However, in all cases and if not treated promptly, dry hair can cause substantial damage with wide-spread breakage throughout the lengths of the hair. Dry hair can be triggered or exacerbated by a large number of factors, from heavy dandruff and diet to chemically processing the hair and sitting in the sun for too long. However, no matter what its underlying cause, dry hair is always about one thing: loss of moisture from the hair shaft. This makes the hair inelastic. When your hair is inelastic, it means that your hair shaft has deteriorated and therefore is more vulnerable to damage. As inelasticity is always true with dry hair, it breaks easily and without much provocation; healthy hair should stretch between 25% and 35% of its length before it breaks – dry hair breaks and snags under far less stress. Dry hair’s inelasticity also makes it very difficult to maintain your style. Because dry hair does not stretch enough, it also won’t contract enough when you set it.
On average, normal hair will stretch 30% when it’s wet and will then contract 30% when dried and leave the hair in the style in which it was set. Dry hair may only stretch 10% and contract 10%, which is not enough to give you the style you want for as long as you want. Therefore, good hair elasticity is extremely important if you want to have healthy, strong and beautiful looking hair! The good news is that most the time dry hair is self-inflicted and not inherited; it is usually caused by neglect or insufficient knowledge. This means that you can easily do something about it!
Dry hair can be remedied by taking care of your hair and educating yourself on how to minimize damage and keep hair moisturized, elastic and healthy. Holing yourself inside away from the elements and pledging abstinence from hair straighteners, bleach, processing, tongs and rollers for the rest of your life is one option. However, unless you’re a hermit, this is quite unrealistic. The best defence and also remedy for dry hair are intensive weekly pre-shampoo hair conditioning treatments, products that protect your hair from heat, like Philip Kingsley Straight Hair. However, even when using these products it is always important to shut off the blow-dryer or heated styling aids as soon as your hair is dry. And if you expose your hair to the sun or swim either in the sea or a swimming pool, it is vital to protect it. Sun, salt water and chlorine are all big culprits where dry hair is concerned.
I have great masques and moisturizers for these types of conditions.........=)
from http://blog.philipkingsley.com/
