Dry hair is a common haircare concern that can affect almost anybody. There are many things that can cause dryness, but how you care for your hair often plays a big role in determining how healthy it looks and feels. Habits like heat styling, coloring your hair, or regularly undergoing chemical treatments can damage and dry out your strands, causing them to become dull, rough, and brittle. The good news: Adopting a gentle, nourishing haircare routine can help hydrate your hair and leave it soft and healthier-looking. Here, we’ll explain the various factors that can cause dry hair, share a look at some of our favorite dry hair products, and offer tips on building a dry hair routine that addresses your needs.

Understanding Dry Hair

Before delving into finding the right haircare for dry hair, it’s important to understand what causes hair to become dry in the first place. But pinpointing the cause can be tricky since genetics, environmental stressors, and your everyday haircare habits can all influence how your mane looks and feels. Ahead, we’ll explain what dry hair is and discuss some of the factors that can lead to this common concern. 

 

What is dry hair?

Dry hair refers to hair that lacks sufficient moisture. Like your skin, your hair needs both water and oil to remain hydrated. If your strands lose too much water, your hair can become dry, which can leave it brittle, weak, and prone to breakage.

 

What are the signs and symptoms of dry hair?

You can’t feel dry hair the way that you can feel dry skin—your hair doesn’t have sensory receptors. But dry hair typically exhibits some telltale characteristics. Here are a few signs your hair may be in need of moisture: 

• Your strands look dull or lackluster
• You have a lot of split ends, frizz, or flyaways
• Your hair feels rough to the touch
• Your strands are brittle and break off easily

 

What are the common causes of dry hair?

There are multiple reasons your hair may be dry. A mix of environmental, genetic, and lifestyle factors can all contribute to the need for adry hair routine. 

 

Environmental factors

A multitude of environmental stressors can cause dry hair, including sun exposure, pollution, and humidity. Unfortunately, both cold, dry weather and warmer, humid temperatures can lead to thirsty tresses. In the case of the former, the combination of cold weather and indoor heating can cause moisture loss, and with the latter, UV rays can damage the hair. 

 

Your haircare routine

Your haircare routine and the treatments you use can also contribute to strands that feel bone dry. Hair color and other chemical styling treatments can be damaging to hair’s structure, leading to excessive dryness and causing the need for dry hair treatments. And, while everyone loves a stick-straight blowout or lots of curly volume, reaching for hot tools can damage hair as well, causing it to become dry and brittle. Be sure not to overwash your hair, either, as washing too much can actually strip your hair of its natural oils, leading to drier hair—it can be a vicious cycle.

 

Genetics

Genetics may also play a role in whether your hair is dry. If your parents have dry hair, it’s possible you may have it, too. While there’s nothing you can do about your genes, there are dry hair routines that can help bring moisture back to lackluster tresses (more on those below).

 

Putting Together a Haircare Routine for Dry Hair

Luckily, dryness isn’t necessarily a permanent sentence for your strands. Even if you’ve noticed damage, dullness, and breakage, there’s a way back to shinier, healthier-looking hair. Here’s how to put together an effective dry hair routine.

 

Step 1: Wash with a gentle, hydrating shampoo

A good hair routine for dry hair starts with choosing the right shampoo. Clarifying shampoos and formulas designed for oily hair may be too harsh for your parched strands. Instead, stick with gentle formulas that cleanse without stripping the hair of essential moisture, such as the pH-balanced CeraVe Gentle Hydrating Shampoo. The sulfate-free formula, which contains ceramides, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid, provides a gentle yet effective cleanse and helps remove buildup without drying out the hair or scalp. This shampoo is a great option for anyone as it, along with the rest of CeraVe’s haircare range, is suitable for all hair types and curl patterns. It’s also suitable for color-treated hair and sensitive scalps. 

 

Step 2: Follow with a hydrating conditioner

It’s always a good idea to follow up your shampoo with conditioner, but it’s especially crucial if you have dry hair. Conditioners can help lubricate the hair, seal in moisture, and minimize frizz, tangling, and static. Most importantly, the right conditioner can help make your strands feel softer and more hydrated. 

 

After rinsing out your shampoo, work a conditioner, like the CeraVe Gentle Hydrating Conditioner, throughout your mid-lengths and ends. This formula is great for dry hair since it’s pH balanced, allergy tested, and won’t disrupt the scalp barrier. You can use it daily (or anytime you lather up) to help promote soft, healthy-feeling hair. 

 

If you have dry hair and dandruff, you may need a formula that does double duty. In this case, you can alternate your wash days with a 2-in-1 formula like the CeraVe 2-in-1 Anti-Dandruff Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner, which was developed with dermatologists and helps eliminate up to 100% of visible flakes, as well as itch and irritation, without disrupting the scalp barrier.*

 

*with regular use

 

Step 3: Don’t forget the leave-in conditioner

Hydration is the name of the game here, so it’s important to add as much of that as possible to dry strands. A leave-in conditioner not only detangles and softens the hair but also helps moisturize each strand. Some leave-in conditioners offer heat protection as well, which is essential when heat styling so you don’t cause more damage and dryness.

 

Step 4: Use a hair mask regularly

You know what we’re going to say right now—if you’re experiencing dryness, your dry haircare routine needs more moisture. Enter the hair mask, a.k.a. a deep conditioner. Once a week, replace your conditioner with a hair mask to add even more hydration to your locks. Look for a rich, creamy, and nourishing formula. 

 

Step 5: Lock in moisture with a hair serum

Much like face serums can help target specific skin concerns, you can use hair serums to help address your hair’s needs. For dry strands, look for a nourishing serum that also helps tame frizz (which can be. a side effect of dryness). Don’t overdo it, though—follow the instructions on the product label and apply just enough for the lengths and ends of your hair. 

 

6 Good Habits for Dry Hair

You’ve washed, you’ve conditioned, and you’ve learned all about what causes dry hair in the first place. But there are still some more best practices for those with dry hair that are worth adopting. Keep reading to find out what to do to make your hair appear shiny and healthy-looking.

 

1. Avoid heat damage

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again—heat styling can be very damaging to your hair. The excessive heat from hair dryers, for example, can cause significant damage, including roughness, dryness, and hair color fading. Whenever you can, apply a leave-in conditioner after washing your hair, and let your strands air dry.

 

Of course, completely eliminating heat styling may not work for everyone. Anytime you do reach for your hot tools, we implore you to spray your strands with a heat protectant first to help protect against damage. 

 

2. Brush your hair properly

The last thing you want to do to dry strands is cause them to break. And, while we’ve all probably heard the old adage of brushing your hair 100 times a day, over-brushing can lead to breakage. So, put down the brush once your hair feels smooth.

 

3. Don’t wash every day

Keep in mind that those with dry hair typically don’t need to wash their hair every day—in fact, it’s often better if you go a few days between washes since overwashing can lead to drier strands. Washing too often can also strip your hair of sebum, which means hair may be rougher, duller, tangly, and more susceptible to static. 

 

4. Shower in cooler water

Steamy showers can be relaxing, but the hot water can dry out your skin and hair. Try making a simple change and turn down the temperature. It can also be helpful to limit your bathing time so your hair is exposed to less water.

 

5. Get your hair trimmed regularly

Since the ends of dry hair are typically the most dehydrated, we recommend getting frequent trims. After all, no one wants to see a bunch of split ends sprouting from their strands. Make a recurring appointment for regular trims with your stylist—it’s best to go every 4-6 weeks.

 

6. Sleep on a silk pillowcase

Silk pillowcases aren’t just a luxurious addition to your bedding—they can actually help reduce hair breakage and dryness, too. A silk pillowcase is especially helpful if you go to sleep with wet hair, as wet strands can be more vulnerable to breaking.

 

With your dry hair routine handled, you can shift focus to your skincare routine. For help choosing the right products for your specific skin type and skin concerns, use our Find My Skincare Solution tool.