Why do I have extremely dry hair? Causes and treatment

Have you ever run your hands through your hair, only to become discouraged with how dry it feels? Dry hair has different characteristics than hydrated strands, which can also affect how your hair looks.

There are many reasons why you may have extremely dry hair, such as:

The environment
Environmental factors play a huge role in the overall damage of your hair, simply because the UV from the sun diminishes hydration and over time will cause your hair to become dry.

The elements
Wind and even artificial heaters can also disrupt your hair’s protective layer, the cuticle. You will notice that dry hair is prone to split ends, breakage, and excessive hair color fading, leading it to feel rough to the touch.

Your lifestyle
Lifestyle and maintenance habits, such as your diet, plays an important role in how strong your hair’s cuticle is. Think about your hair like a plant: if you feed your plant (through compost and/or fertilizer) and water it often, then it's more likely to thrive. If your diet and supplementation is lacking the nutrients that your hair needs it can result in unhealthy hair that may also be extremely dry.

If you are looking for ways to keep your hair in its best shape and visibly reduce the negative effects of dry hair, we have some tips for you to start reversing extremely dry hair into the touchable soft strands you want:

1. Hydration and moisture are a pair that protect your hair through the outer layer of your hair strands, the cuticle.
   To ensure you are not over-drying your hair by stripping too much of your natural oils, be sure to reach for a sulfate-free shampoo like Goldie Locks Ultra Hydrating Signature Shampoo.
    
2. Sealing hydration is the job of moisturizing products found in conditioners.
   Not all conditioners are created equal which is why we look to Goldie Locks Ultra Hydrating Signature Conditioner.
    
3. Set the temperature on your blow dryer and your iron a little lower so that you do not over-bake your strands.
   Use just enough heat to help you control your hair to the style you want to achieve.
     
4. Always use a heat defending product such as a hair serum (How To Use A Hair Serum), heat styling spray, or other products that can act as a barrier between your hair and the heat.
     
5. Use products with UV protectants that will help your hair battle against damaging UV’s from the sun as well as other environmental disruptors that would otherwise dry out your hair.
   We recommend Goldie Locks Ultra Hydrating Leave-In Conditioner.
     
6. Be conscious of your hair color or highlighting services. The general rule is to not overlap highlights. Though you may have gone brunette in the winter, your hair holds a history and knows you go blonde every summer. When you overlap highlights in a short amount of time (or seasonally) you are likely to experience split ends and breakage.  
     
7. Dip into a rejuvenating hair mask. Allow yourself to indulge in a hair mask once in a while, or even better, make this a part of your routine as a preventive to ensure your hair doesn’t get to the point of no return.
   1. Tips for the best hair mask experience:
      1. After shampooing your hair, ring out excess water and step away from direct water flow.
      2. Scoop the desired amount of Goldie Locks Ultra Hydrating Signature Hair Mask and rub in the palms of your hands.
      3. Grab the lengths of your hair as if you are about to secure a low ponytail and apply the hair mask at the ends of your hair working towards the mid strands (the most concentrated amount of product should be applied to the most dehydrated places i.e. ends).
      4. For thick hair you will want to divide your hair into large sections to ensure enough hair mask is evenly distributed throughout.
      5. Using your fingers or a wide tooth comb, work the hair mask through and gradually work the excess amount as your reach closer to your scalp.
      6. With no more than the excess on your hands, give yourself a scalp massage and indulge for 10 minutes.
      7. Rinse with cooler temperature water.
      8. Follow this with a leave in conditioner on towel dried hair.