Azure A's List: Health

• Oils are made of molecules that are too large to be absorbed by the hair strand

  • Not true of all oils! Coconut, avocado, and olive oil (at the very least), have been found to penetrate the hair shaft.

• Oil molecules are hydrophobic which means they repel and do not readily mix with water. Applying oil to the hair coats it and traps the moisture that is inside, inside and the moisture that is outside, outside. If you use oils without a moisturizer (or before one) the oil will seal the moisture out of the hair strand and lead to a coated feel and eventual dryness. Fighting hair breakage and achieving moisturizing success is all in the order in which you apply your products.

   

  Remember, if you apply an oil product to your hair before you have added a moisturizing product, you have created a seal on your hair strand that water and moisture cannot penetrate.
• Hair that is properly proteinated absorbs moisture more efficiently because water molecules bind easily to a sound protein structure within the hair.

• Wet Assessment Hair Breakage Break Down

   

  If your hair:

   

  (When Wet or Dry) Stretches slightly and returns to its original length without breaking, you are balanced! Stick with maintaining!

   

  (When Wet or Dry) Stretches a little more than normal then breaks, you need more protein in your regimen.

   

  (When Wet or Dry)Stretches, stretches, stretches with no significant breakage yet, add a bit more protein to your regimen.

   

  (Wet)- Feels weak, gummy, mushy, or limp, you need to add more protein to your regimen.

   

  (Wet or Dry) Experiences very little to no stretching, and simply snaps or breaks, you need to increase the moisture in your regimen.

   

  (Dry) Feels rough, tough, hard, dry, tangly, brittle, or any combination of those, you need more moisture in your regimen.

   

  Unsure? Err on the side of caution and give your hair more moisture. 
• It is much easier to overload your hair with protein and cause breakage, than to overload your hair with moisture and cause breakage. That is why if you are not sure what is causing your hair breakage, you should always try giving it moisture first. Depending on your level of breakage, this regimen may need to be followed for consecutive washes.
• Hair that is shifted too far on the moisture side will be “super-elastic” and stretch more because it lacks a sound protein structure. Many people describe the feel of over-conditioned and over-moisturized hair as “mush-like” or “overly soft,” especially when wet. This kind of hair has a weak, limp, spongy feel to it. Protein deficient hair will tend to pull and stretch along with the comb and then break. It will always stretch first then break because of the low structural protein stores, and overabundance of moisture.

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