Hydrate those curls!

Hydrate those curls!

Is your hair feeling thirsty? Let’s talk about the importance of moisture for the hair… here’s how to hydrate those curls!

How can you tell if your hair is dehydrated?

  • It’s more porous – so may puff up more in humid weather
  • It looks dull
  • It’s getting frizzier than usual

By moisturising the hair, you’re protecting and surrounding the cuticle on the outside of the hair. when this is ‘compact’, hair appears glossy and shiny and moisture doesn’t escape.

Why moisture is important

  • Compromised hair may lead to more moisture escaping the hair
  • Hydrating the hair helps to keep the hair cuticle smooth
  • Water based formulas are fab at helping to rehydrate the hair.
  • Once the hair is hydrated, you could also look at more oil based products to moisturise hair, particularly thicker hair.

Please note: dry hair doesn’t always mean damaged – if your hair is coloured or heat damaged, you may also need a protein treatment to repair the bonds. If you want to know if your hair is in need of a protein treatment, check out our post here.

Finer hair types may not need the thicker butters and oils – it may weigh them down!

Signs your hair is over-moisturised

Too much of a good thing… yes there is a way you can over moisturise the hair… this is what to look for.

If it stretches quite far, feels a tad mushy and then snaps, it is indicative of the hair being over-moisturised. You may need more protein to reinforce your hair cuticle.

Another not-so-pleasant consequence of too much moisture is a condition known as Hygral Fatigue. This is an extreme form of moisture overload. The cuticle of your hair shaft swells when moisture enters and shrinks to its original volume once dry.

Hygral fatigue happens when your cuticle is damaged due to excess moisture entering and leaving the hair shaft too frequently. High porosity hair is more likely to experience this as moisture enters easily. Hair with hygral fatigue will not have optimum elasticity and feel mushy. To combat this, reduce moisture containing leave-ins and restore protein to repair the cuticle. Avoid leaving your curls wet for too long and either air-dry or diffuse them to keep hygral fatigue at bay.

Think…

Moisture = SHINE

Protein = STRENGTH

I’ve been loving these two great moisture masks for optimal moisture in the hair…. Both protein free.

Amika Soulfood Nourishing Mask

Thick and creamy, this moisture-rich mask is great as a weekly treatment and also brilliant for colour treated hair… this lush treatment will leave the hair feeling soft and shiny.

Key Ingredients

  • Avocado Oil – full of protein, vitamin a, d, e, b6, amino acids, folic acid and minerals that promote moisture and smoothing benefits.
  • Provitamin B5 – an essential part of nutrition that can help promote moisture and shine.
  • Sea Buckthorn Oil – one of the few known plant sources of the fatty-acid omega 7 typically found in fish oil. Omega 7 promotes elasticity and provides superior hydration making it the ultimate holy grail ingredient for hair and scalp.

Please note that this is silicone based, so if you don’t like ingredients like Dimethicone and trimethicone in your hair products, you may want to miss this one.

Buy the mask from Cult Beauty

Flora and Curl Rose Water & Honey Molasses Moisture Mask

Love the scent of this gorgeous mask from Flora and Curl. It has a lovely slip and isn’t too rich on the hair… just leaves it feeling soft and moisturised.

Key ingredients

  • Raw Sugar Molasses: A rich syrup derived from sugarcane with lots of natural minerals that soften the hair and enhance water absorption.
  • Raw Honey: Attracts and binds moisture from the air into your hair to make it feel more supple.
  • Rose Water: A natural curl conditioner for hydrated hair.
  • Marshmallow Root: Minimises tangles and adds tons of slip.

Buy the mask from Flora & Curl 

What does your hair need right now?

(*PR gift/sample)

May contain affiliate links

By |2022-11-18T16:56:07+01:00July 15th, 2022|Here's Hair|0 Comments

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