Shampoo for Dense, Coarse or Thick Hair
Posted on May 26, 2009 with 1 Comment
Two years ago my wife and I were fortunate (blessed) to adopt a 5-year-old boy from Guatemala. He always has a smile on his face, is inquisitive, humble, smart and has the thickest, densest hair of anyone I’ve ever met.
No kidding - his hair is jet black, stands straight-up and as thick as a carpet. Whenever he is in the sun, his head absorbs heat like asphalt on an August day and the sweat starts falling, even when the temperature is rather mild. It is coarse and stiff, and we have experimented with all sorts of shampoos to keep his scalp moisturized and follicles somewhat soft and manageable - what we needed was a shampoo for dense, coarse and thick hair.
Needless to say, we have several hispanic friends - mainly from Central and South America - and many of the “hispanics” we know have similar challenges, whether they’re from Mexico, Guatemala or Venezuela. And the issue we hear repeatedly is how to maintain and manage hair that is so coarse and thick.
Here is what we have found. First, maintaining moisture is paramount and the two best products we found for that are those with emu oil or LusterPlex. LusterPlex, interestingly, was developed by Croda (a personal products research and ingredient company) to increase flexibility, shine and smoothness of coarse or thick hair. It has become a top active ingredient for use in African American hair products for its’ properties for increasing sheen and reducing breaking.
Shampoos and conditioners with this ingredient work great for hispanic hair (latino, latina) too - I can attest. Though density hasn’t changed (and I hope it doesn’t for a long time), his hair is much softer and smoother - and doesn’t have that “velcro” feel. It still gets hot - as a recent trip to the pool proved, but the feel of brittleness is gone and it doesn’t seem to get as dirty as it once did.
The other ingredient I mentioned was emu oil. Emu oil is great for moisturizing the scalp and works very well in shampoos and conditioners. It is a very popular ingredient for African American shampoos and for anyone who deals with breakage or coarseness. It is a great moisturizer - reducing dryness and poor hydration - and works well for those whose locks are thin…it adds body, softness and life.