Science Improves The Sheen Level In Natural Hair

Good Morning Lovlies!

Science Improves The Sheen Level In Natural Hair by Terez Howard

“It requires a very unusual mind to undertake the analysis of the obvious.” - Alfred North Whitehead

I like to believe I’m someone with such a mind. When we look at our natural black hair, many of us lament that our curls and coils lack shine. While we love our hair, we might find ourselves secretly longing for more luminous locks.

I have good news and bad news. Here’s the bad news. Tightly kinky, coily hair will never have shine. Scientifically speaking, shine (when it comes to hair) is a reflection of light. Straight, wavy and loosely curly hair textures reflect light well and thus naturally produce a high degree of shine. The twists and twirls in tightly coiled strands makes reflecting light on a shine level impossible.

I also have good news. This zigzag hair texture can and does have sheen. Between each zag and zig, tiny reflections of light peek through and create sheen. In turn, this sheen can be enhanced by the wonders of science.


The Cuticle’s Role

The outer, protective layer of a strand of hair is called the cuticle. The more flatly your cuticle lays down, the more light those strands reflect, and the more sheen your natural hair emits. Your acidic natural hair has a pH level of 4.5 to 5.5, and you can smooth and close the cuticle layer by using natural products close to your hair’s pH.

But before you decide to only apply products to make your cuticle lay down and close, know that your cuticle must be opened to some degree. The pH level in water is 7, or neutral, meaning that when you cleanse or no poo your hair with water, you lift your cuticle open. This is a good thing because common sense tells us that we humans need water to survive, and water helps natural hair to thrive.

Warm water opens the hair’s cuticle, while cool water helps to seal it. A final rinse with cool water will encourage sheen. Water does even more than that, but let’s first talk about one amazing little plant.


One Must-Have Product That Encourages Sheen

I’m going to assume that most of you naturals have moved beyond the days of slathering your scalps in grease. Did you know that the pH level in mineral oil, the primary ingredient in most hair greases, is 10.5? That extremely high pH level raises your cuticle out of control, failing to moisturize your hair and weakening it to the point of possible breakage.

According to Livestrong.com, aloe vera gel has a pH level of 4.3 and can wonderfully smooth your hair’s cuticle. With a level so close to your hair’s pH, aloe vera gel is bound to make your coils have tremendous sheen.

Remember how I said that water opens the hair cuticle? Well, when you apply aloe vera gel to wet hair, your hair cuticle will not only seal more readily, but will be infused with the nutrients found in aloe vera gel. This penetration into the hair shaft and follicle gives your hair luster and strength.

Aloe vera gel can be purchased in organic, pure forms. I recommend these types of products because if you don’t carefully read the product labels, you might find that aloe vera gel is the 12th ingredient on a long list of ingredients. The farther down on a list an ingredient appears, the less of that ingredient is in a product. That means there could be less than 1 percent of aloe vera gel in a product.

So, it might be obvious that natural black hair appears duller than other hair textures. However, it is not doomed to remain dull. We have science to thank for that.

Terez Howard, who has been researching natural hair for 5 years, endeavors to help ladies learn more about their precious tresses, including remedies for damaged hair.

Be sure to show Ms. Terez Howard some love at Naturalicious Hair.  Thank you Terez for sharing your wonderful article with us!

Until Next Time,

 Indulgenceiskey

Join me at:
Twitter
YouTube
Facebook
Online Store