Why is the hair that is all over the bathroom and on the sink considered gross yet when its on your head its all kinds of cool? Weird right, I mean either way its dead but for some reason when it is unattached from our heads it becomes an entirely different specimen, something to be rejected and flushed.
Thats unless you have found ways to make it sentimental, like your baby’s first haircut. Well regardless of how you think about it, shed and broken hairs tell a story; they can show you how healthy your hair is, as a matter of fact if its broken you already have a huge clue that something is wrong.
Under a microscope you might see a perfect strand that has smooth cuticles with all the scales lying on top of each other, lined up perfectly giving you a smooth surface. Hairs like these would be shiny and healthy looking if they were still attached to your head.
On the other hand you might see a strand that has raised cuticles, frayed layers and extreme degeneration which on your head would make your hair appear dull, dry, lifeless and pretty much on the verge of falling out.
Of course there are two extreme scenarios while many of us probably fall somewhere in-between but for now we will deal with just the two extremes. The first scenario where our hair is naturally shiny and the cuticles lay flat, is pretty much our goal when on a healthy hair journey.
If for any reason you find yourself in the second category or on the unhealthy side you need to find ways to strengthen your hair to see if it can be salvaged. With that said, if you are looking for ways to strengthen your hair we have five suggestions you might want to look at right now.
1. Humectants
Sometimes if feels like you have 99 problems and dry hair is always one. Using products that have humectants particularly glycerin, improves moisture balance in your hair making it stronger by improving the elasticity in the strands.
A dried up piece of spaghetti noodle will break in half under minimal pressure but when it has just come out of the pot, after it has absorbed all that lovely water, it is pliable and elastic and cutting it then becomes your only option.
Our hair is not spaghetti of course but the principle is pretty much the same, moisture helps your hair to bend, move and be molded into different shapes without breaking. Dry hair will break if the problem is not fixed, and humectants are great at keeping your hair hydrated for longer.
2. Ceramides
Ceremides are a natural and relaxed girl’s dream more so those with relaxed hair. When you chemically process your hair, your cuticles are naturally raised, so even when you use a lot of protein you still need something to hold the protein in place particularly on the surface of the strands.
That is essentially what ceremides do, they are the glue that holds the layers on the surface of the cuticle down and closed. Ceramides are easy to find in hair products, just do a little research and check your ingredient lists, we will give you a couple ideas to start you off though, Wheat germ oil*, Hemp oil* and Grapeseed oil* all contain ceramides.
I have Jerry curls(cold wave) and its actually a dying art, so its difficult to find products or even be sure i can relate your recommendations to my hair.
I don’t want to do any hot application by relaxing my hair and I am not fully ready to go all natural, that was why i chose cold waves, it just answers where I am at the moment.
Unfortunately, my hair is breaking seriously and and am at loss on how to stop it, and even grow my hair healthily for now.
Thank you for your site, great ideas often overwhelming because it makes you feel like a kid in a sweet shop, so much great stuff.
I try to eat healthy, workout and drink lots of water. I deep treat my hair as well to make sure it gets all it needs to keep growing strong. Hi Pro Pac Moroccan Mend Argan Oil Deep Repair Masque does an excellent job of keeping my hair in tip top shape and i absolutely love it. I use it once a month.
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