There are a lot of products designed to take care of damaged and brittle hair, but almost all of them need time to restore hair structure and healthy shine. But what if you need an instant effect? In this case, hair fillers will come to the rescue. Let’s figure out together what a hair filler is and how to use it properly to restore the health and beauty of your hair.
The word “filler” is derived from the verb “to fill”, and this name fits the product perfectly. Hair fillers are formulated with active ingredients that literally fill the hair structure and repair it from the inside. To consolidate the effect, fillers also act on the outside: they smooth down the overlapping cells on the hair surface, making the hair smoother and restoring its healthy shine.
In addition to restoring hair structure and shine, fillers help to protect the hair from various external factors (dry air, UV radiation, high temperatures, aggressive hair dye ingredients), make it more manageable, and prevent tangling, dehydration, breakage, and split ends.
Common active ingredients that can be found in hair fillers are various proteins (keratin, collagen, hydrolysed silk protein), amino acids, and ceramides. They fill the damaged areas of the hair, improving hair strength and elasticity, as well as help to retain moisture and boost the hair’s natural protection.
Hair fillers, like many other innovative cosmetic products, originated in South Korea. Korean brand La’dor was one of the first to start producing hair fillers; its blue ampoules with keratin, collagen, silk proteins and amla extract are still among the most recognisable and popular hair fillers.
Over time, cosmetic brands from other countries picked up the baton and started producing hair fillers of their own. For example, popular Ukrainian brand Dr. Sante has included a hair filler with phytogollagen in its collection titled Collagen Hair Volume Boost.
Phytocollagen (plant-based collagen), extracted from red acacia gum, has properties similar to animal-based, or “true”, collagen. It is widely used in vegan cosmetic formulations. Thanks to containing phytocollagen, Dr. Sante hair filler helps to retain moisture in the hair structure, restores the natural elasticity and flexibility of the hair, prevents breakage, tangling and split ends, and boosts protection against the environment.
So, how to use a hair filler properly? The first step is to wash your hair with a deep cleansing shampoo to remove any styling product residue that could prevent the filler from penetrating the hair shafts. Do not condition your hair after washing it! Dry you washed hair with a towel until it is slightly damp.
The next step is to prepare the filler because most hair fillers are concentrated and need to be diluted with water. Fillers that come in individual ampoules are usually liquid. In this case, you need to pour one or more ampoules into a non-metallic bowl and dilute the filler with the same amount of cold water. However, Dr. Sante hair filler solidifies at temperatures below 20 °С, so you’ll need to hold the bottle under a stream of hot water and shake it thoroughly before use. After that, pour the required amount of the filler into a non-metallic bowl and mix it with the same amount of cold water.
After that, stir the mixture thoroughly until creamy. Using a brush or just your fingers, apply the filler to your hair, avoiding the roots and scalp. Now you have two options depending on that effect you want to achieve and how much time you have.
For express recovery, just leave the filler on your hair for 15–30 minutes, then rinse it off with warm water without shampooing or conditioning. If you need intensive recovery of damaged hair, you’ll need a little more time. After applying the filler, put on a shower cap and warm your hair up with a hairdryer for 3–5 minutes. Wrap your head in a towel, leave the filler on for another half an hour, then rinse.
As a rule, the effect of hair fillers is visible after the first use, but they also have a cumulative effect, so it is recommended to keep using them for a long-lasting result. Apply the filler 2–3 times a week for at least a month to make your hair strong and healthy again. If you dye your hair regularly, you can add the creamy mixture of the filler with cold water directly to your hair dye to protect your hair during dyeing.
