Do you know what your hair needs?

Do you know what your hair needs

As I’ve said in a few posts that I am a licensed hair stylist and have been for a really long time.  But even I have some issues with my hair.  Well recently, I happened across one of my new favorite hair care web sites.    http://www.longhaircareforum.com/  ,  where I came across an article about maintaining a healthy hair balance.  An idea I honestly,   hadn’t given a lot of thought to since those long chemistry classes in cosmetology class ages ago.

One of my main hair struggles, is trying to maintain my strand’s balance between Protein and moisture, to combat breakage.   In school I learned to do what they call the  “strand test.”    A Strand Test is performed where you test your hairs elasticity.

Elasticity is the ability of your hair to stretch and come back without breaking.

What can be determined from the strand test  (which is performed after the hair is washed or wet) if the hair is  able to stretch and bounce back without breaking it is uniquely balance.  So here we put the steps for the proper way to do a strand test.

Strand Test

1. Shampoo hair
2. Comb through your hair with a wide tooth comb
3. Grab about an inch
4. Pull on it…GENTLY
5. If your hair stretches and snaps back it is healthy
6. If your hair doesn’t stretch and then breaks off then it needs  MOISTURE
7. If your hair is rough and brittle it needs MOISTURE
8. If it appears gummy and limp it needs PROTEIN
9. If it stretches a lot and then breaks off it also needs PROTEIN

If the strand test determines that you need moisture you should use products that add moisture to you hair.    Moisturizers are simply products that are water-based and nourish your hair deep within the strand.

I personally use Cantu Shea Butter moisturizing leave in conditioner and I

the Goal is healthy hair

seal the moisture in with Jamaican black castor oil.  The goal is to do this daily but since I wear my hair in weaves a lot, I do it as often as I can.  I have heard other’s say they use Wave Nouveau Moisturizing Finishing Lotion, I haven’t tried it but I have heard good things.

There are some moisturizers with ingredients in them you want to avoid.  You want to stay away from products that have petroleum, mineral oil or lanolin.  These ingredients will normally weigh your hair down and lock out essential moisture.   Most of the breakage attributed to black hair has to do with a lack of MOISTURE.

If you find that your hair needs protein you should apply a protein treatment to your hair.  I personally use, silicon Mix leave in conditioner, Palmer’s protein conditioning pack,  Aphogee’s 2 Part Protein treatment for damaged hair, hask placenta’s protein.   The active ingredient you are looking for is keratin & silk proteins.

Please remember that the health of your hair starts from within..so Make sure that you:

1. Maintain a healthy diet
2. Take vitamins (my personal regiment includes a multi, biotin, and silica)
3. WATER WATER WATER…

Ps she has a great site as well…you should check it out…

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Do you know what your hair needs?  What products do you use to add moisture to your hair? What do you use to add protein to your hair?

Leave me a comment…I would love to hear from you.