HOME REMEDIES FOR DRY HAIR
by
Christina Haas
SMASHWORDS EDITION
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PUBLISHED BY:
Christina Haas at Smashwords
Home Remedies For Dry Hair
Copyright 2010 by Christina Haas
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
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Table Of Contents
Legal
And Disclaimers
Introduction
The
Composition Of Hair
Tips
For Healthy Hair
Easy
Homemade Hair Care Recipes
Hair
Masks And Creams
Hot
Oil Treatments
Hair
Rinses
Ingredients
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All rights reserved. No part of this document or accompanying files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or otherwise, by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.
This book is presented to you for informational purposes only and is not a substitution for any professional advice, medical or otherwise. The contents herein are based on the views and opinions of the author.
While every effort has been made by the author to present accurate and up to date information within this document, it is apparent technologies rapidly change. Therefore, the author reserves the right to update the contents and information provided herein as these changes progress. The author takes no responsibility for any errors or omissions if such discrepancies exist within this document.
The author and all other contributors accept no responsibility for any consequential actions taken, whether monetary, legal, or otherwise, by any and all readers of the materials provided. It is the reader's sole responsibility to seek professional advice before taking any action on their part.
Readers results will vary based on their skill level and individual perception of the contents herein, and thus no guarantees, monetarily or otherwise, can be made accurately. Therefore, no guarantees are made.
The author is not responsible for the use or misuse of the information contained within. The information contained in the book is for informational purposes only. It is not intended as professional advice or a recommendation to act.
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Just about every woman wants beautiful, silky, luxurious hair - like the hair we see in shampoo and conditioner ads. But every day we beat our hair into submission and wonder why we end up with dry, damaged hair.We brush, pull, stretch, braid, and stick our hair in a pony tail. We color, highlight, perm, and straighten with chemicals that were never meant to come within a mile of our hair. We blow-dry, curl with a curling iron, or straighten with a flat iron and all the while we're stripping our hair of moisture and the vital oils and nutrients it needs to stay healthy.
So what's a woman to do about her dry, damaged hair? Well, we could go to the salon and get special hair treatments that cost more than a weeks' worth of food or, we can save ourselves some big bucks and learn how to care for our hair properly and give it what it needs to stay healthy and beautiful using ingredients we have right at home.
The truth is, you don't need expensive salon treatments to have healthy, beautiful hair. The billion-dollar beauty industry would have us believe that in order to have healthy hair and skin, we need the products they sell. They also play on the belief many people have that the more expensive a product is, the better it must be. Don't get me wrong, there are some decent products out there, but you can easily achieve the same results using ingredients you have in your own kitchen.
If you want to use natural treatments that work and won't break the bank, the formulations in this book will give you what you need to nourish your hair and restore it to a beautiful, healthy state.
I only included recipes with ingredients that are easy to find in your local supermarket or pharmacy. It is not necessary to create complex recipes with oils and other ingredients that have to be purchased online when there are plenty that will help you achieve healthy hair using ingredients you have at home or that you can buy locally.
One serious word of caution - if you are allergic to any of the ingredients contained in the recipes in this book - DO NOT USE THE RECIPE. If you have any type of reaction after using a recipe, speak with your physician immediately and do not use the recipe again.
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THE COMPOSITION OF HAIR
In order to understand how to have healthy hair and achieve the results we want, we have to get a little technical to understand a bit more about the hair’s composition. Simply put, the inside of the hair is called the cortex and the outside is called the cuticle. A good analogy is an electrical cord. The inside has fine wires all twisted together protected by an outer layer made up of plastic insulation.
The outer layer of plastic insulation in an electrical cord protects the inner layer of fine wires, just as the cuticle of the hair protects the cortex. The cuticle is made up of several layers of cells and they all overlap one another, very similar to shingles on a roof. Human hair typically has 7 to 12 layers of overlapping cuticle cells and these cells are orientated away from the scalp. Because of this, when you brush or comb your hair, you are doing so in the direction of the cells.
The strength of human hair is mostly due to the cortex. If you scrape too many of the outer cuticle cells from your hair you will end up exposing the cortex and damage your hair. It’s very important to not only condition your hair but brush or comb it properly. If you don’t brush it properly you cause friction that results in the loss of the protective cuticle cells. Improper brushing also causes uneven wear, which results in rough cuticle cells. All of this means damaged hair and split ends.
What we want is to have the cuticle cells of our hair lie flat on the shaft. Flat cuticle cells make our hair shiny and rough cuticles cells make it dull. Since our hair is newer at the root, you may notice that the roots are shinier than the ends. This is because the roots have not yet been damaged by improper hair care.
Chemical processing, such as perms, hair color, and relaxing, can also damage the cuticle. Chemical processing will cause the cuticle to lift up, making it rough and therefore, less shiny. It also makes the hair more susceptible to damage due to improper brushing. Covalent bonds in the cortex, the bonds that hold the cells in the hair together, can be destroyed by chemical processing as well, making the hair weaker.
Hydrogen bonds are also found in the hair. They are weak bonds, but they are numerous. These bonds can be broken easily when the hair is wet but when it dries, they are easily reformed. This why when your hair is set when it is wet, it retains the curl when it dries. It’s also the reason that when you blow your hair straight it stays straight. At least that’s true until you go outside on a humid day. So, it’s important to use care when brushing or combing your hair when it’s wet so you don’t damage the hydrogen bonds.
Ionic bonds, also called salt bonds, are another type of bond found in the hair. They are stronger than hydrogen bonds yet weaker than covalent bonds. The ionic bonds can be weakened when the hair is made too acidic or too alkaline. The ideal pH for hair is around 5.5 to 6.5 and if you’ve had an alkaline chemical process done to your hair, you should be using an acidic conditioner to bring the hair back into balance and good shape.
So there you have it, a short lesson on the composition of hair and how the simplest thing, such as brushing, can damage the hair if not done properly.
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Go Natural
One of the best things you can do for your hair is to leave it be for a day or two. That means no shampooing or styling. Over-washing your hair can cause damage as well as styling it on a daily basis with blow dryers and curling or flat irons. Whenever you have a few days off and you really don't need to look presentable, give your hair a break and allow it to restore some of its natural oils. And, if you can get away with it, try washing every other day rather than every day.