Dry hair is deficient in sebum, whose role is to nourish the scalp. When it stops doing its job, the hair loses elasticity and becomes dry and brittle. It is left more vulnerable and splits more easily. The scales of the cuticle lift up, leaving the hair duller. This lack of sebum is often hereditary and is particularly the case for curly hair. However other factors may be behind the dry hair. Atmospheric causes like the sun, seawater and swimming pool water may be to blame. Daily hair styling may also dry out the hair, e.g. such as colouring hair too frequently, ill-suited haircare products, or using a hairdryer or straighteners on too hot a setting.

Dry hair looks dull. It is generally fragile, not very elastic and quite brittle. It has split ends and is rough to the touch.

Some hair types are naturally dry, which is the case for curly, coily and kinky hair. The reason? Keratin is the protein that gives hair its structure by forming the scales of the cuticle, which determine the hair type. When the scales are tightly packed together, they give straight hair, but if they are further apart, they give coily or kinky hair and make hair dry. But keratin isn’t the only factor involved; lack of sebum is also responsible for hair dryness. The more curl hair has, the less able sebum is to spread uniformly from the root to the end.

Here are a few tips that will help you take care of your dry hair and transform it into glossy, healthy hair.

Go longer between washes. In the long term, washing your hair too frequently leads to a weaker scalp and scales and fosters hair dryness. To properly care for dry hair, top up on essential fatty acids, lipids and proteins. You can find them in shampoos and hair care products enriched with botanical oils (argan, sweet almond, jojoba) and shea butter, which are ideal for nourishing, strengthening and softening hair.

Dry your hair naturally. Air-drying is the best way to dry, dry hair. If you use hot styling tools – e.g. a hairdryer, straighteners or curling irons – make sure you apply a heat protection product (link to CREAM 230) beforehand and add a few drops of hair oil after blow-drying to leave the lengths shiny and protect the ends.

Avoid aggressive colour treatments. If your hair is already dry, frequent colour or bleach treatments may weaken your scalp and dry out your hair fibres even more.

Protect your hair from external aggressors. To counteract the harmful effects of the sun, seawater and swimming pool water, take care of your lengths with a protective anti-UV product (link to PROTECTIVE HAIR FLUID) and wear an accessory on your head, like a scarf or a hat.