Decipher Hair Weather Patterns!
Be weather savvy and prepared. Check out your forecast and beauty forecast the night before. Some styles such as braid-outs and twist-outs will shrink up into fuzzy nothingness at the hint of humidity. There are some ingredients to look for that will help you survive humidity.
There is a classification of ingredient called humectants which draw moisture from the atmosphere and adds it to your hair. Some of those ingredients include glycerin, aloe vera, honey and more. These are not good for keeping your hair from frizzing and puffing, seeing as they take moisture from the air and insert it to your strands. However, there are ingredients such as silicones which help keep the hair strands smooth and block moisture from entering the hair strands. for those of you who are doing the Curly Girl method, Hydrolyzed wheat protein is a semi silicone which is water soluble, but should protect hair and work as a sort of anti humidity entity. Another type of ingredient is panthenol, this penetrates hair efficiently and thickens, moisturizes, and smooths hair strands. Finally, ingredients such as paraffinum liquidum and hydrolyzed silk protein help smooth hair and give it a silky, smooth feel and protect moisture from the atmosphere from frizzing up your tresses. Be sure when applying the products to your hair, that you smooth them into your strands so that it fully coats your hair!
Here are some anti humidity products I've used:
Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream
, Biosilk Silk Therapy Serum
, Chi Silk Infusion
, Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding
, Garnier Fructis Anti-Humidity Milk
, Ecostyler Gel (Olive Oil)
, Urban Therapy Twisted Sista Curl Activator and Urban Therapy Different Strokes Serum.*Note: Paraffinum liquidum is a form of mineral oil. The key about using paraffinum and silicones is that they keep mositure out of your hair. People become weary of using it, but if you use is properly and are aware of what it does and what you are using it for, it can be your friend. It works wonders against humidity and if you moisturize under it and use it as a sealant, you and your hair will both be happy! Knowledge is power and this is how you can learn to use even the most taboo of ingredients to your advantage! How's that for fighting back against humidity!!
Click here to go to weather.com to see your beauty forecast.
Sources:
Panthenol: sci-toys.com/ingredients/panthenol.html
For humectants: dermatology.about.com/od/glossaryh/g/humectant.htm
For hydrolyzed silk protein: www.ingredientstodiefor.com/item.php?item_id=503
For paraffinum: environment.uk.msn.com/green-living/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=9846072&imageindex=3
For hydrolyzed wheat protein: www.lotioncrafter.com/hydrolyzed-wheat_protein.html
Very well researched and written! (:
ReplyDeleteso grease for instance thats cool on your hair for blocking humidity if you moisturize with shea or olive oil first?
ReplyDeleteGrease could be- but it may actually weight your hair down more then you'd want it to and also make it very... well greasy!
ReplyDeletebut you'd want to moisturize with a water based product and then a sealant like shea or olive oil- not too much though, then your styling product so that when your hair dries it will have moisture sealed in with definition
Humectants are what a lot of naturals use to make their daily hair spray.
ReplyDeleteI make mine with aloe vera gel, glycerin, water (to dilute it) and roes water to and light fragrant smell.
But also learned from my research on humectants that if the moisture in the air is less than the moisture in your hair it might start drying out your hair.
But depending on your hair type and how you style your hair humidity can be a none issue without the need for silicones. I am 4a and the only that causes fuzziness is a night tight enough or combed down style or too much manipulation or friction from hands or hair accessories.
I find if your kind of person that loads your hair with conditioner moisture wont make much of a difference especially if your hair is dry.
But being 4a it takes a lot to weigh down my hair because my hair grows out, not like 3 that may already grow downward. So what I am say weather proofing as a necessity or a practice is only a concern depending on your hair growth (thickness, density[how hairs together] , spiral pattern, length, and porosity,), moisture level, hair products in your hair and hair style that your trying to maintain.
For me it not but that also because I don't wash-and-goes and only wear twist-outs/braid-outs when I am going out.
The general idea is great. This is definitely a method that many curly girls use. I'm just not a fan of the product choices. However, the concept of your article is well presented, and I'm able to see how I can substitute things that I like that could work just as well.
ReplyDelete