Why is my hair super shiny after my retouches?

[Lovelylocs]

How can I keep that shine? What does a retouch do that makes the hair so shiny? Is it the PH level? Is it that the cuticle is flatter? What? Maybe if we can find out, we can discover how to keep this shine. I mean it is not typical type 4 shine. It is like type 1a shine. WOW!

 

[poookie]

i noticed that, too. i think the "silkiness" after a touchup is there because of the chemicals in the relaxer. relaxers have high pHs, making them bases (opposite of acids), and bases are very slippery, so that slip is transferred to the hair strand after the relaxer is washed out. kind of like when you use a bar of soap, and lather up with it, the soap on your skin feels really slippery, but rinse the skin a bit, and it'll go back to normal.

and the "shinyness" may have to do with the neutralizing. the high pH of relaxers forces the cuticle to open, but the neutralizing step closes the cuticles back, and hair with closed cuticles is shinier, because the closed cuticles reflect light better.

just a theory of mine

 

[Dayjoy]

Does this mean that using neutralizing shampoo all the time will keep us in shiny hair?

 

[poookie]

Does this mean that using neutralizing shampoo all the time will keep us in shiny hair?

ooh no, i wouldn't do that! i think all neutralizing shampoos have sulfates, and over time that will strip your hair so bad, it definitely wouldn't shine.

to get shiny hair, you need to shut and smooth the cuticle, and there are a couple of ways to do that.

1. try apple cider vinegar rinses. the ACV is acidic, and mixing that with water, and using that as a final rinse after washing the hair will help to shut the cuticles.

2. normal healthy hair has a pH between 4.5 and 5.5. keeping the hair pH around this level will keep the cuticles nice and flat. they do have conditioners with low pHs; the only one i know of off the top of my hair is the keracare humecto conditioner; i have the tub, and it says it has a pH of 4.5.

maybe someone can chip in with more? i remember reading a thread where the usage of a low-heat flat iron will physically flatten out the cuticles on the hair, causing shine. (i'm not too sure about that one, though) :scratchch

 

[TLC1020]

I notice this too and I love the way my hair looks and feels after my touch-up . I would love to know how to keep the feel and shine.

 

[Lovelylocs]

Yeah it must have to do w/the PH level and keeping the cuticle closed and flat.

 

[Lovelylocs]

So, how can we monitor our hair's acid levels and how can we make sure that our cuticles are flat?

 

[wheezy807]

I think ACV rinse does something to the cuticles, really not sure. Lovelylocs, where are the pics? You've got me wanting sooo bad to see that shiny hair, lol. But i now exactly what you mean hence my avatar. That shine can be just gorgeous!

 

[soonergirl]

joico's products - moisture recovery line, k-pak line all have ph's of 4.5 to 5.5, just chiming in...whenever my stylist would put joico's smoothing balm on my hair during detangling, once it was flat ironed it always had a great shine.. By the way the smoothing balm has reflective ingredients in it, so I am sure that helps with the shine... It is a great detangler too!!

 

[wheezy807]

sorry i didn't see the previous poster, yep it's (ACV) a cuticle flattering rinse.

 

[HoneyA]

I love my hair when I retouch. It's silky, shiny smooth. I don't know why it is but I wish it'd stay that way.

 

[Ms_Delikate]