"Hair conditioner", entry from Wikipedia

[Artemis]

This is just an excerpt from the page I found, but hopefully it'll help someone out there better understand the "science" of hair care products, specifically conditioners .
For the full page, go the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_conditioner

"There are several types of hair conditioner ingredients, differing in composition and functionality:

• Moisturizers, whose role is to hold moisture in the hair. Usually these contain high proportions of humectants.
• Reconstructors, usually containing hydrolyzed protein. Their role is to penetrate the hair and strengthen its structure through polymer crosslinking.
• Acidifiers, acidity regulators which maintain the conditioner's pH at about 2.5–3.5. In contact with acidic environment, the hair's somewhat scaly surface tightens up, as the hydrogen bonds between the keratin molecules are strengthened.
• Detanglers, which modify the hair surface by pH as acidifiers, and/or by coating it with polymers, as glossers.
• Thermal protectors, usually heat-absorbing polymers, shielding the hair against excessive heat, caused by, e.g., blow-drying or curling irons or hot rollers.
• Glossers, light-reflecting chemicals which bind to the hair surface. Usually polymers, usually silicones, e.g., dimethicone or cyclomethicone.
• Oils (EFAs - essential fatty acids), which can help dry/porous hair become more soft and pliable. The scalp produces a natural oil called sebum. EFAs are the closest thing to natural sebum (sebum contains EFAs).
• Surfactants - Hair consists of approximately 97% of a protein called keratin. The surface of keratin contains negatively-charged amino acids. Hair conditioners therefore usually contain cationic surfactants, which don't wash out completely, because their hydrophilic ends strongly bind to keratin. The hydrophobic ends of the surfactant molecules then act as the new hair surface. "

 

[angie10]

Thanks for the info, very helpful

 

[NeeSee]

Good info, I'll have to print it out.

 

[caribeandiva]

i had no idea they had this stuff on wikipedia. thanks for the heads up. i'm gonna go look for more info now.

 

[LovelyLionessa]

Great info!

 

[LaidBak]

Good info. I didn't know that about EFAs.

 

[*Muffin*]

Thanks. I actually didn't even know how a detangler performed.

 

[IDareT'sHair]

Yep! This is what I'm talking about! This is the Knowledge of This Forum that I Fell In Love with as: "A Lurker"

I am a Life Long Learner. And I like Smart Women and Smart People in General.

Yeah, it's fun to talk about what Beyonce is doing and if that's Oprah's Natural Hair, Or the Boy Dancing with the Holes in His Drawls, but all that Ain't Gonna Get Me where I am Trying to Go!

It's Threads Like this! That is what I am looking for out of this Forum and Personally out of my Membership Here.

Thank you for Bumping this and the Stretching 101 and all the Other Older Threads.

Where the Topics were Mature and Informative.