Naturalyzed

❓ Isn’t it amazing how conditioners can have so many different ingredients that make them so powerful? I guess that’s why we look for a conditioner that works for us rather than trying what the next person says we should use.

🌹🌹🌹 FUNCTIONS OF POLYMERS
💙 Polymers are commonly used in hair care products for many reasons.

🌿 Thicken a conditioner to make it creamier or more gel-like

🌿 Act as film formers for greater protection or styling hold

🌿 Condition – hydrate, moisturise, soften, provide slip, improve combability, increase elasticity and impart shine

🌿 Act as a humectant for moisture retention

🌿 Provide a delivery system for conditioning agents

🌹🌹🌹 TYPES OF POLYMERS
Polymers can be natural, synthetic or semi-synthetic. Haircare products tend to use cationic polymers, which are excellent for conditioning.

🌹 SYNTHETIC POLYMERS 🌹
The most used synthetic polymers are silicones, Polyethylene glycol (PEG) ingredients and carbomer. These can be used for their softening and lubricating effect. They can also aid detangling, add shine, reduce frizz and condition.

🌹🌹🌹 SEMI-SYNTHETIC POLYMERS 🌹
Natural polymers can be modified with ingredients such ammonium quaternary compounds to create semi-synthetic polymers. These include carbomer, starch/ cellulose derivatives or polyquaternium polymers (these have a number to identify the application e.g. Polyquat-6, 7, 10, 11, 37)

🌹 NATURAL POLYMERS 🌹
Natural polymers are mainly derived from polysaccharides, which are, simply, carbohydrates “that can be decomposed into two or more molecules of monosaccharides” (Merriam-Webster):
🌿 gums (e.g. xanthan, guar, sclerontium, carrageenan)
🌿 cellulose, chitin
🌿 starches (e.g. corn, rice, cassava)
🌿 silk (moisturizing, improves elasticity)
🌿 gelatin, collagen, pectin and hyaluronic acid
🌿 hydrolysed proteins
🌿 waxes, lanolin, fatty alcohols and triglycerides

There is so much that can be written on polymers, but just hoping that this gives a better idea of how they fit into conditioners.

🌹 🌹 🌹
NEXT STEPS
❓ Will you check what types of polymer your conditioners have? Share your story …

💙 Read our Know-your-hair series if you want to know more about the science of hair. https://www.facebook.com/naturalyzed/posts/3088788648022129





🌹 🌹 🌹
Credits by Canva (get in touch if you want a referral link for a Canva account)

🌷I don’t know about you but my year so far has been hectic. Nonetheless, I’m back and looking forward to sharing more on this wonderful topic of conditioners. Welcome to all the new followers and thanks to all who have been sharing our posts!

💦So let’s talk about what conditioners do to help how your hair feels. Firstly, we should note that one of the main targets of a conditioner is to close your cuticles for a smoother feel. This means that your conditioner should be in a slightly acidic pH range.

💎💎💎 DRY, BRITTLE
🌿 If your hair is dry or brittle, it can never feel soft. And you know soft feels fantastic, right? Your conditioner might have softening actives but a lot of the softening comes from emollients (see earlier post) that replace lost lipids

🌿 Emollients, including oils, fatty alcohols and butters will lubricate our hair strands and allow our hair to feel moisturised. They aid combability as well

🎀 Look for hydrating, moisturising, repairing, frizz-control

💎💎💎 OILY, LIMP
🌿 If you have oily hair, you might be told to avoid conditioner … but what about all the other benefits of conditioners?

🌿 If I had oily hair, I would avoid intensive conditioners with higher quantities of butters and oils. Conditioners for oily hair might include ingredients with degreasing properties such as tea tree or rosemary

💡Tip: Try using conditioner before your shampoo or condition only the tips after shampooing

🎀 Conditioner: balancing, strengthening, volumising

💎💎💎 WEAK, NO-BOUNCE
🌿 Conditioners can include ingredients to strengthen hair, usually in the form of hydrolysed proteins

🌿 If your hair needs volume, you may want to stop using conditioner on your scalp and roots

🌿 If you have limp hair, it could be your conditioner is weighing down your hair

🎀 Conditioner: volumising, strengthening

💎💎💎 TANGLED
🌿 Nothing feels worse than trying to get your comb or fingers through tangled hair

🌿 Conditioners have great slip to aid combability. Herbs like marshmallow root, aloe vera or hibiscus add slip, which helps you to detangle hair

💡A top tip for you: detangle your hair in sections and apply additional water/ conditioner to those tangles and gently work into the hair til tangles can be separated

🎀 Conditioner: detangling, “great slip”

💎💎💎 DAMAGED, ROUGH
🌿 So, a conditioner closes cuticles. But what if your cuticles are damaged or even missing? That means your hair is damaged and you may also have split ends

🌿 Our hair generally has a negative charge but it’s even more negative if it’s damaged. Conditioners include positively charged (cationic) ingredients that your hair will attract

🌿 The more damaged your hair is, the more effective the cationic ingredients will be because they target and temporarily stick to the damaged areas.

💡Tip: Use intensive conditioners or masks because they have higher levels of cationic ingredients

🎀 Look out for conditioners that mention your type of damage - smoothing, frizz-control, repairing

🌹 🌹 🌹
NEXT STEPS
🌿 Remember that your conditioner is only a part of your overall hair health. Read our previous post on hair challenges to learn more about the cause and what you can do to improve your hair health: https://www.facebook.com/naturalyzed/photos/pcb.3112258275675166/3111833949050932

❓ What is your greatest challenge with feel? Please share

💙 Read our Know-your-hair series if you want to know more about the science of hair. https://www.facebook.com/naturalyzed/posts/3088788648022129





🌹 🌹 🌹
Credits by Canva (get in touch if you want a referral link for a Canva account)

🥂 Wishing all our Naturalyzed family a splendid 2022. May your year be overflowing with opportunities. Let’s make 2022 our best year yet! ❤️

🌹 Our hair is made up primarily of proteins and amino acids, with our main source of protein coming through our diet. However, our hair also benefits from having additional protein applied externally because our hair gets weathered by manipulation and exposure.

🌹 Hair strands are mainly composed of keratin, which is made of peptides that can be broken down into various amino acids.

💎 Some proteins can pe*****te into hair strands - these provide moisturisation by binding water molecules in the hair

💎 Other proteins are too large to pe*****te into the hair - these provide film-forming, temporary repair, protection, lubrication and shine

❓ WHAT DO PROTEINS DO FOR YOUR HAIR?
💎 Strengthen hair by limited pe*******on into hair strand

💎 Provide temporary repair by filling gaps in hair strands or split ends

💎 Help to maintain moisture by forming film over hair strands

💎 Reduce breakage by keeping hair hydrated

Note: not all hair loves protein. Hair needs a moisture-protein balance to be flexible and elastic. It takes trial and error to learn to balance moisture and protein.

❓ WHEN DO YOU BENEFIT FROM PROTEIN?
🌹 Most conditioners will have a little protein but protein conditioners will have higher concentrations. You can benefit from periodic protein conditioning if:

💎 Your hair has undergone chemical treatment such as colouring, perms or relaxing

💎 Your hair is weak, damaged, breaking or ever-dry despite using oils and deep conditioners

💎 Your hair is high porosity, fine, porous or limp

💎 You swim or stay out in the sun without covering your head

❓ HOW CAN YOU TELL YOU HAVE PROTEIN OVERLOAD?
Too much of a good thing can be bad for you - this is so true with protein. Instead of it providing all the lovely benefits mentioned above, you notice your hair:

💎 Your hair is always dry

💎 Your hair becomes brittle and straw-like

💎 Your hair loses its curl pattern, becomes limp or loses volume

💎 Hair breaks easily

❓ HOW CAN YOU TELL WHAT PROTEINS ARE IN YOUR CONDITIONER?
Proteins are composed of large molecules, so they need to be made smaller to be suitable for use in haircare formulations. Some of the proteins you might find in your conditioners are:

🌿 Hydrolysed collagen - moisturising, film-former, volume, shine, manageability, reduce static
🌿 Hydrolysed keratin - strength
🌿 Hydrolysed plant/animal proteins (e.g. wheat, oat, silk) - similar to collagen, penetrating, moisture retention, shine
🌿 Amino acids - humectant, pe*****te hair strands
🌿 Peptides
🌿 Elastin - provides elasticity
🌿 Quats (quarternised hydrolysates)

🌹 🌹 🌹
NEXT STEPS
❓ Does your hair love proteins? Share your story …

💙 Read our Know-your-hair series if you want to know more about the science of hair. https://www.facebook.com/naturalyzed/posts/3088788648022129





🌹 🌹 🌹
Credits by Canva (get in touch if you want a referral link for a Canva account)

❓ Do you know what herbs are in your conditioner or why they are added? I have loads of favourite herbs, so I’ll share some of them over a couple of posts. Most herbs have tons of benefits depending on their content. For today, let’s start with detangling and conditioning herbs.

💎💎💎DETANGLING HERBS
Detangling herbs are high in mucilage and provide great slip to ease combing and keep your hair in great condition. Here are 5 of my favourite detangling herbs

🌹🌹🌹
🌹ALOE VERA
🌿 Rich in amino acids, minerals and vitamins
🌿 Anti-inflammatory, emollient
🌿 Detangle, soothe, condition, hydrate
🌿 Hair growth, elasticity, lustre, pH balance
🌿 Reduce breakage/ hair fall

🌹🌹🌹
🌹AMBUNU
🌿 Anti-inflammatory, emollient
🌿 Detangle, cleanse, soften
🌿 Shine, volume
🌿 Reduce hair loss

🌹🌹🌹
🌹BURDOCK ROOT
🌿 High in essential fatty acids and mucilage
🌿 Prevent hair loss
🌿 Soothe
🌿 Promote growth

🌹🌹🌹
🌹MARSHMALLOW ROOT
🌿 High in mucilage
🌿 Growth, thickness, elasticity, curls
🌿 Soothe
🌿 Reduce hair damage

🌹🌹🌹
🌹SLIPPERY ELM
🌿 High in calcium, amino acids
🌿 Detangle, strengthen
🌿 Circulation, new growth, shine
🌿 Great for brittle hair

💎💎💎CONDITIONING HERBS
Conditioning herbs improve the condition of hair in various ways:

💙 Improve the feel of hair e.g. soften or make hair more manageable

💙 Improve the look e.g. impart shine/ lustre, frizz-free

💙 Improve behaviour e.g. elasticity, bounce, hydration

Here are 5 of my favourite conditioning herbs.

🌹🌹🌹
🌹AMLA
🌿 Rich in vitamin C, antioxidant, essential fatty acids
🌿 Collagen production, growth, scalp nourishment
🌿 Pe*****te scalp, strengthen hair follicles
🌿 Tackle hair loss, premature greying. dandruff

🌹🌹🌹
🌹COMFREY LEAVES
🌿 Rich in antioxidants, proteins, minerals, Vit A
🌿 Revitalise, soften
🌿 Stimulate growth

🌹🌹🌹
🌹CASSIA (neutral henna)
🌿 Soften, condition, strengthen, volumise
🌿 Impart shine

🌹🌹🌹
🌹HIBISCUS
🌿 High in vitamin C, emollient
🌿 Follicle stimulation, growth/ regrowth, anti-greying
🌿 Tackle split ends, hair loss, frizz
🌿 Volumising, anti-dandruff

🌹🌹🌹
🌹STINGING NETTLE
🌿 Rich in minerals and vitamins A/C/D
🌿 Hinders over-production of DHT
🌿 Counteract hair loss, dandruff, breakage
🌿 Great for brittle hair

💙🌹💙🌹💙🌹💙🌹💙

🌹 🌹 🌹
NEXT STEPS
❓ What detangling and conditioning herbs do you look out for in your products?

💙 Read our Know-your-hair series if you want to know more about the science of hair. https://www.facebook.com/naturalyzed/posts/3088788648022129





🌹 🌹 🌹
Credits by Canva (get in touch if you want a referral link for a Canva account)

💎 Our current topic is about conditioning, so why define “occlude”? Well, we can infer that an occlusive is something that occludes, stops or obstructs – is that a good thing and does it have a place in conditioners?

💎 There's a lot of advice out there on hair conditioners and about water being the first ingredient. Water is a must in our haircare regimen because it provides hydration. But also remember that there are some great products that are waterless but designed to work with water e.g. conditioner bars.

💎 We’ve looked at a few ingredient types so far. Today, we’ll look at another one – occlusives.

🌹 WHY DO WE NEED OCCLUSIVES? 🌹
💎 In cosmetic terms, an occlusive is a sealant. As important as it is to provide hydration to our hair, it’s just as important to retain that moisture if we want to keep our hair moisturised. This is where occlusives come in.

💎 Our hair can absorb water but it just as easily loses it. So, we need something that can slow down the water loss so that our hair keeps moisturised. So, whenever you think “moisture retention”, understand that occlusives will be involved.

💎 Don’t run away when you see oily ingredients in your products – there are added for a reason, including to:

🌿 Nourish and replace lost oils

🌿 Aid combability and styling

🌿 Prevent flyaways/ reduce static

🌿 Reduce frizz

🌿 Increase gloss

🌿 Protect hair from environmental damage

🌿 Retain moisture by creating barrier

🌹 TYPES OF OCCLUSIVES 🌹
💎 Occlusives come in many forms, ranging from liquid to solid, soft to hard … Below are some ingredients you might find in your conditioner:

🌿 Oils/ waxes – carrier oils (made from plant seeds or fruit e.g. argan, baobab, coconut), petrolatum, mineral oil, squalene

🌿 Esters: triglycerides (vegetable e.g. olive, animal e.g. tallow, mink oil, marine),

🌿 Butters: shea, cocoa, mango, babassu, murumuru, cupuacu, kokum

🌿 Waxes/ waxy esters: jojoba, beeswax, carnauba, candelilla

🌿 Silicones: dimethicone, cyclomethicone and other –cones

🌿 Fatty acids, alcohols and sterols – stearic acid, cetyl alcohol, lanolin, cholesterol

🌿 Ceramides – keep cuticle closed, retain moisture and add shine

🌹 PROPERTIES OF OCCLUSIVES 🌹
💎 Many occlusives also have emollient properties. Think of jojoba oil – it is really a wax ester but oh how it softens and conditions hair! Mango butter is another occlusive that has emollient properties … and it’s also a humectant!

💎 Occlusives will tend to be heavier ingredients because they provide a barrier over the hair.

💎 As much as occlusives slow down water loss, they can still allow some water to enter, which is a good thing especially if you don’t drink enough water and need external hydration. But, in order for an occlusive to be effective, the hair must be hydrated first. If your hair is dry when you add an occlusive, it will only get drier because water finds it difficult to get in.

💎 One of the main problems with some occlusives, such as petrolatum, mineral oil or dimethicone, is that they might build up on the hair. So, they often appear on ingredients to avoid. The main reason is that they are heavy and need stronger shampoos to remove them. You need to make your own choice about what ingredients are on your list - just be informed and make a choice about what you are happy with (and what your hair loves).

🌹 🌹 🌹
NEXT STEPS
❓ Do you have any favourite occlusive ingredients?

💙 Read our Know-your-hair series if you want to know more about the science of hair. https://www.facebook.com/naturalyzed/posts/3088788648022129




🌹 🌹 🌹
Credits by Canva (get in touch if you want a referral link for a Canva account)

❓ How does your hair look when it is at its best? What does healthy hair look like? I would say I expect my hair to look silky, vibrant, lustrous and frizz-free. What about you? Let’s take a look at how conditioners can improve the appearance of our hair

💎💎💎 SHINE/ LUSTRE

🌿 When we see shiny hair, we think healthy hair. Growing up, some of us with afro/curly hair used pomades for the shine. Growing up, did you ever use Dax, Ultra Sheen or another pomade for sheen?

🌿 Shine actually comes from the reflection of light from the hair shaft – the straighter your hair is, the shinier it will be. So, Afro hair will look duller than Caucasian or Asian hair because the light off our hair is going in different directions and this reduces the sheen.

🌿 To maximise the natural lustre of our hair, we need closed cuticles. That’s where conditioners come in. Conditioners include ingredients to smooth down cuticles and cover them with film formers to increase shine. These ingredients also help to temporarily bond to split ends or fill in split hairs. But remember, the best remedy for split ends is a good trim.

💎💎💎 FRIZZ

🌿 There’s nothing worse than dry, frizzy looking hair, right? During anti-frizz month, we spent a lot of time on combatting frizz (search the link below for more). Frizzy hair = dull hair + dry hair. Conditioners may contain ingredients that reduce frizz. The important thing when it comes to frizz is balancing the needs of your hair type with the climate conditions around you. So you may find you need to use different conditioners in summer and winter. Your hair might need humectants if it is dry. But you’ll also need anti-humectants in a humid environment to avoid your hair taking in excess moisture.

🌿 Frizz can also be caused by static electricity, which can produce fly-aways. Our hair is negatively charged naturally but the impact isn’t felt because cuticles and lipids protect our hair. The negative charge increased when our hair gets damaged, over-dry, exposed to high heat or cold, or even when we comb or brush our hair. When this happens, the hairs repel each other and stop aligning, so the overall look is frizzy. Anti-frizz conditioners will contain ingredients that help to reduce the charge.

💎💎💎 THINNING/ BREAKAGE
🌿 If you have naturally thin hair, that’s probably genetic and you will benefit from using volumising conditioners. But, if your hair has recently started thinning or breaking, you first need to investigate the cause – is it caused by hair loss, hair fall? Is it age-related? Is it related to medicine, stress or a recent medical condition? Once you know the reason, you can look for products that deal with the core issue, starting with products for your scalp.

🌿 If your hair is thinning, you want your conditioners to be moisturising and light weight. If your hair is breaking, you want conditioners that are hydrating and strengthening. Natural oils, herbal extracts, amino acids and hydrolysed proteins will help your hair to look fuller. In particular, keratin, collagen and biotin help with volume and strength.

🌹 🌹 🌹
NEXT STEPS
❓ What challenges are you facing with your hair? How does it look?

💙 Read our Know-your-hair series if you want to know more about the science of hair. https://www.facebook.com/naturalyzed/posts/3088788648022129





🌹 🌹 🌹
Credits by Canva (get in touch if you want a referral link for a Canva account)

💎 Whenever I used to hear the word “emollient”, I thought of E45 or other such creams, not realising that emollients have benefits for hair too. Let’s look into that today …

🌹 🌹 🌹 FUNCTION OF AN EMOLLIENT

💙 Replace lipids lost from washday, manipulation and weathering

💙 Lubricate and soften hair, making it easier to detangle, brush and comb by providing great slip

💙 Protect hair by filling in gaps in the cuticles and forming a film over strands. A few lighter oils can pe*****te the strand and make hair more pliable

💙 Increase shine by smoothening cuticles

💙 Reduce water loss from hair while protecting it from hygral fatigue and frizz

💙 Protect the hair from heat and environmental damage

🌹 🌹 🌹 TYPES OF EMOLLIENTS
💎 We can find different types of emollients in our hair products. The main types of emollients are:

🌿 🌿 🌿
Lipids or oils: these include carrier oils, esters, waxes, fatty acids, fatty alcohols, butters and polymers.

As a kid, I loved a really soft Vaseline that kept my hair supple. Today, there’s so much more choice! Coconut, avocado, olive, argan, jojoba, shea butter are proven power houses, but there’s no limit to what nature offers. So many exotic oils at our fingertips!

Think about how your hair feels when you add your favourite oils to your hair. These oils help you to retain moisture and are often added to your products so you can get all the benefits. What’s your favourite oil or butter?

🌿 🌿 🌿
Silicones: these are derived from natural sources but undergo much processing. They are also known for their emollient properties because they offer softening and smoothing properties along with great shine. They also form a film on the hair to reduce water loss but can build up over time because some aren’t water-soluble.

Using products with silicones is a personal choice and there are silicone replacements out there too. If you’re a silicone user, use a clarifying shampoo periodically to get rid of any build up. What’s your view about silicones?

🌿 🌿 🌿
Botanical extracts and herbs: so many plants are great emollients, which is why they are included in hair products. Marshmallow, ambunu, aloe vera, fenugreek, ashwaghanda, slippery elm, oat straw, plantain, hibiscus and comfrey leaf can make a difference to your hair. These herbs tend to have plenty mucilage or slip.

🌹 🌹 🌹
NEXT STEPS
❓ What emollients are you using in your hair?
 Do you know the emollients in your conditioner?

💙 Read our Know-your-hair series if you want to know more about the science of hair. https://www.facebook.com/naturalyzed/posts/3088788648022129





🌹 🌹 🌹
Credits by Canva (get in touch if you want a referral link for a Canva account)

🌹 If you live a healthy life and treat your hair right, you will enjoy healthy hair. Will you face challenges? Yes! Stuff happens – sickness, stress, age and other factors can all affect our hair. But, if we have a good regimen, it goes a long way in keeping our hair healthy and strong. We’ll look at some of the natural ingredients that can be included in a conditioner.

💎 Our hair is primarily composed of protein – keratin and amino acids – water, vitamins and minerals. These get depleted from our hair over time and whenever we wash or manipulate our hair. ❓ How do we replenish those nutrients? Healthy diet, lifestyle and regimen.

💎 So many people go on about how we should look for water-based products. Water is very important but be mindful that we are getting more water-conscious, so you can also get solid bar conditioners to use on wet, clean hair.

💎 So, if you can get a solid bar conditioner which has no water, that kinda tells me that the conditioning agents are not water – water is the channel used to disperse the conditioning agents throughout our strands. Look at it another way. If you think about how your favourite conditioner makes your hair look and feel, I don’t think you’ll say you want your hair to feel wet. I wouldn’t recommend it, but how do you think your hair would feel after 1 month if you only wet it with water? I think mine would be hard and brittle. Hydration is a must but it isn’t conditioning!

🌹 🌹 🌹 CONDITIONING INGREDIENTS
🌿 Emollients: oils, fatty alcohols, fatty acids and esters that make our hair soft and pliable

🌿 Cationic ingredients: conditioning agents that carry a positive charge that is attracted to our negatively-charged hair. These smooth down the cuticles , soften hair, reduce static and provide slip for detangling

🌿 Humectants: attract moisture and bind to hair to provide moisture to our hair

🌿 Proteins: these strengthen our hair and come in different forms to fill gaps in the cuticle and strengthen hair strands.

🌿 Actives: these are vitamins, antioxidants, herbal and botanical extracts that are used at low concentrations to impart potent properties to hair.

We’ll cover more on these conditioning agents over the next few posts.

🌹 🌹 🌹
NEXT STEPS
❓ What do you look out for in your conditioners? Any favourite ingredients?

💙 Read our Know-your-hair series if you want to know more about the science of hair. https://www.facebook.com/naturalyzed/posts/3088788648022129




🌹 🌹 🌹
Credits by Canva (get in touch if you want a referral link for a Canva account)

❓ Did you ever watch cowboy movies? Always seemed like the men had weathered skin – I just got the sense that tough skin like leather had seen many hours of sun. What I didn’t realise is that our hair can also get weathered.

🌹WHAT IS WEATHERING? 🌹
💎 The definition we’ve given of weathering only refers to changes caused by the elements. But, hair weathering is more than that.

💎 Our hair undergoes an element of degradation in the growth cycle. But, weathering, which is a progressive degeneration of hair strands, can worsen the damage.

💎 Weathering results in the loss of cuticles over time, which we need to protect the inner cortex that provides the structure and texture of our hair.

🌹CAUSES OF WEATHERING🌹
💎 Manipulation: shampooing, combing or brushing our hair

💎 Styling: braids, weaves, extensions, twists

💎 Heat: straightening, curling tongs

💎 Chemical processes: perms, relaxers, waves, bleach, hair dyes

💎 Environment: UV light, wind, hard water, salt water, chlorinated water

🌹PROCESS OF WEATHERING🌹
💎 When hair is weathered, cuticles are raised. This makes the hair more porous and, if severe, the cortex can also be exposed.

💎 The tips of our hair have been exposed for longer so they usually have a higher porosity and are prone to damage. This is why we need to pay more attention to the ends.

💎 Afro hair suffers more from weathering because it has less sebum along the shaft and is harder to comb. It also has lower tensile strength than Asian or Caucasian hair and is easier to break.

🌹RESULTS OF WEATHERING🌹
🆘 Weathering of hair manifests in different ways.
🆘 Tangles or frizz
🆘 More prone to breakage
🆘 Can develop split ends or mid-hair splits
🆘 Loss of lustre and bounce
🆘 Weaker strands
🆘 Harder to retain moisture
🆘 Can become matted
🆘 Harder to manage
🆘 Damaged hair

🌹HOW TO MINIMISE IMPACT OF WEATHERING🌹
We can’t run away from weathering but we can minimise its impact. Conditioners will definitely help you to minimise the effect of weathering as you protect your hair. There are also some other things you can do.
🌿 Be gentle with your hair
🌿 Use wide-toothed, round-tipped plastic combs and soft brushes
🌿 Don’t back-comb – this raises the cuticles
🌿 Avoid excessive grooming
🌿 Avoid high heat and use heat protectants
🌿 Avoid tight hairstyles
🌿 Protect your hair when sleeping, outdoors or swimming
🌿 Get regular trims
🌿 Use products correctly
🌿 Choose shampoos and conditioners suitable for your hair type and hair challenges

🌹 🌹 🌹
NEXT STEPS
❓ Do you have hair damage? What are you going to change after reading this post?

💙 Read our Know-your-hair series if you want to know more about the science of hair. https://www.facebook.com/naturalyzed/posts/3088788648022129




🌹 🌹 🌹
Credits by Canva (get in touch if you want a referral link for a Canva account)

💙 If you read through our “Know-your-hair” series, you’ll find challenges we can face with our hair. A shampoo will open cuticles and cleanse hair to remove oil, dirt and product build-up.

🌹 Conditioners nourish the hair and are formulated to tackle various hair challenges in different hair types. They maintain or improve our hair's structure, health, look, feel and strength.

🌹 🌹 🌹 FUNCTION: MAINTAIN STRUCTURE 🌹 🌹 🌹
💎 Our hair strands are dead – they can’t be resurrected. So, unlike skin, which is regenerative, we can’t replace lost cuticles or permanently repair hair damage. Conditioners can only help our hair temporarily. That’s why we need to condition our hair regularly. It stands to reason that conditioners must be doing a lot of work in the short time they are in our hair.

🌹 🌹 🌹
To help restore structure conditioners may contain various ingredients such as:

🌿 Water to transport conditioning agents into and onto the hair

🌿 Humectants to attract moisture to hair strands

🌿 Oils, fatty acids, fatty alcohols and esters to restore lubrication and pliability to strands

🌿 Ingredients with tiny molecules so they can enter and strengthen on nourish the hair strands

🌿 Ingredients that are attracted to the damaged parts of the strands and fill in the gaps. These might also offer temporary respite for split ends

🌿 Antioxidants and amino acids are usually added to protect hair from UV radiation

🌿 Film-formers that coat and protect the hair

🌿 Acidifiers to keep the pH in line with the hair’s pH – this enables the cuticles to be smoothed down.

💙 We will learn more about some of these ingredients throughout the series.

🌹 🌹 🌹
NEXT STEPS
❓ Do you have hair damage? What do you look out for in conditioner to maintain your structure?

💙 Read our Know-your-hair series if you want to know more about the science of hair. https://www.facebook.com/naturalyzed/posts/3088788648022129



🌹 🌹 🌹
Credits by Canva (get in touch if you want a referral link for a Canva account)

❓ Do you remember the days when it was easy to find a conditioner? Most were for normal hair and they seemed to do the trick … at least I thought so. So many choices nowadays … no wonder people get lost.

🌹 Conditioners are formulated for different hair types to maintain or improve the condition of your hair. You may find conditioners for different hair types and different hair challenges. The consistency of conditioners can range from watery to creamy. These days, there is a push for waterless or water-conscious products, so conditioner bars are becoming quite common.

🌹 Today, we’ll look at the main types of conditioner available on the market.

🌿 RINSE-OUT CONDITIONER 🌿
This is probably the most commonly used conditioner, usually a lotion or cream. Rinse-out conditioner is left in for a few minutes – your hair feels softer and is easy to detangle. People with oily hair might use this more often than those with drier hair.

🌿 DEEP CONDITIONER 🌿
Deep conditioner is intensive and is left in for a longer time. It is more suitable for dry or damaged hair. This is usually a thicker cream, which is left for at least 30 minutes. Deep conditioners might be used once every 1-2 weeks.

🌿 LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER 🌿
Leave-in conditioners are light – they may be more liquid and are formulated to stay in your hair. Leave-ins will help to hydrate your hair and retain moisture. They are also good for detangling and are a must for damaged or curly hair.

🌿 CO-WASH 🌿
This is a conditioner-wash and is formulated for use as a combined shampoo and conditioner. Co-washes are especially good for curly hair types because they provide gentle cleansing and effective conditioning agents.

🌹 🌹 🌹
NEXT STEPS
❓ What would you like to learn about in this series?

💙 Read our Know-your-hair series if you want to know more about the science of hair. https://www.facebook.com/naturalyzed/posts/3088788648022129



🌹 🌹 🌹
Credits by Canva (get in touch if you want a referral link for a Canva account)