What to look at
Notice when it feels dry. Right after washing points to cleansing or conditioning. A day or two later points to the hair drying out between washes. Dry only at the ends is normal for older hair and usually means the ends need more conditioner and less handling.
Notice the feel, and compare it over the next few washes. Rough and dull with little stretch is how dryness usually feels. Stiff and straw-like is often put down to build-up or protein; soft, limp and stretchy is what people call moisture overload. The feel is a clue, not a diagnosis.
Change one thing on your next wash
Pick one for your next wash:
- Shampoo the scalp only; let the suds run through the lengths instead of scrubbing them.
- Condition every time you shampoo, and make sure the ends get covered.
- Leave conditioner on a little longer, or use a mask on some wash days.
- Put leave-in on while your hair is still wet (soaking or damp, as its label says), section by section, so the ends get some.
- Seal it with a cream or a few drops of oil, then style.
- Wear a satin bonnet or sleep on satin to cut friction overnight.
When this is not the answer
Dryness that comes with breakage, itching or a flaky scalp may not be a wash-day problem. Hair can also feel dry from build-up that stops conditioner reaching it; if nothing seems to soak in, try a clarifying wash first. The American Academy of Dermatology advises conditioning after every shampoo and covering the ends, because they are the oldest, most delicate part of the hair.
Products that do this job
A rinse-out conditioner every wash and a mask some weeks do most of the work; a leave-in keeps it going.
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