5 Reasons Your Hair Needs a Detox (Yes, Even If You Love Straight Hair) + 5 Ways to Get Your Hair "Red Carpet Ready" This Season
Summer's Over, But Your Hair is Still at the beach. Sun-kissed highlights, weaves and protective-style strands were all part of the summer fun. But now, as the leaves start to turn, it's time to make sure your hair doesn't follow suit! Fall is the perfect time for a fresh start, and that includes giving your strands necessary TLC to prevent them from becoming as dry and brittle as those falling leaves.
Before you rush to the salon for Gala hair fresh out of knotless boho braids and faux locs, there’s one you can't afford to skip: a high-quality professional hair detox. Yes, even if you've been diligently following your hair care routine all summer long, chances are your strands are carrying hidden buildup that's sabotaging your style and its longevity.
5 Reasons Your Hair Needs a Detox (Yes, Even if You Love Straight Hair)
Dulls Your Shine
Buildup creates a coating on the hair shaft, preventing light from reflecting off it, resulting in a lackluster appearance. It’s like trying to see through a dusty mirror.
Disrupting The Cuticle = No Shine: The hair's outermost layer, the cuticle, is made up of overlapping scales that lie flat when hair is healthy. Buildup can disrupt these scales, causing them to lift and become rough. The uneven surface breaks up the light instead of reflecting it smoothly, making the hair less shiny. Do you know anyone who doesn’t want their hair to shine after leaving the salon?
Length Retention Blocker
If you have length retention goals, buildup is a length-blocker. It weakens your strands, making them more prone to breakage during detangling and styling. The oldest part of the strand (the ends) would split and break, leading to stagnant length or even shorter strands.
Friction & Tension: The tacky film created by buildup along with the raised cuticle increases friction between hair strands, making them more likely to snag and break when combed or brushed. The added tension makes strands weaker, causing the hair to break.
Scalp Imbalance: Buildup on the scalp can clog pores and hair follicles, leading to inflammation and potential damage to the root, which can also contribute to breakage.
Styling Struggles
Whether you're rocking your natural curls, or a silky silk press, buildup can rob you of your investment. It prevents products from working effectively, leading to frizzy, undefined curls, styles that don't last, and a silk press that ain’t pressing.
Setting curls becomes a battle as your brush struggles to glide through the strands, thanks to those lifted cuticles latching onto each other.
Blow drying the hair for a silk press becomes an olympic sport and increases the amount of time in the chair. The raised cuticles create resistance, forcing you to push the blow dryer through with more force, increasing the risk of heat damage and uneven heat distribution. A detox clears the way for effortless styling and long-lasting results.
4. Pre-color or Pre-Chemical Treatment: If you're planning to color your hair or get any chemical treatments, a detox beforehand can help remove buildup and create a clean canvas for the process, getting better and more even results.
Uneven Color Results: Buildup creates an uneven surface on the hair shaft, making it difficult for hair color to penetrate and adhere evenly. This can lead to patchy, uneven color results, especially when going lighter or with highlights.
Faded Color: Buildup traps dirt, debris and pollutants, which can oxidize and dull the hair color over time. This can cause the color to fade faster and lose its vibrancy.
Compromised Chemical Treatments: Chemical treatments like relaxers, perms, and keratin treatments rely on proper absorption of the chemicals into the hair shaft. Buildup is like molecular cinder blocks, creating a barrier that prevents the chemicals from reaching the inner layers of the hair, leading to ineffective results or even damage.
Increased Damage Potential: Some chemical treatments, like lightening, can already be harsh on the hair. Buildup weakens the hair, making it more susceptible to damage during the chemical process. The color may also have a chemical reaction with the metals in the hair, causing a chemical reaction that creates heat which can compromise the hair’s integrity.
Unpredictable: The combination of buildup and chemical treatments can lead to unpredictable outcomes, as the chemicals may react differently with the buildup on the hair. This can result in unexpected color shifts, damage, or even breakage
Weakend Strands: Buildup creates a barrier on the hair shaft that prevents moisture from penetrating. This leads to dryness and brittleness, making hair more susceptible to breakage, especially during detangling or styling.
5. Dreaded Detangling
Buildup makes detangling a more difficult, time-consuming, and potentially damaging process. Because buildup causes the cuticle to lift, this is what happens:
Increased Friction: The tacky film and lifted cuticles created by buildup causes the strands to cling together easily, like Velcro. This increases friction and makes it harder to separate the curls or strands without causing breakage or damage.
Fairy Knots & Tangles: The buildup and lifted cuticles can also trap shed hairs and debris, leading to mats and tangles that are more difficult and painful to remove.
Time-Consuming: Detangling hair with buildup and lifted cuticles can be a time-consuming and frustrating process. This can lead to hair damage and a less enjoyable hair care experience, whether you’re at home or in the salon chair.
Discomfort: The increased friction and difficulty in detangling can cause discomfort and even be painful for those with sensitive scalps or tightly coiled hair.
Reduced Effectiveness of Detangling Products: Buildup prevents detangling products from effectively penetrating and lubricating the strands. This can make detangling even more challenging.
By removing buildup through a detox, you can significantly improve the detangling experience, reduce breakage, promote healthier hair, AND get the most out of your investment.
6. *Bonus: Buildup Wastes Money! Save Your Coin (And Your Hair!)
That expensive conditioner/treatment you love? It’s not doing much if it can't penetrate through layers of buildup.
Buildup soaks up all your expensive products, preventing them from actually reaching your strands. This means you end up using way more product than you need, just to get the same or subpar results. A detox removes that buildup, so your products can do what it’s supposed to do and you can finally get your money's worth!
Since buildup can weaken your hair and cause breakage, repairing that damage requires expensive treatments or even haircuts. A detox helps prevent buildup from wreaking havoc on your hair, protecting your investment and keeping your strands healthy and strong.
Same head of hair; different conditions.
(A- Left) Hair was not detoxed, no buildup removal at home.
(B- Right) After one month of proper hair care and build up removal.
A detox is The Efficiency Hack. Any seasoned stylist knows, buildup is the silent enemy of effortless styling. It robs your hair of its natural manageability. When your hair is free of buildup, it's easier to style, and manage. This means less time spent detangling, blow-drying, and fighting raised cuticles. In today's fast-paced world, who has time for endless detangling and frustrating styling sessions? A detox is your shortcut to streamlined hair care. By eliminating buildup, we're maximizing the effectiveness of your salon visit, products and styling, giving you salon-worthy results in less time, every time. Time is Money, and Your Hair Deserves Both.
5 Ways to Get Your Hair "Red Carpet Ready" This Fall
Ready to reveal your hair’s inner baddie? Here's your step-by-step guide to salon-worthy results, designed to give your hair the TLC it needs after a summer of fun:
Clarifying Cleanse: Break The Buildup 🫧
Clarifying shampoos are formulated to cut through stubborn surface buildup, product residue, hard water minerals, and environmental pollutants that can weigh your hair down, leaving it looking dull, and causing you to take more
Pro Tip: Use a clarifying shampoo that's gentle yet effective, like K18 Peptide Prep Detox shampoo. It’s ah-mazing at removing buildup yet gentle enough to not have your curls feeling dry.
2. Boost Hydration: Follow up with a hydrating shampoo, like K18's Damage Shield Protective Shampoo, to replenish moisture and restore your hair's natural softness and shine. This shampoo is color-safe and helps maintain hair health and strength. It has an optimized pH formula that helps to reduce excess swelling of the hair cuticle during washing, which helps to prevent frizz, preserve color, enhance shine, and reduce damage. It is scalp microbiome-friendly and gentle enough to use every time you cleanse, regardless of how often you cleanse. It helps to maintain hair health and scalp health after just one wash. It helps to prevent dullness, frizz, and tangles, and moisturizes hair without weighing it down.
3. Seal Moisture- Detangle with Rich Conditioner: Apply a generous amount of a rich, nourishing conditioner like K18’s Damage Shield Protective Conditioner to your wet hair. Then, gently detangle your hair using the Peter Kindred Healthy Hair Brush. Its bristles glide through knots and tangles without snagging or causing breakage, making your hair smooth and ready for styling. Remember, the goal is to detangle gently and patiently. Start from the ends of your hair and work your way up, using the brush to gently separate any knots or tangles.
4. Style as Desired: Now that your hair is clean, hydrated, and tangle-free, it's ready to be styled! Whether you're rocking your natural curls, opting for a sleek blowout, or trying a new protective style, your hair will be more manageable and receptive to styling products.
Grab a copy of the Wash Hour Resource Guide for a curated list of products to help with styling.
Pro Tip: Make sure the hair is completely dry once it is styled. While air-drying, hair absorbs water and swells. This prolonged swelling can put stress on the internal structure of the hair.
5. Arrive at the Salon with Hair Cleansed Within 7 Days.
The Bottom Line
Buildup is the enemy of gorgeous, healthy curls.
Invest in Longevity
A detox isn't just about a one-time event. It's about setting your hair up for success in the long run. By removing buildup and promoting a healthy scalp, you'll experience:
Longer-lasting styles (yes, even your silk press!)
Reduced frizz and flyaways
Improved manageability
Enhanced shine and vitality
Got Hair Goals? Detox is the first step to a Healthy Hair Reset. If you are ready to fall in love with your hair again AND make your salon visit highly effective, don't wait any longer! Begin your detox today by using the above-mentioned products, and experience the difference. Your strands will thank you with renewed shine, manageability, and a style that turns heads all season long.