BEST HAIRCARE FOR DAMAGED HAIR: THE SECRET TO STRONGER, SHINIER STRANDS
Strands feeling more straw-like than silky soft? Have you overdone it with the hot tools and forgoed applying a heat defence? Chances are your strands have become dry and damaged. But there is hope! With our curated list of the best haircare for damaged hair, we can guarantee your locks will look stronger, longer and more resilient so you can go back to either embracing your natural texture or styling to your hearts content... without worrying about split ends, breakage or flyaways.
In This Article
WHAT IS DAMAGED HAIR
Damaged hair is essentially strands that have been weakened or harmed making the individual locks look and feel unhealthy. This damage is usually on the hair’s protective layer leading to dryness, breakage and a loss of shine. Chemical treatments, excessive heat styling, aggressive brushing, tighter hairstyles and even environmental factors like the sun, central heating and swimming pools all influence how your lengths feel by removing its natural moisture and leave them more prone to snapping and splitting.
HOW TO REPAIR DAMAGED HAIR
The good news is that damaged hair can be repaired with the right care. The key is a consistent routine focused on hydration, strengthening and protection using the best haircare for damaged hair. Start by restoring moisture with shampoos and conditioners rich in nourishing oils to bring back softness and suppleness. Next, use treatments infused with bond-restoring ingredients that work at a cellular level to rebuild and strengthen each hair strand. Finally, apply treatment masks, leave-in conditioners, and smoothing products to reverse visible damage, lock in moisture and protect the hair from further stress.
THE BEST HAIR CARE FOR DAMAGED HAIR
Ensure your healing your locks from the start of your haircare routine with JVN’s Revive Repairing Shampoo and Revive Repairing Conditioner. Visibly strengthening strands, this healthy hair duo is powered by ceramides to help minimise the look of breakage, hemisqualane to soften and strengthen and nourishing jojoba oil esters that work to fill in the cracks of your hair cuticles for lenghts that look and feel more resilient instantly and over time.
Powered by the brand’s breakthrough Sili-CLONE HairTech, Living Proof’s Restore Shampoo and Conditioner Bundle gives your hair everything it needs to look soft, shiny, and smooth. This hardworking duo gently lifts excess oil and impurities without stripping natural moisture, while enveloping each strand in a nourishing, hydrating formula that detangles and improves texture. Not only that but it also helps protect hair from environmental stressors, leaving your locks healthier, resilient and more manageable.
A stand-out solution for damaged locks, K18’S Biomimetic Hairscience Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask is often considered one of the best haircare for damaged hair products. Penetrating deeper into the hair shaft and helping to reconnect broken keratin chains, this daily treatment works in minutes to protect and nourish strands compromised by bleach, heat and chemicals.
Crafted specifically for brittle, stressed strands, Olaplex’s No.0 Intensive Bond Building Hair Treatment for Deep Repair and Strengthening is the ultimate strand superstar for shinier, healthier-looking hair. Priming and protecting locks from root to tip, this spray-on treatment is powered by Olaplex’s patented bond-building technology, which works on a molecular level to reconnect broken disulfide bonds and strengthen weakened hair. Lightweight yet potent, it penetrates deeply to rehydrate, fortify and smooth each strand— reducing breakage and improving elasticity.
Restore vibrancy, vitality and essential hydration to your hair with Briogeo’s Don’t Despair, Repair Deep Conditioning Hair Mask. Getting to work in mere minutes, this hair mask is one of the best haircare for damaged hair products to replenish and restore over-processed and lack-lustre locks. Formulated with Briogeo’s unique NOVA Complex enriched with B-vitamins, rosehip and argan oil, algae and biotin, it replenishes damaged lengths ensuring they instantly look glossy, shiny and oh-so healthy.
Unlock smoother, sleeker styles no matter the weather with Color Wow’s Dream Coat Supernatural Spray, one of the best haircare for damaged hair products on the market. Heat-activated and lightweight, it protects porous, colour-treated strands by sealing each one with a humidity-defying barrier. This innovative formula tames flyaways, boosts shine and leaves hair looking soft, silky, and effortlessly smooth.
Protect and restore your hair with VIRTUE’s Healing Oil. Designed to target and repair areas of damage without weighing hair down, this strand-saving solution is powered by Alpha Keratin 60ku — human keratin developed with regenerative medicine — along with nourishing Tahitian Tiare flower and antioxidant-rich Kalahari melon seed oils. Together, they strengthen weak strands, protect against environmental aggressors, and provide long-lasting hydration. Plus, with a delicate scent of coconut, yuzu, and soft woods, it leaves your hair smelling as luxurious as it looks.
Make your styling solution do overtime with Davines’ Oi All-In-One Milk. Ideal if you want a one-stop shop for all your damaged hair needs, this leave-in treatment works as a conditioner, softens, detangles, controls flyaways and shields strands from high heat. Enriched with beta carotene to help restructure strands and a special oil extracted from roucou (a plant native to the Amazon) to deeply nourish lengths, this lock-loving spray will quickly become your go-to for salon worthy swishes.
DAMAGED HAIR FAQs
What is the best way to repair damaged hair?
The best way to repair damaged hair is to combine hydration, strengthening and protective properties into your haircare routine. Begin with using a hydrating shampoo and conditioner enriched with nourishing oils like argan and jojoba. Next, use a bond-repair treatment to reconnect broken hair bonds within the hair shaft. Leave-in conditioners and treatment masks should also be included in your line up as well as limiting your use of hot tools and chemicals. We also recommend regular trips to the salon to prevent breakages traveling up your hair.
What vitamin are you lacking if your hair is breaking?
Hair breakage can often be linked to nutritional deficiencies, especially certain vitamins and minerals including biotin, vitamin D, B12, C, A and Iron and Zinc. A balanced diet and the addition of supplements can improve hair strength over time.
Is coconut oil good for damaged hair?
Yes, coconut oil is often considered one of the best natural treatments for damaged hair and a key ingredient in the best haircare for damaged hair routines. However, its effectiveness depends on your hair type and how it’s used. Coconut oil penetrates the hair shaft more deeply than many other oils, helping to replenish lost moisture — making it ideal for dry, brittle, or chemically treated hair. It also has a unique ability to bind to hair proteins, which helps reduce breakage and minimise split ends. Finally, it enhances shine and softness, leaving strands looking and feeling healthier. One thing to keep in mind is that coconut oil should be used sparingly on fine hair, as it can feel heavy. For best results, incorporate it into a consistent, targeted routine using the best haircare for damaged hair products to maximise repair and long-term benefits.
Rina is Cult Beauty’s Midweight SEO Copywriter and has always had a passion for beauty and skin care (rich moisturisers are her obsession). What started as a love for The Body Shop and their famed Born Lippy lip balms (in ‘Watermelon’ of course!), she is now more interested in finding products with proven effectiveness instead of broken promises. A loud and proud VIEVE fan, Rina owns nearly every item of the range and recommends the brand to anyone who will listen... When she’s not intently reading ingredient lists, you can find her either immersed in multiple true crime podcasts or a fantasy romance novel, with an *extra* hot cappuccino in hand.