An Invitation To Dig Deeper!

In this post we’ll explore hair care product goals that may influence a purchase. Goals such as:

• A product that is rich in moisture
• Detangling properties that won’t weigh hair down
• Sealant to keep hair hydrated
• Know your ingredients

Rich in Moisture
When picking a product that is rich in moisture an indicator is that Water (Aqua) is the first ingredient listed in the product. When hair is moist is it is able to remain supple and soft. Dry hair tends to be more frizzy and harder to comb.  Hair breakage can be more of a factor as the hair is not as strong as when it is hydrated.
Water is not the only moisture we can use for hair hydration. Aloe Vera Juice is good at moisturizing hair as well as supplying other benefits. If you decide to use Aloe juice, diluting it with water is as a good place to start.
Another alternative to water and Aloe Vera Juice is looking at the by-product of Essential Oil steam distillation known as Hydrosols. Hydrosols are made when Essential oils are extracted from plant material using water.  Once the oils have been made the steam is allowed to reconstitute back into liquid form. The water has all the properties of the plant material and like aloe vera juice can hydrate hair with the benefits of that particular plant.

Detangling properties that won’t weigh hair down
Hair becomes tangled when hair fibers rub against each other. With raised cuticles, each time the hair moves the shafts get caught causing them to become stuck together. Picking a product with properties that help untangle the shafts will make management between washes better. Conditioning agents such as cationic surfactants, conditioning polymers and emollients can bond with hair fibers, helping to smooth the cuticle thus improve manageability and detangling the hair. Examples of such ingredients include Cetrimonium chloride, Cetyl Alcohol and Sweet Almond Oil.

Sealant to keep hair hydrated
Preventing the loss of moisture from your hair keeps it from going dry. Environmental factors contribute to how quick moisture is lost.  As mentioned before dry hair suffers from breakage. Making sure the ends of hair are protected reduces hair breakage, resulting in the retention of hair length. Butters and oils such as Shea butter, Mango butter, Flaxseed oil and Grapeseed oil can form a film around the hair that helps lock in moisture and also protect the ends of hair. Some ingredient also pull moisture from the air into the hair shaft. Glycerin is an example of an ingredient that draws moisture to hair.

Know your ingredients
Vital to helping pick a product that has the potential to help your hair is knowing what is in the product. The first 5 ingredients of any product should indicate the function of the product. For instance, in a product description that says it will soften and moisture hair the first 5 may include

• Some type of liquid (Water, Aloe Vera juice, Hydrosols)
• An oil(s) or butter(s)
• conditioning agents (ingredients that help with frizz, hair shine or product “thickness”)
• Emulsifier (to keep water, oils and butters together. Some can have condition properties as well)