What is Humectants and is it good or not for natural hair treatment?
BestHairTreatment - Humectants is used in skin and hair-care products to promote moisture
retention. These hygroscopic compounds posses a chemical structure that
attracts water from the atmosphere and binds it to various sites along the
molecule.
These ingredients are used in many products that are designed for dry, damaged
hair. While they can be beneficial in certain circumstances, weather an humidity
in the air can cause less than desired results.
Low Humidity
In low-humidity situations, such as a cold, dry winter air, there is often not
enough water in the air for the humectant to attract to the surface of the hair. In
this type of climate, you can only hope that moisture is not evaporated from the
hair into the environment. Also, under these circumstances, there is some risk of
the humectant actually removing moisture from the cortex of the hair itself,
creating the problem it was intended to prevent.
That tells us that in dry climates it is important to use conditioning products
which rely on strong moisturizers rather than traditional humectants.
High Humidity
In high-humidity conditions, such as the summer, there is a high amount of
moisture in the air. This can be very harmful for curly hair. If curly hair is dry
and damaged, it is very porous, and easily absorbs water from the air. In highhumidity
situations,
this
can
cause
curly
hair
to
swell
so
much
that
cuticles
are
raised,
making
the
surface
of
the
hair
very
rough
and
dry.
The
cuticles
can
then
become
entangled
with
cuticles
of
the
surrounding
hairs
and
create
a
huge,
tangled
mass,
which
is
prone
to
breakage.
Also,
curly
hair
swollen
by
excess
water
can
lose
its
curl
pattern,
creating
the
dreaded
summer
frizz.
As you can see, products heavy in humectants will only aggravate problems
with humidity-induced frizz. Some humectants can also leave your hair feelingsticky when they become saturated with water. In tropical and subtropical
climates, it is essential to maintain well-moisturized hair that is in good
condition (which will be less prone to absorbing water from the hair). But it is
preferable to use products containing fewer humectants or humectants with less
hygroscopic capacity.
Due to the limitations of humectants in extreme weather conditions, it is evident
that these ingredients probably function best for people with curly hair that live
in moderate climates, with temperatures and humidity in the medium range.
Glycerine
Glycerin in the most commonly used humectant. Honey is another Humectant that
can be used on hair. Glycerine and Honey both can not be applied directly to
the hair. They must be combined with water. 1 part Glycerine or Honey and 3
parts water.
