7 Signs of Damaged Hair
It's important to stay aware of your overall hair health. Before you consider new treatments, dyes or an all-together new 'do, take stock of your hair's current state and evaluate how your hair-care routine is affecting it. By being wise to the signs of damage you can make easy changes that will pay off in healthy, luscious locks.
Split Ends
Wrap small sections of your hair around your finger or a pen. Any small, uneven strands sticking out indicate that you have split ends, a telltale sign of damaged hair 1.
Heat Damage
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You'll know whether your heat styling tools are adversely affecting your mane -- the texture will be brittle and you'll probably have split ends.
Extreme Breakage and "Shedding"
Your hair has definitely been weakened if you see large amounts falling out when you comb, brush or style your locks.
Dulled Shine
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Go easy on gels, pomades and sprays -- if your locks are looking lackluster, it might be a result of product buildup.
Dye Overload
If you frequently color your hair, the hydrogen peroxide in hair dyes can leave your tresses dry and damaged.
Too Many Tangles
Using cheap, plastic brushes rather than those with nylon bristles will tear at your head and leave your hair in a tangled mess.
Lack of Moisture
Healthy hair is supple and soft, not brittle and dry. If you have dry hair, you might not use conditioner with enough frequency -- conditioner locks and seals moisture on your hair shaft.
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References
- Yahoo Voices: How to Know If You Have Damaged Hair
- InStyle: 11 Things to Know Before Dyeing Your Own Hair
- Yahoo Voices: Got Tangles? Tips for Brushing and Taming Your Child's Hair
- Freites-Martinez A, Shapiro J, Goldfarb S, et al. Hair disorders in patients with cancer. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2019;80(5):1179-1196. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2018.03.055
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Hair loss and your cancer treatment.
- American Society of Clinical Oncology. Hair loss or alopecia. Updated August 2018.
- American Society of Clinical Oncology. Hair loss of alopecia. Updated August, 2018.
- Saed S, Ibrahim O, Bergfeld WF. Hair camouflage: A comprehensive review. Int J Womens Dermatol. 2017;3(1 Suppl):S75–S80. Published 2017 Feb 16. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2017.02.016
- Dua P, Heiland MF, Kracen AC, Deshields TL. Cancer-related hair loss: a selective review of the alopecia research literature. Psychooncology. 2017;26(4):438-443. doi:10.1002/pon.4039
- National Cancer Institute. Hair loss (alopecia) and cancer treatment. Updated January 15, 2020.
Writer Bio
A pop culture junkie, Italophile and chronic sufferer of the travel bug, Mary Gray is an arts, entertainment and travel writer. Based in Florence, Italy, she is the Tuscany news editor of "The Florentine" English newspaper, co-manages social media for an international tour operator, and has been published in Italian daily "La Repubblica."