Does your hair look dull and lifeless? If your hair feels rough and unmanageable, this can be due to a number of reasons as many things can impact how soft it feels and shiny it looks. For the most part though, soft, shiny hair is a sign that your hair is healthy and being cared for properly.

Read on to learn the reasons why hair can lose its softness and shine, and the best ways to not only improve these qualities, but also the general condition of your hair.

Reasons Why Hair Can Lose Softness and Shine

Soft hair can become rough for many reasons, b ut a rougher texture can also just occur naturally in some cases. The main conditions leading to rough hair include:

• Dryness
• Damage
  
• Styling
• Incorrect product use
  
• Heat exposure

Shiny hair is usually directly related to having a soft, smooth texture so any of these issues can also cause your hair to lose its shine. There are certain problems that do specifically lead to dull hair though, including cuticle damage from dyes and bleaching, and exposure to environmental stresses like saltwater, humidity, and frequent shampooing.

How to Get Soft Hair

If you'd like to improve the softness of your hair, you should start by assessing what is causing your hair to feel rough. Frequent dyeing, heat-styling, and other processes are the most likely reason for most people.

If you use chemical or heat treatments a lot, you can get soft hair more easily if you limit these as much as possible. You don't have to stop dyeing your hair or anything like that, however, but you will need to adjust with a few care tips and styling products to manage the texture if you'd prefer to keep dyeing it a lot.

Start by treating any dryness with leave-in conditioners and other products to add moisture back into your hair because hair that is too dry will never feel soft. Adequate moisture is required to keep hair soft and shiny. Damaged hair will also need specialized treatment to repair that damage as significant amounts of damage can prevent your hair from maintaining the correct moisture balance, leading to dryness and roughness.

The best kinds of products to get soft hair include conditioning agents to treat dryness, and repair products like protein or keratin treatments. In addition, always use a heat-protectant product whenever you style your hair using a straightener or curling rod and follow up with a good hair serum to lock the style in, as well as maintain hydration properly.

How to Get Shiny Hair

Getting shiny hair is a similar process as your hair's shine is also related to its condition and how you style it, but you can follow a few other tips to greatly improve its shine further. In particular, the condition of the cuticles of your hair determines how dull it tends to look.

This scale-like layer acts to seal the hair shaft, maintain moisture balance, and create a smooth surface to your hair. When it is damaged, the surface of each hair gains a more jagged, rough texture and greater surface area. It's not possible to repair this kind of damage, but it can be managed with products. The use of hair serums or oils is crucial to enhancing shiny hair as these are the absolute best products to assist with this due to how they work.

These products coat the hair just slightly, replacing the function of damaged or missing cuticles and helping to ensure a smooth surface that will feel soft and look shiny. They also help to keep the hair adequately hydrated and prevent damage from heat and humidity.

Your hair doesn't have to feel rough and look dull. Following these tips will help to give you the soft, shiny hair of your dreams as well as improve the general condition and health of your hair too.