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Is Your Hair Dry Or Damaged? Here’s How To Finally Tell
Settling the debate once and for all
This question has vexed me since I made the ill-advised decision to bleach my naturally very dark, virgin hair to platinum — all in one appointment — back in college. At the time, I had no real idea of the damage to my strands that would result. But in short, my hair never fully recovered. For several years I tried in-salon hair and scalp treatments, overnight masking more than a few days per week, and dousing my ends in as much expensive hair oil as I could get my hands on in the hopes that I could restore my strands to their former glory.
Even though I’ve since stuck to dyeing my hair just a few shades darker, which results in far less damage, and laying off the hot tools, I still struggled to understand what my hair really needed up until a few months ago. This is partially because not only do dry and damaged hair look very similar to the naked eye, but there’s also no shortage of conflicting advice doled out by fashion magazines, beauty brands, hairdressers, and influencers, as to what our hair really needs to look and feel its best. Further, “dry” and “damaged” are terms that are often used interchangeably on product labels when they are two separate issues with distinct causes and treatments.
