The Best 7 Day Hair Care Routine For Damaged Hair

It can be scary when we start to notice signs of damaged hair – especially as it feels like it’s so hard to get hair looking and feeling healthy after experiencing dry ends, dull-looking strands or your curls dropping. 

Luckily, it’s possible to revive and refresh damaged hair when you spot these early signs. That’s where our 7-day routine for damaged hair comes in.

In this guide, our hair experts share their top tips for improving your hair health over the course of a week, so you’re left with stronger and healthier strands. 

Day 1 – Sunday – Nourish and Wash

We recommend starting your hair routine on Sunday to set yourself up for a good hair week! 

Kick the process off with a deeply nourishing hair mask to replenish your damaged hair. One of our favourites is Briogeo’s ‘Don’t Despair, Repair!’ Deep Conditioning Mask, with rosehip and argan oil, B vitamins and algae extract, to give you shiny strands and up to 75% less breakage.

Next, you’ll want to wash your hair with a gentle shampoo and conditioner. We’d recommend the ‘Structure Repair’ shampoo and conditioner by Maria Nila, which is formulated for damaged, dry and chemically-treated hair. 

Skip the post-wash blow dry and air dry your hair instead. This will help it to hold onto some much-needed moisture. 

You can use some no-bend clips to hold your hairline in place and twist it into a loose bun to create some heatless soft waves. We’d recommend tying this with a scrunchie too, as it’s way gentler than a hair elastic.

Quick Tip: If your hair isn’t completely dry before you go to bed, apply some heat protectant and blow dry it on a low to medium heat setting. As much as you want to avoid the heat, going to bed with wet hair will cause way more damage.

Day 2 – Monday – Avoid Heat

As it’s the start of the week, on this day we’ll account for the fact you’ll likely be heading to work or will have some plans that you need to get ready for. 

Obviously, you’ll want your hair to look good. But it’s worth avoiding heat as much as possible. If you can, choose a heatless hairstyle that works with your natural hair texture. 

Looking for style inspo? Check out our Heatless Hairstyles video playlist – with options for every hair type.

We’d also recommend using oil or serum on the ends of your hair before you go to bed, to keep them hydrated. ‘Moroccanoil Treatment’ is perfect for this, as it’s rich and great for dry hair types.

Day 3 – Tuesday – Dry Shampoo

If your hair is looking a little greasy in the morning, use some dry shampoo to soak up the excess oil. 

Again, you want to go heatless with your hairstyle today and avoid anything tight that could put a strain on your hair.

If you need to, wash your hair in the evening using a gentle shampoo and conditioner, like the Maria Nila ‘Structure Repair’. 

But we recommend going as long as possible between hair washes. Damaged hair needs all the moisture it can get, so stripping back the oils won’t be beneficial to your hair health.

Day 4 – Wednesday – Dusting Split Ends

Midweek is the best time to check up on your hair health – and one beneficial trick is dusting off your split ends. 

Split ends are an indication that your hair health has seen better days, and you’ll want to make sure you’re snipping them off as soon as they appear. 

Splits will keep on parting your hair shaft and there’s no way to reverse the damage. That’s where dusting comes in – a great way to keep on top of them without losing any length. You just need to cut off the very end of your hair where it’s starting to split.

Quick Tip: We recommend using a loop brush on your hair when looking for split ends. These are great for damaged hair, as they’re so gentle.

Day 5 – Thursday – Treat Your Scalp

You’ll likely need to wash your hair on day five, and it’s a great excuse to treat your scalp. 

This is the one area of your hair that tends to get neglected, but some gentle exfoliation can help to boost hair growth and improve its health. 

You can either use a scalp massager for this, with your shampoo, or a dedicated scrub like the OUAI ‘Scalp and Body Scrub’. 

Doing this weekly helps remove product buildup and increase blood flow to your hair follicles. This creates the best environment for new hair growth and will make your roots look way more voluminous.

Day 6 – Friday – Heat Protection

We’re guessing you’ll be using heat on your hair this eve or at the weekend, so we’d recommend using a heat protectant to make sure it’s fully prepped. 

Our favourite is the GHD ‘Heat Protect Spray’, as it’s lightweight and won’t weigh down your strands. 

We’d also recommend taking the time to set your hair in place. So, if you’re curling, you’ll want to pin up each curl until it’s cool. This will give your hairstyle more staying power, so you don’t have to keep restyling it over the weekend. 

It’s also great if you’re wearing your Milk & Blush hair extensions, as they hold curls for much longer. You can also get away with just styling the top section of your natural hair, so you don’t have to use as much heat.

Day 7 – Saturday – Replace Any Lost Moisture

As you’ll likely be styling your hair more over the weekend, it’s best to wash it less – so, your natural oils can build up and protect your strands. 

If you need to, you can apply some dry shampoo to your roots to soak up any excess. But we’d leave washing it until tomorrow. 

You could also apply some extra serum or oil to the ends of your hair to replace any moisture lost from heat styling. 

Once you're done, you can restart your damaged hair routine from day one – to keep it looking and feeling its best.