Humectants- A Brief guide to the Basics

It was not my intention to publish this information in my blog so early into the journey but there has been a bit of interest in the topic recently so I have brought it forward. 

Humectants: What are they & what do I need to know?

Lots of people are asking about humectants. What are they? How do they affect my hair? Is it something to do with weather? Etc, etc. The whole humectant issue can be quite scientific & lead to confusion so I am going to do my best to break it down to a need to know basis. Simply, the absolute basics of what you need to know in relation to curly hair. There may be a little science included just to clarify the subject but not too much as I don’t want to create more confusion, especially to those new to the curly way of life.  I hope this goes a little more toward your understanding of what products you need to use in your hair. What I use in Nth Qld in my fine hair during summer could be totally wrong for another curly in Tasmania to use in her fine curly hair regardless of the curl pattern type. As most curlies know, the weather plays a big part in what our hair’s behaviour will be day - to -day.

What are humectants?

Simply put, a humectant is a substance that absorbs or helps another substance retain moisture, as glycerol.  (www.dictionary.reference.com).

Humectants are added to hair products to help retain moisture & they actually pull moisture from the atmosphere into the hair if it is dry & thirsty. Curly hair is inherently dry as it is more porous than straight hair, thus it screams out for moisture & while reaching out for more it begins to separate from its curl pattern, causing frizziness.

If you go outside on a rainy day, you will especially notice it when there is light rain falling. Your hair doesn’t get completely drenched, just light spots of rain……then you will notice it begin to expand & the frizz appears. Extremely dry air can impact curly hair as well, creating frizz. I know, it seems really confusing. How can humid air AND dry air cause frizz??? Don’t even think about giving up & going straight.

A little more science again, Tonya McKay has a great article on naturallycurly.com,  (Effects of Relative Humidity on Hair and Humectants) detailing how, in nature, everything strives toward equilibrium. Everything naturally wants to spread out evenly, not clump in some areas & sparsely in others. In other words, the law of nature says that everything should be equally spread but we know curly hair works to defy this law! This is where humectants come in to help diffuse the moisture evenly throughout your hair. The humectant typically tries to achieve this balance by pulling moisture from the air into dry hair. But of course it isn’t quite as simple as it sounds.  Humectants can be your best friend or worst enemy so read on…….

How does humidity affect my hair?

In low humidity (E.G dry winter air) there is very little water in the air so the air then takes the moisture from your hair (Equilibrium, nature balancing out as above). This effectively causes fly aways which when ruffled together cause frizz. In this environment, you don’t want the moisture to be pulled from your hair by the air, so the best type of protection is to use a conditioner that has very good moisturisers in it & to use a styling product to seal that moisture in the hair.  A lot of the traditional humectants may actually assist the air in removing the moisture, therefore sealing the moisture in is vital especially for high porosity hair! Some effective sealers include jojoba oil, caster oil. Not coconut oil as it is absorbed into the hair shaft, a sealer will ensure slower loss of water in the hair. The frizz issue happens because of the natural need to spread moisture evenly & if your hair happens to contain more water than the cold, dry air, you may be robbed, that is why sealing will assist in keeping the curls in place.

There are newer humectants being developed that do assist in extreme dry climates. Google for more information: hydroxypropyl bis-hydroxyethyldimonium chloride & dihydroxypropyltrimonium chloride for all you ingredient geeks out there.

In high humidity environments the opposite effect takes place: The air has all the moisture & because of the laws of nature & the need to spread that moisture evenly, if your hair is dry, porous & unprotected it will stand up & scream out for some of that moisture.  In the process of doing so, the open cuticles rub against one another & cause frizz! Due to the extreme amount of water in the air when humidity is very high, you can actually end up with an overload of moisture in your curls & they can become tangled & frizzy & lose their curl pattern. Curls should be kept well moisturised to minimise absorbing too much water from the air in this type of environment by looking for products containing lesser humectants or those with less hygroscopic ability. (Hygroscopic: adj. Absorbing or attracting moisture from the air) Therefore, using a product high in humectants, especially glycerin, means more water can be attracted into your hair- not good in high humidity!                                                                                                                                                                                       

Remember, the more you really know about your curls in relation to the weather will make living with curls so much easier. Depending on where you live or travel to, it is very likely you will need to change what you use in your hair along with the seasons. If there are wide variations in the relative humidity you will need to be mindful of when to change products, although curly hair is a reliable barometer. Don’t always rely on what other curlies suggest you use in your hair, what works for one curly could be totally wrong for another. The golden rule is: We are uniquely curly, not sheeple! So experiment & play with different products, research what products or techniques work for you but most of all, enjoy your curls. Don’t curse them!

The following will link you to a list of humectants as well as a full scientific explanation of what they are, dew points & further additional information you may be interested in reading. http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/ingredients/the-ultimate-guide-to-humectants-and-hair/

References:

Dictionary.com. 2014. Dictionary. [ONLINE] Available at: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hygroscopic?s=t. [Accessed 12 January 15].

Naturallycurly.com. 2007. Humidity,Humectants and Hair. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/curlchemist-humidity-humectants-and-hair/. [Accessed 13 January 15].

Naturallycurly.com. 2007. What are Humectants?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/curlchemist-what-are-humectants/. [Accessed 12 January 15].

Thank you also to Melissa Stites from Curly Hair Artistry

My name is Amanda & I am a Curly Hair Artist & Deva Inspired Advanced Stylist in Australia. My passion is working with & cutting naturally curly hair & teaching curlies how to really manage what you were given without the need to resort to straightening. Ugh!
As a member of the Curly Hair Artistry group I attend training events regularly so I can keep up to date with new techniques & to be able to bring those skills back to my salon to give my clients the best possible curliscious experience possible.

So you have decided to wear your hair natural after years of not really knowing how to look after it! Yay, congratulations. I am really happy to hear it & am here to help you in your transition & the journey that follows. In this first blog, I will give you a few basic tips & hints on starting the journey from frizz to curl. I will tell you honestly, it is not going to be an overnight sensation for some of you! Some curlies have had chemical straightening or relaxing done in their hair, so the journey will take longer. Some of you have tried Brazilian/ keratin smoothing of various types so you might also find a longer journey to curl. Whatever you have tried over the years, I want to tell you, that with some perseverance & armed with the correct knowledge, you really can learn to live with & love your natural curl!! Don't believe all the hype about straight hair being sexy. Curls Rule!!

As far back as I can remember I always believed my hair to have this "weird, stupid kink" that went puffy in the rain & humidity. So I tied it back. My mum told me I had some curls when I was a baby, but those curls were never visible to me most of my life. So I tied it back. Then perming was an option. I looked like a sheep, so I tied it back. Or in the 80's, used a banana clip, hehe. But I still tied it back. I think nearly all curly girls have horror stories about their hair. A lot had thick hair that was a mass of frizz & of course, once brushed, it grew. Outwards......like fairy floss. There are stories of kids at school relentlessly teasing curlies about their hair because it wasn't "normal" hair. There were the girls who wore braids all the time because nobody knew what to do with curly hair- lots of curlies have "straight" mums who unfortunately don't know how to look after their daughters' curly hair. Whatever your experiences are, chances are there are lots of other curlies who know exactly what you went through to lead you to loathe your hair. My aim is to reverse all these bad thoughts - you know, like, Let It Go - & help you to LOVE what you were given. Keep in mind, that our complexions, face shape, features, hair colour & it's shape (curly/ wavy/ swavy or straight) was all designed especially to suit YOU while in the womb. It was all made to match! Have you ever looked at yourself in a mirror after straightening your hair & wondered if it really does suit your face shape? I have & personally, I hate (& I don't use that word much) my hair straight- always have. Eek.

To begin your journey from frizz/ fuzz/ puffy- whatever you like to call your hair- to curl, you must be committed to spending some time, effort & money to achieve a great outcome. I'm sorry, but there is no magic to it & yes, you need to spend a little extra time, especially in the beginning. And please, don't think you can do this on the uber cheap. If that was the case, you probably wouldn't have a need for professional advice. I am not saying you need to invest the economy of a small nation but seriously, don't be a cheapskate either. Invest in good quality hair products or you may still have the same problem hair you started with. I kid you not. I tried, so I talk from experience.

This might sound strange,  but take the time to know how to really use the products you purchase. I prescribe, use & sell Jessicurl in my salon as I believe in the product & know it will give the results I want to achieve. Be aware there are ways to get the best out of a product & there are ways of not getting such a good outcome. I teach all my new curly clients exactly how to use the products I choose to use in their hair by giving them a one on one lesson at the basin. The Jessicurl website has some really useful videos showing how to use products relating to different curl types here: https://www.jessicurl.com/curly-care-center/videos-how-use-our-products

Initially, you may have a silicone build-up in your hair that will need to be cleansed out in order for your hair to lose that plasticky, waxy coating. I suggest making an appointment with me to have a detox cleansing done in the salon. If that is not possible, then you could try using a deep cleansing shampoo at home, to remove the build up. I know this type of shampoo will have sulfates, so it's just a once-off .
The next step is getting your hands on a hydration product. I use that term rather than "conditioner" because that is precisely what it needs to be able to do for your hair - hydrate it! According to dictionary.com Hydration (v) is to undergo or cause to undergo treatment or impregnation with water. Combining the product with water while working through your curls is going to make you wonder why you didn't know this earlier in your life!
Thirdly, a styling product which is curl friendly is mandatory. You can even try making your own from the recipes on naturallycurly.com & you will know exactly what the ingredients are. 
In a future blog I will go further into the ingredients of curl friendly products that are the good ones vs ingredients to steer away from. 

This first blog is intended to introduce myself & provide the most basic of information, mainly for those curlies who are new to this routine. I want to start right at the beginning (frizz) & work through to the end (gorgeous curls) by offering information I hope you find useful. Don't forget "It's more than just hair. It's an attitude" - Lorraine Massey

Next Blog: Ingredients - Good vs Bad  - Amanda