Let’s face it- damaged hair is never something you want to think about. When hair starts to lose its luster, becomes brittle and is wrought with split ends, we’ll go to any lengths to mask the damage (and keep that color or length) without really treating the main issue.

So how does hair become damaged? We damage our hair regularly through bleaching, color treatments, heat tools, and sun exposure. You don’t want to sacrifice your personal style to save your hair, but how can you keep your hair looking healthy without giving these up?

Don’t worry. We’ve got 5 tips to help you prevent and start treating damaged hair.

1. Get A Regular Trim

“But it’s taken me forever to grow these two inches.” We hear you. But what if we told you regularly trimming your hair (cutting out the damage) can actually make your hair grow faster AND healthier.

If your ends are dry, brittle and continue to split… new growth will eventually break off and continue to lose luster, making hair look more dry and damaged. Maximize your hair growth and health by getting a trim at least every 3 months. If you have bangs, plan to get a touch-up every 3-4 weeks

2. Minimize Your Hair Washes

Washing your hair too often can strip away the natural oils from your hair and scalp that are needed to keep hair healthy. Continually stripping away these natural oils and not allowing your scalp enough time to reproduce the oils can lead to dry scalp and brittle hair that can be prone to split ends.

Skip a wash and opt for a dry shampoo instead to refresh, cleanse and extend your hairstyle. 

Stylist Tip: When picking a dry shampoo you want to think about what type of cleanse you’re looking for and how your scalp feels.

• Opt for a deep cleansing dry shampoo to cleanse and refresh your dirtiest hair (think post-workout) or if your roots are naturally more oily. Try First Class Charcoal Detox Dry Shampoo (our deepest cleanse).

• Pick a light to medium formula if you’re just looking for a little refresh or have a sensitive scalp. Try Jet Lag Invisible Dry Shampoo (our light cleanse) or Direct Flight Multi-Tasking Matcha Dry Shampoo (our medium cleanse).

3. Nix the Heat… At Least Every Once In A While

Anything over 450 degrees can be damaging to your hair. But continuously applying heat (at any level) to already damaged hair will cause even more damage.

Try replacing a blow dry or heated style with an air dry. Your natural hair can look effortless and chic with just a few products to help tame frizz, lock in moisture and enhance your natural texture. 

“When hair is almost dry, add Rich Kid Coconut Oil Air Dry Styler and Mistress Hydrating Balm. Apply a small amount of each (for fine, thin hair) or slightly more (for coarse, thick hair) of both products to your palm. Mix together in hands and finger comb from mid-lengths to ends for hydration and piecey texture. On curls or waves, twist and scrunch to encourage your natural curl pattern.” – Aaron Grenia, co-founder, IGK  

Need additional frizz control after your hair has dried? Try a de-frizz spray like Laid Back that will help smooth frizz and flyaways and leave hair textured.

4. If You Must Heat, Protect

Looking for a heat style? Anytime you style with hot tools, make sure you protect your hair with a styling primer or heat protectant that will lock in moisture and protect strands from heat. Fact- all IGK products have built-in heat protection. 

For a sleek, smooth, frizz-free look, try Good Behavior Spirulina Protein Smoothing Spray. It gives you the results of a keratin treatment in a can and reduces blow dry time, provides 450-degree heat protection and 24-hour frizz-control. To get your keratin-like blowout: Apply it to damp, towel-dried hair in sections, coating every strand. It’s a heat-activated formula so blow dry in. For your smoothest results, mist again on dry hair and follow with a flat iron to seal in the treatment.

5. Deep Cleanse & Condition

At the end of the week, it’s time to reset and start fresh. Just like our weekly facial scrub and skincare routine, your hair and scalp can also use some extra TLC to keep hair looking and feeling healthy. Try these recommendations 1-2x per week in place of your regular hair wash routine to deep cleanse and condition-

The “I have the shower to myself” routine: Eliminate product build-up and impurities with a scalp scrub like Low Key and follow up with a deep conditioning amla oil treatment like Expensive to strengthen and soften hair. 

“A healthy scalp is the foundation to healthy hair – our clients love Low Key Cleansing Walnut Scalp Scrub because it’s salt-free and uses walnut shell powder and sugar to remove dirt, oil, and product buildup. Its apple cider vinegar clarifies while peppermint oil rebalances. Tip: add a little of your normal shampoo or water to help it distribute more easily in your hair.” – Leo Izquierdo, co-founder IGK

The “I only have 5 minutes” routine: Try a 2-in-1 conditioning cleanser like Smoke & Mirrors that gently washes away impurities and conditions hair and scalp, leaving both noticeably hydrated without weighing hair down. 

“Smoke & Mirrors is especially great for clients with curls, thick or coarse hair or dry scalps. It cleanses without removing your natural oils so it’s a gentler way to shampoo.”  – Chase Kusero, co-founder IGK 

Love your regular shampoo and just looking for more moisture? Try Prenup Instant Spray Mask to get an in-shower deep conditioning treatment in just one minute. Or apply Thirsty Girl Leave-In Conditioner to damp hair before you style for added hydration and frizz control.