Hair is much more than an aesthetic evolution of the human body. Each hair follicle on your body is surrounded by fat, nerves, and blood vessels. These follicles act to to help promote healthy skin. Without hair, your skin would be prone to sun damage, which is what makes the hair on your head so important.
The hair on your head provides cushion, warmth, and protection from the elements. This means that taking proper care of your hair is critical, and you can’t put just any hair care product on and expect proper hair growth. In fact, some products designed to help your hair can actually end up mitigating healthy growth and could be the root cause of hair damage. Because your hair is so important to your health, this article will review the importance of using natural hair care.
Anatomy of a Follicle
Your hair is a natural part of your body, which means what you give it should be natural too. But before getting into what your hair needs, you need to know why your hair needs it. Knowing the science behind how your hair functions can help you pick out what your specific hair type and texture needs.
The hairs on your head are anchored in the skin by a follicle. The base of the follicle is surrounded by an oily protective bulb that grows what’s needed the build the hair shaft. However, the only way the bulb can promote proper growth is with the right hormones, vitamins, and nutrients. That’s where the blood vessels come in to nourish the cells of the bulb to deliver what it needs.
Each hair follicle contains a cortex made up of keratin, which is what gives your hair strength and durability as well promoting water absorption. Surrounding that is the cuticle designed to protect the root with a layer of lipids. Under a microscope, the cells of unhealthy hair look cracked and jagged. Now that you understand a little bit more about how hair works, let’s get into exactly what your hair needs.
Your Hair Needs Nutrients
As previously stated, your hair needs healthy fats as its outer layer is composed of lipids, and your scalp needs oils for hair to stay hydrated. Omega-3 will help your hair shine and promote the production of your scalp’s natural oils. On the topic of hydration, your hair also needs water to avoid fraying and breakage. However, if your hair is already damaged, you need products that contain biotin, protein, iron, zinc, and a few other vitamins to keep the follicle strong; if the follicle isn’t strong, there’s no point in trying to retain moisture.
How Certain Chemicals Harm
Many synthetic, man-made materials in modern hair care products can harm your hair and your body. Mineral oil and petroleum jelly have recently been highlighted as some of the most popular and potentially harmful chemicals in everyday shampoos.
Mineral oil is a derivative of petroleum, making them both fossil fuels. If these are not adequately refined, they can contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are considered carcinogenic.However, European countries have put regulations on the refinement of this fossil fuel and do not allow sale if the product is not refined to standard. A properly refined mineral oil is completely safe.Other less than desirables ingredients found in hair care products are Benzene, Polyethylene glycol, and Triclosan.
In addition, remember how you learned that the bulb of the hair follicle grows hair by receiving hormones from the blood vessels? Those hormones come from the body’s endocrine system, and many chemicals in unnatural hair products have chemicals that affect the endocrine system. Phthalates and Parabens easily absorb into skin and have been linked to hair damage.
Parabens can
The Benefits of Natural Ingredients
So, you may be wondering how you can give your hair the nutrients it needs without posing a risk to your health. Ultimately, you want to include as many of the ingredients mentioned in the second section in your diet. This way, your hair can continue to grow and be structurally sound. Once you’ve got that aspect down, natural hair care products are the critical next step.
You want natural hair care products that will add moisture and lock that moisture in. Argan oil, castor oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, and aloe do just that. These ingredients are emollients and occlusives, meaning they will help moisturize and fortify hair follicles.Hydrated hair mitigates frizz, makes your hair stronger, and lubricates the follicles so that dead hair falls out much easier.
In addition, understanding the ingredients in your hair care products can prevent unnecessary incidents like headaches, dry skin, and allergies. Ultimately, you should always patch test any new product to check for allergies or skin sensitivity, as everyone is different. However, using natural ingredients in your hair care routine can help you regain your power when it comes to the beauty and strength of your hair.
Now that you know the importance of using natural hair care, you’re better equipped to achieve the gorgeous hair of your dreams. There’s no better day than today to start implementing natural hair care products in your washing routine.
So, do you know what’s in your shampoo bottle?
