Environmental Damage
Unfortunately, the world we live in is not as pristine as it once was. In the air, particulates too small to see float into our lungs, our skin and our hair. Damage to the ozone layer means our hair is more easily susceptible to UV damage and rapid color fadage. The wind and cold weather don't just chap the skin - they create a rapid change in the ability of hair to retain moisture.
Harsh Hair Care Products
Damaged, frizzed-out hair doesn't just come from bleach. Watch out for harsh shampoo ingredients that can strip moisture and protein, weakening hair fibers and damaging the cuticles. Conditioners that coat can suffocate and dry out the hair shaft. Alcohol in hairsprays, gels and mousses can dissolve the hair cuticle, while build-up from styling agents can make the hair dull, unmanageable, and brittle.
Hot Styling Tools
Styling abuse is another factor in determining what the hair needs. Hot styling tools like blow-driers and curling irons will damage the cuticle, dry the hair and even singe (burn) the hair. For example, often the hair around the face gets frizzed out due to over exposure to blow driers. Not to mention what they can do to the scalp.
Climate Controllers
Air conditioners and room heaters also cause dryness, as the hair and skin has difficulty adjusting from outside to inside temperatures.
Hair Color
Hair coloring alters the melanin protein in the hair. The cuticle is opened up in order to deposit dyes. This process often leaves the hair more porous, with a rough texture due to cuticle damage. Hair loses and has trouble retaining moisture. Hair Color using ammonia is especially harsh on the cuticle, weakening and sometimes destroying layers of the hair. Colored hair always needs to be regularly replenished with protein in order to maintain color retention and to help defend the weakened hair against environmental and styling assaults.
Permed Hair
Perming the hair permanently alters the polypeptide chains and cystine bonds that keep hair pliable, flexible and moisturized. The process itself is caustic to the hair and causes an immediate loss in moisture and its ability to retain moisture.
Bleached Hair
Bleaching the hair will strip out moisture and protein. Bleached hair should be frequently moisturized and rebuilt in order to prevent further damage such as breakage. Very often over-bleached/over-processed hair loses its entire cuticle, and desperately needs reconstruction.
Biology
Everybody has their own type of hair.
Some hairs are thick and curly, while other people have thin hair and hair line. Black hair has more protein than blond hair. Ethnic hair is often thicker than European hair. Asian hair is more resistant and porous. Usually, thicker, darker hair has difficulty retaining moisture, as does very thin, light colored hair. Thin hairs can be more susceptible to breakage, so they may also need a boost in protein to reinforce and improve the hair's elasticity. Each one of these types needs to be evaluated individually to determine the clients needs.
