Why do we want to wash our hair in the first place? Well the answer is obvious – it gets dirty. But from what? One of the ways is from the production of sebum from the sebaceous glands. These glands secrete natural oils that make the hair feel greasy. Another contributor is styling products, as well as sweat and perspiration, pollution and other environmental agents. So a question arises: why can’t we just use water to get rid of this stuff? Well this build up is not water-soluble meaning that is doesn’t dissolve in water, and using this agent as a cleanser wouldn’t remove a lot of the gook from our hair. This is where a detergent or surfactant is needed.

Chemically, surfactants are polar molecules meaning they have a water-soluble end, and an oil-soluble end. In other words one end is attracted to water and the other to oil. This structure gives surfactants the unique ability to combine oil and water and it also allows them to create foam as well. When the shampoo is applied to the hair the surfactants surround the dirt and debris and lift it off your hair and keep it suspended in the rinse water so it goes down the drain, not back on your hair.

What’s the REAL Concern with Shampoos?

When using a shampoo as a cleansing agent, anywhere between 20-40% of the shampoo is made up of surfactants. The rest is water and other ingredients that can benefit the hair. There are several surfactants available in shampoos and each one has its unique benefits and uses.

The most common and widely used surfactant is sodium laureth sulfate. It’s excellent at lifting product residue and oils from the hair and scalp, which is also one of its drawbacks. This ability to successfully remove oils from the hair has resulted in sulfates being known as harsh detergents. This is because they can cause the hair to be stripped of precious oils the hair needs to remain healthy.

Frequent use of sulfate-containing shampoos can result in hair that is dry, brittle and prone to breakage. Ammonium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate are two of the harshest surfactants and they also tend to do the best job at cleansing.

The Bottom Line

So do you need a shampoo or not? If you tend to use a lot of oils on your hair and have quite a bit of product build up then a gentle shampoo would be ideal to ensure build up is properly removed from the hair. Choosing a moisturizing and conditioning shampoo is great for WEEKLY cleansing since a good shampoo of this kind will contain ingredients that help to soften the hair and mild cleansing agents. These shampoos won’t strip the hair of oils resulting in dryness.

If product buildup is a major problem due to the heavy use of oils and pomades, a moisturizing shampoo may not adequately remove this stuff. If this is the case then a MONTHLY clarifying shampoo may be needed in order to lift heavy product residue from the hair fiber. Why is product buildup a problem? If left on the hair shaft it can leave the hair with a coated feeling and other products can lose their effectiveness when the buildup affects the cuticles. Shampoos won’t lather properly and conditioners don’t work effectively to soften and detangle the hair.

So are some women entirely wrong when the recommend never using shampoos? I think that with any regimen or when selecting products it’s extremely important to do what works for your hair. If your hair responds extremely well to no shampoo then continue with that. It’s my opinion that proper cleansing is an important part of a proper hair care program as this, along with conditioning are extremely important to ensure proper moisture retention in the hair. The key is to know what type of shampoo to use when and how the product will benefit your hair.

What is pH?

In chemistry pH – or potential hydrogen – is a measure of how acid or alkaline a solution is. Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline. Pure water is neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at 25 °C.

High pH (alkaline) substances cause the cuticles to lift and the hair shaft to swell and open. This can result in dry looking tangled hair that doesn’t hold moisture well. Lifted cuticle scales can expose the cortex, which can weaken the hair and lead to damage. Recall that the cortex is comprised of keratins that coil around each other and form the basic structure of the hair and that its strength and elasticity originate from the cortex. Therefore protection this layer of hair is vitally important to the overall health of your hair. Examples of alkaline products for hair are chemical relaxers, permanent hair colours, baking soda and seawater.

Low pH (acidic) substances can cause the cuticles to lie flat against each other resulting in their closure. This minimizes friction between hair strands allowing the hair to move freely against each other. The closed cuticles better reflect light causing hair to appear shiny and healthy looking. Lastly and most importantly, The cortex of the hair is protected from damage when the cuticle scales are lying flat. Acidic substances include neutralizing shampoos, lemon juice and vinegar. This is one of the reasons that apple cider vinegar rinses are so popular with many naturalistas. As a final rinse at the end of a shampoo and/or conditioning regime it can help to close the cuticle and maintain proper moisture in the hair.

Normalizing the pH of the hair is important to ensure its overall health and to minimize damage. The pH range should be around 4 to 5.5 and products that maintain it at that level are ideal. Shampoos and conditioners are very important in helping to regulate the hair’s pH. Shampoos are generally formulated to be acidic (4-6) and conditioners are typically at a lower pH. (3-5). This lower conditioner pH helps to seal the cuticle to prevent moisture loss.

Time to Test

How do you know the pH of your products? A relatively inexpensive way to do this is with litmus or pH paper, which you can get from drug stores. The paper changes colour once submerged in the substance you’re testing, and indicates the pH. Many strips are designed to give a result within 30-60 seconds so the test is relatively quick. While a great way to get a general sense of the pH of your products the strips are not 100% accurate and readings may be off.

In general most hair care products are formulated to normalize the pH of the hair. The time when it’s important to really test your products is if you are formulating your own hair and body products from scratch, or if you are mixing different finished products together to create a cocktail specifically for your hair. It’s important if and when you are doing this that you understand the ingredients contained in your products and whether or not they are acidic or alkaline and what effect they will have in your final mixture.

How to apply the Curl Define™ Curl Enhancing Gelly to the hair. The Gelly was applied to damp hair and left to air dry.

As I discovered this I really began to love my hair texture and appreciate its inherent strength and weaknesses, and developed more of an understanding of how to care for it.

Natural Black Hair

In its natural state black hair has bends, curls, twists and turns to its structure. Kinky and curly hair emerges from elliptical and oval shaped hair follicles from the scalp. The diameter of the hair shaft also changes around each bend and twist resulting in a hair shaft that doesn’t have the same thickness throughout its entire length. Additionally, these bends and twist make black hair much more fragile and requires less force to break than Asian and Caucasian strands. This would explain why I would hear that dreaded “tearing” sound when mom was combing my hair!

All textured hair is different but when my hair is clean and product-free, there is a lack of considerable shine to it. Most healthy black hair has a sheen and matte appearance to the hair and is not necessarily shiny. Shine is a result of light bouncing off of the surface of the hair, directed towards the eye. Tight curls and coils don’t reflect light the same way naturally straight hair does. Shine is usually related to the flattening of the hair cuticle but just because your hair may lack shine doesn’t make it unhealthy or in poor condition; it just may be a characteristic of your hair. I know it’s mine! In hair that is usually not very shiny, proper conditioning, product selection and styling can achieve this.

When it comes to the care and management of our hair, one thing you want to remember is that the hair’s natural physical properties are related to the condition and placement of the protein components in the hair fiber.

Any change in the hair protein structure can drastically change the appearance of the hair and the mechanical properties of the hair.

In its natural state, this is nothing to really be concerned with since there is no real alteration in the protein structure. However for hair that is relaxed or texturized, there is significant change in this structure. Chemical relaxers work by disrupting specific bonds in the hair’s cortex. These bonds are called disulfide bonds and the more these bonds occur in the hair, the curlier and kinkier it is. They are the strongest bonds in the hair and can’t be disrupted by water or heat, only by chemical agents. The strength of the hair fiber comes mainly from these disulfide bonds and protein in the cortex. Therefore hair that is chemically relaxed is weaker than natural hair. Unprocessed hair is able to endure more stress than chemically relaxed hair because the natural protein structure hasn’t been compromised. However, one thing that can compromise the length of black hair is the tendency of our hair to tangle and knot, which can lead to breakage from manipulating the hair. Again I’m having a flash back of when I was younger. Ouch! That would partially explain why my hair never seemed to grow in its natural state and why I would envy my Caucasian classmates with their long flowing hair.

That was then, this is now. Now that I have a better understanding of how unique my hair is, I’m really having a love affair with it! I can make it straight or bend and manipulate it to any style I want. One thing I can say about my textured hair is that it is far from boring and I’m really enjoying being natural. What about you?