This is concerning the protein treatments like masks/deep conditioners. As you already know, our hair consists of proteins, especially keratin, and keratin treatments are seen as the holy grail of hair care. Although there is a similarity, this doesn’t mean that it works better than other conditioning agents. If an ingredient wants to bind to the hair, it needs to have an affinity with the hair. For example, in electrostatic interactions, the hair is negatively charged so it needs to bind to something which is positively charged or by a similar chemical structure like protein. Hair can be damaged in two ways: The surface of the hair can be easily…

Our hair consists of protein which is the most essential thing needed in our hair but, due to heat styling, bleaching, etc, the protein in your hair gets damaged. So you would think that if my hair is damaged it needs more protein. But, it is very difficult to replace the damaged protein in your hair with a protein, because your hair has a very unique composition and that’s why most conditioning products contain ingredients that attach to the hair by another mechanism. Silicones attach to the hair because they are hydrophobic. Cationic ingredients are positively charged and they bind by electrostatic interactions. The hair is negatively charged, so it…

There is really no right answer to this. It really depends on the individual, their hair type (curly hair does not become greasy quick), grooming habits, and natural oil production. What are the pros and cons of washing hair? Pros: You must wash your scalp to avoid scalp health issues and irritations such as dandruff. People with oily scalps should wash their hair more often like 2-3 times a week. We should wash our hair because of the styling products we use. Cons: The surfactants or the cleaning agents present in the shampoo can really damage the hair lengths. The roots of your hair near the scalp are coated with…

The short answer is NO. Porosity is about damage. The porous your hair is, the more damaged it is. Factors like mechanical damage, UV radiation, and chemical treatments can damage your hair cuticle. It is extremely hard to accurately determine your true hair porosity because: firstly, at-home methods are useless, and you would need expensive lab equipment. Not all of your hair has the same porosity. The newer hair will have lower porosity, while the ends are usually porous. High porosity means that your hair is damaged. High porous hair has cracked cuticles and the cuticles won’t lay flat, they will be raised. To prevent cuticle damage, brush softly, always…

Let us look into how dry shampoos actually work: The main ingredient in a dry shampoo is starch. Starches are produced by plants and it can be found in all types of plants and that is why thee are different starches like corn starch or rice starch. Why is starch the main ingredient in dry shampoo? Starches absorb sebum/oils very well. Approximately 1.0g of rice starch has a surface area of 1.6 square meters, resulting in enormous absorption capacity. So, when starches come in contact with the sebum that is present in the hair, these starch particles start to absorb the sebum and swell. This is why dry shampoo makes…

Hair cuticles cannot open or close. They can only be lifted and lifted cuticles are damaged cuticles. A lifted cuticle is a sign of damage and can only temporarily be flattened by a conditioning agent. The cuticles lay flat and this gives a smooth feeling to the hair. If the cuticle is open, it is elevated from the hair surface. This can also reduce the protection of the cortex and the hair will feel rough and rigid. lifted cuticles can not be avoided because many daily hair grooming habits can contribute to the hair cuticles being lifted. Combing, hair brushing, shampooing, towel drying, styling, heat styling, UV light can contribute…

Before we go into K18 products, we should first learn about conditioning and protein products. Hair mainly consists of a tough protein called keratin. Bleaching, heat styling, keratin treatments, etc can damage the keratin. Once the keratin is damaged, it cannot be repaired. Conditioning agents attach to the outer layer of the hair and smoothen the surface but the inner keratin layers responsible for the strength of the hair are not repaired. These conditioning agents only temporarily attach to the surface and can be removed by the next wash. Most proteins work like standard conditioning agents. These proteins temporarily attach to the outer layer. Only low molecular weight peptides and…

Before we go into hair oils, we should first know how our hair works. The medulla forms the central core of the hair which is surrounded by the cortex, a layer of keratin cells. This cortex is surrounded by the cuticle, a layer of overlapping cells that lay flat over one like fish scales but facing downwards. These cuticles protect the cortex of the hair and helps to prevent damage caused by combing, straightening, perming, and dyeing. Oils help the cuticle in the protection of the cortex and prevent hair breakage by reducing friction and to prevent excess water to get into the hair. These oils create a thin film…

Regular shampoos contain surfactants (cleaning ingredients) and common conditioning agents such as silicones, hydrolyzed peptides, and cationic ingredients. Clarifying shampoos are promoted as deep cleansers that can remove residue and built-up in the hair. Consumers think that after using clarifying shampoos, the hair is not coated with any ingredients or built-up. How will your hair feel after using Clarifying Shampoos? It will feel rough/dry/brittle/rigid/stiff and not pleasant. It will also not feel soft and smooth. This is because conditioning agents are present in clarifying shampoos. If your hair feels soft after using clarifying shampoos, it is because of the conditioning agents on your hair. Do Clarifying shampoos clean better? Most…

The hair consists of a central cortex that comprises the major portion of the fibre. The cortex is responsible for the shape, strength, and elasticity of the hair. This cortex is protected by 8 to 10 layers of overlapping cells, called cuticles. The state of the cuticles affects the shine, feel, and elasticity of the hair. While combing our hair, we apply a significant amount of force upon the hair fibers and is stretched in various degrees. The force we apply to the hair creates friction that results in the cuticles breaking and detaching from the strand. This increases the hair’s vulnerability. Combing the hair can cause physical stress on…