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How to Strengthen Hair After Chemical Treatments


We put our hair through a lot in the name of style – but our strands can only handle so much. From at-home dye jobs to professional perms, there are many chemical treatments that can damage our hair bonds and lead to weakened, brittle strands.

If you’re at a loss for how to strengthen hair after chemical treatments, we’ve curated top six expert tips to help return your overprocessed locks to their former glossy glory. Read on to discover our top six hair strengthening treatments for the ultimate hair repair routine.


How do chemical treatments damage hair?

Common hair chemical processes can include bleaching, colouring, relaxing, perming, straightening and smoothing treatments. While chemical treatments can provide long-lasting results without the need for extensive daily styling, they can weaken your hair strands and damage your scalp. Since chemical treatments change the structure of the hair, they affect your hair’s ability to retain moisture, leading to signs of damage such as:

  • • Dryness
  • • Dullness
  • • Brittleness
  • • Fizziness
  • • Split ends
  • • Breakage
  • Hair fall

Our 6 expert tips for how to strengthen hair

Although chemical damage can’t be completely reversed, there are a number of hair- strengthening treatments you can implement alongside healthy hair habits to give your strands the nourishment they need. Below are six expert-backed tips on how to strengthen hair after bleach and other chemical processes:

  • 1. Switch to a shampoo and conditioner that’s formulated specifically for damaged hair.
  • 2. Integrate nourishing treatments into your hair care routine.
  • 3. Reduce or eliminate your use of heat styling tools.
  • 4. Be gentle with your hair when it’s wet.
  • 5. Opt out of chemical treatments while you’re in repair mode.
  • 6. Get regular hair trims to keep your hair in good condition.

Read on as we delve deeper into each of these hair-strengthening treatments.


1. Use a reparative shampoo and conditioner

The first step in how to strengthen hair after bleach and other chemical processing is to use hair care products that are specifically for damaged hair. And, if there’s one hair care range that’s up to the task, it’s the Première collection.

We recommend starting your hair wash with the Première Intensive Repairing Concentrate, a pre-wash glycine hair treatment that’s designed to fortify strands and tackle the effects of calcium buildup on damaged hair. This can be applied to damp hair from roots to ends before shampooing for maximum decalcification and repairing benefits.

Follow with the Première Decalcifying & Repairing Hair Shampoo, which is tailored for all types of damaged and over-processed hair. The shampoo’s decalcifying properties work to mitigate breakage and dullness, encouraging stronger, smoother strands.

Pair with the Première Repairing Conditioner for Damaged Hair to further soften chemically damaged locks and recapture your hair’s original elasticity.


2. Apply hair-strengthening treatments

After shampoo and conditioner, some of the best products to strengthen hair are serums, oils and masks.

Masks

Masks: Sitting somewhere between a hair treatment and a conditioner, hair masks are an effective way to nourish and hydrate dry hair, while reducing further breakage. Masks can be used either as an alternative to a standard conditioner or after your conditioner for additional hydration. After towel-drying freshly washed hair, apply the Première Repairing Mask for Damaged Hair to the lengths and ends of your hair, leaving for five minutes before rinsing.


Serums

Serums: If you’re curious as to what hair serum is and how to use one, think of them as a vehicle for delivering nutrients to your hair. Kérastase hair serums have a soft, oil-like texture that promote smoother, silkier locks without leaving a greasy residue. The Première Intensive Repairing Serum works by penetrating the hair fibre and sealing in the hair cuticles, providing a protective shield for the hair surface.


Oils


Oils: Hair oils are ideal for taming dry, frizzy strands and encouraging stronger, glossier hair overall. As your daily hair oil, try our best-selling, high-performing Elixir Ultime Refillable Hair Oil, which can be used on all hair types as a pre-cleanse, pre-blow-dry, finishing, and touch-up treatment. For a more intense hair-strengthening treatment, try the Première Repairing Hair Oil, which helps strengthen hair fibres, seal split ends, and recapture hair’s natural shine and vitality.


3. Limit your use of heat styling tools

In addition to chemical treatments, repeated use of heat styling tools can be very damaging to your strands: exacerbating dryness, dullness and brittleness. Avoid using heat styling tools where possible and opt for loose styles that won’t pull or tug the hair.

When heatless styling isn’t an option, sometimes the best hair products to strengthen hair are the formulas that protect your strands from heat damage.

When you do reach for a hair styling tool, always coat the hair with a heat protectant spray, like our Nutritive Detangling Blow-Dry Mist. This lightweight, leave-in formula protects from heat up to 230°C while preserving the natural barrier of hair fibres.


4. Be gentle with wet hair

The hair is in its most vulnerable state – and therefore more easily damaged – when wet.

So, it’s important take extra care with chemically damaged hair while it’s damp. When towel-drying the hair, we suggest reaching for a microfibre towel, which is far less abrasive than a standard towel. You should also avoid brushing your hair when it’s wet and instead opt for a wide-toothed comb to gently detangle strands. Finally, ensure that you do not go to bed with wet hair, as your pillow can create friction with the hair during sleep.


5. Take a break from chemical treatments

One of the most important pieces of advice we can impart for how to strengthen hair is to take a break from chemical treatments all together – or at least stretch out your time between salon appointments. This will give your strands time to heal and won’t interfere with any nourishing hair-strengthening treatments you have introduced into your hair care routine.


6. Get regular trims

Since the ends are the oldest part of the hair – and the furthest away from our scalp’s natural nourishing oils – they’re more susceptible to splitting, breaking and drying out.

The most effective way to get rid of split ends and minimise further breakage is by committing to regular trims at the salon. Depending on the speed of your hair growth and the length of your hair, most people find that eight to 12 weeks is the sweet spot for trims to support the work of your hair-strengthening treatments and promote healthier strands.


Now that you have a wealth of hair-strengthening treatment tips at your disposal, it’s time to debunk a few common myths and misconceptions about hair fall.


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