How to Tell if Your Hair is Damaged

1. Brittle hair

You might notice suspicious new “baby hairs” around your hairline and parting where your hair has broken midway down the shaft. When you brush your hair, you may feel hair breaking off - no matter how gently you tug. While brittle hair and breakage can be alarming, don’t panic. Your hair is suffering from a loss of elasticity causing it to break easily, but this can be resolved.

Much of the time, weak hair can be traced back to the balance of protein and moisture in your hair follicles being out, often due to chemical treatments. You can supplement additional protein into your hair routine at any stage - we recommend our Résistance Bain Force Architecte Shampoo which contains Pro-Keratine Complex, our blend of protein and amino acids designed to reconstruct the hair at the fibre.

2. Split ends

Here’s how to tell if you have split ends: take a close look at the ends of your hair and notice if they are fragmenting into two or more directions. Split ends have a tendency to spread further up the hair shaft if left untreated, meaning the only real way to put a stop to them is to snip them away.

It’s true that the only way to truly rid yourself of split ends is a trim. However, there are ways you can prevent split ends from travelling up the hair follicle by sealing the cuticle with a nourishing product. You can also use this method as a preventative to stop split ends from forming in the first instance. For a detangling conditioner that’ll seal your split ends and leave you silky smooth, look no further than our Résistance Fondant Extentioniste Conditioner. Your splits ends will be a thing of the past before you know it.

3. Dry hair symptoms

Your hair just doesn’t feel the same as it did before you discovered the straightening iron and chemical treatments. It may have a distinctly crispy feel to it, and perhaps your hair is so parched that it’s started to over-produce natural oils, leaving you with hair that is somehow both dry and oily. So, what’s the solution to dry hair?

Dry hair is a result of a lack of moisture and can be countered with a hair care regimen that prioritises replenishing your locks. You could try replacing your current shampoo or conditioner with a moisture-packed option, shampooing less frequently, turning down the heat on your styling tools, or adding a hair fortifying mask to your weekly hair routine. We recommend our Nutritive Masquintense Riche Hair Mask.

4. Change in hair texture

For those with curls especially, a drastic change in hair texture can indicate that your hair follicles require some restoration. The ends of your hair may appear straighter than sections that have seen less damage over the years such as the roots. Your curl pattern may seem looser or more stringy. If you’re unsure, take a look at some older photos of yourself to confirm whether your hair texture has changed.

To rehabilitate hair that has experienced a change in texture due to damage, we recommend implementing a few of the suggestions we have covered in this guide. Using conditioners will help to return some moisture back to your strands, as will lessening or even removing heat from your regimen until the hair has healed, reducing the frequency of washes, and taking time out of your week to indulge in a hair mask.

Now you understand the tell-tale signs of weak hair and our hair breakage solutions, take the next step and learn How to Repair Damaged Hair to transform your hair back to health.