Hair damage, though common, is a different experience for everyone. Between the heat tools and the dying it can manifest in the form of breakage and split ends. It can also feel rough in texture or break off when you brush it, and sometimes, no matter how often you attempt to treat it with a repairing mask, it can feel like not much is helping.
It can be frustrating not to know the root (no pun intended) of your hair issues, and it's even more frustrating to know what's wrong and not know what to do about it — despite how many times you've tried to google an answer. For that reason, we spoke to Stephanie Riley, a chemist at Procter & Gamble — the parent company to some of our favourite hair brands like Pantene, Head & Shoulders, and Herbal Essences — to get some insight on how to treat and repair hair damage.
![How to Treat Hair Damage
There are tons of products on the market that tout themselves as being able to repair damage, but before you add them to your online shopping cart, know that your treatment type depends on the type of damage you have.
"Microscopically, hair damage is the result of many things," Riley said. "Physical or mechanical exposure like combing or wearing hair accessories, exposure to high heat, [or] chemical treatments, like colour and straightening."
If your hair has been physically damaged by hot tools or chemical treatments, it can be much harder to treat because heat can remove layers of the hair cuticle. The best course of action, then, is to replenish the damage with lipids to keep your hair strong. This means using products that contain or fatty acids — palmitic acid, lauric acid, coconut fatty acid, and a handful of others. If you're not sure if your current hair products contain these, just check the label.
You can also repair damage by keeping your hair properly conditioned with products like Pantene Pro-V Repair & Protect Conditioner ($8). "Conditioners can help replenish hair with lipids, like the natural oil that hair loses as it becomes damaged," Riley said. "While hair cannot be healed in the same way that skin can be, effective treatments can restore the look and feel of healthy hair."](https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/TeG8a8iUt3O9vAaldKeR-E7AN4c/160x160/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-:sharpen-!1,0,true!-/2020/05/01/963/n/4981324/2c51b1155eab4c110022e7.14789512_081662/i/How-to-Treat-Hair-DamageThere-are-tons-products-on-market.jpg "How to Treat Hair Damage
There are tons of products on the market that tout themselves as being able to repair damage, but before you add them to your online shopping cart, know that your treatment type depends on the type of damage you have.
\"Microscopically, hair damage is the result of many things,\" Riley said. \"Physical or mechanical exposure like combing or wearing hair accessories, exposure to high heat, [or] chemical treatments, like colour and straightening.\"
If your hair has been physically damaged by hot tools or chemical treatments, it can be much harder to treat because heat can remove layers of the hair cuticle. The best course of action, then, is to replenish the damage with lipids to keep your hair strong. This means using products that contain or fatty acids — palmitic acid, lauric acid, coconut fatty acid, and a handful of others. If you're not sure if your current hair products contain these, just check the label.
You can also repair damage by keeping your hair properly conditioned with products like Pantene Pro-V Repair & Protect Conditioner ($8). \"Conditioners can help replenish hair with lipids, like the natural oil that hair loses as it becomes damaged,\" Riley said. \"While hair cannot be healed in the same way that skin can be, effective treatments can restore the look and feel of healthy hair.\"")
