By Agnes Chen, National Technical Head from Streax Professional.
There is nothing we love more than a bouncy head of tresses or flowing waves in the drizzly rain with the blowing wind. However, all this sounds like a fantasy given that most of fall prey to the hair problems that monsoon brings along! From frizzy hair to hair fall and from greasy hair to dandruff, our hair has to face a lot during the season.
These problems occur due to high humidity levels and high hydrogen levels in the hair during the monsoon season and calls for extra care and love for the tresses.
However, you need to be even more careful and take special care if you have coloured hair. To help you maintain and flaunt lustrous and healthy coloured hair during monsoon, we share some guidelines from Agnes Chen, National Technical Head from Streax Professional at Streax Professional – India’s leading premium product range for hair care, colour, and style, specially crafted for salon professionals and technicians, to bring out the best in your chemically treated hair even during monsoons.
Chemically treated hair is different from normal hair
- Chemically treated hair pH is between 9-14, the reason why chemically treated hair shampoo and conditioner is different.
- Due to chemical treatment, chemically treated hair is prone to dehydration.
- Split end is the second major problem we have noticed in chemically treated hair due to dryness and brittleness.
Common problems for chemically treated hair and their solution
Frizzy Hair
- High humidity level during the monsoon season can lead to frizzy hair.
Solution
- Avoid over-shampooing
- Reduce heat exposure – both from water and styling tools
- Protect your hair from humidity with a cap or scarf
Dandruff
- Dandruff is one of the most common hair problems faced by the major population. This happens when the skin on the scalp peels off and flakes. The primary causes of dandruff are dry scalp and sensitivity to certain products.
Solution
- Treating dandruff can be really challenging. The best way to stay away from this problem is by keeping your scalp clean with an anti-dandruff shampoo or one that contains zinc pyrithione.
Hair Loss
- Hair loss occurs due to several factors such as stress, hormonal imbalance, or the use of wrong hair products.
Solution
- Add protein-rich foods to your diet.
- Switching to a mild shampoo.
- Avoid tying your hair when it is wet.
- Avoid using heat styling tools.
Oily Scalp
- An oily scalp can be due to many reasons like poor diet, genetics, or hormonal changes, but the most significant cause of an oily scalp is overwashing. When you wash your hair more than two to three times a week, it dries out your scalp and settles, and the scalp produces more oil.
Solution
- Always keep in mind that you need to shampoo appropriately on the scalp, the conditioner should be applied on mid-lengths & ends carefully and rinse thoroughly.
- Try using lukewarm or cold water to wash your hair, hot water stimulates the sebaceous glands, which leads to an increase in oil
- Avoid hot tools as they make your hair look greasy faster.
The haircare regime for chemically treated hair:
- First and foremost, you should be careful while selecting your shampoo and conditioner, use shampoo & conditioner specially made for chemically treated hair.
- Avoid washing your hair every day as that strips it of the natural oils.
- Use a deep conditioning mask for 5-10 minutes on mid-length & ends as it is immensely helpful to maintain the moisture in the hair.
- Schedule regular haircuts, or at least trims, to get rid of the dull and dry ends that chemicals tend to cause when they strip away moisture.
- Avoid using hot water to wash the hair, always opt for lukewarm or cold water to rinse the hair.
- Schedule a monthly hair spa to the salon or do it yourself at home.
- Try to space out chemical treatments as much as possible. Unnecessary chemicals applied to the hair may cause breakage, hair loss, dullness, and split ends.
- Always protect your hair from the sun, wind, and rain. Excessive sun, heat, dirt, and pollution can damage your chemically treated hair.
- Chemically treated hair is fragile and breaks easily. When wet, the shaft and roots of your hair are more prone to sustaining damage. Please don’t be too harsh when shampooing as it may lead to breakage.
- Minimize the use of blow dry & iron
- Do not tie your hair too tight.