Even the most pampered locks can sometimes need extra care to stay healthy and vibrant. Seasonal changes in humidity and temperature, mineral buildup, and hormonal shifts can all affect your hair, while color treatments, heat styling, and protective styles can further complicate its health. When it comes to keeping hair healthy through life’s ups and downs, regular and appropriate treatments are a curl’s best friend. Here are five key signs that it may be time for a treatment.
1. More Frizz & Less Definition
If you notice that your wash-and-go isn’t going as far as it used to, or that curls seem frizzier and less defined (even on day one), it may be time for a detox. Build-up, mineral deposits, and weathering (damage caused by sun, wind, etc.), can accumulate over time, making it more difficult for the hair to absorb and retain moisture.
Chelating, clarifying, and hydrating treatments, such as Triple Threat Detox Shampoo and Hydrofuse Moisture Treatment Mask, can hit the reset button, leaving your hair feeling refreshed and looking more defined. Regular treatments every four to eight weeks are recommended to optimize hair health.
2. Breakage
If you notice areas that appear to have permanent fly-aways with strands of differing lengths, you may have breakage. Sudden changes in curl pattern along the strand can also indicate broken bonds.
Breakage can be caused by many stressors, from too-tight elastic bands to heat and color damage or restrictive protective styles. The most important step to correcting the problem is to identify and curb the cause. Give your hair a break so that it can recover and regrow. A professional bond-building treatment can help to correct existing damage by repairing broken disulfide bonds. Chronic dryness can also lead to breakage – more on that below.
Note: If your curl pattern is changing uniformly across your head, this may be due to hormonal shifts that can affect hair follicles. This is not a sign of damage but could indicate a hormonal imbalance. If you suspect a hormonal change unrelated to aging or pregnancy, we recommend consulting a medical professional.
3. Limp or Dull Curls
If your curls seem looser or lack their usual bounce, it may be due to buildup and/or hygral fatigue, a condition that results from over-moisturization of the hair. This is more prevalent in looser, finer textures, particularly in individuals who co-wash and reapply moisturizing products multiple times per week.
A clarifying shampoo, like Triple Threat, is the first step on the road to recovery. We recommend following up with a protein-rich treatment, like Hydrofuse, to help strengthen the hair’s internal scaffolding. We also suggest rinsing out your conditioner and using a light leave-in moisturizer to allow the hair to balance and restore its natural hydration levels.
4. Chronic Dryness
If your hair feels dry and brittle even after you moisturize, several factors could be at play. In some cases, aging can make our hair feel dryer due to a reduction in the oils that reside in our scalp.
Combine this with a change in texture or porosity that can accompany greying, and the result can be hair that feels dry and hard all the time. It’s essential to pretreat regularly and deep condition with a professional-quality treatment like Intense Quench Deep Conditioner to reintroduce elasticity and softness to the hair.
Emollience Pre-Shampoo Treatment is our go-to for coarse, resistant hair and can be used both as a pretreatment to restore the lipid balance to the hair and as a softening leave-in sealant.
If aging isn’t the cause, your hair may simply be low-porosity, resistant, and/or it’s not being moisturized with the right products. This is especially common in tightly curled, low-porosity hair. The right products, selected with professional guidance, can make all the difference in hair health and appearance. To help, we offer an online hair quiz (developed through four years of research) and free in-person Hair Assessments at our Flagship Salon.
5. Scalp Issues
Do you notice flakes, itching, or oily residue on your scalp? All three of these may be caused by a scalp imbalance.
Triggers for imbalance can include over-cleansing, under-cleansing, product allergies, seasonal changes, or product buildup. To correctly assess the root of your scalp issue, we strongly recommend consulting a licensed stylist, trichologist, or medical professional.
As a companion to a diagnostic intervention, Scalp Therapy can’t be beat. This complete care lotion soothes on contact and is loaded with natural anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory compounds. It also helps to support the scalp’s microbiome to achieve a balanced, healthy state.
Lastly, we highly recommend our signature Moisture Detox as a professional, intensive treatment that can help with many of the above issues. The Moisture Detox removes buildup, balances moisture levels, and intensively hydrates the hair. To find a salon near you that offers the Original Moxie Moisture Detox, visit our Salon Finder.
