Heat styling
Your locks are made up of a fibrous protein called keratin. It’s pretty tough, but heat styling can leave strands looking like old rope under a microscope. Considering hair is essentially dead, “repairing” haircare makes some pretty big claims. However, one superhero ingredient is worth paying attention to, and that’s keratin itself. Yep, as it makes up 90% of our hair, it’s no surprise that products infused with it can improve the overall condition. But hair specialist and consultant dermatologist Dr Sharon Wong* explains that when applied topically, keratin doesn’t actually join the hair’s complex structure, but temporarily plugs damage and smooths the cuticle. It differs from silicone – another damage-plugging ingredient often found in “repairing” products – in one key way: “Keratin comes from other natural sources, so has identical properties to the proteins found in our own hair, making it better able to penetrate and adhere to damage. We call it biomimetics, which means “mimicking biology”, explains Dr Paul Evans, scientific technical director at PZ Cussons Beauty. Need a reboot? WE RATE: 1 Fudge Professional Damage Rewind Reconstructing Shampoo,
Contains a keratin-infused complex that slots into open cuticles, shrinking as the hair dries and pulling the cuticle closed with it. 2 Virtue Restorative Treatment Mask, from £26 Boasts keratin extracted from actual human hair, which, according to principal scientist at Virtue Labs Erin Falco, enables it to “entangle and interact with” the hair’s structure. Like its keratin competitors, it still only offers a wash-out solution, requiring ongoing use for real results. 3 Charles Worthington Grow Strong Protein Conditioner, £7.99 Deposits ceramides and fatty acids (and contains proteins that work in a similar way to keratin), which make up the hair’s protective coating.