Great Hair

Does your hair feel like straw? Don’t give into your frustration-driven fantasy of chopping it all off. Lucky for you (and your locks!, there’s a wealth of high-intensity hair-care products designed to re-hydrate your hair, transforming it from straw to silk.

Before choosing the best products for your hair, it is helpful to determine what created the damage so that you can best treat it. Many factors can contribute to damaged hair, explains Rodney Cutler, owner of Cutler Salon in New York City, a Redken salon: “Many natural elements can damage hair. Hormonal changes after pregnancy can affect hair’s texture and thickness, while environmental elements like the sun can strip the hair’s cuticle, almost like bleach.” Most often, however, hair is made fragile by elements found indoors — air conditioning and indoor heating can dry out hair, while repeated use of styling aids like the dryer or a curling iron can make it overly brittle, he explains. If hair is color-treated, these situations can cause color to fade in addition to making hair brittle.

If you’re not willing to abandon your indoor temperature control or electric styling aids (and let’s be honest, who is?), you’re not doomed to a life of frizzy, flyaway hair. “If hair is damaged,” says Cutler, “Permanent changes in its texture can be achieved with the right products.” How? Special ingredients in hair-care products penetrate the hair shaft, repairing it, he explains. “Heat-activated treatments are exceptionally beneficial — they cause the hair cuticle to open, allowing for easier penetration.” In fact, says Cutler, many products designed for home use are as successful in treating damaged hair as in-salon treatments.

Below, you’ll find the best treatment products for every type of hair. After trying the ones we recommend for your hair, you just might find yourself tucking your pony-tail elastics and huge hair clips into the back of your bathroom drawer.