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All About Hair...and So Much More.
Welcome to All About Hair...and So Much More. Empowering Women Over 50 to Live with Confidence, Creativity, and Grace.
This podcast is dedicated to women navigating this incredible phase of life with strength, beauty, and grace. We'll dive into a wide range of topics—from hair and skincare tips, health concerns, and hormones, to the challenges of empty nest syndrome, navigating divorce, finding new exercise routines, and cultivating adult friendships. It's all about embracing the journey and finding your power in this next chapter.
As someone who has spent decades immersed in the world of hair, I’ve seen firsthand how much it influences how we feel about ourselves. But as I look around, I realize there’s so much more we, as women over 50, are facing—issues we all share, challenges that deserve to be discussed openly and with heart. That’s why I’m expanding my focus to include those real-life experiences that often go unspoken. This is a space for you, for us, to explore how we can live our best lives, no matter what challenges may come our way. Together, we’ll create a community of support, creativity, and empowerment for every woman in this revolutionary age.
All About Hair...and So Much More.
EP 305: Stronger Strands: How to Rebuild Weak, Brittle Hair
After three decades behind the chair, I've seen how over-processing, heat styling, hormonal changes, and daily stress gradually weaken even the healthiest hair. The frustration is real, but so are the solutions. This episode breaks down exactly why your hair becomes brittle and what you can do about it—starting today.
We dive deep into the science without getting too technical. Think of your hair like architecture: protein provides the bricks while moisture serves as the mortar holding everything together. Both elements must be balanced for structural integrity. Learn which ingredients to seek out (keratin, aloe, glycerin) and which to avoid (sulfates, drying alcohols, heavy silicones) when selecting products that genuinely strengthen rather than temporarily mask damage.
Beyond products, discover how simple habit changes make dramatic differences in hair health. From proper brushing technique (always start at the ends!) to the dangers of sleeping with wet hair in a ponytail (please don't!), these micro-habits compound into either cumulative damage or progressive strength. The truth is, stronger hair doesn't happen overnight, but it absolutely happens one healthy choice at a time.
Whether you're battling post-color damage, over-reliance on hot tools, or navigating the hair changes that come with perimenopause and beyond, this episode provides your roadmap back to hair that reflects your inner strength and vitality. Because you deserve hair that works with you, not against you.
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Website: www.danisekeilitz.com
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Whether you're dealing with post-color damage, overuse of hot tools or changes from stress or hormones, today we're talking about how to rebuild your hair's strength and vitality. Welcome to All About Hair and so much more. I'm your host, denise Kylitz, and I'm so excited to have you here. If you love hair, beauty and all the ways to feel amazing inside and out, you're in the right place. But here's the twist we're not just talking hair anymore. We'll dive into everything Life After 50 brings Health, hormones, relationships, fitness and so much more. This is a space for women who are embracing change, building confidence and living much more. This is a space for women who are embracing change, building confidence and living with creativity and grace. So let's get started, hey guys, and welcome back to All About Hair.
Speaker 1:If we haven't been introduced yet, I'm Denise, a hairstylist and salon owner with over three decades of behind the chair experience, and today we're talking about something so many of you have asked about weak, brittle, breaking hair. But first let me take you back to a moment. This just happened not too long ago. A longtime client slid into my chair and her eyes were just wide with panic and she held up her hair tie like it had, like personally betrayed her or something, and she whispered my ponytail just snapped off again. Yeah, her hair was limp, fragile and it was breaking pretty quickly. Sarah's in her late forties, juggling teenagers, a full-time job, hormones and hot tools, and her hair is waving a white flag. It is surrendering. Does this sound familiar? If your strands have been sending SOS signals, then this episode is your rescue guide. Okay, so let's talk about why. Why is your hair brittle in the first place? Breakage doesn't just happen overnight and it's usually a slow buildup of stress and neglect.
Speaker 1:Here's some of the most common reasons your hair might be brittle. Number one, and this is usually the number one reason why over-processing Whether it is coloring or bleaching or relaxing it can really strip your hair of its natural proteins. And did you know that, even if you get glosses and toners too often, that it can also contribute to this as well? So just make sure what you're doing Well, we'll get to that, okay, we'll get to how to protect your hair, all right. Number two heat damage. So if you're styling your hair every single day with hot tools without heat protection, this literally cooks your cuticle. If your hair feels dry or, even worse, if it smells burnt, this might be. Why? Yeah, all right. The third reason hormonal shifts. Oh my goodness. This is especially relevant for women over 40. Perimenopause, menopause, thyroid issues and postpartum changes can drastically affect your hair's health.
Speaker 1:Then let's talk about your diet and hydration. Yeah, hair is made of protein. So if your diet is lacking essential nutrients, like everybody who's on these diet shots and injections, and you're not eating anything, or if you're chronically dehydrated because you're not drinking enough water, your hair will suffer. And then let's talk about harsh products that you may be using on your hair Shampoos with sulfates or alcohol, heavy sprays or even essential oils. You're thinking they're good for you, but high concentrations can actually strip moisture out of your hair and damage your hair over time. So bottom line is your hair speaks the truth about your health, your habits. Your habits and your products. Yeah, all right.
Speaker 1:Now let's talk about where this all starts. Okay, so the strength starts at the root of the hair. Think of your scalp and your skin, of your scalp, as is the soil in a garden. You can't grow plants in unhealthy soil, and the same goes for your hair. So let's talk about some ways that you might want to get your scalp in shape.
Speaker 1:First thing scalp exfoliation. Do you even know what this is? It's like taking a scrub and actually massaging it into your scalp. So you could either do a weekly scalp scrub or you could take a brush and do it as well. And what this does? It helps remove buildup and it unclogs your hair follicles. Really, it really does work and it feels really good too. Which leads me to the circulation, the importance of circulation and general cleansing. So daily scalp massages. We talked about this in the podcast about thinning hair, but daily scalp massage boosts your blood flow, which actually helps your hair grow. Plus, it's super relaxing.
Speaker 1:Another thing you want to do is you want to avoid over washing. Did you know that shampooing too often can actually strip away the oil, the natural oils, out of your hair? Drip away the natural oils out of your hair. You really want to try, if you can, to wash every two to three days, if not further in between. Myself, I wash about every five days. Side note I hate washing my hair. I hate it's not washing my hair. I hate blow drying my hair. Styling my hair Isn't that weird. Yeah, I know All right.
Speaker 1:Another thing to think about you want to make sure that you are going sulfate free. The sulfates you hear this, you know all over the place, and so what the heck is it? Sulfates are actually harsh detergents. They actually cause the bubbles in your shampoo and that actually, over time, weakens your hair and it can dry out your scalp. It actually can cause the opposite of what you're trying to do Too much sulfates or too much detergent or too much stripping of your hair and your scalp actually causes your scalp to become oilier over time because it's compensating for the dryness that you're doing. That's a whole other conversation.
Speaker 1:Okay, how do we rebuild this? Well, we want to rebuild your hair with protein and moisture. So let's break down the science without getting too nerdy. Okay, your hair needs a balance of protein and moisture to stay strong. So what can you do? Protein treatments If your hair stretches and snaps and you could do this yourself just by pulling out a piece of hair and stretch it. And if it stretches and then it snaps real quick, you probably need more protein. Okay, so what to look for? You want to look for keratin, collagen or amino acid treatments, and these will be in the ingredients of whatever product you're using. But if your hair is feeling rough, dry or brittle, you want to go for moisture, like moisture masks. You want to look for shea butter, aloe and glycerin. Those are your friends, okay. So how do you find the balance? Because too much protein can make your hair stiff and too much moisture can make it feel mushy, and the key is alternating treatments and paying attention to how your hair feels. Think of it like this Protein is the bricks and the moisture is the mortar that holds the bricks together, and your hair needs both to build a strong foundation. You can kind of see that right Now.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about your daily habits, because your daily habits make or break your hair. Because your daily habits make or break your hair. What you do every day makes a difference. So, first off I say this over and over and over again always, always, use a heat protectant before you blow dry, flat iron or curl your hair. I don't know how many people I talk to that almost all of them don't use a heat protectant. Don't even think about it. It's almost like you should have it built into your hair care routine.
Speaker 1:Okay, and another thing is your brushing techniques. Oh, my gosh, it kills me to see my daughter brush her hair, because she takes a brush and she starts at the root of her hair and she just starts snagging it down and wonders why it hurts and why it's all tangly. I'm like, oh my gosh, don't do that. Always use a wide tooth comb, especially on wet hair, and always start at the ends when you're detangling, and always start at the ends when you're detangling. If you're detangling your hair, start at the ends with your comb and start combing up towards the root of your hair, never from the roots to the ends. Another thing you could do is consider switching to a satin or a silk pillowcase. This really does believe it or not helps reduce friction while you sleep.
Speaker 1:And then you also want to make sure that you're tying your hair up loosely or braid it before you, especially if you have long hair before you go to bed or before your workouts. You definitely don't want to go to bed. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Do not go to bed with wet hair in a ponytail. My gosh, oh my gosh, do not go to bed with wet hair in a ponytail. You will wake up with snapped off hair. You'll wonder why. Why is all my hair breaking off? It's because of your. First of all, wet hair is very fragile, and you then go into bed with a ponytail. If you want your hair off your face, do a loose braid, or you can do a loose ponytail with. You know those scrunchies, um, but yeah, uh, uh. That's one of my pet peeves, sorry. So just remember, it's not what you put on your hair, it's how you treat your hair day in and day out. These micro habits can add up to big results.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's talk about product recommendations and what to avoid. What ingredients are you going to be looking for when it comes to product shopping? Remember, knowledge is power, right? So you want to look for these words keratin, which is hydrolyzed proteins. That's going to be the building blocks for making your hair stronger. Keratin, because your hair is protein. You want to look for aloe very healing glycerin, and panthenol and panthenol. And then you also want to look for biotin, niacin and caffeine, and those are especially great for your scalp health.
Speaker 1:The things that you want to avoid numero uno would be sulfates definitely sulfates. They are so stripping and so drying. Then you also want to look out for the drying alcohols in your styling products. Now, there are good alcohols and there are drying alcohols. I'm probably going to have to make a whole podcast or video on that subject. Then you also want to avoid heavy silicones. This can actually build up and weigh down your hair. There's actually a product line out there I'm not going to name names, but it is definitely known to have heavy silicones in it and their claim is it makes your hair shiny, which it does. However, over time, those heavy silicones just coat your hair with almost like a waxy buildup. We've actually done videos before in the salon where you can take the hair strand and scrape the scissors against it and it just comes off. You could see the coating just come on, coming off the hair and how you get that off the hair.
Speaker 1:Is you want to do a detoxifying shampoo, something that's really, really going to get everything off of your hair? Euphora has one that's urgent repair shampoo Fabulous. It doesn't strip the moisture out of your hair. In fact, it feels so wonderful. It's kind of got a menthol-y kind of thing. But if you feel like your hair is being weighed down because you've been using this certain product which will be, I'm not going to name it Just ask your stylist for a deep cleansing shampoo. I'm sure they'll recommend something. And if you're loving that product line and you don't want to change. Fine, just know that you're going to have some heavy buildup on your hair and you're just going to have to get it off your hair at least every I don't know third shampoo or something, so it doesn't weigh your hair down. But one caveat it could be building up on your scalp as well, which can suffocate the hair follicle, which in turn could cause hair loss. So up to you, I would just get get myself a professional shampoo, conditioner and product products to use my on my hair If I were you okay to use my on my hair If I were you Okay. My go-to recommendations If you're really concerned about brittle hair, weak hair, the urge the euphora again, you know it's my favorite product line Euphora urgent repair mask phenomenal.
Speaker 1:Phenomenal. Their mask phenomenal. We used to give this mask, not give. Allow people to purchase this mask. If they came in and they had their hair over-processed for whatever reason, like bleach, or they went somewhere and they want to come in and get their hair colored but their hair is just like no, it's falling off your head. We would send them home with this mask and we would say do this every shampoo and it would actually build up the proteins back into their hair and you could feel the strength coming back into their hair. A phenomenal product. Phenomenal. If you're into Olaplex, olaplex number three, you could use that. I've never used that, but I hear good things about it. Um, or you can use a leave-in spray. Euphora's line has Fortify Fabulous. It's got protein in it. It kind of gives you little building blocks back in your hair. Love it, love it. All right.
Speaker 1:Here's one thought when do you know when it's time to just give up and trim it off and start fresh? Because sometimes the kindest thing you could do for your hair is just to start over. Yeah, if it's really, really torn up, so if your ends are splitting up the strand and it's tangling constantly and I'm not talking about just fine hair, that's always tangly, I'm talking about this is a new thing after you've had some kind of chemical process to it and it's just tangling all the time and you just can't seem to get control of your hair it might be time for a trim, might be time for a really good trim. It doesn't mean you have to go into a pixie or anything. It just means that you need to start a little bit fresh Now. Trimming your hair or cutting your hair. It doesn't mean that you're losing you know your looks. It just means giving your hair a fresh start so your stylist can actually help you create a look that's flattering for you and still let your hair grow back stronger than ever. You just need to start fresh with some better products.
Speaker 1:Okay, so here's my final thoughts. Stronger hair doesn't happen overnight, but it does happen. One habit, one product and one healthy choice at a time, and you deserve hair that reflects your strength, your confidence and your vitality, don't you think? If this episode's helped you, please share your hair wins with me on Instagram at Denise Kylitz. And hey, don't keep this information to yourself. Send it to your bestie who's struggling with breakage and let's all feel better about our hair together. Remember, leave a review, subscribe and I'll see you next time on all about hair. And until then, remember, when you know better, you do better.
