Wouldn’t it be great if you could dye your hair on a regular basis, stay in the sun all day and constantly use a flat iron without ever harming your curls? It sounds too good to be true—OK, it kind of is—but there are steps you can take to minimize damage and get those ringlets to bounce back without having to cut them off. Here, a few ways to rehab fragile hair.
Rethink Using Towels
News flash: Towel-drying your hair is one of the main reasons you get breakage. The rough fibers can make split ends worse and create more of that unwanted frizz you’re trying to get rid of. Use an old T-shirt to dry your hair instead. It will absorb water without disrupting your curl pattern.
Apply DIY Masks
If your curls are in desperate need of TLC, replace your regular conditioner with a DIY hair mask. Don’t know where to start? Head to your kitchen. To add back moisture, make a concoction of a couple egg yolks, a dollop of yogurt and a squirt of honey; and to smooth unruly frizz, apply a mashed avocado to clean hair and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing out.
Lay Off the Heat
The best way to revive damaged curls is to lay off the hair dryer (yes, even if you’re using the lowest setting) and embrace a wash-and-go style—otherwise known as shampooing your hair, adding a little leave-in conditioner and letting your curls do their thing. Blow-drying your hair can further dry out your curls and cause them to become brittle. Better yet, avoid all hot tools for a few months if you can.
