Healthy Hair Beauty Supply

I have found in my lifetime that when dealing with my hair as a woman of color, there are many misconceptions to “growing” long hair. This month’s blog series will go over the four major mistakes when trying to grow healthy long hair in weekly installments. One of the things we as African Americans have heard said or we say to ourselves often is that, “Our hair doesn’t grow!” The actual fact is our hair grows just as fast as any other race. In addition to that our hair is the thinnest in texture compare to all other races. That one of the reasons why do not see a change in our length because our hair breaks off at a faster rate than it grows. Our hair texture is so tightly coiled, that with every bend and twist of the hair strand becomes a weak point in the hair shaft making it prone to damage.

Mistake #1 THINKING THAT WE NEED TO APPLY GREASE TO OUR HAIR

Ø Grease was an invention made by people outside of our race as an answer to our dry hair. As a result of this invention, we pack on the grease and in turn it makes our not only limp but embarrassing to touch! In fact in some way, grease can deter us in our quest for healthy long hair. Now that there is more sophisticated researched dedicated to answer this lingering questions, we no longer need to “grease” our scalps!

Ø In addition to that, “grease” does not moisturize hair; it just seals in the moisture that was already there and if you don’t have moisture in the hair before applying oil to you scalp, it would be safe to say that the grease did not solve the problem. Adding further to that, most people do no know that “grease” can prevents the skin cells that normally should shed from the scalp from naturally shedding which causes an added problem to the already problematic situation.

Ø In a sense grease smothers the scalp stopping it from exfoliating the dead skin. This overtime presents a problem for hair growth. The scalp needs oxygen to grow hair along with a good circulation of blood flow, so if you are constantly clogging your scalp with hair grease, you in turn hinder the growth of your hair in the long run. Knowing now that oil does not moisturize but seals in moisture, it is good to realize that our scalp makes it own oil due to the sebaceous gland. It is the sebaceous gland that secretes oil from you scalp, flows down the hair shaft sealing in the moisture of your hair. That is why people with naturally straight hair do not have dry hair because the are more able to seal in the moisture imparted through their hair via the sebaceous gland. Their main problem that they have to deal with is keeping the hair from becoming too oily thus becoming limp and hard to curl and stay curly.

Ø The problem that we as African American women face is that because our hair is so tightly coiled that this oil can not evenly distribute itself down the hair shaft evenly causing the ends of you hair, which is that portion of you hair that has been through the most damage, to become very dry and even more so prone to damage. This is why our hair can become very limp if you have relaxed hair and have not washed it for a week or so. Because you hair is now straight, it will be prone to have an oily look even when you have not washed you hair well over a week and in some cases like me within the first few days.

In conclusion hair grease is not such a great thing, in fact it can actually hinder hair growth by clogging the pores in your scalp. Learning the history that grease was an invention made by people outside of our race as an answer to our dry hair helps us realize why we all need to take a more proactive approach to our hair care. Any scalp problems that you are dealing with need to be specifically treated other than being coated with “grease”. We all need to realize that our scalp is the same as the skin on the rest of your body. With that analogy being said, you wouldn’t put grease on your body, then why put it on your scalp?

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This is a very important subject to talk about because we often treat our scalp as we do our hair. In turn this can result in lack luster results in terms of hair growth. Just because a hair products work well on one thing, ex. Hair, does not hold true for the scalp. Most people one do not know that your scalp makes its oil and two how much oil your scalp produces via the sebaceous gland is due to hormonal activity. What most people fail to understand is that our hair and scalp are made of the same things. So you should treat your hair and scalp with the same attention as you treat the rest of the skin on your body! Today we will be discovering how to target your hair needs specifically for optimal success. First off we will discuss the scalp, its functions, and what products that are needed to target problems with the scalp. Secondly we will then discuss how to target the hair and deal with the main issues related to healthy hair and how to maintain that healthy hair.

When dealing with the scalp there are categories that the scalp is broken into is, normal, oily, dry, and damaged. This is a general way of categorizing the scalp as it applies to the general public but of course there are more specific variations to this. With normal scalp there is a distinct balance to it as it relates to the oil content that the scalp produces. With a normal scalp the scalp is neither produces nor excess of oil and it is not dry as well. People with this type of scalp generally have straight or wavy hair. The reason that those textures tend to usually have a “normal” scalp is because the oil that the scalp produces via the sebaceous gland has a chance to more evenly flow from the scalp to the ends of the hair unlike tightly coiled hair which helps to trap the oil at the base of the scalp. Even though generally people with a “normal” scalp generally have the straight or wavy hair that does not necessarily have to always be the case. And generally that person with the “normal” hair over processes the hair and/or over washes the scalp runs a high if inevitable risk of becoming dry due to the damage that was inflicted on it. It is suggested that people with a “normal” and hair should use a shampoo and conditioner that with a minimal amount of leave-in conditioning.

The next type of hair would be the oily scalp. Typically the type of texture that would go along with this hair would be the natural African American type of hair which would be tightly coiled hair. The reason as to why our type of hair generally would have the oily type of hair is because the oil that our scalp produces tends to be trapped at the root because our hair texture does not allows for easy distribution down the entire hair shaft thus caused us to have an oil scalp and in adversely having dry hair. This is why most conglomerates have produced a product called hair grease, which was to find a way to impart oil to our hair which would help to seal in moisture to our hair shaft in turn protecting our hair from being dry. Though it solved the problem of locking in moisture for our hair, it created another problem which is the fact that it suffocates our scalp by cogging up the pores in our scalp and also trapping the dead skin that needs to be exfoliated from our scalp and leaving there hindering hair grow. Hair in general needs, oxygen, circulation, proper nutrition to grow and the oil definitely does not help to aid the scalp in producing hair growth. People with Oily hair and scalp hair tend to be straight haired people with an oily scalp which is due to the fact that the hair can easily flow down the hair shaft making it limp and lifeless as far as styling is concerned. People with an oily scalp and in turn oily hair should avoid shampoos that have conditioning agents in it seeing as though that will just add to the problem of oily hair. What can be used as a separate conditioner and shampoo with emphasize on a condition that has the ability to soften and relax the hair. In addition to that you also want to make sure that you keep the conditioner as far away from the scalp and focus mainly on the sections of the hair that are the driest. Also when shampooing the hair you definitely should make sure that you focus on shampooing the scalp more so than the hair itself.

The next type of scalp would be the type that is very dry, which in turn produces dry hair. People prone to this problem can also be people with straight or fine hair. This is definitely the type of hair that you do not want to over wash for obvious reasons. With this type of hair you should not wash your hair more than twice a week and you should also stay away for two in ones (shampoos with built-in conditioners). In addition to that you still want to make sure that you do no load the hair with greasy by products such as mineral oil, petroleum, coco butter, etc. For this type of hair, hair polish is very helpful. Some of the ingredient of hair polish such as silicones by products seal in the moist at the cuticle and give a radiant sheen. Also messaging your scalp with a moisturizer such as Hydratherma hair growth lotion would definitely do the trick with the problem of having a dry scalp and can also be applied to dry hair for moisture as well. All in all, when dealing with dry hair, using the same techniques as discussed earlier with the “normal” hair should be used for maximum results.

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This is a question that you would not typically think twice about. But, shampooing can make a big difference in hair length retention. The shampoo that you may be using maybe slowly break down the cuticle layer which is the outer most layer and is the first line of defense for the hair shaft. In this article we will discuss the chemicals that help to damage that cuticle layer and what type of shampoo you should be using to obtain and maintain healthy hair.

One of the main ingredients you should stay clear from is sulfate based products. Sulfate based products tend to be harsh on the hair creating damaging friction to the hair. For example when washing your hair, it may have a matted feeling to it which is a good indicator that it has sulfates such as ammonium lauryl sulfate, which in a large amount is very harsh and damaging to the hair. Sulfates also can irritate the scalp so if your scalp itches, that maybe the source of your hair itching as products do have a tendency to coat the scalp, which is something that you don’t want to happen. If that occurs, using Sea Breeze (scalp astringent) by leaving it on the scalp for 15 min before shampooing can alleviate that immediately. Also Sea Breeze is good for hair growth as it helps to circulate blood flow to the scalp, which is a major factor in hair growth. With all of that being said we can look at the effects of sulfate based shampoos on the hair below:

Ø Makes hair fibers tangle (making hair hard to comb and prone to breakage)

Ø Increases static charge (sign of dry hair)

Ø Irritates the scalp

Ø Strips the hair of natural oils

ØAccelerates the shedding of the cuticle layer

Ø Lose of tensile strength (loss of elasticity)

Ø Depletion of protein in the hair

ØExcessive swelling of the hair which lead further cuticle damage

Ø Dissolves natural lipids present in the cuticle

Ø Dries the Scalp

Some of the ingredients to steer clear from are ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium lauryl ether sulfate, and alpha olefin sulfonate. It is a good rule of thumb to eliminate shampoos that have the word “sulfate” in it all together!

Now that we have discussed some of the problems that washing hair with sulfate based shampoos cause, now we can talk about solutions. Here are great healthy hair shampoo tips to follow:

Ø Don’t excessively manipulate that hair when washing it – focus on the scalp

Ø Detangle with a large detangling comb or brush (Denman Brush – no hard bristles)

Ø Use Sulfate Free Shampoos (Curls Sulfate Free)

ØLook for Ceramids or fruit abstracts for hair strengthening (Curls Shampoo w/Fruit Abstracts)

Ø Note that Polyquaternium polymers and Amine Oxides reduces scalp irritation and makes the hair easier to comb (good ingredients to have in your shampoo)

Chances are that if this information is new to you, you probably are thinking the same thing when I found this information out for myself, panicked. And you probably felt this way because the symptoms of a dry itchy scalp, dry hair, and the matting of your hair when washing it were the tattle tale signs and you never knew the damage you were doing to your hair! But the key thing to keep in mind is that knowledge is power and you now have the ability to stop further damage and with a good protein regimen, constant moisturizing of the hair, and using sulfate free shampoo, you will be destined to have healthy hair!

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Healthy Hair Blog Series:  Questions to ask yourself when you have damaged hair

1)      What is the porosity of  my hair?

This blog  series this month will focus on damaged hair, and solutions for them.  I have found that I needed to dig deeper into how to repair damage hair.  So this series will focus on the types of products that will optimize hair repair.  This will be done by focusing on four questions that every women with damaged hair should be asking themselves.           

That first question would be, “What is the porosity of my hair?”  This  is  a very important question to ask yourself because this may be single-handedly the main road block to having healthy hair success.  To understand the porosity of hair you must understand what porosity means.  To give an easy and general definition of porosity is that porosity is how much moisture the hair can absorb.  Contrary to popular belief, hair with high porosity is not a good thing!.

 High porous hair means that the hair cuticle layer (The cuticle layer is the outermost layer of the hair and resembles shingles of the roof.  This is the main barrier or shield for the hair)  is damaged and can not lie down and takes in a lot of moisture in but also loses a lot of that moisture. When this cuticle layer can not lie down, it is lifted up and is an indication of damage.  So in a sense getting moisture to penetrate the hair may be good but not if it is losing that moisture just as fast as it is receiving it and at the expensive of a damaged cuticle layer! Below is a summary of the symptoms of Over Porosity/ Moisture loss:

Ø      Hair easily gains and losses moisture and other substances

Ø      Coloring solutions and chemicals process quickly

Ø      Hair dries fast

These three symptoms result in:

Ø      Natural moisture escapes from the inner fiber (the cortex which is the centermost part of the hair shaft) into the atmosphere causing dryness

Ø      Cuticle damage because the cuticle layer is no longer properly aligned and providing adequate protection for the inner most part of the hair shaft.

Now that we know that we don’t want over porous hair, the only thing left to do is figure out how to repair over porous hair if we have it.  Below is a great prescribed solution for Over Porosity/ Moisture Loss:

Ø      Deep Conditioner

Hydratherma Deep Conditioner

Ø      Reconstructor Monthly (aka Protein Treatment)

Hydratherma Protein Treatment

Ø      Daily Moisturizer

Hydratherma Moisturizer

Quenched Curls Moisturizer

Ø      Leave-in Conditioner

Hydratherma Leave-In Conditioner

Lacio Lacio Leave-In Conditioner with Mink Oil! (My favorite conditioner.  It has agents in it that smoothes the cuticle layer.  It’s like a conditioner with built in hair polish/laminate/blow-drying lotion!)

Lacio Lacio Leave-In Conditioner

Ø      Hair Polisher (Aka Laminate) and/ or Blow-drying Lotion

Lacio Lacio Leave-In Conditioner with Mink Oil!

Lacio Lacio Leave-In Conditioner

All is all when trying to repair damaged hair, you must get to the root of the problem, no pun intended.  Knowing that your hair is damaged is not enough.  You need to look deeper into problem to find the solution.  Today when just went over one of the possibilities but later on through the month we will explore other reasons as to why hair becomes damaged along with solutions!

Work Cited

AN Syed, H Ayoub - Cosmetics and toiletries, 2002 - dralisyed.com
Page 1. Correlating Porosity and Tensile Strength of Chemically Modified Hair Ali
N. Syed and Hasan Ayoub Avian Industries, Inc, Bedford Park, Illinois USA …

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