Hair Health: Oils are not just for cooking!

Healthy hair needs constant care and one of the most effective ways is to replenish the lipids in your hair on a regular basis.

Healthy Hair

Did you know 2-6% of the overall weight of the hair fibre is lipids, and 85% of the total hair lipid content are saturated and unsaturated fatty acids? Even though 2-6% sounds insignificant, the lipid content plays a crucial role in structural integrity of your hair and keeping it healthy. When the lipid content of hair is not compromised, hair has shine and luster, and feels healthy and strong.

These lipids are lost over time due to exposure to external stressors such as chemical treatments, washing, UV exposure, heat exposure or even physical abrasion such as  combing. These stressors cause oxidation and degradation in unsaturated lipids. Many products in hair care regimen such as shampoos, conditioners and hair treatments can cause lipid damage leading to dull hair with broken fiber and split ends. 

A closer look at the internal lipids in hair shows three main lipid compositions: fatty acids, cholesterol and ceramides, with fatty acids being the major component. 

A research performed by Jennifer March, et al., in 2018 showed how these lost lipids can be replenished by incorporating lipids such as fatty alcohols like Cetyl Alcohol or Stearyl Alcohol with effective delivery systems (usually a surfactant) in hair regimen such as shampoo and conditioners.  

At Essentique we make sure your hair receives a good amount of fatty acids in all levels of hair regimen from shampooing to conditioning and treatments. For instance, in Quench a long chain fatty alcohol is incorporated to serve as a natural and plant based source of fatty alcohol for nourishing your hair. Blue Bliss, hair conditioner, consists of Cetyl Alcohol and Passion fruit oil in order to repair the lipid damage of the hair whereas in SuperMasque, Cetyl Alcohol is teamed up with Papaya oil to create a healthy level of lipids in your hair. And Dazzle is packed with a nourishing blend of exotic lipids, to name a few: baobab, jojoba, prickly pear and meadowfoam seed oils.

It’s worth to mention that sebum oil can also contribute to the health of hair fibre, so too much of washing can strip the hair from this wonderful source of lipid and compromise the health of your hair. Do you really need to wash your hair every day?! Think twice.

Next time you are stepping in the shower or styling your hair, take a look at the label of your current hair care products and make sure it contains some lovely lipids for the health of your hair.

share

One Response

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

related articles

Previous
Next