Sistaslick
New Member
Cosigning on this! In fact, I was wishing I could have read this years ago, and I am extremely grateful to read it now! Thanks, Gym!
Me too! I'd love to see a gym site. "Welcome to Gym class"
Cosigning on this! In fact, I was wishing I could have read this years ago, and I am extremely grateful to read it now! Thanks, Gym!
99.99999% of your conditioners are going to be pH balanced or normalizing. You really cannot go wrong! (Kenra, Kenra, Kenra, Kenra) Conditioners are made up of cationic surfactants which'll assist in cuticle closing. They are naturally acidic. Make sure that you're following your rinses with a cold water rinse in the end for several minutes. This will help with the mechanical closing of your cuticle. Generally, you are going to want to wash your color treated hair in luke warm water, as hot water will cause your color to leech. After you apply your heat to your rinse, make sure that you let your hair cool down before you rinse it too. That'll keep you from rinsing half your color down the drain.
I've been doing this for a while now, and loving the way my hair feels smoother. My question, though, is: If you rinse your hair with cold water, closing the cuticles, don't they just open right back up when you use heat for styling? I can understand the compression of some of the cuticles during a rollerset, but what if you air dry on a hot day? TIA
Well, Not exactly. With flatirons, the cuticle is forced down with the combo of concentrated, high heat and the physical downward motion of the iron. With rollersetting, the mold of the roller does the same thing with less heat. The cuticles are smoothed from the iron/roller b/c water is systematically evaporated from the hair as the hair is pulled straight. The heat alters hair proteins and temporarily "freezes" the hair into place as the water is evaporated from the shaft. The hotter the styling tool, the sleeker the outcome... which is why airdried hair is the least sleek of all the drying/styling options. But with hotter heat implements, which would be more drastic hydrogen bond breaking and protein denaturing, you open yourself to extra damage. You also get extra, sometimes permanent "lengthening" of the hair with flatironing b/c of the concentrated, (right on the shaft) heat's ability to manipulate the protein structure of the hair. This is why flatironing is the least desirable of the options, and why some naturals can "press" out and damage part of their natural curl pattern w/ high enough heat no matter how much water is reintroduced to the shaft.
Heat by itself opens cuticles (deep conditioning,etc), but we're talking about the "controlled" heating of the hair using concentrated heat and a tool like a roller or iron. That directed heating with the assistance of a protective serum helps close the cuticles. Blowdryers, on the other hand, get a bad rep because they blow hair all over and do NOT assist with the closing of the cuticles. If you just blast heat at your head randomly, you don't get that silkening/sleek effect. You get big, swollen, cuticle crazy hair. (Unless you are using a tool to straigten as you blow)
As soon as you introduce more water or humidity, your hair will "revert" and the cuticles will reopen to take in that water from the air/or wash. The natural bonding structure returns, hence, the frizzy, poofy look of reverted hair. Porous or damaged hair responds the worse to heat straightening since there are rarely enough hydrogen or sound protein bonds there to manipulate. It does not "hold" a curl easily. HTH!
Normally, I don't read long threads or posts....but I got caught up in this one, because the initial post was so interesting!! Now I understand why my hair loooooves CON conditioner!
This thread should help me be more careful when choosing hair products---and not to run out and purchase 'the next new thing'...because my hair type might not agree with it.
I'll try that cold water rinse tonight when I wash my hair. I may freeze my hiney off, since I wash in the shower..but it may be worth it!
This is some REALLY GOOD STUFF!!!!
*subscribing*
Thanks ladies!!
Try looking at your indivual strands. Usually, people with very tight thick cuticle have thick coarse strands. Also do a porosity test. Sistaslick has I think 2 ways to test in her porosity articles. If you clean strand float forever and a day, you might have low porosity. If it sinks quickly you could have very porous hair. Also what strength relaxer do you use. People that usually have to use super have a very tight cuticle.
Gymfreak told me once that you can tell by taking a ball-point pen and drawing a straight line on a piece of paper, and then hold a strand of shed hair next to it. If the hair strand is thicker than the line, your hair is coarse; if it's thinner, then it's fine, and if it's about the same size it's medium/normal.
LynnieB, is that middle line the result of a ball-point pen? It looks like you used a marker.
naw, it's just one of those cheapo Staples brand 200 in a box type pens.
it's not a fine point pen lachen:
you are suppose to laugh Artemis - where's the laughing smilie?
Oops, sorry
I was in analyst mode - clicking back and forth between here and Banana Republic
I edited my post above - I say medium.
Gymfreak told me once that you can tell by taking a ball-point pen and drawing a straight line on a piece of paper, and then hold a strand of shed hair next to it. If the hair strand is thicker than the line, your hair is coarse; if it's thinner, then it's fine, and if it's about the same size it's medium/normal.
And yes, you can test your porosity by doing the "sink test". Make sure your hair is clean and product-free first, though.