Weak hair can be defined as limp, droopy, thin or falling out. Split ends, extreme dryness or excessive oiliness can all be signs of weak hair.
Elasticity is the measure of your hair's strength and having poor elasticity can lead to excess breakage–and frizz. To check elasticity, start with wet hair. Take a strand, and stretch ever so slightly. If the strand bounces back into place when you let go; you're in great shape!
Unhealthy hair usually has a rough texture, lack of shininess and luster, have split ends, lack of moisture and elasticity even after treatment and easily broken. Damaged hair will also get tangled up and result in knots due to hair dryness.
Dial down the heat. Blow dryers, straightening irons, hot curlers, and other heated styling tools can take a toll on your hair, especially if your hair is fine, dry, or prone to breakage. Too much heat can weaken your hair, resulting in strands that are damaged or frizzy.
It depends. “If a follicle has closed, disappeared, scarred, or not generated a new hair in years, then a new hair wouldn't be able to grow,” Fusco says. But if the follicle is still intact, yes, it is possible to regrow the hair—or to improve the health of the existing thinner hairs.
Because hair is not a living tissue with regenerative ability, it cannot heal and repair. You can use oils, conditioners, hydrolyzed proteins or other ingredients to disguise the issues temporarily but it's akin to using makeup on the face.
Diagnosing Weak Hair
Weak hair can be defined as limp, droopy, thin or falling out. Split ends, extreme dryness or excessive oiliness can all be signs of weak hair.
What are the signs of healthy hair? Healthy hair strands have a sheen and a luster, little breakage, minimal shedding, are moisture rich (so not dry), reflect light, do not break when brushed, and do not contain dandruff.
Harsh shampoo, hair treatments, styling products, and excessive brushing contribute the most to poor hair health. However, other culprits include: overconsumption of alcohol. low-calorie and crash diets.
By sliding a strand, or a few, between your thumb and forefinger, you might be able to feel for the health of your hair. A smooth, easy slide, likely means your hair is healthy, while a rough and bumpy feeling means you likely have some damage.
How to Identify Stress-Induced Hair Loss. Telogen effluvium (stress-induced hair loss) usually causes diffuse thinning, a type of hair loss that affects your entire scalp. If you have telogen effluvium, your hair will normally look thinner and less dense than normal, especially under bright light.
A well-rounded diet is an important factor in hair and scalp health. Hair is primarily made up of protein, so be sure to eat at least 45 grams of protein daily. Good sources include: lean meat.
If at any point your hair feels rough, dry, and brittle and as if random strands are sticking out, this is a sign that your hair is unhealthy and damaged. Under such circumstances, you should consider seeking out treatment for your hair as quickly as possible and not let your damaged hair continue to grow out.
People with oily hair or who use hair care products daily should consider washing their hair once every 1–2 days. People with dry hair can wash their hair less frequently. Those with textured or coily hair should only wash it once every 1–2 weeks.
To get thicker hair, eat a healthy diet with omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, iron, and vitamin D. For thicker hair, it's important to use a sulfate-free shampoo and to stop using heat styling products like flat irons or curling irons.
By removing damaged hairs, haircuts promote healthy hair growth and stops the spread of split ends through the strands. This allows long-term hair health with less need for expensive products or conditioners. It is recommended to trim hair once every four months to maintain perfect hair health.
“Vitamins are essential for healthy hair growth and may help in preventing hair shedding and thinning,” says Michele Green, M.D., a cosmetic dermatologist in New York. “The best vitamins for hair growth include B vitamins, vitamin D, vitamin E, zinc, biotin and iron.
If you're having a hard time understanding whether you have fine or thin hair (or both), the best thing to grab a handful of hair in your fist, if it's long enough. Then looking in the mirror, look at the roots. If you can easily see your scalp through the hair, it's thin. If you can't, it's medium or thick.
Both dry and damaged hair can appear frizzy and dull, and can feel brittle. You might notice stray hairs and split ends.
Use a hair mask weekly.
She recommends looking for moisturizing formulas with ingredients such as shea butter, coconut oil, and avocado oil. While these won't repair any damage (more on that in a minute), they will add plenty of moisture. In turn, this makes hair look and feel softer and smoother—always a good thing.