What Causes Hair Damage?

Key Takeaways

• Knowing what causes hair damage and breakage can help you prevent it.
• Hair damage and breakage can be caused by many factors, including hot tools, pollution, and chemical treatments.
• Using the right OLAPLEX® products can help prevent hair damage and breakage.

Jump to

• Hot Tools
• Pollution
• Chemical Hair Damage
• Mechanical Friction
• Hard Water and Hot Water
• Environmental Damage

What Causes Hair Damage?

Do you know about the different types of hair damage? Knowing what can cause hair damage and breakage may help you prevent unnecessary stress to your hair. Most hair damage occurs outside of the salon, meaning even the most virgin hair can break from the most common daily factors. Knowing how to identify the triggers that can cause breakage while treating with OLAPLEX for visibly healthy hair, as prevention is always the best approach!

Hot Tools

Most people think chemical services cause the most damage to hair, but the frequent use of hot tools can also cause hair damage. Hot tools are a common reason for hair breakage and damage. These tools usually can heat up to 450ºF, a temperature no strand of hair should endure.

How exactly does heat damage hair? Heat can damage hair because it changes its keratin structure. It can damage your hair’s cuticle and strip hair of its protective oils.However, there are steps you can take to strengthen your hair and potentially prevent more damage from happening. If you’re using hot tools, use lower heat settings, and try to use hot tools less frequently. Using OLAPLEX Nº^.7 Bonding Oil™ is a great way to protect against heat from blow drying or hot tools up to 450ºF! You can also get heat protection from hot tools with OLAPLEX Volumizing Blow Dry Mist and N^o.9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum.

Pollution

Another type of hair damage comes from pollution. Pollution is a stressor to so many things in our environment. Imagine your hair as a sponge absorbing all the chemicals, and pollution in the air, causing it to break off. Try OLAPLEX N^o.9 Protector Nourishing Hair Serum to protect against pollution for up to 48 hours.

To repair and mitigate hair damage, find an OLAPLEX salon near you. Your stylist can use professional-only treatments to treat damaged hair.

Chemical Hair Damage

The most obvious type of hair damage is chemical damage. Whether it’s a color service or a texture service, chemicals can be a fast track to damage. This is why we recommend using OLAPLEX N^o.1 Bond Multiplier and N^o.2 Bond Perfector within every single process, to support stylists and clients to get amazing results from salon services by rebuilding broken hair bonds during the service.

Mechanical Friction

Mechanical friction, also known as styling friction, is another cause of hair damage and breakage. We’re talking about hairbrushes, hair ties, hair accessories, and more that cause unnecessary damage. For example, pulling on your hair while detangling it, putting up your hair for exercise, and friction from your pillowcase can cause damage. This doesn’t mean you have to change how you style your hair. Changing your accessories and haircare to protect and repair your hair can make all the difference. You can also treat and repair hair with Nº^.0 Intensive Bond Building Treatmentand Nº^.3 Hair Perfector®.

Hard Water and Hot Water

You may have heard of hard water, but what is it exactly? Hard water refers to any water with a higher concentration of minerals, like calcium and magnesium. If you’re wondering if your shower has hard water, the answer is probably yes! About 85% of households in the U.S. have hard water, and while it’s not harmful to drink, the minerals can leave a residue on hair as it dries, preventing moisture from fully penetrating the strands. Over time, washing your hair with hard water can lead to numerous hair issues, such as dry hair and scalp, flat and limp hair, breakage, thinning, and tangles.

What about the effects of hot water? While taking a hot shower is a great way to relax and unwind, hot water can strip your hair of its natural oils, dry out your hair and scalp, and cause scalp irritation.⁴ An unhealthy scalp may even lead to weaker hair strands.⁴

If your hair has hard water damage, try installing a filter on your shower head. Minimize hair damage from hot water by washing your hair with lukewarm water instead.²

Environmental Damage

This is one type of hair damage no one can escape. No matter the season or where you live, environmental factors can impact hair. It might be the sun, wind, common pollutants, or the weather that causes breakage to your hair. Spending time in the pool or ocean during hot summer months can also affect hair. Chlorine can turn hair brassy or green and strip the hair of its integrity.

Understanding the causes of hair breakage and damage can help you find ways to keep your hair looking healthy and beautiful. Explore more OLAPLEX products for damaged hair or take the Hair Quiz to get a personalized OLAPLEX routine.

Sources

1. https://www.wellandgood.com/hot-tools-for-hair/
2. https://www.byrdie.com/how-to-protect-natural-hair-from-heat-damage-5080838
3. https://www.women.com/1353489/stigma-around-hot-tools-use-without-damage/
4. https://www.byrdie.com/does-hot-water-damage-your-hair-6827296

SHARE