ORS Fertilizing Serum

Organic Root Stimulator Fertilizing Serum is a great product for people suffering from hair loss.   Ors fertilizing serum is a great african american hair growth product that can be used for all races as well.      Below is a rundown of the benefits of this great product!

• Fertilizing Serum is a nutrient-rich serum that exfoliates the scalp, stimulates circulation and nourishes emerging hair shafts.

*  Circulation is a key component in the growth of hair.  Without good blood flow circulation, growing  hair becomes a major problem!

• The Serum is rich with vitamins and amino acids, created to exfoliate and increase lipid production and balance hair-growth stunting DHT hormones. Fertilizing Serum is ideal for natural hair textures, braids, weaves and curly perms.

*  DHT is a male hormone that originates as testosterone.  While testosterone is good for fast hair growth, once it turns into DHT it then stunts the growth of hair.  Ors fertilizing serum is a great blocker of DHT.

ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS:

• Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum)
• A red pepper used as a herbal stimulant that improves circulation and oxygen levels on the scalp
• Chinese Wild Yam
• A root that has a natural form of estrogen that blocks the conversion of testosterone to DHT (Dihydrotesterone)
• Aloe Vera
• A plant, whose gel from its leaf is known for its healing, anti-bacterial and soothing properties i.e. burns, chapped skin, dermatitis, eczema, and dry skin

This a great product for natural hair growth.

This product is great along with Organic Root Stimulator Fertilizing Temple Balm.

Get 10% off of your order if you purchase to day using the code “blackhaircare101″

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Thinning Hair Solutions

Many times the main question I’m asked is, “Are there any thinning hair solutions out there”. Believe it or not, there are some things that you can do to combat this problem. Along with your hair care regimen there are some great thinning hair solutions out there that aid in the thickening of hair

Thinning Hair Solutions #1

Thinning Hair Solution #2

Organic Root Stimulator Review/Guide

Fertilizing Temple Balm Fertilizing Serum

1. Great for hair growth on the thinning areas around the temple of your head
2. This should be used every week
3. Other great advantages of using Organic Root Stimulator
4. 1) Phytic Acid Complex© exfoliates clogged follicles and releases scalp tension.
   2) Sulfur-rich amino acids from Horsetail, Nettle and Garlic fertilizes and nourishes the follicles.
   3) Cayenne and Kola Nut stimulate and promote circulation while Chinese herbs balance the hormonal forces of DHT.
   4) Essential vitamins and minerals protect and strengthen newly emerging hair shafts

Though some of these products take several weeks to see the results, you will reap the rewards over time. Also a great advantage of Organic Root Stimulator is that if you stop using the product the hair that was stimulated to grow through using the product will continue to stay with you.

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Sometimes it is hard to find a way to start.  Below are some product reviews done of all of the products that I have tried and seen a great result in.  Also be sure to check out the product recommendations post to see which product best fits your needs!

Product Reviews

Ø Hydratherma Naturals Review/Guide ( Hydratherma Testimonial/Review)

§ Daily Moisturizing Growth Lotion

· Can be used on natural or relaxed hair

· Light formula

· Great to be put on the ends of your hair to stop breakage

§ Hair Growth Oil

· Great hot oil treatment

· Seals in moisture

§ Follicle Invigorator 4 oz.

· Thickens the hair when used regularly over time

§ Moisture/Protein Bal Leave-In Amino Plus, Deep Con. Tmt.

· Mild Protein Treatment!

· Seals in moisture due to the oil in the

§ Amino Clarifying Shampoo 8 oz.

Ø Lacio Lacio Product Review/Guide

§ AMP Lacio Lacio

· Makes hair super soft!

· Seals in moisture due to the oil in the in the conditioner

· Doesn’t weigh the hair down

· Leaves hair bouncy

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Product Recommendations

v For Strength

Ø Regular hair (no damage)

§ Leave in conditioner for hair w/ mild amount of protein

· AMP Lacio Lacio

¨ This has mink oil in it. Either version of Lacio Lacio is fine to use.

· Lacio Lacio High Shine Leave-in

¨ This does not have mink oil in it but has a mild amount of protein

Ø Damaged Hair

§ Aphogee Restructurizer

· This is a spray, leave in formula rich in protein that will repair hair damage

· This can be applied wet or dry, though if you apply it to dry hair spray a fine mist and seal with a blow dryer or flat iron

· Use every time you wash your hair (Use Regularly)

§ Champagne Curls & Kaviar Kink

· Also has protein it it

· Protects hair from damage

· Light hair Oil

§ Moisture/Protein Bal Leave-In Amino Plus, Deep Con. Tmt.

§ Lacio Lacio High Shine Leave-in

· Mild protein but highly effective over time

§ Aphogee Restructurizer

· This should be used every week

v For Moisture

Ø Regular hair (no damage)

§ Shampoo

· Pure Curls Clarifying Shampoo

¨ Sulfate Free

· Curlicious Cream

¨ This is a cream shampoo

¨ Does not foam up

¨ Also Sulfate free

Ø Leave in Conditioning

· Moisture/Protein Bal Leave-In Amino Plus, Deep Con. Tmt.

v Cosmetic

Ø Thickening the Hair

§ Moisture/Protein Bal Leave-In Amino Plus, Deep Con. Tmt.

· Another great protein treatment that can be used along with Ahpogee

¨ You do not need to use both, but both would have a stronger impact on your hair

§ Aphogee Restructurizer

· Great for thickening the hair over time because protein is the only thing that will bond to the hair

§ Follicle Invigorator 4 oz.

· Formulated to specifically thicken hair!

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Healthy Hair Beauty Supply Blog Series-The Last Question to ask yourself when you have damaged hair:

Question 3) What Kind of Damage am I doing to my hair shaft?

There are many variables that effect hair in a negative way. Today we will discuss three of them. The three ways in which the hair shaft becomes damaged is by chemical, environmental, and the overheating of hair. These three variables are the most damaging factors to face when trying to gain and maintain healthy hair. The negative effects can stem from hair thinning to overall hair loss. Less look more closely at these three variables.

Firstly lets start off with Chemical damage. Chemical damaging is one of the most damaging of the three elements due to the fact that it breaks down the disulfide bond in your hair. This is a change that cannot be reversed. The disulfide bond is what makes the hair curly. Because a relaxer weakens the hair, the overall hair is weaked and damaged. In a way it is a sort of “controlled damage,” the effects of the relaxer are put to a halt by the neutralizing shampoo once the desired straightness takes place. Though I do not recommend relaxers, the best way to offset this damage is countering it with a strong protein treatment as it is the only thing that will bond to the hair to make it stronger. Along with a strong protein treatment you must not overlap the relaxer because you are further weakening the already damaged hair to the point of breakage. Stretching your relaxer is a good way to help make sure that you are not overlapping your hair. Another great thing about protein treatments is that it thickens the hair over time as it bonds to the hair. Below are some good product recommendations:

Ahopgee Green Tea Reconstructor

Hydratherma Protein Treatment

Secondly environmental damage is another form of damage that can affect the hair shaft. Environmental damage can come in the form of sun, wind, harsh winter elements. These three factors cause dryness. A great to way to combat this problem is to provide your hair with as much moisture as possible and seal in the moisture. Not only is that possible, but there are products with humectants that not only hold moist in the hair but, attract moisture to your hair. One good humectant would be glycerin. Below are some good products that have humectant abilities:

Lacio Lacio Leave-In Conditioner with Mink Oil!

Lacio Lacio Leave-In Conditioner

Lastly, overheating the hair is one the last major damaging effects on the hair shaft. High temperatures as you may know, severely damage the hair by drying the hair and causing longitude damage along the hair shaft splitting the hair fibers. The best solution to this problem is to not use heat at all. But if you are like most people, that is not an option. So to combat this problem a combination of all of the above product suggestions for the first two damaging factors stated above would do wonders for you hair. Below are those products again:

Lacio Lacio Leave-In Conditioner with Mink Oil!

Lacio Lacio Leave-In Conditioner

Ahopgee Green Tea Reconstructor

Hydratherma Protein Treatment

In conclusion there are many things that damage the hair shaft. But, they all tie into three main factors, environmental, chemical, and the overheating of hair. If you proactively and reactively fight these main factors you are on your way to long hair!

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I’ve found that many people are looking for where to start in there hair care journey.  Below are some good examples of hair regimens.  Choose which works for you!

Lavendar’s Other Hints and Tips::

Conditioning Recommendations for fixing Dehydrated, Chemically and/or Heat Damaged Hair, and/or Dry hair (lacking Oils/Moisture):

OVERVIEW:

The recommended products for the reconstructing treatment are: Aphogee Treatment for Damaged Hair, Paul Mitchell Supercharged (or your choice of moisturizing deep conditioner), Nexxus Emergencee, and Porosity Control. These will work on ALL damaged hair types, with the EXCEPTION of curly-permed hair. Using the Porosity Control on chemically curly-permed hair may loosen the curl.

1 - Do an Aphogee Treatment for Damaged Hair, and then RINSE OUT thoroughly.
2 - then do the PM Supercharged (moisturizing DC) (for 30-60 min), and RINSE OUT.
3 - then use the Porosity Control (for 15 min/no heat), and RINSE OUT.

If your hair is also dry, you can incorporate a Hot Oil Treatment or prepoo with conditioner/oil once per week.

If your hair IS damaged due to heat or chemicals, then dryness is the first damage stage (oil/moisture has been stripped away). This can also occur from HARSH SHAMPOOS as well! Avoid shampoos containing Ammonium Laurel Sulfate, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Laurel Sulfate, or Sodium Laureth Sulfate, which can be very drying to the hair. SLES and ALES are supposedly less damaging, but avoiding sulfates is always best. Use your own judgment here. If your hair is REALLY fried…just skip shampooing all together and wash with conditioner (co-wash) for a while. Ladies with extremely fine hair like mine should only do this occasionally. Also, you can dilute your shampoo with water. Put shampoo and water in a tint bottle and apply the shampoo sparingly just to the scalp. Massage in and rinse out. Do not apply shampoo directly to your hair strands.
STAGES OF DAMAGE:

Hair damage has three stages:

#1: Dry (oil/moisture has been stripped) Use a hot oil treatment or prepoo with conditioner/oil once per week. Deep condition for 30-60 minutes with heat once per week. If washing twice a week (as I did), you can alternate these two processes.

#2: Dehydrated (moisture has been stripped…which means hair is also POROUS). You need PM Supercharged Moisturizer (other moisturizing deep conditioner) and Porosity Control.

#3: VERY DAMAGED Protein bonds have been broken, usually as a result of chemical damage. Follow full reconstructing treatment below. Use either Aphogee Treatment for Damaged Hair or Nexxus Emergencee. (I recommend Emergencee now that the new Aphogee has silicones and can cause dryness. Use the old Aphogee hard protein if you have it; it’s wonderful!) You can always substitute with any other products at your own discretion.

Disclaimer: You or your stylist should assess your hair to determine your level of damage, if any. Misjudging your hair’s status is very easy to do. I am not a licensed professional, so follow any recommendations with your own discretion and at your own risk.

FYI: I considered myself at level 3 and followed the steps accordingly with fabulous results! Following the moisturizing deep condition step with maximum time and heat is crucial for level 3.
RECONSTRUCTING TREATMENT:
——————-

For severely damaged hair only (level 3), follow this treatment once a week for 4 weeks and then every 6 weeks.

Level 2 hair should follow this treatment once every 4 weeks until improvement is noted.

Level 1 hair or maintenance should follow this treatment once every 6 weeks or 1-2 weeks before relaxing, or as needed if you are good at gauging your protein/moisture levels. It is never good to use hard/medium protein too often. Learn your hair!

Levels 2 and 3 must remember to adjust to once every 6 weeks at the recommended time or as improvement is noted.

Begin by shampooing with a sulfate-free shampoo.

1) Aphogee or Emergencee Treatment – Use either according to the directions. Aphogee should be done under the dryer until extremely hard and completely dry, usually around 45-60 minutes.

2) Next, follow with an application of MOISTURIZING DEEP CONDITIONER that does not contain protein. * Leave on DC for at least 30-60 minutes with heat – Rinse

3) Follow up with Porosity Control conditioner: * Leave the PC on for about 15 minutes – Rinse (don’t worry that the directions say to leave on 30 seconds, this is the only exception you should make in following the directions). Rinse thoroughly. You hair should feel greatly improved.

Additional Treatment Tidbits:

*Always rinse hard protein product off in the shower. You do NOT want to manipulate your hair while it is in the hard stage. It could snap off. Do not touch it as you sit under a hooded dryer. Do not bend your head over a sink.

* You must always, always use a moisturizing deep conditioner after medium-to-hard protein treatment or your hair will feel brittle and rough.

*Porosity Control helps to make hair less porous and it restores hair to the proper pH levels…..it is an “acidifier”. It will make your hair more sleek, shiny, and conditioned.

*If your hair is not damaged enough to warrant their use…nothing will happen. You just won’t notice a dramatic change. BUT, if your hair IS damaged…you will LOVE the results!

*Remember, only follow the recommendations for Level 3 if you consider yourself to have severely damaged hair. Otherwise, using the treatment every 6 weeks will suffice. If you have moderate damage, you can use it every 4 weeks until you see major improvement.

*Level 3: If you are washing more than once a week, a wash and deep condition can be done 3-4 days later. Do not repeat the protein treatment until a full week later. If washing once a week, follow the directions as above.
Lavendar’s Other Hints and Tips:

*When using heat styling, make sure to protect your hair with a heat protectant (if your hair can tolerate it) or a very light oil.

*Moisturize hair and seal with light oil at least every other day. Use a light touch so you do not weigh hair down. Scalp massage with ayurvedic oil for 5 minutes is wonderful!

*Cover hair at all costs. Nightly, while reading, chillaxin, watching TV…COVER! Never use cotton bandanas!

*Find your trim rate: It took me a while to realize that around 12-15 weeks I would see little breaking pieces that signaled it was time to dust. I set my trim rate at every 12 weeks. You need not trim/dust more than 1/4-1/2 inch at a time if you are maintaining otherwise healthy ends.

*Learn to assess whether products are really good for your hair. You cannot tell after just ONE use. Any conditioner will make your hair feel soft and smooth, but if your hair is dry as a bone 2-3 days later, even after moisturizing and sealing….TOSS IT!!! Read the ingredients….coarse hair usually tolerates silicones well…fine hair usually is suffocated by them, of course there are exceptions.

*When you find products that work well, stick with them. Cure your PJ-ism once and for all. I should talk, right??? LOL

Tracee Ellis Ross’ Hair Routine

Girlfriend’s Got Style!
By Laini Madhubuti, BET.com Staff Writer

BET.com: So, what exactly is your hair routine like?

TER: Once a week, usually on a Sunday, my trick is that I go to the steam room and I fill my hair up with conditioner. There’s three different conditioners that I’ll use, that’s my deep conditioning day. I wash it once a week, sometimes twice depending on how many products we’ve put in my hair because if you wash it too much it gets dry. There’s a really cheap product called Hair Mayonnaise, it’s an organic product that you can buy at health food stores. It’s a big tub and it’s like a hair growth product [and] really good conditioner. Rene Furterer makes a conditioner called Karite Nourishing Conditioning Cream for dry hair ($22, 3.4 oz.). It’s expensive but good, but I say that the Hair Mayonnaise is just as good and cheap.

In terms of products to get my hair curly during the week, the trick is the Denman brush, a D4 ($17) or the industrial one, it’s the key to curls. [While in the shower,] wet your hair, fill it up with conditioner. I split my hair into six sections, bottom section split it in two, brush it over the shoulder, next section, brush it over the shoulder, etc. Leave the conditioner in. After I’ve brushed it out, I put a little more conditioner in my hair and (shaking the hair gently) I try to make the curls happen. You can see them develop at that point. Put the hair up in a clip, wash the body, do what you gotta do, rinse it out.

My Hair Care Regimen (I keep it very simple)

1. Wash hair once a week with Curls Shampoo (sulfate free)
2. Condition with Hydratherma Amino Conditioner(Great Detangler/moisturizer!)
3. Spray hair with Ahpogee Tea Reconstructer while wet (good source of protein)
4. Apply Lacio Lacio leave in conditioner. (also has protein and is a great moisturizer)
5. Blow Dry with Wigo Ionic Blowdryer (dries my hair in minutes and my hair feels softer!)
6. Flat iron hair with Wigo ceramic/tourmaline flat iron (gives my hair great shine and locks in the moisture)

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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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