“How can I control my life when I can’t control my hair?”- Author unknown
Q-How often should I shampoo my hair? A- When your scalp feels dirty. Also when sweat mixes with the natural shedding of the scalp and dirty sebum (oil) it’s time for water!
The scalp is an important factor for retaining moisture. A healthy dermis (scalp you see and feel) will allow the oil glands to provide a natural lubrication that seals in moisture. Many factors affect this process and right now we will focus on the shampoo you use. Something as simple as a high ph-shampoo will dehydrate the scalp. A healthy scalp’s ph level is between 4.5- 5.5. For a normal hair cleansing you do not want to use a ph-balanced shampoo because they have a ph of 7 which is too high for the average scalp (4.5-5.5) unless it is being used after a chemical process. The increase of ph dehydrates the scalp and can cause it to become dry, itchy and even flaky.
******The information found below was found in numerous books, websites, and educational classes that I have taken. I strongly encourage you to look up information for yourself! *******
What shampoo to use?
Recent studies have found that sulfates are very drying and can damage hair follicles which could lead to hair loss. All because we really enjoy our amazing lather while washing our hair. It can also strip the hair and scalp of essential oils causing that drying effect. Worse if you are spending lots of money to color your hair, it causes the color to fade quicker so you have to get your hair colored more often. Sodium lauryl sulfate is not a recognized carcinogen. However, the chemical is frequently combined with TEA (triethanolamine), DEA (diethanolamine), or MEA (monnoethanolamine), which can cause the formation of the carcinogenic substances nitrosames. To be on the safe side, add antioxidant vitamins A and C to any product that contains TEA, DEA, or MEA. The addition of antioxidants will help protect against nitrosamine contamination. For each 8 ounces of shampoo, add 1 teaspoon of vitamin C powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of vitamin A powder.
- Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium laurilsulfate or sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS or NaDS0).
Don’t use conditioning shampoos because they deposit a slick film (fillers from the product) leaving residue build up on the hair. Here’s the analogy I read-Do you take a shower and put lotion on at the same time? No! The same rules that go for your body also apply to your hair.
Some ingredients to look for in your shampoo:
- For fine hair look for tea tree oil, sage, and chamomile.
- For other types of hair- Nettle, yarrow, chamomile, honey, wheat protein, gylcerine, glucosides (decyl glucodisde or coco-glucoside).
I found this information on a website I can’t remember what it is but when I find it I will let you guys know:
- Carcinogenic nitrosamines can form in the manufacturing of sodium lauryl sulfate or by its inter-reaction with other nitrogen-bearing ingredients within a formulation utilizing this ingredient.
- Other studies have indicated that sodium lauryl sulfate enters and maintains residual levels in the heart, liver, lungs and brain from skin contact. This poses the question whether it could be a serious potential health threat from its use in shampoos, cleansers, and toothpastes.
- Still other research has indicated sodium lauryl sulfate may be damaging to the immune system, especially within the skin. Skin layers may separate and inflame due to its protein denaturing properties.
- Although sodium lauryl sulfate is not carcinogenic in experimental studies, it has been shown that it causes severe epidermal changes in the area it is applied, indicating a need for tumor-enhancing assays.
- Additional studies have found that sodium lauryl sulfate is heavily deposited on the skin surface and in the hair follicles. Damage to the hair follicle could result from such deposition.
***Little extra hair note:
Help I’m going bald!!
The average scalp holds 100,000-150,000 hairs. With this being said your hair goes through different “life” stages. Anagen is your growing stage that lasts 2-6 years, Catagen is a transitional stage that lasts a couple of weeks, and Telogen is the resting stage which lasts 3-4 months. Telogen makes up about 10-15% of the hair on your head on a daily basis. With that being said normally a person will lose at least 1% of those strands (about 150 strands) a day. When you see your hair shedding, if it seems like more than this amount, that is when you need to consult your stylist because this is outside of the natural hair loss cycle.
Products/Shampoos
Here are some of the products that me and my friends have tried and found that we like:
- Mizani – true textures line
- Miss Jessies- Crème de la curl cleansing shampoo
- Aubrey Organics Shampoo
I haven’t had the chance to try these lines but they are next on my list:
- Hair Rules
- DevaCurl
**Keep in mind most sulfate free shampoo’s will not suds up. So don’t keep adding more and more shampoo, apply your normal amount and rinse. Although some sulfate free shampoo’s still have a cleansing agent in them that will still allow them to suds up. Also just because something says it’s the next best thing don’t believe the hype. I’ve found that like the “hole-in-the-wall restaurants” that are amazing, products that don’t have to boast and do extra marketing to claim that they are the best are made by smaller companies that truly have your heads in mind when making their products and are of a better quality. Products that contain all natural ingredients will cost a little more but always remember you get what you pay for!****
Next blog will be about conditioner.....
well said!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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