How Damaged Is Your Hair?

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Damaged hair can often be quite difficult to take care of—after all, it can be marked by split ends as well as lack of shine. Not to mention, walking around with hair that’s a little bit rough around the edges can be a confidence killer! Besides dullness and split ends, some of the other common signs of damaged hair include hair that can be super-dry, unmanageable, rough, and hard to comb. Sound familiar? Don’t worry—we’re here to help! Ahead, take our quiz to assess your hair’s damage, then follow our advice for helping to bring your hair back to life, including hair care product recommendations like heat protectant and hair masks that you can add to your beauty routine.

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Once you've determined your level of hair damage by answering the above questions, click through for tips on managing your hair.

*Damage quiz for curl types 1-3B

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Level 1: Congrats: Your hair is in amazing condition! To help keep your hair in tip-top shape, make sure you apply on a heat protectant, like the L’Oréal Elvive Total Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner, before picking up any heat tools. You can also use a hair mask monthly to help keep your hair looking and feeling its best. Try the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Total Repair 5 Damage Erasing Balm, and use it conjunction with the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Total Repair 5 Repairing Shampoo and L’Oréal Paris Elvive Total Repair 5 Repairing Conditioner.

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Level 2: We have good news for you—your hair is in almost perfect condition! That being said, you may experience some dryness at the ends of your hair from dehydration, being too rough with wet hair, or over-washing your hair, which can strip your hair of essential oils, leaving it feeling drier and looking duller. Care for your hair by using a heat protectant and try applying a hair oil, like the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Oil Treatment, to the ends of your hair to nourish them.

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Level 3: Your hair needs a little bit of TLC, but it’s on its way! You’ve likely tried coloring your hair, chemically processing it, or using heat tools regularly—and any of these may have affected the external surface of your hair (a.k.a. the cuticle), resulting in dryness, split ends, and breakage. To help get your hair back on track, always apply a heat protectant before heat styling, and use a hair oil (like the one recommended for level 2) all over your hair as a finishing polish.

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Level 4: We hate to break it to you, but your hair is probably feeling rough. Frequent coloring could be to blame, as it can cause internal hair bonds to start to break down as hair’s cuticle is open and closed with each process. Plus, high heat can remove moisture from hair, causing dryness, split ends, and breakage. That’s why using heat protectant is a must! You should also add a rinse-out hair mask to your hair care routine and use it every other shampoo. Try the set of shampoo, conditioner, and hair mask we recommended for level 1, or the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Color Vibrancy Repair and Protect Balm, which should be paired with the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Color Vibrancy Intensive Protecting Shampoo and L’Oréal Paris Elvive Color Vibrancy Intensive Protecting Conditioner.

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Level 5: Uh-oh—time for some major damage control. Thanks to years of using heat tools, coloring or processing your hair, you may have done some serious damage, causing the internal bonds of your hair to break. This may have led to roughness, dryness, and split ends. Use a heat protectant, and add a rinse-out hair mask, like the one recommended for level 4, to your hair care routine every shampoo.