Posts Tagged hair breakage

How Can Vitamins for Hair Reduce Breaking?

Posted on March 22, 2012 with No Comments

Vitamins for hair can reduce tearing, splitting and breaking by adding nutrition and minerals that makes the shaft, cuticle and papilla of the follicle stronger and more pliable (flexible). The follicle shaft is made of proteins and keratin; deficiencies in these or fundamental vitamins such as B12 can leave hair weak – prone to heat damage, tearing by flat irons, and breaking due to dryness.

As follicles continue to weaken and become dry, breakage becomes worse. Brushing, combing, tangles and chemical treatments make matters worse too.

Vitamins for hair can ensure you have the adequate daily supplements needed to build strong follicle shafts that guard against breaking and excess dryness. The minerals and vitamins found in most supplements for hair have been researched to provide the healthiest conditions to propmote growth, strength and shine.

The longer hair grows, the more opportunities that it will break off. You will want to know the cause of why this is happening. Perhaps you are not aware of any obvious causes, like the tension when you wear a tight pony tail all day long, or a scalp ailment that results in hair loss by either falling out or by breaking off. You may not even think of having hair that has been over treated by yourself or in a salon, with chemicals; even your diet can be implicated in the condition of your hair. These can all quite frequently be causes of hair loss.

Breaking Hair From Vitamin Deficiency

Vitamin deficiency will affect the overall health of a person. However, it may not be noticed for quite some time in other organs. The integument has a faster cellular turnover than do most other organs. This makes a deficiency noticeable much faster in hair and in nails. Vitamins B and E are especially important for good hair health to prevent breakage. Biotin supplements are very beneficial in providing nutrients to of hair follicles. Another B vitamin, B 12 is necessary to grow normal hair.

B Vitamins And Hair Loss Prevention

B 3 (niacin), B 6 (pyridoxine), B 9 (folic acid) and B 12 (cyanocobalamine) all have an important part in either the production and maintenance of red blood cells or the energy synthesis and immune system maintenance thereof. In this role, they will all affect hair breakage or hair loss either directly or secondarily. Each B vitamin mentioned is needed for proper function of the hair follicles to produce healthy hair. B vitamins can be found in many different foods and deficiency with a healthy diet should be rare. However, there are certain conditions and instances when the body becomes deficient and supplements should be taken.

Biotin’s Role In Hair Growth

Biotin (B 7) has a role in gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis is the function of synthesizing glycogen from glucose. It also is involved as a coenzyme in the synthesis of fatty acids and some amino. It has an important part in the function of the cell cycle and without it hair growth and hair health will be affected. Deficiency in biotin is relatively rare but that is not to say that it is nonexistent. Certain medical problems can be responsible for a biotin deficiency. These must be addressed by a physician. Hair will react to this deficiency unless it is properly addressed.

Vitamin E’s Role In Preventing Hair From Breaking And Falling Out

The role for vitamin E is to sustain overall health of the body. In doing so, it also supports the health of hair. To keep hair healthy and elastic, rather than brittle and falling out, the immune system must be in good functioning order. It helps the circulation on which the nutrients for the body depend. Blood will deliver vitamins and minerals to the individual organs. One of the more interesting functions of vitamin E is that it indirectly increases prostacyclin release from endothelial tissue. This event then effects the enlargement of blood vessels, including capillaries, which deliver nutrients to the hair follicles. One of the most valuable properties of vitamin E for hair is in its anti-oxidant properties. It will repair damage from free radical of environmental and endogenous disease processes. Vitamin E and Biotin are common and key primary ingredients in healthy hair vitamins to reduce breaking.

Choosing The Best Relaxer for Black Hair

Posted on June 21, 2009 with No Comments

Thinking of relaxing?

Choosing the best relaxer is very important for the health of your hair.  Fear not!  With the right relaxer and proper maintenance your hair can be healthy and strong. An experienced hairstylist is most qualified to identify which chemical treatment is right for your hair.

Of course, the texture and curl of your hair are key considerations in selection of product and processing time. But more importantly, your history of hair processing will determine which chemical relaxer can be used on your hair.

Some relaxers, when combined with others, even when months have passed since your last relaxing process, will break protein bonds in such a way that disastrous hair breakage results. So it’s important to see a licensed stylist for this chemical service.

Relaxers typically need to be touched up every 6 to 8 weeks depending on the rate of your hair growth. This is a process where the relaxer is only applied the “new growth”.

The three main active ingredients found in chemical relaxers are sodium hydroxide, guanidine hydroxide and amonium thioglycholate.

Sodium hydroxide, commonly known as lye, and has been blamed for causing damage, while guanidine hydroxide and amonium thioglycholate are promoted as “gentle” or “no-lye” formulas.

The truth, however, is that all three of these chemicals will cause severe follicle and scalp damage if they are misused; and all three can produce good results when used correctly.   

When it comes to lye relaxers my favorites are Mizani and Mizani Butter blend. I’m also a fan of Affirm. When it comes to No-Lye hands down I would choose Phytospecific Phytorelaxer Index 1; it’s pricey but the end result is fabulous!

Self Relaxing

My suggestion is that if you don’t have experience in self relaxing…DON’T! Self relaxing is very tricky and over processing is very common for the inexperienced.  It’s especially important when applying to new growth. One of my favorite products for self-straightening is the Organic Root Stimulato kit that, when applied correctly offers salon results.

Black Hair Maintenance

It’s important to wrap hair each night and cover hair with a silk scarf before going to bed. Apply light moisture daily or apply a light silicone spray.  Wash and Condition weekly with moisture enriched products such as HHP Emu Oil Shampoo and conditioner. Apply a heat protectant, such as HHP Spray Straight to smooth and straighten and Blow dry.  Deep condition monthly and apply protein based products as needed or as recommended by stylist.