While water is one of the best humectants and needed for healthy hair, it can also be damaging. To explain, damaged hair absorbs way more water than healthy hair, at over 50% of its weight in water. The absorption causes the strands to elongate and to lose some of its tensile strength(i.e. the maximum amount of force it can sustain before ripping/tearing) and with curly/tightly curled hair, it can lose up to 50% of that strength. As a result of that loss, when the hair is wet and brushed or combed, or when any amount of tension is applied to saturated hair, the instances of breakage and damage is higher. To deal with this issue, it's good to use products with slip as it helps in relieving tangles without exerting too much tension and force onto already fragile strands.
Another source of damage can involve hard water. The minerals found in hard water can be soaked up into the strands(much more when highly porous) and after washings, you can find that it creates a buildup of debris(from the minerals) that can make the hair dry, more prone to breakage and you may find that your hair tangles much more. You will also find that you go through more conditioner, so if you find yourself using up a lot, this may be the reason why. To minimize this from happening, you can invest in a shower filter or water softening system(the filter is the less expensive option of the two), or you can clarify your hair as needed and do ACV rinses, as they help remove mineral deposits and help to normalize the pH levels of the hair, along with smoothing the cuticle; making it easier to detangle.
Natural Urbanista
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4 comments:
learn something new every day! definitely going to monitor my conditioner usage =) thanks for the advice, ma'm!
Hey girly! Do you use a shower filter? If so which one do you use? I am in the market to buy a shower filter because I have tried everything under the sun to stop my hair dryness issues and this is one area that I always forget to look into and it is so ironic that you mentioned this while I was thinking about getting one....
That's my hope, April. I learn something new everyday, and I hope to help others just the same. :)
Ms-gg, I luckily don't have hard water, but the VitaC Shower filter comes highly recommended as it's a universal and wouldn't require you having to change your current shower head. Here's a link to their website:
http://www.vitacshower.com/
Great info.
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