How to Moisturize Dry Hair For Shiny, Healthy-Looking Strands
Much like your skin, your hair needs moisture too.
April 18, 2024
When your skin feels dry, you can apply moisturizer for instant relief. Dry, damaged hair, however, isn’t quite as straightforward. Moisturizing hair products do, of course, exist, but slathering on conditioner is only part of the equation. If you’re looking to learn how to moisturize dry hair, you need to understand why it’s dry to begin with.
That’s where we come in. Here, we’re spilling on some of the most common causes of dry hair (some of which may surprise you). Then, we’ll explain how to hydrate dry hair with some of our favorite nourishing shampoos, conditioners, and dry hair remedies. Keep scrolling for all of the details.
What Causes Dry Hair?
There are several potential causes of dry hair, from genetic factors to exposure to stressors like heat, hot water, and chemicals. Ahead, we’re breaking down six of the most common causes of dry hair.
1. Bleaching
Bleaching is largely unavoidable if you’re looking to embrace platinum blonde hair or experiment with a fantasy hair color. Unfortunately, the process can draw moisture from your hair and weaken your strands, resulting in dryness, brittleness, and breakage. Adopting a gentle haircare routine and using a shampoo and conditioner for dry hair can help to mitigate some of this damage, as can taking care to avoid over-processing your hair. One great option is our L’Oréal Paris Everpure Sulfate Free Moisture Shampoo for Hydrating Dry Hair and L’Oréal Paris Everpure Sulfate Free Moisture Conditioner for Hydrating Dry Hair. The color-safe duo gently cleanses and deeply replenishes dry hair, leaving it soft and full of luminous shine.
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2. Hot tools
Hot tools are great for achieving that trendy bouncy blowout you see all over social media, but they can also dry your hair out. Like bleach and hair color, hot tools should be used in moderation: the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends using hot tools no more than once a week to help protect your strands from excessive damage.
When you do use hot tools, you should always shield your strands from the hot temperatures with a heat protectant. Try misting your mane with the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Heat Slayer Leave In before grabbing the flat iron or blow dryer—it protects against temperatures up to 450oF.
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3. Environmental conditions
Prolonged exposure to dry weather, especially during the winter months, can contribute to dryness. The dry air strips moisture from your strands (and may make you more prone to frizz and flyaways). If you live in a cold, dry climate, ensure your haircare routine contains plenty of nourishing, hydrating products to help offset the effects of a dry climate.
4. Chemical treatments
Keratin treatments and chemical straightening may help to make your hair more manageable in the short term—but they can also leave your hair dry, brittle, and fragile. That’s because these treatments use harsh ingredients, like formaldehyde, to change the texture of your hair. While effective, these chemicals can also strip your hair of natural oils and moisture, according to a study published by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. As with coloring and heat styling, limiting how often you go in for a chemical treatment is your best defense against excessive dryness.
5. Over-washing
Washing your hair too often can strip the hair and scalp of natural oils, resulting in dry and dull strands.
How often you should wash your hair depends on how much oil your scalp produces, according to the AAD. If your scalp tends to be oily, you may want to wash your hair as often as once a day, but if your strands are on the drier side, washing your hair less frequently—about once a week–is ideal.
6. Dry scalp
A dry scalp can cause dandruff, itchiness, irritation, and—as oil from the scalp helps condition the hair—dry strands. A nourishing scalp care routine can help keep your scalp (and, by extension) your strands sufficiently moisturized.
How to Hydrate Hair
Adding moisture to dry hair requires limiting exposure to any stressors that may be contributing to the dryness, adjusting your haircare habits, and using hydrating products that help nourish your hair. Below, we’re sharing 10 tips to help you fix dry hair (plus a peek at some of our favorite products for the job).
1. Use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner
Whether you wash your hair daily or weekly, make sure to use a shampoo and conditioner for dry hair, as these formulas are uniquely designed to help give your strands the moisture they need.
If your hair lacks moisture and bounce, we suggest the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Plump Hydrating Shampoo, Paraben-Free and L’Oréal Paris Elvive Hyaluron Plump Hydrating Conditioner, Paraben-Free. This nourishing duo is formulated with hyaluronic acid and helps lock in moisture for up to 72 hours for shiny, bouncy strands.
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2. Try a conditioning hair moisturizer
When your hair needs a bit of TLC, reach for a moisturizing treatment designed for parched strands, like the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Plump Flash Hydration Wonder Water, Sulfate-Free. The in-shower treatment contains hyaluronic acid and instantly hydrates hair with no weigh down. And unlike deep conditioning masks, which you typically have to leave in your hair for 15 to 20 minutes, this unique treatment does the job in under ten seconds.
To use it, dispense a dollop into your palm and massage it throughout wet hair after shampooing (avoiding your roots). After about eight seconds, rinse thoroughly, and follow with conditioner. For the best results, we recommend using this hydrating hair treatment between two and three times per week, depending on how dry your strands are.
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3. Turn down the dial when you shower
As wonderful as a piping hot shower may feel, it isn’t doing your hair (or your skin) any favors. Washing your hair with hot water can actually strip it of its natural oils, which leads to dry and brittle strands.
The solution is simple: turn down the temperature. Your shower doesn’t have to be freezing, just not too hot (we recommend aiming for lukewarm).
4. Use a deep conditioning mask
If your dryness coincides with related concerns like brittleness and breakage, it may be worth adding a hair mask to your weekly routine. We’re fond of the L'Oréal Paris Elvive Total Repair 5 Damage-Erasing Balm because it deeply conditions and helps repair up to one year of hair damage in a single use. It’s packed with caring ingredients like avocado oil and reparative proteins and can be used as often as needed for smooth, nourished hair.
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5. Apply a nourishing hair serum
Your moisturizing haircare routine doesn’t end when you step out of the shower. After lightly towel-drying your hair to remove excess water, you can apply a hair serum to help trap in moisture.
Different serums can target different concerns, but for those battling dryness, we suggest using the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Plump Moisture Plump Serum, Paraben-Free. Like the rest of the products in this hydrating line, the serum contains hyaluronic acid and helps deeply moisturize dry, lifeless hair. Spritz it throughout damp lengths and ends before styling, or apply it to dry hair on non-wash days for a quick moisture boost.
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6. Take a break from hot tools when you can
We love hot tools, but if your strands are feeling particularly parched, it could be a good idea to avoid heat styling for the time being. Doing so doesn’t have to mean rocking a less-than-perfect hairstyle, either. Instead, we recommend air-drying your strands for a relaxed, laidback look or trying out a heatless hairstyle. Mist your damp mane with a leave-in conditioner or hair serum before plaiting your strands into braids and hitting the sheets—you should wake up with soft, silky, hydrated-feeling strands come sunrise.
7. Use a heat protectant
If you must use a hot tool (like a blow dryer or flat iron), it’s important to protect your strands from the heat. Look for one that also helps nourish your hair, like the L’Oréal Paris Everpure Sulfate-Free Weightless Blow Dry Primer, Heat Protectant. The creamy formula is suitable for all hair types and textures and helps smooth the hair while protecting it against heat up to 450 degrees.
8. Lather up less frequently
How often you need to wash your hair depends on your hair type, lifestyle, and habits, but it’s generally not necessary to lather up every day (in fact, doing so can be drying). Instead of reaching for the shampoo every time your roots start to look a little limp, consider adding a dry shampoo to your lineup. A generous misting on your roots will help tamp down on grease, extending the time you can go between washes.
9. Use a hair oil
Hair oil is a great way to add moisture to dry hair (they’re great for boosting shine, too). After styling—ideally without heat—work a pea-sized amount of your favorite hair oil throughout your ends, distributing any excess product throughout your lengths. Just be sure not to overdo it: where hair oils are concerned, a little goes a long way.
10. Get frequent trims
You’ve heard it before but we’ll say it again: Getting regular trims is one of the most crucial things you can do to keep your strands healthy. When you wait too long in between haircuts, split ends inevitably form, causing hair to break. When this happens, your hair tends to dry out, too.
As a general rule of thumb, you’ll want to get your hair trimmed at least once every three months. If you want to keep your current length, opt for hair dusting over a traditional haircut. In between cuts, make sure to follow all of the aforementioned tips to keep your hair as healthy (and split end-free) as possible.
Next Up: Hair SOS: 11 Ways to Fix Your Damaged Hair
Photo Courtesy of L'Oréal Paris
