intense restructuring and repairing action, eliminating dryness and lack of hydration. To repair the damage caused by blow dryers and straighteners, Arginine takes care of the hair with its antioxidant action, controlling free radicals. The other active ingredients include:
Organic Sweet Orange: relaxing, fragrant, and astringent
Organic Coconut Oil: nourishing, elasticizing, and shine-enhancing
Organic Amla: strengthens, revitalizes, and adds shine to the hair
Moringa Extract: protective, restructuring, and purifying
Patchouli Essential Oil: repairing
Natural Vitamin E: nourishes the hair and protects it from oxidative stress
The synergy of these ingredients, combined with hydrating Coconut Oil and Orange Blossom Extract, helps achieve beautiful, healthy strands and transforms your hair into a cascade of shine!
The extra-rich hair mask that provides legendary nourishment and a heavenly fragrance!
Enjoy nourished, healthy, and wonderfully scented hair with the Restorative Mask with Organic Coconut Oil and Phytokeratin. This intensive treatment is designed to restore vitality, body, and shine to all hair types damaged and weakened by chemical dyes, heat, and stress. It's perfect for dry or ultra-dry hair that needs intense nourishment and high conditioning power.
Organic Coconut Oil deeply nourishes the hair, making it soft and elastic—therefore less prone to breakage—and gives the hair a healthy, shiny appearance. The synergy of Wheat Proteins and Phytokeratin (a plant-based protein derived from peas, rice, and soy) provides a real protein boost to the hair, helping to repair damaged strands, reduce split ends, and thicken the hair from root to tip, making it stronger, more vibrant, and shinier. The other valuable ingredients include:
Organic Amla: strengthens, revitalizes, and adds shine to the hair
Chicory Prebiotic: nourishing
Betaine: hydrating, restructuring, and strengthening
Organic Sunflower: restructuring, hydrating, and antioxidant
Organic Nettle: emollient, balancing, and regenerating
Caffeine: improves hair fiber and scalp microcirculation
Isomerized Saccharide: deeply and long-lastingly hydrates the hair
Vitamin E: nourishes the hair and protects it from oxidative stress
Patchouli Essential Oil: repairing
Organic Aloe Juice: hydrating, soothing, stimulating, and balancing
The slightly acidic pH of this mask helps to seal the hair cuticles, keeping the strands disciplined, compact, and healthier.
How to Use:
You can use the Restorative Mask either as a pre-shampoo treatment or as a post-shampoo mask in place of conditioner:
Pre-shampoo - apply the mask to dry or damp hair and leave it on for up to 30 minutes. Then rinse and follow with your regular shampoo.
Post-shampoo - after shampooing, apply the mask and leave it on for 5 minutes before rinsing.
Use the mask at least once a week to give your hair the strength and hydration it needs!
To get the most out of your hair and achieve healthy, shiny locks, integrating restorative treatments is a crucial step that shouldn’t be overlooked: targeted pre-treatments and gentle styling techniques can truly make a difference!
In this section, you'll discover how to prepare your hair with the right nourishing pre-treatments and how to complete your routine with styling methods that protect and enhance your hair.
To nourish and strengthen dry and brittle hair, pre-treatments are essential in your hair care routine.
And where to start if not with the scalp?
The health and appearance of your hair are closely linked to the well-being of the scalp: dry and dehydrated hair will have a better chance of improvement if its roots are nourished in a well-balanced and healthy scalp!
A great ally in this is the Soothing and Moisturizing Scalp Lotion, formulated with Chicory Prebiotic, which strengthens the natural skin microbiota and its community of good bacteria, and Beetroot Amino Acids, which help restore the scalp's integrity and strengthen the hair.
The effect of the lotion is enhanced by Chamomile, Licorice, Witch Hazel, and Green Tea Extracts, which deeply hydrate the dry scalp and soothe any irritations, promoting a healthy and balanced scalp.
As needed, apply the lotion directly to the entire scalp or only to the affected areas (in this case, a bottle can be used for 2 or 3 applications), gently massage with your fingertips, and leave it on for at least 20 minutes. If necessary, wash your hair.
Want to do an intensive treatment? Apply the lotion for 4 consecutive days, then repeat the application twice a week for a month.
Hair wraps are another great option to consider if you want healthy, shiny hair. And what’s the secret ingredient behind a good hair mask? Oil, of course!
The power of natural oils deeply penetrates the hair structure, repairing damaged cuticles and providing lasting hydration. This process not only makes hair softer, silkier, and more manageable, but also helps prevent future damage, reduces breakage, and increases elasticity and shine. Here are some of the best oils for dry, brittle, or damaged hair:
Flaxseed Oil: thanks to its emollient and reparative properties, flaxseed oil is perfect for treating dull and damaged hair, making it soft and shiny. It is rich in essential polyunsaturated fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6, as well as saturated fats such as stearic and palmitic acid. Flaxseed oil also contains vitamin C, vitamin E, and several important minerals, including magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc, iron, manganese, copper, phosphorus, and selenium. You can use it pure or add a few drops of lemon essential oil for a restorative pre-shampoo treatment that smooths frizz and leaves hair glossy and silky.
Vegetable Silicone + Amla: before washing your hair with shampoo and conditioner, apply a vegetable silicone + Amla mask for at least 15 minutes. Vegetable silicone is an ester derived from coconut oil that is completely biodegradable and nourishes the hair deeply without weighing it down. Amla extract, an ancient beauty secret of Indian women, is rich in vitamins, flavonoids, and antioxidants that strengthen hair, promote healthy growth, and make it easier to detangle. This combination is perfect for enhancing hair texture, improving strength, and adding smoothness.
Finally, it’s essential to mention a super convenient spray treatment to apply to damp hair for at least 4 weeks: Vegetable Keratin, a spray treatment that should be spritzed onto towel-dried hair after washing and before blow-drying for healthy, voluminous hair. Our vegetable keratin is rich in peptides, oligopeptides, and polypeptides aimed at restructuring and repairing the hair, while protecting it from oxidative damage. It contains a high amount of cysteine and sulfur. The formula is further enriched with rose and cornflower extracts, which provide shine and a burst of floral energy to the hair. This product is suitable for all hair types, both curly and straight, thanks to its lightweight texture that is specifically designed to prevent the dreaded "build-up" effect, meaning no product accumulation on the hair.
It is ideal for dry, damaged, bleached, fine, and brittle hair, and works on two fronts:
- Restructuring Effect: Perfect even after a hair dye treatment, it effectively prevents hair breakage and the formation of split ends by restoring the hair’s three-dimensional structure.
- Volumizing Effect: This treatment increases the thickness of each hair strand by up to 17%. The result is a fuller, more voluminous mane.
The final touch of style and nourishment to transform dry, damaged hair into healthy, shiny strands is:
Plant Crystals: a true beauty elixir to nourish, protect, smooth, and add silkiness to your hair. This formula includes fantastic organic oils such as coconut, flax, and hemp, along with argan oil produced by a women’s cooperative in Morocco. It nourishes the hair without weighing it down, making it more radiant than ever. You can use it after shampooing on damp hair to make it soft and easy to comb, or apply it to dry strands to set your style, tame frizz, and make your hair shine.
Argan Oil: this precious nourishing oil, rich in natural antioxidants (Vitamin E) and Omega 3, 6, and 9, gives a beautiful shine to dull and damaged hair while providing an anti-frizz effect. Apply a few drops to the ends of damp or dry hair and massage in. Your hair will be shiny, soft, and protected from heat damage caused by blow-drying.
Want to discover the perfect routine for your hair? Take the test!