Bringing tired hair back

Hair rarely gets damaged in a day, and it does not recover in one either. What brings it back is a small routine done in the right order, with each step doing one job. Here is ours, built from three products and two habits, and the reasons behind each one.

Why hair gets tired

Each strand is covered in tiny overlapping scales, like the tiles on a roof. When they lie flat, hair is smooth, shiny and strong. When they lift or chip, moisture escapes, light scatters instead of reflecting, and the strand frays. That is what dry, dull, frizzy hair actually is.

The usual culprits:

• Heat: blow-dryers, straighteners and curling irons, especially without protection.
• Colour and chemical treatments, which open the scales on purpose to change the hair.
• Sun and dry air, which fade and dry the lengths.
• Friction: rubbing with a rough towel, brushing wet hair hard, tight styles.
• Time: your ends can be years old. They have been through every wash and every summer, which is why they need the most care.

Read what your hair is asking for

• Dry and rough: it needs moisture. The mask is your most important step.
• Frizzy: it needs the scales smoothed down. Mask, then serum, and a microfiber towel.
• Colour-treated or chemically straightened: it needs repair and gentleness. The whole routine was made especially for treated hair.
• Thinning or shedding: start at the scalp. The shampoo matters most here.

Step one: wash like you mean the scalp

• Tea tree
• Argan
• Jojoba
• Vitamin E

Shampoo is for the scalp first and the lengths second. Our keratin shampoo has tea tree, caffeine, argan and jojoba. The tea tree purifies the scalp and helps keep dandruff away, the caffeine stimulates the follicles to help reduce hair fall, and keratin protein with vitamins E and B5 strengthens the strand itself and locks in moisture.

1. Wet the hair thoroughly with warm, not hot, water.
2. Shampoo the scalp, not the ends. Massage with your fingertips, never your nails, for a minute.
3. Let the lather run through the lengths as you rinse. That is enough to clean them.
4. Rinse well. Leftover shampoo is a common cause of an itchy scalp.

It suits all hair types, and it was made especially for weak or treated hair. EGP 350.

Step two: the mask, and actually leave it

• Argan
• Jojoba
• Tea tree
• Vitamin E

Two or three times a week, follow the wash with the hair mask on damp hair. Squeeze out the water first, then concentrate on the mid-lengths and ends, the oldest and thirstiest part. Leave it five to ten minutes; that waiting time is the treatment. Tea tree, caffeine, vitamin E, jojoba and argan work in it to give deep moisture, reduce breakage, smooth frizz and bring back shine and bounce.

Dry, frizzy and chemically treated hair notices this step most. A tip: comb it through with a wide wooden comb so every strand gets its share, then rinse with cool water. EGP 280.

The waiting is the treatment.

Step three: serum, in the right place

• Rosemary
• Argan
• Jojoba
• Coconut
• Aloe vera

A small amount of the hair serum in your palm, rubbed between the hands, then through damp or dry mid-lengths and ends. Never the roots; that is how serum earns its greasy reputation. Adjust the amount to your hair's length and thickness: start with less, you can always add.

Coconut, argan, jojoba, aloe vera and vitamins E and A smooth the frizz and flyaways and restore shine; argan works on damaged hair; jojoba stops it turning dry and brittle; rosemary soothes the scalp and supports healthy hair growth. Use it before blow-drying, on dry hair for a smooth, glossy finish, or as a tiny touch on the ends after styling. EGP 350.

Step four: the habits between washes

• Swap the rough towel for a microfiber hair towel. It drinks the water quickly and gently, and less rubbing means less frizz and breakage. Wrap and press; do not rub.
• Detangle with a wooden comb, on wet or dry hair, starting at the ends and working up. It glides without pulling, cuts static, and carries the scalp's own oils down the lengths, which is free shine.
• Brush dry hair with a wooden brush, which also stimulates the scalp.
• Turn the heat down. Let hair dry halfway on its own before the blow-dryer, and keep the tools moving.
• Sleep with it loose or in a soft braid, not a tight ponytail.

A weekly rhythm

1. Wash days (two or three a week): shampoo on the scalp, mask on the lengths for five to ten minutes, a little serum through the ends.
2. Days in between: detangle with the wooden comb, and a drop of serum on the ends if they look dry.
3. Every day: gentle hands, less heat, microfiber instead of cotton.

The mistakes we see most

• Serum on the roots, which makes hair look greasy by lunchtime.
• Rinsing the mask out after thirty seconds.
• Very hot water, which dries both scalp and lengths.
• Rubbing hair dry with a rough towel.
• Brushing wet hair hard from the roots down.
• Expecting a change in one wash. Give it a few weeks.

Quick answers

Not sure what your hair needs? Our routine finder asks a few questions and suggests a routine.