Hair that has been treated with the use of strong chemicals tends to undergo an abrasive process to do so. The most common reason why curlies use chemicals on their hair is because of the following reason. First to  “relax” your hair using chemicals that work to straighten out the likely curly strands. Second,  is to dye it a different color using a variance of different types of chemicals, based on the color someone is aiming for.

Tinting, bleaching, and perming create tiny openings in the hair through damaging hair. Chemical processes involving peroxides, hydroxides, and thioglycolates and relaxing chemicals. This creates spaces in your . Eventually, though, after repeated applications, your hair feels coarse and dry, due to more holes than the chemicals can fill. 

You may ask, Why does colored hair look so good right afterward, and so bad later on?

The chemical damage accumulates. Each time the peroxide and ammonia are applied to the hair, (and don’t be fooled by ammonia free and peroxide free colors, as they have alternatively damaging chemicals) the gases cause microscopic holes in the hair fabric. The first time causes just enough for the tint to adhere, but then, each application shatters the hair just a bit more, resulting in less surface for the color molecules to hold onto. These openings leave the hair feeling rough, dry, with a dull appearance, and when it’s really damaged can make the ends look off-tone.

 If you’ve ever undergone one of these treatments, you probably understand how much of a nuisance your hair becomes once it starts growing back. When the roots start to come in, they’re a completely different texture than the rest of your hair. What was once hassle-free becomes extra trouble, since you now have to make sure your hair looks uniform. There may come a time when you decide to stop chemical treatments altogether. Maybe you’re tired of the damage, maybe you’re annoyed with having to deal with your roots, or maybe you’re just sick of the price. The enviable next step is the seemingly never-ending process of growing out your hair. So how do you go about this and still make sure it looks awesome? These tips will help you restore your hair to its former glory.

Know The First Sign On Chemical Damage To Revert IT ASAP 

When it comes to chemically damaged hair, it is always best to start at the earliest sign of damage, dryness or brittle strands. The most effective way to catch those pesky rouge strands is taking care of your hair daily. As you color or chemically alter your hair, check your hair for signs of damage. Again, with chemical treatments, it is typical to notice a small amount of damage; however, significant damage can be cause for alarm. The best step it to switch to a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner. Sulfates can strip your hair of its natural oils and moisture-retention mechanisms leaving it drier and susceptible to damage. Shampoos and conditioners without sulfates can aid your hair with adding moisture to your strands. Much like picking out a hair mask, make sure the top ingredient of your new shampoo and conditioner is water. With chemically damaged hair, it is important to moisturize daily. Your strands are parched and in desperate need of moisture. By moisturizing daily, you are replenishing the moisture lost by damage, while also helping your hair rebuild its ability to retain moisture. In between your usual wash day, spritz a small amount of leave-in conditioner and add a dime-size amount of moisturizing styler to your hair. Avoid wetting your hair every day, which ironically will do the opposite of depositing water into your strands. Especially with tap water or hard water, the minerals in the water open the cuticle layer and allow for water to escape. Without adding a product to seal the layer, you will lose more water than you deposit. Try our Glammednaturallyoil Biotin Shampoo and Biotin Conditioner 

Give Your Locks Some TLC - Hair Masks and Hot Oil

Once you catch any sign of chemical damage to your hair, you want to start replenishing the moisture lost back into your strands immediately. The best way to do this is by applying a hair mask. You can purchase your favorite deep conditioner or go the DIY route. There are tons of recipes online for hair masks that will help your hair begin to retain moisture again. Be sure to look for ingredients that are considered a humectant, which means that it naturally keeps moisture inside your hair. Honey is an excellent humectant. If you are purchasing your mask, look for water or an aqueous solution as the number one ingredient. When water or aqueous is at the top of the ingredients list, you can be sure that the product contains a base of water and will supply your hair with the moisture and nutrients that it needs. Oils are also a great product to add to your hair to reverse that damage caused by chemicals. Oil helps to smooth down the cuticle layer of the hair, allowing your hair to retain more moisture. Oils also add back shine and smoothness to your hair to keep it from looking dry and dull. When your oils are hot or relatively warm, the molecules of the oils are better able to penetrate through your hair shaft. Use our Glammednaturallyoil Hair Growth Oil and Braid Oil and surely you’ll  get your hair back on track.

Avoid Using Chemicals (Again) and Heating Tools

It may be hard to break up with your hair color or perm that you have reapplied faithfully every 2-4 weeks. However, adding more chemicals to your hair is not helping but instead increasing the damage already done to your hair. Chemicals on hair previously color-treated only aids in the dry and brittleness of your hair. The second items you want to break up with are your heating tools. Yes, your flat iron, curling iron, and blow dryer should take a much-deserved break from your hair. Again heat only increases the amount of damage done to your hair. Do not send your strands to the desert with a flat iron trying to get perfectly straight hair. You can still look gorgeous rocking your natural curly hair.

Consider A Good Cut

The hard truth is that chemically damaged hair is not fully reversible. Although you can do a variety of tricks to minimize the damage, sometimes the only other option is to cut your losses literally. Split ends, dry ends and straw-like texture is no way to live your best hair life. Consider going to a professional to at the very least trim your ends. Some may even resort to  Big Chop. Do not be afraid of change, try something new especially if it's going to be for the benefit of your hair’s health. Research a few haircuts that will compliment your face shape and fashion style. Try going to a professional stylist to see what they recommend as your best short style option. Experiencing chemically damaged hair can be traumatic, but it does not have to stop you from expressing your best self and looking great while doing it. Take the leap of faith! You never know the boldness and fabulous style you may uncover.

Overcoming chemically damaged hair can affect the way we view ourselves, our confidence and the ability to express our best self. Although some chemically damaged hair is irreversible, there are ways to restore and revert your hair to its former glory. If cutting your hair is the only option, consider again the opportunity to explore another style of yourself. It can be scary and saddening that you have to consider such drastic measures under unfortunate circumstances. However, your hair will grow back and be healthier than ever.