I had to rethink exactly what I am
doing as a natural, after chasing products and seeking longer lengths, my satisfaction
has come from having healthy hair. I am finally really happy with my hair. I
have decided to take care of my hair from the inside out, but first I want to
truly understand my hair.
We all know the
basic makeup of the hair shaft. But do we know how these components come into
play with keeping the hair healthy? The Hair is made up of the Cuticle, Cortex
and Medulla. The Cortex and Medulla are protected by the Cortex. Once the
Cuticle is damaged it can no longer protect the Cortex and a damaged Cortex cannot
be repaired. So let’s focus on the cuticle and understanding how it works and
what we can do to keep it protected.
Sweat carries an oil that drips from
your body to moisturize and protect the skin, this is the same oil that drips
down your scalp to helps to moisturize and protect the hair.This oil is called
Sebum.
Sebum is an oily secretion of the sebaceous glands. Sebum
keeps hair and skin looking great.
With our curly, coily and kinky hair, It’s hard for the Sebum to go down the
entire shaft. The sebum attempts to drip and make its way down the hair shaft,
but it gets stuck in-between the curves of our curls.
So in order to keep our hair
healthy, we have to use hair products that mimic the functionality of the
body's natural moisturizer, sebum. Sebum is acidic, not alkaline.
See more at:
Why is It important to understand Acidic
products versus Alkaline products?
Acidic products causes the Cuticle
to close, Alkaline products open up the Cuticle.Potential
of Hydrogen, or pH, is the measurement of how acidic or alkaline a substance
is. It is judged on a scale between 0 and 14. Anything between 0 and 6.9 is
acidic, 7 is neutral, and anything between 7.1 and 14 is alkaline. Human hair
and scalp oil, sebum, has a pH balance of between 4.5 and 5.5. Showering with neutral water takes
the hair to pH of 7.0, which is neutral. It takes the body twenty minutes to
regain its proper pH level which is 4.5-5.5.
This natural hair acidity prevents fungi and bacteria in
the hair and scalp, and keeps the cuticle closed and healthy. Many of the hair
products that people use disrupt the natural pH of the hair. A substance that
is too alkaline will cause the hair cuticle to open, while a substance that is
too acidic will cause the cuticle to contract.
In order to understand your products buy P.H. test strips.
You can buy them online or a beauty supply store. I bought mine from the fish
department in Wal-mart. Ok so let’s test your products.
Pour your liquid
product into a glass, stick the test strip into the glass for the amount of
time the strip directions indicate. Remove the strip and compare it to the
diagram to find the pH of the product. Discontinue the use of any product
outside of the 4 to 7 pH range.
So know that I understand this, how do I use this information?
When you hear someone say, deep condition your hair and
sit under the dryer for 20 minutes, the heat is another element that helps to
open the cuticle. When have found a good deep conditioner of your choice, sit
under a dryer and allow the moisture to seep into the cortex, now this is how
PH comes into play. Understanding that a more acidic product will close the
cuticle, use an Apple cider mix or Aloe Vera mix (Both products are acidic)
along with cold water to close and seal in the moisture. Cold water causes the cuticle
to close.
Apple cider vinegar has a pH level of about 3. It should
be diluted with water until it has a pH level of 4. Many people prefer aloe Vera
gel because the vinegar smell is too strong. If you rinse your hair after using
the natural acid, the water will deactivate the acid.
If you have curly hair, then your cuticle is already
partially open. It is especially important for people with curly hair to return
their hair to a slightly acidic pH level, since the open cuticle prevents
natural acidic sebum to keep the entire hair at a pH level between 4.5 and 5.5.
Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse:
1/3 of a cup (75 ml) of ACV into a quart (1 liter) of
water. You can then store this mixture in a plastic bottle and keep it in the
shower for ready use. Mix
well with a spoon and use a pH test strip to ensure the pH is not under 4.5.
If you have very dry and damaged hair:
Pour 2 tbsp. (30 ml) of a
silicone-free conditioner, 2 tbsp. (30 ml) of whole-leaf aloe Vera juice and 2
tsp. (10 ml) of jojoba oil into a bowl. Mix well with a spoon and use a pH test
strip to ensure the pH is not under 4.5.
Apply the
mixture to damp, washed hair, rinse and style as usual.
So let’s
re-cap:
Water neutralizes
hair, products that are above 7 are alkaline and causes the cuticle to open, products
that are more acidic under 4.5 and cold water caused the cuticle to close, this
should help you properly moisturize and keep moisture in the hair!
Healthy Hair Note:
Coloring your
hair, uses products that are Alkaline based, by using a more acidic product
after your color your hair will seal the color in and cause it to last longer
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