Hi ladies, happy FriYAY!
How is your hair doing? The actual strands...right at the cuticle?Have you done anything lately that is likely to damage your cuticle? Strange question to start a post with right? Well it's what happens at microscopic level on our hair that matters just as much as what happens on macroscopic level.
Remember that the outer layer of the hair consists of "scales" called the cuticle. These are raised and lowered depending on what products your hair is exposed to and the state of health of your hair.
A healthy cuticle layer should be lowered and undamaged with few raised scales. This is very important as it keeps the shaft of the hair intact. When the cuticle layer of your hair is lowered, your hair is smoother, stronger, shinier and less prone to tangling.
Which is where ceramides come into play. Ceramides are lipids found in certain plant based oils which form a protective layer over the cuticle. Thus shielding it and strengthening your hair. This also means that your hair will be much less prone to breakage and better able to withstand damage. A study on damaged hair showed that the damage was due to a loss of lipids and ceramides which protected the cuticle layer. Which is why it is so important that you include ceramides in your regimen if you want better hair. Another fun fact is that is that you don't need a large amount of them. A small amount deposited on the cuticle will restore and protect your hair.
I definitely have woken up to the fact that I need them in my regimen as my hair is not where I want it to be in terms of optimal health and length.
So where do I get ceramide rich oils?
Luckily, hemp seed oil, grapeseed oil, wheatgerm oil and rice bran oil are all packed with ceramides for stronger hair. Next week i'll bring a more comprehensive list of oils and products that contain ceramides. Stay tuned!
If you have fine or thin hair, you definitely want to incorporate these into your regimen as your hair is especially prone to damage due to the thin circumference of your strands.
How can one incorporate ceramides into their regimen?
Add a ceramides rich oil to your deep conditioner
Preshampoo with a products containing ceramides
Mix some of your sealing oil with it
Use the oil as a hot oil treatment
DO YOU INCORPORATE CERAMIDES RICH OILS/PRODUCTS IN YOUR REGIMEN? COMMENT BELOW!
