When hair feels dry to the touch, it may also be brittle and hard to style. Switching up your hair care routine and increasing your intake of certain nutrients can help restore hair’s health and appearance.

Dry hair doesn’t mean that you have an underlying health condition or that your hair is unhealthy. Sun exposure, heat styling, humidity, smoking, and more can all contribute to damaged and dry hair.

If your hair is too dry, it might need a reset in the form of a fresh cut. Even if your hair isn’t very long, split ends can make hair hard to style and contribute to it feeling dry or coarse.

A stylist can trim off unhealthy hair that’s weighing down fresh hair growth. You can also ask if they have any tips for your particular hair type and length. They may recommend a new styling routine that can prevent hair damage.

You know that you need specific vitamins to nourish your body, but certain vitamins also directly impact the health of your hair and nails. This includes:

  • vitamin A
  • vitamin B-12
  • vitamin C
  • vitamin D
  • biotin
  • iron
  • zinc

Because prenatal vitamins contain all of the above vitamins, some people take them just for the way they affect their hair.

It’s also popular at the moment to take supplements that contain only biotin to make your hair look better. However, recent research doesn’t support the idea that biotin makes a big difference.

You might also look into marine protein supplements, which have been shown to help hair be healthier.

Marine proteins keep your hair from thinning out and can make hair look shinier. To get similar results without taking a supplement, you can increase the amount of marine proteins in your diet. This includes:

  • salmon
  • oysters
  • mackerel
  • tuna
  • sardines

These are all rich in peptides and omega-3s, which can make your hair shinier.

You might also consider eating more antioxidants to combat oxidative stress, which makes hair look older. Some foods that are rich in antioxidants include:

  • walnuts
  • kidney beans
  • blueberries
  • broccoli
  • tomatoes

Shampoo removes dirt and sweat from hair and strips it of sebum. Sebum is the natural oil that makes hair easier to maintain and, when there is the right amount, shiny. Too much sebum leads to greasy hair.

But you probably don’t need to be stripping your hair of sebum every day — you can most likely wash your hair every other day and see your hair appear healthier.

If you can’t go a day between washes, at least use a shampoo specifically for dry hair, or even try a baby shampoo. Both are mildly cleansing without stripping hair completely of its natural oil.

If your hair is brittle and difficult to style after you wash it, it could lose too much moisture during the drying process. Instead of letting your hair air dry, try wrapping it with a cloth or towel.

If you sleep with your hair wet, use a silk pillowcase to keep the moisture from getting absorbed into your pillows. A 2011 study found that leaving your hair wet for long periods of time caused damage comparable to blow-drying.

Heat styling to curl, straighten, or add volume to your hair might have been a part of your daily routine for years. It may also be the reason that your hair is drying out.

A 2011 study of the hair shaft before and after blow drying showed significant damage to the participants’ hair. If you’re going to blow-dry your hair, aim to keep the dryer at least 6 inches away from your hair for best results.

The hot water you use to rinse your body in the shower might also scald your hair. Cold showers have some health benefits, and making hair grow faster could be among them.

After you shampoo and condition your hair in the shower, rinse it under cooler water for a minute or two to revitalize strands and refresh your scalp.

Moroccan argan oil has become a popular home remedy for dry hair. We don’t know much about how or if this remedy conclusively works, but it is easy to try. Just be sure to do a patch test before getting started.

Using a few drops of argan oil on the ends of your hair may give it a more finished and supple appearance. Essential oils, like peppermint and lavender oil, may help stop hair loss and prevent breakage.

Mixing peppermint oil, lavender oil, and a carrier oil like argan or coconut oil to make a quick spritz hair perfume may make your hair feel less dry over time.

Ultraviolet rays can damage your hair the same way they can damage your skin. If you have dry hair, limit your hair’s exposure to these rays.

Wear a hat during your daily activities, and avoid prolonged sun exposure. If your hair has already been exposed to UV rays, smoothing some pure aloe vera gel on your hair might help repair the damage.

Coconut oil is a natural emollient. That means that it fills in the gaps in your hair strands if they’ve been damaged by heat or the sun. One 2005 study showed that coconut oil is particularly good at penetrating hair fibers.

Coconut oil improves the overall appearance of hair by smoothing it strand by strand. You can treat your hair to a deep-conditioning treatment of warmed coconut oil once a week:

  1. Start off with dry hair and coconut oil that’s room temperature.
  2. Rub some coconut oil in between your palms before applying it, focusing on the ends, the crown of your head, and the root of your hair.
  3. Saturate — but don’t soak — your hair in the coconut oil as you repeat this process, and leave the oil on your hair for about 20 minutes.
  4. Rinse thoroughly.

Trying home remedies for your dry hair is easy enough, with no risk. But long-term hair loss and breakage can be a sign of an underlying health condition. Consult a dermatologist if you experience:

  • hair that comes out in clumps
  • bald spots or patterns of baldness
  • hair that breaks when you brush it