Did you let your hair down (quite literally) for the festive season? Here’s how to nurture it back to health

Of course, you did so many fun things with your hair during the festive season. You put it up in French braids, gobbled it all into a messy bun or commanded your hairstylist to dye your tresses in a rose gold hair colour. One day it was beach waves for Diwali; the next day, sleek and smooth glass hair for your friend's engagement party. And then it was Sunday, so you tried balayage! You did it all and expressed yourself with your locks and looks.With the wedding season still going on, you will want to put your best foot forward - dramatic looks at night or neat and light during the day - fun hair can take your glam quotient to a whole new level. But beware! Over-styling, over-lightening or just plain overdoing chemicals can cause your hair to become damaged, brittle, and broken.

Hair is porous, but a lipid-coated layer blocks it from becoming saturated with water. According to an article in the International Journal of Trichology, when your hair is stripped of its natural oils and moisture, this lipid layer is also lost, causing the hair to become immensely porous. Badly damaged hair has a lifted outer cuticle that wears down, and the overlapping cells no longer lie flat. This can induce the hair shaft to become brittle, likely to split and break.
But what harms the lipid hair? Perms, relaxers, professional straighteners, and hair colours contain chemicals that can weaken the hair and make it more likely to break. Also, extended use of heat treatments with blow-dryers, straighteners, and curling tongs wreak havoc on your beloved locks. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is setting the temperature too high when styling hair with heat. Unless you have super thick or coarse hair, a mid-range temperature-setting on your tools will work just fine. Also, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)(AAD) recommends extending the time between your sessions to 8–10 weeks, if possible. Furthermore, you’ll be shocked to know that even some shampoos with high pH can cause hair breakage, making them brittle and frizzy.
Does that mean you should stop styling and treating your tresses as per your liking or the occasion? Not at all, just make sure that you care for them thereafter and continue to pamper them even when you’re not having fun.

Coconut-based hair oil is one of the most indulgent and effortless ways to bring your damaged hair back to health. Unlike other oils and commercial moisturizers that just sit on the hair, coconut-based hair oil has a low molecular weight, meaning it can enter the hair shaft, ensuring hair repair from inside and out. It also diminishes protein loss for undamaged and damaged hair.
Coconut-based hair oil as a scalp treatment kills bacteria and provides a clean palette for the hair and scalp to thrive. The vitamins and fatty acids help the hair alleviate dryness, one of the number one causes of breakage.
- Even if you love styling your hair with heating tools, applying a little coconut-based hair oil before can protect the hair strands from heat, restoring hair’s moisture. Another great advantage of coconut-based hair oil is that it contains lauric acid, capric acid, and vitamin E, which help restructure hair and boost its strength.
- Whatever your hair type is - colour-treated or extra coarse and unruly - find a hair treatment mask and apply it faithfully twice a week. Don't be in a rush —the longer you leave it on, the more fruitful it will be. There are several ways you can make DIY a homemade hair mask with the goodness of natural ingredients like the trusted coconut-based hair oil. Whip it up with egg and honey to treat dry hair; mix it with apple cider vinegar for dull hair. Apply these hair masks for 15-30 minutes before rinsing off completely.
- One of the greatest woes of people with long hair and a massive breakage-causing menace is knotty hair. Run coconut-based hair oil over the sections that need a little help whenever you are combing your stubborn tresses. The oil provides a helpful “slip” that makes combing a less harrowing ordeal.
While there's no way out of styling and treating your hair during the festive and the wedding season, changing your habits and giving your hair some extra love can help you brave the after-effects. Nobody knows your hair better than you. If it was soft and abundant before and dull, thinning, tangled, now, you know it's getting damaged. When your hair looks and feels different, or your old products just aren’t doing the trick, look for unhealthy habits — and stop doing them. If you regularly use a coconut-based hair oil treatment, you'll notice an increased shine, and manageability with less breakage and static and fewer tangles and split ends. You may also see that your hair sheds less and feels thicker after regular use. Your hair will thank you, and you can thank us later for bringing such practical tips to you.