Customer query: how to repair damaged hair

If you’ve ever felt like your hair is beyond repair, you're not alone! Damaged hair can happen for lots of reasons, from heat styling to chemical treatments to too much sun. Not only does damaged hair look dull (and sometimes frizzy), it's a total pain to get a comb through it.

Recently a customer got in touch with me about how to repair her eight year old daughter's damaged hair. This is my response, in case it might be helpful to you too.

The query: 

“I need help in determining what hair type my daughter is. She has long hair almost to her bum. We wash it once a week. About 3 years ago her hair was badly damaged when she went to stay with someone else for a week. She went to the beach, in the sea and they didn't wash or brush it. She came home and it was matted and took hours to comb through with lots of tears and the consequence was her poor hair was damaged.

We feel that her hair is much better now as I guess some of that should have now grown out. It would get so easily tangled as it was split midway down her hair. I feel she needs a deep conditioner treatment on it and have used your musk or citrus treatment once a week. But maybe this is too much, maybe not. I just wanted to be sure I was buying the right product for her hair.”

The customer is referring to Hairy Jayne Treatment Conditioner, which is a very rich intensive conditioner that we make. It’s our super-strength conditioner that can be used either as a regular in-shower conditioner or weekly leave-in mask. Our Treatment Conditioner is made with strengthening wheat protein (a vegan alternative to keratin) and panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), moisture-attracting sorbitol, protective rice bran and plum kernel oils and essential oils.

[product=treatment-conditioner-refills|variants=Floral / Regular,Floral / Jumbo,Citrus / Regular,Citrus / Jumbo,Musk / Regular,Musk / Jumbo]
Our refillable Treatment Conditioner comes in Floral, Citrus or Musk fragrance.
[/product] 

As a hairdresser for over 20 years, I know how distressing it can be for people with long hair to face the idea of cutting any length off, but unfortunately conditioner can only go so far in repairing damaged hair. And I like to be as honest with my customers.

My response:

“A deep conditioner, especially our treatment conditioner will help to make hair feel better from wash to wash, but sadly it will never completely repair the actual damage (ours included!). Conditioners and treatments are really the equivalent of putting a plaster over a cut. If a cut is really bad, a plaster isn’t really enough to deal with the wound.

For hair that is very damaged, unfortunately the only thing to do is to cut it (regularly) and let it grow back.

The good news is that it sounds like it doesn’t need to be all of your daughter’s hair! Hair grows on average about 1 inch every 2 months, so 3 years worth of regrowth would be about a rulers length down her back (from the neck). That hair should be relatively healthy and probably wouldn’t need a deep treatment. For the newer hai, I’d recommend using the Light Conditioner just as a regular conditioner, it has lighter natural oils and more detangling agent in it.

If you have a lot of treatment conditioner left that you’d like to use up, you could always add warm water to it and mix in well to make it lighter. So perhaps you could use that for the top half and leave it concentrated on the bottom half and then switch over to the light conditioner once it’s had a proper cut.

I know it’s probably not good to hear that you might need to lose any length, but I do really recommend it as split ends can travel up the hair, so the problem never ends. Cutting split ends off altogether is the only way to prevent that from happening.

From the sounds of it though if she has 3 years worth of healthy hair now grown through then it will still be lovely and long.”

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Our refillable Light Conditioner is great for fine hair that gets easily tangled
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My general advice for damaged hair:

1. Regular trims: any split ends are better off being removed altogether as, unfortunately, any splits and breakage can travel up the hair strand, worsening the problem.

 

2. Hydrate and nourish: hair that is damaged means that the cuticle (the outer protective layer) now has holes in it. The holes will allow much-needed hydration to evaporate out of the hair, leading to dryness. Ingredients that are known as humectants (aloe vera, glycerine, sorbitol) draw water droplets from the atmosphere to keep the hair hydrated. Nourishing ingredients like vitamins and natural oils will help to get the hair back to a healthier state.

 

3. Use leave-in products: regular in-shower conditioners are great, but as they are only on the hair for a minute or two, any active ingredients only have time to stick to the outside of the hair. For active ingredients to really nourish and strengthen hair, they need 20 minutes or so to really soak in under the cuticle and get to work.

 

4. Always use a heat protector when repairing damaged hair: If you’re a fan of blow-drying, straightening, or curling, using a heat protectant spray is an absolute must. Hairy Jayne Hair Perfume with Heat Protection creates a barrier between your hair and high temperatures, helping to prevent further damage. Apply it on damp hair before styling to lock in moisture and shield your hair. 

Hair also needs protection from the sun, just like skin does. UV rays can weaken and dry out hair further, so consider wearing a hat or a hair scarf when you’re outside for extended periods.

 

5. Don’t wash your hair daily: Washing your hair every day can strip it of its natural oils, making it even more prone to dryness and damage. If you can, try washing your hair less frequently – every two to three days is usually a good balance. When you do wash, consider a natural sulfate-free shampoo, which is gentler and doesn’t dry out your hair as much as regular shampoos can.

Recommended for long hair maintenance:

To keep long hair in tip-top condition, I recommend our Lovely Long Hair Care set

[product=lovely-long-hair|variants=Floral / Just the bundle,Floral / In the gift box,Citrus / Just the bundle,Citrus / In the gift box,Musk / Just the bundle,Musk / In the gift box]
Hair Perfume + Treatment Conditioner – either as a gift set or just as a bundle.
[/product]

Try to remember to be patient and consistent with your hair care routine. Sadly, there’s no such thing as an instant fix – repairing damaged hair takes time and patience while it heals. Stick to a routine that combines hydration, gentle styling, and protective measures, and you’ll likely start seeing results after about two weeks.

And if the ends of your hair are beyond repair, snipping them off is the best thing to do in the long run.

If you ever have a query about hair care, please do get in touch with your question and I’ll do my best to answer it!