fine hair

Protein for Hair : Why You Need It and When You Do Not?

December 7, 2016 Nayantara Karnik 11 Comments

Most of us know the importance of deep conditioning and moisture for our hair. We oil our hair on a regular basis and try to take good care of it, yet sometimes no matter what we do, it continues to be problematic. Assuming that you have no medical or health problems, your diet is reasonably good, you exercise regularly and try to stay healthy, it can be puzzling as to why these problems persist. In that case I’m here to tell you it could be because of a not-very-well-understood hair ingredient – protein for hair. Is your hair getting too much of it or not enough?

Who Needs Protein for Hair?

Our hair is made up of about 91% protein, including keratin which we often see in the hair product ingredients. It is also one of the major hair straightening treatments.

Now, what are proteins? Going back to school chemistry, proteins are larger molecules composed of chains of smaller amino acids.

In the modern world, our hair is exposed to styling, treatment and environmental damage or other stress which cause the hair structure to degrade beyond what our ancestors ever faced. Even though getting protein for hair from inside-out is the key and it should be sufficiently present in your diet, that may not be enough for your hair to remain in a healthy state.

Conditioner making your hair straight? {Hair Care}

March 21, 2012 Swati 3 Comments

PS:This post is for curly and wavy haired gals!!!

A little while back I had read some post or probably it was a product review of a conditioner saying that it made the blogger’s hair straight. That got me thinking a little about the conditioner. Well, that can be a good thing if you are looking for hair straightening but let me clear it out for you that your conditioner is weighing your hair down.

What does a conditioner do?

A conditioner is supposed to undo the harsh effects of the shampoo over the hair. It helps to hydrate, condition and moisturize the hair and keep it soft and shiny. Read more about how conditioner helps avoid split ends.

Conditioner straightens the Hair?

No, a conditioner can never straighten the hair. If you are looking to straighten your hair naturally, you can try using henna or fuller’s earth (multani mitti). Or, you can also go for rebonding or permanent hair straightening which actually damages the hair in a lot of cases.

Anyways, speaking about the conditioner, it can be either of two things:

you are using excess of conditioner
you are using the wrong type of conditioner

Excess of Conditioner?

Next time you are in the shower, try reducing the amount of conditioner you are using. Actually, it is true that we tend to over-use the products which can lead to product build-up too.

Are you using the right Conditioner?
Sometimes, we tend to pick up products based on whims instead of finding out if they are really suitable for our hair type. For example, you may pick up a protein based conditioner thinking your hair is dry but your hair needs nothing more than hydration. Such wrong choices can also lead to conditioner not functioning properly or as desired. That’s why it is very essential to find out about your hair type and texture before you go to buy products.

And, also, if you are using the right products for your hair, be sure that they will define your curls and make them stand out. What do you say?

Which Oil should I use? {Hair Care}

January 31, 2012 Swati 16 Comments

Hey Everyone
Welcome to my most favorite month of the year and this year makes it even more special because of its perfect 4 week month. I like February because it is the shortest month and also because today is my birthday 🙂 No birthday cakes yet!!! But, you can always courier one 😀 Just kidding. Anyways, let us get on with today’s post.Very often, while reading articles online, I have come across stories that “this oil doesn’t do anything to my hair” and so which got me into thinking more about hair care. Ultimately, everything about your hair is dependent on how well you understand your hair. So, identifying hair type and hair texture is very important before starting on a hair care regimen. As you know that both rough and fine hair need different products, similarly, they need different oils.

Rough Hair

It is thick and damaged in a nutshell. So, it needs nourishing oils which help improve the hair structure from the inside. Generally, all the heavy nourishing oils like coconut, almond, mustard, groundnut and other oils do well on rough hair because rough hair absorbs them better and doesn’t get weighed down.

And, in the long run, these oils actually end up improving the hair structure also making the hair smoother and softer. Even shea butter and cocoa butter and other butters do real good to rough hair so if you are looking for smoothing out your hair, try out the butters.

Fine Hair

It gets weighed down very easily so the prominent need for this kind of hair is a light oil which can give it some texture. You do not really need to focus on nourishment because fine hair is generally healthy and you can not make your hair thick by using oils. The only need for this hair is hydration and texture and volume. Oil doesn’t give volume so we can rule that out.

Make sure you use light oils like jojoba, sesame oil, olive oil, rice bran oil or any oil available in the market is light enough because it has already been heavily refined. These light oils leave a fine sheen on the hair and keep it looking healthy.

Custom Oil Blend

You can also mix and match the oils according to your hair needs. For example, if you have curly fine hair which is less in volume, mix almond, castor and any light oil. Similarly, you can use a nourishing oil for scalp and a light oil for hair strands. So, use your own experience of your hair and create a personalized oil blend for yourself. I have found almond oil is more of an all-rounder and does well both on fine and rough hairs.

This post is an inspiration of the incident when the mustard oil and groundnut oil did not work for my hair. This need not be true for your hair but does open up a possibility. The long and short of it is that if you are using heavy oils on fine hair, your hair may end up being limp even after washing and if you are not using nourishing oils for rough hair, it will look more frizzy after being washed. So, use appropriate oils for your hair depending on your hair texture.

Do let me know your thoughts on this observation 🙂

Hair Textures {Hair Care}

January 10, 2012 Swati 5 Comments

Long back, I had discussed about different hair types. Continuing in that series, I want to talk about the texture of hair. Type of hair and texture of hair are two different terms, though not necessarily used as such. According to my interpretation of these terms, type of hair describes the general condition of the hair – whether they are dry, oily, etc. where as texture describes the feel of your hair.

What does it mean by feel?

Well, your hair feels soft, rough or fine??? That’s what we call the texture of the hair. Now, any hair type may be broadly categorized to have fine, normal or rough hair. Your hair care routine should not only depend on your hair types but also its texture. Once you identify the type of your hair, the second step is to identify the texture.

Rough Hair

Thick Diameter of the hair strands
May be damaged
Dehydrated and under-nourished
Feels straw-like when touched
Frizzy and unmanageable
Needs a lot of care to make it look healthy
Prone to dryness
Lacks shine

Curly hair is generally likely to be a little rough. And, if you have subjected your hair to lot of heat and other chemical treatments, your hair is likely to be rough.

Fine Hair

Thin diameter of the hair strands
Are not damaged basically
Generally feel soft and silky when touched
May or may not be frizzy and damaged
May be more or less oily
Have a tendency to go flat and limp
Needs lot of volume and hydration as opposed to nourishment
May be shiny
Is weaker than rough hair because of less strength
High on maintenance as it doesn’t hold in any particular style for long

Oily hair is more or less fine. Or, if you feel your hair has no volume, your hair is likely to be fine. They are not that difficult to care for but do need maintenance to make them look bouncy and lively. So, your hair care products and routine should depend on whether your hair is fine or rough.

Is your hair fine or rough?

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