We all know the importance of Hydration, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
Coily and curly textured hair has the tendency to become dryer more easily than most. It can often require more effort in order to keep our hair moisturized and prevent over drying and breakage. It's no surprise that breakage hinders hair growth. However, hair problems and dry scalp are also attributed to heat and chemical treatments, so it is imperative that you know how to keep your hair well oiled and hydrated in order to prevent overdrying and breakage.
Water and Hydration Facts:
An important key to healthy, beautiful, shiny and long hair is hydration. A Sufficient amount of water plays a major role in allowing the hair to grow long and fast. Dehydration can make you feel tired but it can also cause drying of your hair shaft and scalp and ultimately cause split ends and hair breakage.
Your hair follicles require ample nutrients in order to produce healthy hair and water is an essential nutrient. By drinking water in the right quantity, you can supply nutrients to your scalp and promote rapid hair growth. 8 -12 glasses per day is the average.
A very important element of hydration is making sure to keep you hair and ends hydrated. The ONLY way to truly hydrate our hair is with water. It is very important that before applying your leave in conditioner or oils that you make sure that your hair is moisturized with water. Hydrating your hair with water and following with an oil will help to lock in moisture throughout the day.
Another way to retain your hair's moisture is to avoid washing your hair every day. Regardless of how gentle the shampoo is, the very act of washing the hair strips natural oils from your hair and can cause breakage and dryness. Many shampoos also include petroleum, sulfate, alcohol and mineral oil that are very drying to the hair.
Your hair follicles require ample nutrients in order to produce healthy hair and water is an essential nutrient. By drinking water in the right quantity, you can supply nutrients to your scalp and promote rapid hair growth. 8 -12 glasses per day is the average.
A very important element of hydration is making sure to keep you hair and ends hydrated. The ONLY way to truly hydrate our hair is with water. It is very important that before applying your leave in conditioner or oils that you make sure that your hair is moisturized with water. Hydrating your hair with water and following with an oil will help to lock in moisture throughout the day.
Another way to retain your hair's moisture is to avoid washing your hair every day. Regardless of how gentle the shampoo is, the very act of washing the hair strips natural oils from your hair and can cause breakage and dryness. Many shampoos also include petroleum, sulfate, alcohol and mineral oil that are very drying to the hair.
Things To Avoid To Retain Moisture:
Refrain from wearing hats, if possible, as they absorb the natural oil from your scalp and prevent it from hydrating or moisturizing your hair. Flat irons, blow dryers and other similar heated hair tools can lead to dry hair that eventually becomes brittle and causes breakage. It is advisable to avoid blow drying the hair on high heat altogether. If you must blow dry your hair, use a cool setting.
Water And Hydration Myths:
If your hair is naturally curly, kinky, coiled or wavy, then you have probably heard of the following myths.
Refrain from wearing hats, if possible, as they absorb the natural oil from your scalp and prevent it from hydrating or moisturizing your hair. Flat irons, blow dryers and other similar heated hair tools can lead to dry hair that eventually becomes brittle and causes breakage. It is advisable to avoid blow drying the hair on high heat altogether. If you must blow dry your hair, use a cool setting.
Water And Hydration Myths:
If your hair is naturally curly, kinky, coiled or wavy, then you have probably heard of the following myths.
Myth 1: Black women can't grow long hair:
The Truth: Black women can most certainly grow long hair! The only challenge is that in the past we had put our hair through a lot of stress that had caused our locks to suffer. Hair dryers, relaxers, harsh chemicals, heat, lack of moisture, over shampooing, over manipulation, etc, have all lead to breakage. These days we are now learning that through proper hydration and hair care, we CANgrow our hair long!
Myth 2: Water and conditioning too often can dry out natural hair:
The Truth: This myth has made many of us deprive our hair of the most crucial nutrient i.e. water. Curls, kinks and waves thrive the most when your hair care regimen is focused towards hydration. Water helps to enhance the hair's elasticity, reduce its breakage and improve curls.
Myth 3: Oil can moisturize natural hair:
The Truth: Oil is good for hair, but it is not a moisturizer! Moisture is hydration, which can be obtained with water as well as water-based products. Oils are lubricants and sealants that can trap moisture in the hair and prevent its depletion. Using oil alone as a moisturizer will only cause dryness over a period of time. Regardless of the fact that many hair product companies promote their remarkable "moisturizing oils" - oil alone as a moisturizer is a myth.
The Truth: Black women can most certainly grow long hair! The only challenge is that in the past we had put our hair through a lot of stress that had caused our locks to suffer. Hair dryers, relaxers, harsh chemicals, heat, lack of moisture, over shampooing, over manipulation, etc, have all lead to breakage. These days we are now learning that through proper hydration and hair care, we CANgrow our hair long!
Myth 2: Water and conditioning too often can dry out natural hair:
The Truth: This myth has made many of us deprive our hair of the most crucial nutrient i.e. water. Curls, kinks and waves thrive the most when your hair care regimen is focused towards hydration. Water helps to enhance the hair's elasticity, reduce its breakage and improve curls.
Myth 3: Oil can moisturize natural hair:
The Truth: Oil is good for hair, but it is not a moisturizer! Moisture is hydration, which can be obtained with water as well as water-based products. Oils are lubricants and sealants that can trap moisture in the hair and prevent its depletion. Using oil alone as a moisturizer will only cause dryness over a period of time. Regardless of the fact that many hair product companies promote their remarkable "moisturizing oils" - oil alone as a moisturizer is a myth.
The Greenhouse effect
Another great method for locking in moisture is the Greenhouse Effect. This is a natural and effective way of boosting hair growth due to the fact that it allows the hair to retain moisture more efficiently. The steam effect created penetrates into the scalp to increase the average growth rate. This method should be done at night. The idea behind this method is that by creating warmth and moisture on your scalp, you are also creating the perfect atmosphere to open pores and follicles which allow for growth.
Steps for performing the greenhouse effect:
Step1: Spray you hair with water until slightly damp.
Another great method for locking in moisture is the Greenhouse Effect. This is a natural and effective way of boosting hair growth due to the fact that it allows the hair to retain moisture more efficiently. The steam effect created penetrates into the scalp to increase the average growth rate. This method should be done at night. The idea behind this method is that by creating warmth and moisture on your scalp, you are also creating the perfect atmosphere to open pores and follicles which allow for growth.
Steps for performing the greenhouse effect:
Step1: Spray you hair with water until slightly damp.
Step 2: place your hair in a bun, ponytail or braids.
Step 3: Place a plastic cap over your head. To increase the effect add a scarf or additional plastic bags to increase the warmth.
Step 4: Leave your hair covered overnight or leave on for an extended period of time. This will create a green house steam effect in your hair.
Step 5: In the morning, remove the cap and allow your hair to dry naturally or blow dry on a cool setting
Step 6: moisturize, seal and style your hair as usual.
When performing this method, sometimes it's best to avoid using oils to allow for the pores to be open and prevent blockage.
How ofen should this method be performed?
2 times a week should work well. Anymore than that and it is possible that it may weaken the hair and cause breakage. If you experience any unusual breakage due to performing this method, you should discontinue immediately.
Step 3: Place a plastic cap over your head. To increase the effect add a scarf or additional plastic bags to increase the warmth.
Step 4: Leave your hair covered overnight or leave on for an extended period of time. This will create a green house steam effect in your hair.
Step 5: In the morning, remove the cap and allow your hair to dry naturally or blow dry on a cool setting
Step 6: moisturize, seal and style your hair as usual.
When performing this method, sometimes it's best to avoid using oils to allow for the pores to be open and prevent blockage.
How ofen should this method be performed?
2 times a week should work well. Anymore than that and it is possible that it may weaken the hair and cause breakage. If you experience any unusual breakage due to performing this method, you should discontinue immediately.
Humectants are used in skin and hair-care products to promote moisture retention. These hygroscopic compounds posses a chemical structure that attracts water from the atmosphere and binds it to various sites along the molecule.
These ingredients are used in many products that are designed for dry, damaged hair. While they can be beneficial in certain circumstances, weather an humidity in the air can cause less than desired results.
Low Humidity
In low-humidity situations, such as a cold, dry winter air, there is often not enough water in the air for the humectant to attract to the surface of the hair. In this type of climate, you can only hope that moisture is not evaporated from the hair into the environment. Also, under these circumstances, there is some risk of the humectant actually removing moisture from the cortex of the hair itself, creating the problem it was intended to prevent.
That tells us that in dry climates it is important to use conditioning products which rely on strong moisturizers rather than traditional humectants.
High Humidity
In high-humidity conditions, such as the summer, there is a high amount of moisture in the air. This can be very harmful for curly hair. If curly hair is dry and damaged, it is very porous, and easily absorbs water from the air. In high-humidity situations, this can cause curly hair to swell so much that cuticles are raised, making the surface of the hair very rough and dry. The cuticles can then become entangled with cuticles of the surrounding hairs and create a huge, tangled mass, which is prone to breakage. Also, curly hair swollen by excess water can lose its curl pattern, creating the dreaded summer frizz.
As you can see, products heavy in humectants will only aggravate problems with humidity-induced frizz. Some humectants can also leave you hair feeling sticky when they become saturated with water. In tropical and subtropical climates, it is essential to maintain well-moisturized hair that is in good condition (which will be less prone to absorbing water from the hair). But it is preferable to use products containing fewer humectants or humectants with less hygroscopic capacity.
These ingredients are used in many products that are designed for dry, damaged hair. While they can be beneficial in certain circumstances, weather an humidity in the air can cause less than desired results.
Low Humidity
In low-humidity situations, such as a cold, dry winter air, there is often not enough water in the air for the humectant to attract to the surface of the hair. In this type of climate, you can only hope that moisture is not evaporated from the hair into the environment. Also, under these circumstances, there is some risk of the humectant actually removing moisture from the cortex of the hair itself, creating the problem it was intended to prevent.
That tells us that in dry climates it is important to use conditioning products which rely on strong moisturizers rather than traditional humectants.
High Humidity
In high-humidity conditions, such as the summer, there is a high amount of moisture in the air. This can be very harmful for curly hair. If curly hair is dry and damaged, it is very porous, and easily absorbs water from the air. In high-humidity situations, this can cause curly hair to swell so much that cuticles are raised, making the surface of the hair very rough and dry. The cuticles can then become entangled with cuticles of the surrounding hairs and create a huge, tangled mass, which is prone to breakage. Also, curly hair swollen by excess water can lose its curl pattern, creating the dreaded summer frizz.
As you can see, products heavy in humectants will only aggravate problems with humidity-induced frizz. Some humectants can also leave you hair feeling sticky when they become saturated with water. In tropical and subtropical climates, it is essential to maintain well-moisturized hair that is in good condition (which will be less prone to absorbing water from the hair). But it is preferable to use products containing fewer humectants or humectants with less hygroscopic capacity.
Due to the limitations of humectants in extreme weather conditions, it is evident that these ingredients probably function best for people with curly hair that live in moderate climates, with temperatures and humidity in the medium range.
Glycerine
Glycerin in the most commonly used humectant. Honey is another Humectant that can be used on hair. Glycerine and Honey both can not be applied directly to the hair. They must be combined with water. 1 part Glycerine or Honey and 3 parts water.
Glycerine
Glycerin in the most commonly used humectant. Honey is another Humectant that can be used on hair. Glycerine and Honey both can not be applied directly to the hair. They must be combined with water. 1 part Glycerine or Honey and 3 parts water.
No comments:
Post a Comment