Dry Hair

Dry hair products that treat the cause of dryness

Dry hair products work so much better when you know what caused the problem in the first place. Dry hair is a common hair concern that simply means the strands are losing moisture too fast. Each strand has a protective outer layer called a cuticle. When that layer lifts, moisture leaks out, and the strand is left dry and vulnerable.

So what lifted it? It’s usually one of these:

• Heat styling with nothing to protect the hair: The most common culprit and the easiest to fix.
• Washing every day with a harsh cleanser: This strips the natural oils doing the sealing work for you.
• Colour, bleach and chemical smoothing: These open the cuticle on purpose to do their job, and it doesn't fully close again afterwards.
• Summer, which most of us underestimate: Sun, salt water and a few weeks of pool days roughen the surface of your hair without you noticing until autumn.
• Product build-up: If you use a lot of styling products, it coats the strand, so nothing you put on afterwards gets in.

Frizzy hair and dull hair are the same problem showing up in two different ways. Frizz happens when the cuticle stays open and absorbs moisture out of the air, while dullness is just that same rough surface scattering light instead of reflecting it back. Smoothing that layer down handles both at the same time.

Using heat protection is the easiest and cheapest thing you can do. A spray before blow-drying costs far less than a deep conditioning treatment, and it stops the damage before you have to pay to fix it.

Our dry hair range covers all hair types, from fine and flat right through to thick and coily. That matters because something rich enough for coily hair will just weigh fine hair down.

How to tell if your hair is dry or damaged

Dry hair is thirsty, while damaged hair is broken. The difference matters because moisture fixes dryness, but it will do very little for structural damage.

To test your hair like our stylists do, take a single strand while wet and give it a gentle stretch. Dry hair holds its shape and softens once you work some conditioner through it. Damaged hair, on the other hand, goes stretchy and almost gummy, snaps back thinner than it started and fights the brush all the way down.

Plenty of people have both concerns at the same time, which is completely normal if you colour your hair or reach for the hair straightener most mornings. If that’s you, start with a bond treatment from our damaged hair range, then layer your hydration on top. Do it the other way around, and you have wasted the mask.

Split ends are the one thing no product can mend, whatever the packaging tells you. Serums like the Kérastase Nutritive Nutri-Supplement Split Ends Serum smooth them down so they look and feel better, but that split is only gone once you cut it.

Booking a trim every six to eight weeks means your dry hair care routine does not have to work as hard, which matters even more if you’re growing your hair out. Hair growth happens at your scalp, and you only gain length if the ends stay healthy enough to avoid snapping off.

Which dry hair products go on first?

You should always apply your dry hair products from lightest to richest. That single rule stops your heavier products from blocking the light ones, and it’s the difference between a routine that works and one that leaves your hair coated by Wednesday.

Here’s the exact order you should follow:

1. Hydrating shampoo: Massage it into your scalp and leave the lengths alone. The suds running down do that job for you. Our hydrating shampoo range is the place to start if your current shampoo leaves your hair squeaky.
2. Conditioner: Work this through your mid-lengths and ends only, never the roots. Give it two minutes while you finish your shower.
3. Leave-in conditioner: Apply this onto damp hair before anything else goes near it. This is the layer most people skip and the one holding all your moisture in.
4. Hair serum or oil: Use a few drops on the ends. Argan oil suits most hair types, so the muk Spa Argan Oil Treatment or the De Lorenzo Defence Argan Oil are both safe picks. This is also when your heat protectant goes on, right before any hairstyling tool comes near you.
5. Hair spray: Save this for the very end, once everything is styled and dry.

How much moisture your hair type needs

Not every hair type needs the same amount of moisture. The key is balancing the hydration your strands need with a formula that will not weigh them down. Here’s how to find the right balance for your hair:

• Fine hair or thinning hair: You only need light moisture in small doses. Stick to sprays and mists. This is where the worry about leave-ins comes from, and it's a fair one because a rich cream on fine hair will just sit there while a light mist on damp ends won't.
• Thick or coarse hair: Your hair craves heavy, deep hydration to soak through those dense strands. You can take a lot more product than most. Creams, balms and the heavier end of the shelf won't overwhelm your hair.
• Curly and coily hair: Curls and coils are dry by design because natural oils from your scalp can't slide down a bend the way they run down a straight strand. You’re starting a step behind everyone else, so layer your hydration generously while your hair is still soaking wet.
• Oily scalp with dry ends: You need targeted moisture just on the ends, leaving your scalp alone. If your roots go greasy while your ends stay parched, you don't have oily hair. You have two different issues happening at once. Clarify at the roots and condition from the ears down.

Rich leave-in hair treatments like the K18 Leave-In Mask suit thicker hair types beautifully, while a product like Pureology Hydrate Conditioner works across most textures.

The dry hair products our stylists reach for

At Hairhouse, our stylists pick dry hair treatments by how thirsty your hair is, not by the price tag. For everyday dryness, Redken All Soft Shampoo & Conditioner soften without weighing hair down, while Kérastase Nutritive Bain Satin Riche and Nutritive Masquintense Riche step in when your strands are properly parched. If your hair drinks up water fast, the Juuce Hyaluronic Hydrate Shampoo uses hyaluronic acid to lock moisture into the strand.

Olaplex No.3 works differently. Rather than hydrating your hair, it repairs the internal bonds inside the strand, so the moisture you add afterwards has somewhere to stay. And the ELEVEN Australia Miracle Hair Mask is worth having on hand for when your ends need more than a conditioner can give them.

How often should you use a hair mask on dry hair?

Most people should use a hair mask once a week, or twice if your hair is very dry or colour-treated or you use heat daily.

Think of a hair mask as skincare for your hair. You wouldn't sleep in a face mask every night and expect better skin, and the same logic applies here. Overdoing rich hair treatments leaves your hair limp and coated, which reads as greasy rather than hydrating.

If your hair feels heavy, will not hold a style or looks flat two days after a mask, you should pull back to once a fortnight. Your hair will tell you when it needs a break.

Can you use hydrating products on colour-treated hair?

Yes, and you should. Colour-treated hair is almost always dry, because the colouring process opens the cuticle to get the pigment in, and it doesn't fully close afterwards. Go for a sulphate-free shampoo for dry hair where you can, since gentler cleansers hold onto your colour for longer between appointments.

Not sure where to start? Pop into your nearest Hairhouse, and our stylists will have a proper look at your hair before pointing you towards the right routine. Visit us in-store or shop the range online, with free delivery on orders over $70.