How to Strengthen Hair: Tips, Remedies & Expert Advice

Weak, brittle hair is one of the most common concerns people have about their strands, especially if their goal is to grow long, lush, luxurious hair. 

Maybe your hair feels rough, breaks easily when you brush it, or never seems to grow past your shoulders. The truth is, strong, healthy-looking hair isn’t just about genetics—it’s about how you care for it, what you feed your body, and the daily choices you make.

The good news? Even if your hair feels fragile right now, it’s not a lost cause. By understanding what makes hair strong and taking the right steps, you can build resilience, reduce breakage, and restore shine.

This guide covers everything you need to know about how to strengthen hair—from its structure and root causes of weakness to nutrition, smart styling habits, professional treatments, and the best hair products to fortify vulnerable, damage-prone hair. 

How to Know If Your Hair Is Weak + Needs "Strength Training"

Here are the signs your hair is weak and needs strengthening care:

• Split ends ✂️ - ends that fray or look “feathery” instead of a clean cut

• Breakage 🧷 - short, uneven pieces snapping off, often around the crown or hairline

• Thin, wispy look 🪶 - hair strands appear finer or less substantial than usual

• Loss of elasticity 😣 - when you stretch a wet strand, it doesn’t bounce back but snaps instead

• Frizz from damage ⚡- jagged, rough frizzy texture that comes from ragged, raised cuticles

• Dullness 😶 - hair has lost its natural shine, colour looks matte even after conditioning

How It Feels

1. Rough or brittle texture

Doesn’t feel silky, smooth, or flexible.

2. Dry but not improved with conditioner

Moisture alone isn’t enough, because the inner structure is compromised.

3. Resistant to styling

Curls don’t hold, ponytails feel thinner, or styles collapse easily.

When you notice these signs, your hair doesn’t just need moisture (hydration / conditioning) — it needs strengthening products that fortify internal bonds, renew elasticity and protect against further stress.

Understanding Hair Structure

Anatomy of a Hair Strand

To strengthen your hair, it helps to know about the structure of hair. Each strand has three layers:

• Cuticle: the outer protective layer, made of overlapping scales (like roof shingles). When smooth and sealed, your hair looks shiny and resists damage. When cuticles are lifted or  damaged, your hair becomes dull, frizzy and weak.
  
• Cortex: the thick middle layer, responsible for strength, elasticity and natural pigment. This is where critical keratin bonds live. 
  
• Medulla: the innermost core, found mostly in thicker hair types.

Most damage happens when the cuticle is worn down or compromised leaving the cortex exposed (Healthline).

Hair Growth Cycle 

Throughout your life, your hair is constantly cycling through different phases. Everyone experiences these cycles, though the pace differs person to person. 

• Anagen (growth phase): 2–7 years of active growth.
  
• Catagen (transition phase): a brief 2–3 weeks when growth slows.
  
• Telogen (resting phase): ~3 months before the hair sheds naturally
  

Medical research suggests that supporting hair strength during the anagen phase is key for longer, healthier growth (Medical News Today).

Causes of Weak Hair

1. Genetic Factors

Your hair type and its natural level of strength are partly determined by genetics. For example fine, straight hair has fewer cuticle layers than coarse or curly hair, making it more fragile.

Curly hair texture tends to be naturally dehydrated, which makes it more brittle and susceptible to breakage.

While you can’t change your DNA, you can protect your natural texture with smarter habits and products that fortify your hair’s structure.

2. Environmental Influences

Everyday exposure can chip away at hair strength:

• Sunlight: UV rays degrade proteins in the hair fiber, weakening the structure 
• Pollution: dust and particles cause buildup that roughs up surface cuticles 
• Hard water: minerals leave deposits that can weaken strands 
• Chlorine & saltwater: strip natural oils, leaving hair dehydrated and brittle

Simple protective steps—like rinsing your hair after swimming or using a product with UV-filters to protect hair can make a big difference in keeping hair from becoming worn down and weak.

3. Poor Hair Care Practices That Rob Hair Strength

Most often, the reason why our hair becomes weaker or more fragile is because of “bad” hair care habits, wrong product choices and harsh styling methods.

Most of us make these little mistakes without ever realising how everyday wear and tear can add up and weaken strands over time:

• Over-washing and using harsh shampoos that strip natural oils.
• Excessive heat styling without protection.
  
• Skipping conditioner, not giving your hair supplemental hydration + moisturization
  
• Aggressive brushing especially when the hair is wet and at its most fragile (in danger of being over-stretched and snapping!) 
• Tight styles (braids, ponytails) that pull at the roots.
• Repeated colouring, bleaching, chemical straightening, or perms. These chemical processes literally break down hair’s natural structure then reconfigure it, which leaves hair fibers compromised and vulnerable.

Choosing the Right Hair Products

1. A stronger hair routine starts with dedicated scalp care

Want to cultivate lush, youthfully thick, supple, resilient hair? Consider adding a supplemental scalp optimising treatment to your routine.

Color Wow’s Youth Juice is a scalp treatment designed to promote and support optimal conditions for thicker, more supple, resilient hair. Formulated with high concentrations of anti-oxidants plus Procapil® (proven to help fortify roots and help “anchor” strands), Youth Juice helps reduce shedding by up to 90%* and contributes to the overall quality and condition of hair. 

(*Invivo clinical study of 30 volunteers over 28 days).

2. Shampoo Matters

The shampoo you use can make or break your hair. Always choose a gentle, sulphate-free cleanser.

3. Importance of Sulphate-Free Products

Sulphates (like SLS or SLES) are powerful detergents, but they can strip away natural oils and fade colour. Over time, that can leave strands weaker and drier (Advanced Science News).

That’s why sulphate-free shampoos are recommended—they’re gentler, help preserve your scalp’s balance, and keep hair hydrated.

• Color Wow’s Color Security Shampoo (ideal for all hair types) is a sulphate-free formula that cleanses thoroughly without leaving behind residues.
• Pair it with the Color Security Conditioner, to instantly detangle hair and serve up hydration without heaviness.

For curly hair that tangles easily, washday can be a frustrating struggle with pulling, tearing and breakage.

• Curl Wow’s Snag-Free pre-shampoo detangler lubricates curls BEFORE you shampoo, so curls have silky slip and don’t tangle up.
• Follow with Curl Wow Hooked shampoo. This gentle sulphate free, no-residue formula features a special Procapil® complex to helps “anchor” curls at the roots, which reduces shedding and hair fall.

4. Avoid Over-Washing 

Clean hair is the key to optimally strong, healthy-looking hair—but over washing can do more harm than good.

Shampooing daily can strip away protective natural oils, leaving the cuticle vulnerable. For most people, 2–3 washes per week is ideal (Medical News Today).

If your scalp gets oily quickly, use a dry shampoo formula between washdays. Look for an advanced formula like Color Wow’s Insta-WOW. This breakthrough dry shampoo technology doesn’t just mask grease, but actually removes up to 95% of sebum (oil) to deliver shampoo-grade results.

5. Proper Conditioning Techniques

If you want to support strong, resilient hair, using a conditioner every time you shampoo is non-negotiable.

Conditioners smooth the cuticle and reduce friction that can lead to breakage. In the shower, after shampooing...

• Apply conditioner, mainly from mid-lengths to ends.
• Use a wide-tooth comb to distribute it evenly through lengths and ends.
  
• Leave it on for at least 2–3 minutes for deeper absorption before rinsing. 

Color Wow’s Color Security Conditioner is a great option because it smooths and detangles hair without heavy residues that weigh down hair.

For curly girls who need a moisture-rich conditioner, Curl Wow Coco-Motion Lubricating Conditioner works deep inside strands to lubricate hair’s internal protein chains, renewing resilience and lively bounce to dry, brittle curls.

6. Level Up Conditioning Benefits with a Powerful Leave-In Formula 

A leave-in conditioner is specifically formulated to stay in the hair (NO rinsing!). 

Color Wow Money Mist is a superlight spray that delivers super powerful, tress transforming and strengthening results to all hair types. This multi-tasker hydrates, detangles, defrizzes, fortifies, adds glossy shine, provides heat protection and has been clinically proven to reduce breakage by 69%*.

(*Average results based on independent testing).

7. Intensive Hair Fortifiers: harness the “makeover magic” of hair masks

Want to reverse the look of damage and give fragile or frizzy hair a major makeover?

Pros will tell you, the key to lush, luxe, celeb quality hair is to sub out your normal conditioner and put an intensive treatment mask on rotation in your washday routine. 

Slather wet hair with a mask every 3-4 shampoos. It’s the best way to give your hair a healthy infusion of hydration, help rebuild and reinforce hair-strengthening bonds, smooth and repair and add glossy shine to hair’s surface.

Deep Hydrating Masks penetrate deep down within hair fibers, delivering hydration to the core to renew suppleness, resilience and strength.

Color Wow Money Masque, developed in collaboration with celeb stylist Chris Appleton, features Blue Sea Kale (the highest natural plant based source of sulphur), known to reinforce internal di-sulphide bonds vital to hair’s strength. 

Good for all hair types, Money Masque is a must-have for dry, dehydrated or over-processed hair.

Damage Repair Masks nourish and moisturise within the hair plus work to smooth and fill in the fissures, gaps, chinks on hair’s surface that make hair frizzy, weak and breakage-prone.

These advanced mask treatments, like Color Wow Dreaming seal surface cuticles to leave hair smooth, polished...resistant to frizz and puffiness.

Good for all frizz-prone hair types, resurfacing masks are ideal for fragile, damaged hair.

Professional Treatments for Stronger Hair

Salon Bond-Building Services damaged, fragile hair 

Bond-repair treatments work by repairing broken bonds in the cortex, restoring strength and elasticity (The Times). Most salons offer bond-building services and treatments which vary based on the condition of the hair and desired outcome, how many products are used and how long the service takes. 

• Standalone Bond-Building treatments are intensive repair services featuring concentrated, professional-grade formulas that typically take 15-30 minutes and cost from $25 to $100 dollars. 
• Bond-Building Add-On’s to Colour/Chemical Treatments involve mixing a formula into colour, bleach, perms or relaxers to reduce breakage and help maintain strong hair structure. 
• Strengthen/Repair + Blow-Out services combine deep conditioning masks, bond-building treatments + professional blow-outs. This treatment could take 45-90 minutes and cost from $60-120.
  

At-home Bond-building Hair Strengtheners 

DIY bond repair for limp, overprocessed, fragile hair comes in many forms, from serums to conditioners to additive “shots” you can put in styling products. These liquids help restore and fortify the bonds within hair strands responsible for tensile strength, elasticity and resilience. 

Color Wow serves up bond-building in cocktail! Applied to hair after shampooing and conditioning Kale Cocktail is a concentrated leave-in serum (and heat protectant) that’s activated when you blow-dry. 

Formulated with sulphur-rich blue sea kale, Amino Acids and B vitamins, Kale Cocktail instantly helps fortify hair’s internal sulphur bonds and delivers 50%* less breakage after just one use!

(*Average results based on independent testing).

Easy ways to help Prevent Hair Damage

1. Cut back on heat styling 

Heat styling is a way of life. But, it’s is one of the biggest culprits behind weak hair, so:

• Always apply a protectant when using hot irons, hot rollers or blow-drying.  (Did you know? Every Color Wow styling product has heat protectant built-into the formula, so there’s no need to apply another extra product)   
• Limit use of heat styling techniques because  every day use of hot tools will scorch and dehydrate hair.
• Keep the heat low – even when you’re using a product with heat protection, its safest to keep settings at 300 degrees Fahrenheit or lower (especially if you have colour-treated or chemically-processed hair).

2. Protecting Hair from Sun and Pollution

UV rays and pollution can degrade and weaken the hair fiber.  Wearing a hat outdoors helps, but so does using a protective styling product designed to help guard hair from UV rays. 

Color Wow has several styling formulas that help protect hair from harmful sun rays, including Cult Favorite Hairspray and Pop + Lock Glossing Serum.

Stronger hair doesn’t come from one miracle fix—it’s the result of consistent care, smart product choices, and healthy lifestyle habits.

With the right balance of care and products, you can help transform even dry, brittle fragile hair into the fit and fabulous hair you crave.

Read other hair care tips and tricks on the Blog:

• What Causes Split Ends?
• The Science Behind Bleach Damaged Hair
• Is Blow-Drying Bad for Your Hair?