How to restore shine to dull hair?
It is sometimes difficult to know why one has dull hair, which absorbs light more than reflects it, especially since it gives a neglected effect, or at least the effect of hair that does not breathe health.
In this article, I explain in detail what happens to your hair fiber, and I give you my tips to find shiny hair with simple solutions but that act in depth.
Why do we have dull, britt, dry hair?
Who says dull hair also often says tired hair, which is dry and brit brit!
And for good reason, a dull hair is above all a hair that no longer shines because the scales are separated from the hair fiber, which means that the hair is not smooth and no longer reflects as well as before the light.
When the scales of the hair are no longer sheathed, it also lets go of the moisture contained in your hair, which makes the hair become dry and therefore brit.
Hydration and sheathing of the hair are therefore logically keys to have shiny and soft hair.
Un sheathed hair with scales spread out does not only pose beauty concerns, because the hair becomes porous and recovers even more junk from our environment (pollution, hair products, dust, etc.).
Some special cases of dull hair
Dull frizzy hair
Naturally, frizzy hair is quite dull because its constitution does not retain water well from the hair, making it not very shiny or even sparkling. Deep hydration will therefore be all the more important for this type of hair, including curly hair.
If your colored hair is dull
Colored hair may have been weakened by the oxidation contained in certain types of coloring, whether it is discoloration or simply permanent coloring.
Under the effect of oxidation, the scales of the hair open to make the pigments leave, and possibly replace them with dyeing.
That’s why it often happens that colored blonde hair is dull and looks like straw.
How to make dull hair shine by changing your routine?
A vinegar rinse after washing the hair
This method is known but is still effective. A rinse with white vinegar or apple cider vinegar is inexpensive, and after washing, it closes the scales because this liquid is more acidic than the PH of the hair.
To close them, do not apply the pure vinegar, but dilute it, then apply it by spraying or as the last rinse water. You can also add a little lemon.
And do not forget that the first essential step is to rinse the hair thoroughly so as not to leave residue from shampoo or conditioner.
To finish on the rinse, cold water is perfect for closing the scales unlike hot water that spreads them from the cuticle.
Brushing to make the hair shine
Brushing your hair has multiple virtues such as untangling the hair, distributing sebum to the tips (this natural product that protects our hair, we tend to forget it), and eliminating deposits and residues in our hair.
But brushing also has an interesting smoothing effect as long as you take a brush made of boar hair and brush gently.
You should also take the trouble to wash your brush regularly (at least once a week!) otherwise you will dirty your clean hair.
Finally, on my side, I like to finish with a wooden pimple brush for a massaging effect and to activate the microcirculation of the scalp.
This mini massage will activate the micro circulation of blood in the follicles, and oxygenate the hair fiber.
The decrease in the use of hair devices
All the heat hair devices you use will make the problem of dull hair worse. Under the effect of the heat of hair dryers, straighteners or curlers, the scales of the hair will turn into “pineapple scales” and no longer reflect the light.
Care for dull hair
I recommend you to choose a mild shampoo that will attack the hair fiber less, but also to space the washes that open the scales. Personally, I really like kerastase brand products, especially the shampoo that I found very effective.
The conditioner is also a care that I appreciate when my hair is dreary because it will make it shinier and have a sheathing effect. When you dry your hair, wring it out without rubbing it, as friction breaks the hair and makes it rougher.
Before after dull hair
The mask is also a solution to nourish the hair in depth. To leave it on from a few minutes to several hours, it is easy to integrate into your routine 1 time a week.
A lack of shine due to its environment
Beyond adapted care, you must also rethink your environment and your habits to have permanently shinier hair.
Diet on hair health
Some deficiencies can have a direct impact on the appearance of the hair. Iron, fatty acids and the famous vitamin B well known in the growth cures participate in the health of the hair.
So check that you eat the following foods in sufficient quantities, depending on their benefit:
- Fatty acids: butter, dark chocolate, cheese, fish oil (cod), coconut, avocado, salmon, dry sausage…
- Vitamin B8: brewer’s yeast, nuts, hard-boiled egg, brie, bacon, wholemeal bread, almond…
- Iron: nuts (oyster, clam, mussel …), red meat, soy, lentil, white beans, tuna, almonds, nuts …
The environment in which you live
Even if you will not always be able to do much, if you live in the city and the water is very calcareous, it does not help the beauty of the hair: that’s why white vinegar helps so much for shine, because it also fights against limescale!
Just like the skin, pollution also doesn’t help to have healthy hair. On the skin, I apply an aloe vera gel to protect, and I use a protective spray on the hair.
Finally, the sun does not help because it acts as an oxidant (that’s why we lighten in the sun). In this case, the hat or hair spray will be your ally in the summer.
Brazilian straightening, the false good idea for dull hair?
You can imagine it with the question, yes, it is a false good idea.
Tannin smoothing or Brazilian smoothing are 2 methods that will trap a care concentrated in the hair fiber and under the scales, but it will actually be a cosmetic care because when it leaves you will have the same problem as before.
It is also quite decried because it is a very strong heat that is used to imprison the care, which breaks all the more the already weakened and dry hair.
On the other hand, neutral henna that does not color is a very good natural care to sheath and shine!
And you, do you know why you have dull hair? What worked to make them brighter?