Your comb is tangled in your hair again, so you apply another product. Except this product doesn’t help either, and your hair is even more dry and brittle. If your hair is dry, you know how important it is to keep it hydrated to avoid damage and breakage. Whether you’re washing, drying, styling, or just getting out of the shower, these essential dos and don’ts can help protect your hair and keep it healthy.

Drying Guide for Dry Hair

• Squeeze wetness out of your hair. Rubbing a towel back and forth causes friction, which breaks your hair.
• Spray on a detangling, moisturizing product before using the blow dryer, flat iron, or curling iron. This protects against the heat and keeps your hair from drying out. For maximum protection, spray it on from the ends to the roots and then brush through, rather than combing, to cover hair completely.
• Use natural boar bristle brushes while blow drying.
• Hold the blow dryer 4 to 6 inches away from the brush as you style.

Styling Guide for Dry Hair

• Always clean your blow dryer’s vents regularly or buy a new one. When lint or hair build up in the dryer vents, the air can’t flow through freely and the pressure goes down. This means that you end up using too much heat to style your hair. Ask your stylist to check your blow dryer, flat iron, or curling iron and other styling tools to make sure they’re in good working condition.
• Use products that contain nourishing oils, like argan, avocado, and olive instead of heavily fragranced or volumizing products, which can dry out hair.
• Deep condition at home up to twice a week and in the salon once a month.
• Get regular trims from your stylist to keep your hair healthy and manageable without having to overuse conditioners or detangling products.
• After showering at the gym, apply conditioner from ends to roots, then spend 10 minutes in the steam room. The steam opens the hair’s cuticle, allowing the conditioner to penetrate the hair. After leaving the steam room, rinse hair with cool water to close the cuticle.
• Spray in a leave-in conditioner with UV filters before going to the beach or pool to protect your hair from the sun. Pull your hair back in a silk scarf, or loosely braid it, to prevent the elements from damaging it.