Hair loss: Reasons and how to take care of your curly hair. Part 3: Conditioning.

Let's imagine your hair is a spaghetti strand. Before cooking, it's hard and brittle. When cooked its soft and bends easily without breaking. If you oversoak your hair in water for too long, it swells and becomes frizzy the same way an overcooked spaghetti will start breaking. This is known as Hygral fatigue. To understand how to properly moisturise curly hair, we need to look at the balance between the essential lipids in the hair cortex, the sebum produced by the sebaceous glands, the f-layer and hair porosity. To understand how curly hair is properly moisturized, we need to look at the balance between essential lipids in the hair cortex, the sebum produced by the sebaceous glands, the f-layer and hair porosity.

According to Cruz (2012) the major lipids in curly ethnic hair are: cholesterol ester, free fatty acid, fatty alcohol, cholesterol, ceramide, glucosyl ceramide and cholesterol sulphate. An analysis of the components of sebum by Wertz (2009) shows that sebum is composed of triglycerides, free fatty acids, squalene, wax and sterol esters and free sterols. Hair lipid or sebum does not contain water in its free form. This does not mean that moisture is not important, moisture (in the right amount) is necessary to promote the elasticity of the hair fibers and thereby keep them soft and healthy.

Healthy hair is hydrophobic. It means it repels water. The hydrophobicity of the hair happens on the f-layer. This is the layer bordering the cuticle and the environment. Through diffusion, hair lets in just the right amount of moisture (when humid) – however, it also loses moisture if it goes without water for too long. According to Coderch (2015) Afro hair has the highest diffusion coefficient compared to other hair types. This means that Afro hair absorbs or loses moisture faster than other hair types.

Hair porosity (more on this later) is the ability of the hair to absorb and retain moisture. Hair can be: Low porosity, where the cuticles are arranged tightly to each other OR Medium/Normal Porosity: Here the cuticles are not too tightly bound to each other OR High porosity: Cuticles are lifted and are missing or separated from each other

What you should do

Hair is non-living. It cannot repair itself. You have to put back what is lost from your hair to keep it healthy and soft.

• Consider high quality Broccoli seed oil, Flax seed oil and Rice bran oil. These oils have high cysteine content and fatty acids which can replenish the lost cysteine along the hair. We highly recommend Forgiveness-our moisture restoring conditioner. It is a light and ultra-moisturising conditioner suited for all curl types
• Incorporate hydrolysed proteins in your hair care routine. Cysteine has a very high affinity for proteins. They combine to form covalent bonds which can improve the quality of the curls. We highly recommend our conditioning cream Serendipity if you are looking for a capable leave in conditioner to help replenish and repair your hair.
• Invest in high quality plant based Squalane. The closest oil to our sebum is Squalane.
• Deep Condition regularly: Depending on the state of your curls, you should deep condition your hair every other week. The Deep Conditioner replenishes essential lipids lost through shampooing or other external assaults on your hair. The IKEMIAN care masks (Hello Gorgeous & Cloud Nine Silk Mask) provide long-lasting care and a natural shine, especially for stressed and dry hair.Deep Condition regularly: Depending on the state of your curls, you should deep condition every other week. Deep conditioning replenishes essential lipids lost through shampooing or other external assaults on your hair.
• Neutralise negative charges on your hair. Damaged hair is negatively charged. Quarterly ammonium salts are positively charged and can substantially impart curly hair. We use the ingredients below in our conditioners
  1. Distearyldimonium Chloride
  2. Behentrimonium Methasulphate
• Split ends is a curly hair hassle. Sometimes the best remedy is to trim and allow healthy hair to propagate. Trim. Split ends is a curly hair hassle.

Our recommendations on what to avoid

• If you must apply colors and chemically manipulate your hair, consider a protein treatment or a deep conditioning treatment before. Afterwards ensure regular deep conditioning treatment
• Avoid putting your hair in a tight bind too often. This hair style often implies the application of frictional force along the hair strands, which lead to even more cuticle loss damage or hair loss
• Going to sleep without protecting your hair. Invest in a good old silk or satin cap for sleeping.