Is DCing wishful thinking ? Interesting articles

SimJam

SimJam

Well-Known Member
http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2009/03/monday-myths-can-you-really-deep.html


http://thebeautybrains.com/bbforum/discussion/646/x


Dont know how to post the actual pages, can someone else do it please :ohwell:

Basically the articles (based on the opinion of a trichologist) claim that DCing for 30mins is not necessary/wishful thinking.


I have copied the answer by the Trichologist to a question about using heat to open cuticles during DC sessions.


"The Hair-shaft is not a vessel which opens up with heat and absorbs nutrients. The hair-shaft consists of an outer casing - the Cuticle which protects and contains the central Cortex (a series of tubes (macrofibrils) containing smaller tubes (microfibrils) containing smaller tubes (photofibrils) containing the alpha helices. The Cuticle’s role is to prevent the invasion of the Cortex. If the Cuticle is damaged and the Cortex becomes exposed, the hair-shaft will usually deteriorate and eventually sever at that point. Heat is always damaging to hair-shafts - Bubble Hair Syndrome is a condition in which small pockets of moisture contained within the Cuticle and Cortex vaporise with the intense heat from hairdryers, tongs, irons etc forming blisters which lead to severance.
In my opinion any process referred to as ‘deep conditioning’ is wishful thinking. Conditioning hair usually starts and finishes with aiding the Cuticle to enclose the Cortex. There is no effective treatment yet available which will permanently repair damaged hair-shafts and I have seen no evidence to confirm that they benefit from exposure to steam.
The best action is preventative care – do not expose hair to the potential hazards associated with chemical processing or thermal appliances which generate great heat.
If any of your members has a real hair problem I would suggest he/she takes individual advice from a graduate trichologist registered with and listed on The Trichological Society’s website (www.hairscientists.org)

I hope this is of interest.

Barry J Stevens MA FTTS
Consulting Hair Scientist and Registrar (TTS)."


Very interesting ... all I know is that steaming makes my hair feel better and hold moisture longer. :lick:
 
Yea, I've read the Natural Haven article before and was excited because it justifies my laziness in never leaving conditioner on my head for longer than the 10 minutes it takes for me to finish washing up :giggle:. I don't DC with heat either.

Focusing on using high quality conditioners makes way more of a difference than leaving it on your head for hours IMO. If a conditioner doesn't soften your hair within 5 minutes you need a better one.
 
the deep conditioning may not open the cuticle or whatever the scientific term is, and i am not a scientist so i can't dispute this.

however, deep conditioning may not REPAIR a damaged cuticle. this does not mean that a cuticle can not be fortified to resist breakage or sealed to smooth it thereby giving a better appearance, more combability and making it easier to detangle.

i agree that once hair is damaged it is irreversible and there isn't much you can do but cut it off.

i do not agree that deep conditioning is wishful thinking. deep conditioning can keep your hair in a healthy state and therefore allow it to resist breaking and splitting. it can make your hair appear better when styled.

i think any woman on this board who went from rinse out-5 minute conditioning to deep conditioning on a regular basis with heat can tell you that it is definitely a keeper in any regimen. myself included! :)
 
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I never found these articles useful because they just end up saying No it doesn't work but it doesn't really explain the experiences we all know we are having.

If I use the same conditioner as another LHCFer on this board, if they put it on for 5 minutes and rinse and it feels fantastic and then I do the same thing and get no results what does that mean.

So if I then apply heat and that seems to make a difference what does that mean?

If I leave it on for 2 hours and notice a difference what does that mean?

So I notice no difference in 5 minutes, but I do in 1 hour or I do with heat what do my results mean? Does it just mean that my cuticle layer is improving?

Yeah, it wasn't useful to me because I still have as many questions.

I know its worthless leaving anything on my hair for 5 minutes. I just as well not bother.
 
faithVA said:
I never found these articles useful because they just end up saying No it doesn't work but it doesn't really explain the experiences we all know we are having.

If I use the same conditioner as another LHCFer on this board, if they put it on for 5 minutes and rinse and it feels fantastic and then I do the same thing and get no results what does that mean.

So if I then apply heat and that seems to make a difference what does that mean?

If I leave it on for 2 hours and notice a difference what does that mean?

So I notice no difference in 5 minutes, but I do in 1 hour or I do with heat what do my results mean? Does it just mean that my cuticle layer is improving?

Yeah, it wasn't useful to me because I still have as many questions.

I know its worthless leaving anything on my hair for 5 minutes. I just as well not bother.
Click to expand...

faithVA I hear you, people definitely have varied experiences.. brings to mind folks on here who are low porosity and have to go the extra mile to get moisturizers/conditioners to penetrate.

My general opinion is that most people don't have to do constant DCs for hours to keep their hair moisturized. But it probably doesn't hurt the hair unless it gets mushy so it's no big deal...
 
Raspberry said:
@faithVA I hear you, people definitely have varied experiences.. brings to mind folks on here who are low porosity and have to go the extra mile to get moisturizers/conditioners to penetrate.

My general opinion is that most people don't have to do constant DCs for hours to keep their hair moisturized. But it probably doesn't hurt the hair unless it gets mushy so it's no big deal...
Click to expand...

I'm always looking for the shortest way. Trust me if I can get it done in 5 minutes I will. I feel like I've done it all 5 minutes, heat, no heat, overnight, with steam, wet hair, dry hair, mid price, regular price. Not going over 30 dollars without proof though.

So far the only time I notice a differenc is to apply it on damp hair, under a heat cap for at least 20 minutes. Any other combination I could have just poured the conditioner down the drain and kept it moving.

I'm not saying he is wrong but he didn't say enough to explain why its not worth it. Ok I think I'm done venting :lol:

That man might not even have any hair for all i know. :look:
 
Is MA FTTS her credentials? I give no credence to information coming from someone with only a MA.

ETA: She is a he, and he doesn't even have a MA.
 
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Im wondering where and why the practice of DCing with heat came about, and why.

Even on traditional commercial hair products they may suggest using heat (Im assuming) to aid with penetration of products.
 
I'm sure I remember Dr syed who makes affirm keracare asiam etc posting an article on deep conditioners and using heat with AA hair

If I remember ill look for it ...

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF
 
I agree with it. IMO there are too many hair treatments, and oils., using the words "penetrates the cuticle". With everyone claiming their special ingredient penetrates better than the next it starts to sound more like a sales pitch than scientific fact. The cuticle is not meant to be invaded otherwise we'd be in trouble because any toxin we encountered could easily poison us just by having contact with our hair. Afrotextured and chemically treated hair can always benefit from moisturizing treatments to keep it soft and minimize breakage. I don't have the patience to sit under a dryer and so I rarely do it, but for some people this is relaxing and therapeutic and therefore worth doing.
 
According to what I've read, as long as a conditioner has hydrolyzed proteins, they have the ability to penetrate the hair given the fact that they are small enough to do so. I don't condition with heat anymore; I think it was damaging my hair. Now I just apply my "deep conditioner" and let it sit for 20-30 min under a plastic cap. I'm left with soft hair every time. Heat may intensify the softness effect but after rinsing it out it feels the same.
 
Without heated Dc'ing, my hair is a brittle mess!...my hair is FINALLY thriving and i can honestly give at least 75% of that credit to DC'ing my hair! :yep: When i would just rinse it out, my poor hair was a mess, and it was as if i had did nothing....No Dc'ing for me, Means no retention.......... Article, Smarticle im never going back! :nono:
 
My experience has always been that DCing makes a huge difference. My hair is a dry, dull, brittle mess without it. Not only has using deep vs rinse out conditioner made a huge difference, but conditioning for any less than 45 mins is a joke. My hair needs regular DCing.
 
I haven't found DCing longer than 30 minutes to make much of a difference. I steam/DC for 30 minutes pre-cleansing for the most part, but a quick 5-10 DC while showering has been just as effective. The one time where steaming made a huge difference for me was getting my hair back in balance from protein overload.
 
Raspberry said:
Yea, I've read the Natural Haven article before and was excited because it justifies my laziness in never leaving conditioner on my head for longer than the 10 minutes it takes for me to finish washing up :giggle:. I don't DC with heat either.

Focusing on using high quality conditioners makes way more of a difference than leaving it on your head for hours IMO. If a conditioner doesn't soften your hair within 5 minutes you need a better one.
Click to expand...

I agree with this.
 
I heard what the article claims before ..who should we believe ?

Krystle~Hime said:
bump, is there some people who don't DC anymore/at all ??
Click to expand...
I don't always DC mostly due to lack of time..h my hair is healthy and feels better when i Dc.
 
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Raspberry said:
Yea, I've read the Natural Haven article before and was excited because it justifies my laziness in never leaving conditioner on my head for longer than the 10 minutes it takes for me to finish washing up :giggle:. I don't DC with heat either.

Focusing on using high quality conditioners makes way more of a difference than leaving it on your head for hours IMO. If a conditioner doesn't soften your hair within 5 minutes you need a better one.
Click to expand...

I agree :yep:!
 
Kindheart said:
I heard what the article claims before ..who should we believe ?


I don't always DC mostly due to lack of time..h my hair is healthy and feels better when i Dc.
Click to expand...

I say we should believe our hair. Most of the people writing these reports, doing analysis never do them based on hair like mine. My step child hair does not get considered. I'm then supposed to follow what works for other hair. And hair is hair is not true. It just sounds nice.
 
Ive tried a few DCing methods and DCing clean hair with heat for at least 30mins works best for me. And I have DC from all price points:)
 
When I deep condition, hair is like butter with the product, but when I rinse everything out, it's like I've put nothing on it. Hair feels great only when I leave a product in. so the few times i had DC i was like, if it's just for rinsing it out in a few minutes, it's just a waste a product.
If all of this is for moisture, Spritzing hair (with water and/or aloe juice + an humectant) does its job.
I think imma baggying instead of deep condition, no DC for the whole summer and see how my hair react on a long term.
 
My hair didn't start getting longer and healthier until I started DCing on every wash day. 5 minutes doesn't make much of a difference but at least an hour with or without heat does. The key for me is making sure the DC penetrates the shaft which means maintaining my pH balance. If it's even a little off DCing won't make much difference and I won't retain.:nono:
 
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