Hair Science

Should Repair Be One of Your Hair Goals?

Let’s talk hair repair.

Hair damage can look different for everyone—maybe your hair feels dry, or you’ve noticed a handful of split ends, or perhaps your hair gets frizzy on humid days. Since hair damage can show itself in a number of ways, how do you know if your hair actually needs repair?

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about our repair-focused ingredients and how to spot the signs that hair repair should be one of your hair goals.

Girl in the bathroom with a towel on, feeling her hair and looking at an AURA bottle.

Our 4-Step Hair Repair Test

Hair damage can be hard to spot, even for an expert—but don’t worry. We have a few simple tests to help you determine if you should have “Repair” as one of your hair goals to ensure your AURA formula is created with repair-focused ingredients:

1. Try the water test.

Simply dunk your hair in water to see if it floats or sinks. If it floats, that means your hair is likely healthy and happy. If it sinks, that’s a sign that your hair is porous and needs a little love.

2. Look for split ends on the tips of your hair.

Breakage is kind of a big deal so if you have split ends, chances are your hair needs some extra TLC. While adding Repair-focused ingredients to your formula can help, stay on top of your trims so you can say goodbye to split-ends for good.

In addition, you may want to ask your stylist what is causing them in the first place. Everyone is different so there could be a number of factors like chemical hair treatments or exposure to extreme weather conditions that ultimately lead to split ends.

3. Examine individual strands.

Grab a single strand of hair between two fingers and gently pull at either end. Healthy, undamaged hair will stretch and return to its original shape. If your hair breaks, you might be experiencing protein damage. If the hair stretches, but then it curls or stays long, then this is a sign that your hair is asking for a little extra repair-focused attention. 

4. Concentrate on the texture.

Take about an inch-wide section of hair between two fingers and gently slide them down the section of hair until you reach the ends. Ask yourself, does it feel silky smooth all the way down, or were there lumps and bumps in the road? If your hair feels uneven, with kinks and breakage, these are all warning signs that hair may need some repair.

Our Repair-focused Formulas

If you think our Repair goal might be right for you, you can either adjust your formula to include Repair or boost its strength in your current formula. Keep in mind that you can always combine Repair with other goals like Moisture or Color Care.   

Our hair repair-focused formulas use a specialist-approved blend of ingredients that work together to lock in moisture, nourish your hair, and strengthen strands—and of course, they are always vegan and SLS- and SLES-free. Some of the hair-healthy ingredients you might find in your Repair-focused formula include: 

Hydrolyzed Rice Protein

Photo of rice grains in a spoon along with description of Hydrolyzed Rice Protein's benefits: Helps strengthen the hair while adding radiant shine.

“Hydrolyzed” signifies that the ingredient is water-soluble, which in simpler terms means it’s all about hydration.

This fortifying ingredient is selected by our specialists to help strengthen your hair while adding radiant shine that’s worthy of a hair flip (or five). Hydrolyzed Rice Protein used in our Repair formulas is intended to help lock in moisture, leading to revived flexibility and strength in the hair.

Panthenol

Photo of Panthenol smear with description of its benefits: Conditions and smooths while helping protect strands from environmental stress.

Panthenol in a repair product gifts you with frizz control, manageability, and all of the softness and moisture you love without the weight. It also deeply penetrates the hair to condition and help defend strands from environmental stress.

Chia and Flax Seed Extract

Photo of chia and flax seeds in spoon along with the description of the benefits of Chia and Flax Seed Extract: Packed with amino acids, this extract can form a flexible shield surrounding the strand to protect it from stress.

Chia and Flax Seed Extract is rich in nutrients that help strengthen, lock in moisture, and prevent breakage. When used in our Repair-focused formulas, this amino acid-packed extract can help form a flexible shield that surrounds each strand to shield it from stress. 

This protective duo also has anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce dryness, dandruff, and other scalp conditions. Our specialists chose Chia and Flax Seed Extract for our Repair formulas to leave you with a magical hair care refresh that opens the doors to endless possibilities.

If you think you’re ready to make Repair one of your hair goals, take our Hair Care Quiz to get started with our 3-step Ritual or adjust your Ritual to either add Repair or increase the strength of Repair in your current formula. Your lovely locks will be in good hands with our vegan and SLS- and SLES-free formulas. For more hair tips and tricks from our Specialists, check out our Instagram @aurahaircare and make sure to tag us in your hair selfies!