How to care for dry and straw-like hair.
Is your hair always dry? Does your hair remain frustratingly dry like straw no matter what products you apply? Has your curls lost their bounce and shine? Are you on the verge of the big chop? Are you looking for a way to care for your hair in the right way?
Let's start with the basics.
If you haven’t read our blog post about hair loss, I would recommend you do so.
So what is moisture? Moisture is water. Simple. Water plays a very important role in the hair. When you apply water to the hair, two things will happen
- Water reduces the interaction with the protein matrix (keratin). Water acts as a "plasticizer" and makes the hair more flexible, ductile and easier to style.
- The hair absorbs water and swells thereby increasing the keratin network.
When optimally done, the alteration of the mechanical properties of the hair due to moisture ensures the hair remains healthy, easy to style and less prone to breakage. Too little moisture means the hair would become dry after a short time. Too much water and hair may suffer from Hygral Fatigue.
Some reasons why the hair gets dry.
- Climate Hair is directly affected by ambient temperature. Too hot or too cold will affect the moisture content of the hair. The key take away here is to moisturize the hair depending on how the hair feels in these environments
- State of the hair: Imagine all the combing, friction, twisting, styling, blow drying, oxidative stress, alterations that the hair goes through every day? These actions erode the cuticle, which is a very important in ensuring the health of the hair. A deep conditioner regenerates hair and is useful for restoring the hair's protein or moisture content. Hair is made up of protein and this protein is crucial for maintaining the hair's moisture content. A well-formulated product is the product with the optimal diffusion coefficient to ensure the desired interaction with the hair over a defined period of time
- Sebum: Sebum is produced by our sebaceous glands. This travels along the hair shaft protecting and keeping it moisturized. The problem is that curly hair, with its many twists and kinks, makes it difficult for this sebum to flow sufficiently along the entire hair shaft. As a result, the middle of the hair is left unserved and thus prone to dryness. With wavy or straight hair, the sebum travels further along the hair strands—i.e., oily roots with dry tips. But in most cases, the tips of the hair are the driest. But what function does this sebum serve? By coating the hair, sebum restores the hydrophobicity of the hair shaft. In this state, the hair is better able to absorb or distribute moisture on its own. Yes, our bodies can perform many functions on their independently!
- Porosity & Hygral Fatigue: We have discussed porosity and Hygral Fatigue in our last post. If your cuticle is damaged, hair is more susceptible to dryness. Light oils or butters can be used to "seal-in" that moisture. Oils and butters are hygroscopic, which helps prevent moistureloss from the hair.
- Stay Hydrated> The hair is in constant interaction with yourself and the environment. If you are not properly hydrated and you are in a dry place, your hair will be dry. If the relative humidity is high and you are dehydrated, your hair will absorb too moisture and may become frizzy.
What products help with dry hair?
- Deep Conditioner or Hair Treatment/Mask. We recommend the use of a Deep Conditioner at least once every 14 days. For finer hair, our choice is the Cloud Nine 3-in-1 Silk Mask . For curly hair, we recommend our Hello Gorgeous Deep Conditioning Curl Treatment.
- >Use a conditioner . Our Forgiveness Moisture Restoring Conditioner provides long lasting moisture without the weight. Its high cysteine content makes it the ideal conditioner for retaining moisture levels in the hair. If your hair is severely damaged, we recommend Serendipity Conditioning Cream.It is formulated with Baobab Oil and Soy Proteins to help restore your hair strands
- Curl ShampooUse mild shampoo. A good shampoo for curly hair should not contain strong surfactants or other ingredients that can strip curly hair of its natural oils. Ikemian shampoo is specially formulated for curly hair. Our True Wash Shampoo is for intensive curl care and our True Volume Shampoo provides hair with volume.
What is your experience with dry hair? We would love to hear from you.
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