how to fix over toned hair

Almost everyone has some hair damage, from dryness and brittleness to split ends and breakage. The best way to tackle dry and damaged hair really depends on the cause and type of damage. Find the best fix for your hair with these pro tips on prevention and solutions from the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab and hair specialists.

First things first: Can you repair damaged hair?

"Once hair is split or broken, nothing can permanently fuse it back together," explains Beauty Lab Director Birnur Aral, Ph.D. "Products like split end menders, leave-ins, conditioners, and treatment masks can seal the outer layer of strands so they temporarily appear smoother and less frayed and feel softer, and help protect hair from further damage." However, the only real long-term solution is to trim off damaged areas.

"African American hair, regardless of thickness, is more damage-prone," explains GH Beauty Lab senior chemist Sabina Wizemann. "This is partly because of the hair/s natural structure, which tends to be curly or kinky with bends that can prevent the scalp's protective oils from traveling down strands, and also the hair requires more force to style."

Minor → Severe

ID your damage - dryness

Strands that feel or look parched can be a cue that the cuticle, which locks moisture into hair, is damaged.

Text, Font, Line, Logo, Brand,

As the cuticle is further damaged or completely lost, the hair strand can start to fray, or split in pieces, at ends or in other areas.

Text, Font, Line, Logo, Brand, Graphics,

This occurs when a strand's layers deteriorate enough to cause weak spots along the hair shaft where the strand fractures.

Red, Line, Parallel, Rectangle, Coquelicot,

Severe damage that pulls on hair roots, from causes such as styling, can produce permanent follicle loss.

That said, conditioner is damaged hair's best friend: Damaged hair is stripped of its protective outer layer, and conditioner helps replenish it with emollient ingredients like silicones and plant oils (such as coconut oil) and butters. "They coat wet hair so it's easier to detangle, which can lead to less damage and make it silkier and more manageable," Aral says.

For maximum benefits to prevent damage, use a rinse-off conditioner after every shampoo, plus a leave-in conditioner on damp hair. Swap in a deep conditioner or hair mask weekly: "These tend to contain higher concentrations of conditioning ingredients, making them thicker and heavier," Aral explains.

For the best product picks, check out the GH Beauty Lab's top-tested hair moisturizers and deep conditioners and masks for damaged hair below.

Biorenew Coconut Milk Hydrate Conditioner

Herbal Essences amazon.com

Biolage Advanced Keratindose Pro-Keratin + Silk Renewal Spray

Matrix walmart.com

$15.88

Miracle Deep Conditioner Plus Keratin

Royal Oils Deep Moisture Masque

Head & Shoulders amazon.com

$29.98

How to repair chemically damaged or colored hair

When using hair color, chemicals such as ammonia have to be used to open your hair shaft, so the dye can be deposited. Ammonia-free formulas exist, but industry studies have found that they're just as harmful (you have to use more and leave them on longer).

Your hair is damaged if after showering, your hair dries almost instantly. That shows just how porous those color chemicals have made it, says Katherine Polite, a colorist at Zano Salon in Chicago.

Use a moisture-rich hair dye

Many dyes, like the Beauty Lab's recommended formula with the Good Housekeeping Seal below, are infused with conditioning ingredients to help protect and repair hair during the color process. For gray coverage, go with a semi- or demi-permanent formula — it'll fade faster but is less harsh than a permanent dye. To highlight at home, avoid pull-through caps, which often result in damaging color overlap (go for a cap-less kit instead).

Only dye your roots

When possible, reapply dye to just the roots to minimize chemical exposure on the lengths, and "space dyeing hair 10 to 12 weeks apart at minimum," says George Papanikolas, Matrix celebrity colorist in Los Angeles. Finally, major color changes can cause major harm (including hair breakage or even loss) when done wrong, so leave those to the pros.

Conditioning Permanent Hair Color

Nice 'N Easy Permanent Hair Color

Semi-Permanent Hair Color

Natural Instincts Ammonia-Free Hair Color Kit

Clairol amazon.com

$12.03

Colorsilk Beautiful Color Permanent Hair Color

Capless Hair Highlighting Kit

Superior Preference Glam Lights

L'Oreal Paris lorealparisusa.com

$20.00

How to repair broken hair and flyaways

The wrong tool or the wrong technique can tangle or, worse, tear your hair. You're in trouble when you look in a mirror and see tiny hairs sticking up along your part and hairline. These aren't "baby hairs" growing in, says Cheri McMaster, senior scientist for Pantene: they're hairs that have broken. Here's how to to stop that breakage in its tracks:

Invest in a good brush to prevent breakage

Bristles are the key to preventing breakage. They should be soft, smooth — avoid those with plastic balls on the ends — and spaced out, as on a comb. Wet Brush is designed specifically for wet hair: its thin, perfectly-spaced IntelliFlex bristles are flexible and specially designed to be firm enough to get through knots and tangles, yet soft enough to keep hair healthy and snag-free.

Don't brush wet hair

H2O can exacerbate the issue: "Water exposure swells and stretches the hair's shaft, which causes the shingle-like outer layer to lift, and adding stress from brushing in that state can cause it to break," explains Wizemann.

Brush your hair before washing if possible, and if you have to detangle it wet, towel-dry so it no longer drips, apply a leave-in conditioner (like the Good Housekeeping Seal holder and Award winners below) from roots to ends, and use a gentler wide-tooth comb or detangling brush (such as the GH Beauty Award winner here) to reduce friction. Work from the ends up in small sections to avoid ripping strands, she suggests.

Good Housekeeping Seal Star Leave-In Conditioner

Whole Blends Gentle Detangling Milk

Garnier amazon.com

$14.31

GH Beauty Award-Winning Detangling Spray

Inforcer Brush Proof Spray

L'Oreal Professionnel amazon.com

$21.00

Rake Comb

Mason Pearson dermstore.com

$37.00

GH Beauty Award-Winning Detangling Brush

XL Mixed Bristle Brush

The Flex Brush theflexbrush.com

$25.95

How to repair heat styling damage to hair

Blow-drying, flat-ironing and curling can all cause hair's outer layer to lift up, releasing valuable moisture and leaving strands brittle, dry, and damaged. To tell if your hair is damaged, pull out a hair, run your fingernail from root to end (as if curling a ribbon), drop the strand into a glass of water — and see if it uncurls. If it doesn't, your hair has lost elasticity, McMaster says.

Use heat protectant

Before drying or ironing your hair, McMaster says, use a heat protection hair spray or serum that contains silicones or polymers, which create a protective barrier over strands. "These stylers work by coating hair at the high temperatures of heat styling and shielding the surface of damaged strands, which can improve hair's manageability, in turn resulting in reduced breakage," Aral explains.

Make sure hair is dry before styling

Most importantly, "never blow-dry hair that hasn't been towel- or air-dried partially first or use styling irons on hair that's not totally dry, as that can cause any water inside to boil and the strand to rupture," Wizemann warns. To avoid harmful friction, dry hair by wrapping your head in a small microfiber towel for a few minutes.

Replace old heat tools

Throw out any heat-styling tool that you've had for more than five years: The older the appliance, the higher the chance that the temperature gauge has gone kaput, says Beverly Hills celebrity stylist Cristophe. Use your blow-dryer's nozzle attachment; it cuts down on cuticle ruffling.

Pick a flat iron that has ceramic plates: Since ceramic heats up evenly, it straightens hair faster and won't stick to — or singe — any one spot.

Professional Titanium Radiant Blue Salon Turbo Ionic Dryer

Hot Tools walmart.com

$48.85

Simple Touch Ceramic Hair Styling Flat Iron

GlamPalm amazon.com

Gold Series Thermal Heat Protector

Pantene walmart.com

$9.47

Thermal Creations Heat Protectant Spray

TRESemmé walmart.com

$5.58

How to repair environmental hair damage

Sun, water, chlorine — a day of fun outdoors can be hard on your hair. These essentials will help.

Shield hair from the sun

Cover hair with a hat to help shield it from the sun, which can damage hair at high levels of exposure, the Beauty Lab says. A tightly-woven hat can also help prevent sun burns and skin cancer on your scalp. (Bonus points if it has UPF protection, like the one below, which certifies that its fabric weave block's UV rays.)

Coat hair in a "waterproofing" product

Before swimming, wet your hair with shower or tap water, then coat it with a leave-in or regular conditioner (see the Beauty Lab's picks here) to form a barrier against the chemicals like chlorine in pool water, which can cause color stripping and breakage, Cristophe says. Plus, dousing hair in clean water means it can't absorb as much chlorine to begin with.

Women's Essential Sun Hat

Write a Review llbean.com

$34.99

Elvive Total Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner

Nutritive Solutions Daily Moisture Conditioner

Frizz Ease Daily Nourishment Conditioner

John Frieda amazon.com

$8.99

April Franzino Beauty Director April Franzino is the Beauty Director at Good Housekeeping, part of the Hearst Women's Lifestyle Beauty Group.

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