Showing posts with label ACV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ACV. Show all posts
Sunday, May 13, 2012

How to pH Balance your hair!

Posted by ceceUNedited |



Morning Divas!!!

I'm just going to write a bit about pH levels- which will not require you to go searching around and looking at pH levels with litmus paper. It just requires using a rinse after your wash sessions!!

Basic Info to know first:
The pH scale runs on a range of 0-14. The lower the pH- the more acidic the solution. The breaking point for the scale is 7, which is neutral (this is the pH level of pure water). Any pH over 7 is a basic solution. pH is the measure of the "potential of hydrogen." Dry hair does not have a pH!!!! Hair's ph ranges between 4.5 and 5.5 when in water. The sebum, which is the oil that our scalp naturally produces has about the same pH. Some products on the market are created to have a pH within a range similar to hair. Some conditioners are also designed to have lower pH then the hair- its generally acidic in state.

Working with the Basics:
As previously discusses pH between 7.1-14 is basic or alkaline. These Basic solutions open the cuticle layer of hair which allows moisture, protein, almost anything to get into your hair cuticles and touch your hair's core keratin strand. Think of your hair as your spin with the vertebrae around it- when the cuticle opens we are stretching the vertebrae apart and can access your spinal cord. This is the perfect time to add protein which will strengthen your strand (though some peoples hair HATES protein). IT is also the key time to add moisture so that your hair has a nice cool drink of water with a dose of lubricants to keep things working smoothly on the inside :)! Be careful because this is also the time that your hair can lose water or retain too much, or even worse the water can dissolve leaving behind residue such as salts or other mineral present in hard water which do NOT help your strands!!!!!
This is what the baking soda washes are used for by some people- as well as to clean your hair. On average, baking soda has a pH in the range of 8.3-9.0 and when mixed with water the pH is more around 8.2-8.8 depending on the proportions. This is because water is neutral (7). Hair would be left at that pH as well (8.2-8.8) which is why an acidic rinse would be necessary to leave the hair in its own pH range or in a slightly more acidic pH range which can help the hair.

I would NOT recommend the use of baking soda on your hair, unless you are looking to relax your curl pattern temporarily. It opens your cuticles and allows your hair to retain too much water, which can also be bad- imagine overfilling a balloon with air...(yeah not a great idea). Baking soda will also steal hydrogens from your hair which is bad- like carbon monoxide stealing oxygen from the air and your body- (which is also known as a silent killer). I think you get the idea- just try not to use it.

What pH should you aim for in the end?
The best pH level to leave your hair at is around 4.0-4.5 Though hair naturally has a pH of 4.5-5.5. The reason that the slightly lowered pH level is better is because it compacts the hair strand so that the cuticles are closed securely- leaving all the moisture and conditioning you did inside the hair strand. Acidifying hair can be one of the best things you do for your hair!!


1) It will add natural shine to your hair

2) It helps detangle and prevent knotting, because closed cuticles cannot grab on to other open cuticles!

3) Elasticity: the ability of your hair to move freely- in our case without snapping and being brittle. This treatment elevates the positive charge on your hair. ( negative charged ions cause frizz and static electricity). The positive charge brings the hydrogen bonds from a weak state (beta) to a strong state (alpha) and this improves elasticity because hydrogen bonds account for all of your hairs elasticity!!!!

4) Retains moisture!! Since the cuticle is snapped shut and compacted, all the conditioning and moisturizing you did will now remain inside the cuticle and not evaporate away.



Q: How can you achieve this pH level?
A: By Doing Acid the Healthy Way!
Acidic solutions do the opposite of Basics, closing the cuticle layer and allowing moisture to be retained. So Apple Cider Vinegar is the best way to get your pH at a level which keeps hair shafts closed. The way this works is ACV has a pH of 3.0 and an ACV rinse has a pH of about 4.0 ( I will test the proportions an pH later today so I can give you an exact pH to proportion measurement). The hair would likely be left at a pH of about 4.0 or so. This should be used as a final rinse for your hair to compact your cuticles some and seal in moisture.


{Sources}

Happy rinsing!!!




www [dot] ceceUNedited [dot] com
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Saturday, July 24, 2010

Healthy Hair Tip #3: pH Balance Your Hair

Posted by ceceUNedited |

Morning Divas!!!

I was in the Naturalmemedia chat last night and we began discussing conditioners and the harshness of products- which transitioned into a discussion on the pH balance of hair. I'm just going to write a bit about pH levels- which will not require you to go searching around and looking at pH levels with litmus paper. It just requires using a rinse after your wash sessions!!


Basic Info to know first:

The pH scale runs on a range of 0-14. The lower the pH- the more acidic the solution. The breaking point for the scale is 7, which is neutral (this is the pH level of pure water). Any pH over 7 is a basic solution. pH is the measure of the "potential of hydrogen." Dry hair does not have a pH!!!! Hair's ph ranges between 4.5 and 5.5 when in water. The sebum, which is the oil that our scalp naturally produces has about the same pH. Some products on the market are created to have a pH within a range similar to hair. Some conditioners are also designed to have lower pH then the hair- its generally acidic in state.


Working with the Basics:

As previously discusses pH between 7.1-14 is basic or alkaline. These Basic solutions open the cuticle layer of hair which allows moisture, protein, almost anything to get into your hair cuticles and touch your hair's core keratin strand. Think of your hair as your spin with the vertebrae around it- when the cuticle opens we are stretching the vertebrae apart and can access your spinal cord. This is the perfect time to add protein which will strengthen your strand (though some peoples hair HATES protein). IT is also the key time to add moisture so that your hair has a nice cool drink of water with a dose of lubricants to keep things working smoothly on the inside :)! Be careful because this is also the time that your hair can lose water or retain too much, or even worse the water can dissolve leaving behind residue such as salts or other mineral present in hard water which do NOT help your strands!!!!!

This is what the baking soda washes are used for by some people- as well as to clean your hair. On average, baking soda has a pH in the range of 8.3-9.0 and when mixed with water the pH is more around 8.2-8.8 depending on the proportions. This is because water is neutral (7). Hair would be left at that pH as well (8.2-8.8) which is why an acidic rinse would be necessary to leave the hair in its own pH range or in a slightly more acidic pH range which can help the hair.


I would NOT recommend the use of baking soda on your hair, unless you are looking to relax your curl pattern temporarily. It opens your cuticles and allows your hair to retain too much water, which can also be bad- imagine overfilling a balloon with air...(yeah not a great idea). Baking soda will also steal hydrogens from your hair which is bad- like carbon monoxide stealing oxygen from the air and your body- (which is also known as a silent killer). I think you get the idea- just try not to use it.


What pH should you aim for in the end?

The best pH level to leave your hair at is around 4.0-4.5 Though hair naturally has a pH of 4.5-5.5. The reason that the slightly lowered pH level is better is because it compacts the hair strand so that the cuticles are closed securely- leaving all the moisture and conditioning you did inside the hair strand. Acidifying hair can be one of the best things you do for your hair!!



1) It will add natural shine to your hair


2) It helps detangle and prevent knotting, because closed cuticles cannot grab on to other open cuticles!


3) Elasticity: the ability of your hair to move freely- in our case without snapping and being brittle. This treatment elevates the positive charge on your hair. ( negative charged ions cause frizz and static electricity). The positive charge brings the hydrogen bonds from a weak state (beta) to a strong state (alpha) and this improves elasticity because hydrogen bonds account for all of your hairs elasticity!!!!


4) Retains moisture!! Since the cuticle is snapped shut and compacted, all the conditioning and moisturizing you did will now remain inside the cuticle and not evaporate away.




Q: How can you achieve this pH level?

A: By Doing Acid the Healthy Way!

Acidic solutions do the opposite of Basics, closing the cuticle layer and allowing moisture to be retained. So Apple Cider Vinegar is the best way to get your pH at a level which keeps hair shafts closed. The way this works is ACV has a pH of 3.0 and an ACV rinse has a pH of about 4.0 ( I will test the proportions an pH later today so I can give you an exact pH to proportion measurement). The hair would likely be left at a pH of about 4.0 or so. This should be used as a final rinse for your hair to compact your cuticles some and seal in moisture.



{Sources}

http://www.smartskincare.com/skinbiology/sebum.html

http://www.salonweb.com/gold/pc.htm

http://www.hairfinder.com/hair/hair-ph-level.htm

http://www.salonweb.com/gold/hbonds.htm


Happy rinsing!!!

www [dot] ceceUNedited [dot] com
Labels: , , , , , , | 1 comments
Thursday, January 28, 2010

Henna for your Hair

Posted by Anonymous |




Hey Ladies!!

So last night I did a henna treatment on my hair. I did the treatment mostly for color and then for some of the conditioning. I wanted to see what it would do for my hair first hand. I purchased some henna from one of the local Indian grocery stores for like $2.99/100gram box. I made sure to purchase the Mehandi, body art grade henna. I bought to boxes to make sure I had enough for my hair. In the end I really only needed to use approximately a box and a half, but I had already poured all of the two boxes in the bowl. 

The ingredients I put into my mix were:
2 boxes of Mehandi Henna
1 egg
8 drops or more of Rosemary essential oil
1/2 cup ACV ( you could also substitute this with lemon)
1 tbsp Castor Oil
1 tbsp Coconut Oil
2 tbsp Olive Oil
***Add water as needed to make it a yogurt consistency.
* add paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, black tea, black coffee, indigo or other things as needed to alter color of henna's dye. ( I didn't know to do this when I mixed mine).

After putting all the ingredients except for the water into the bowl I mixed them, then began adding the water. 

*What I learned AFTER I had already applied my henna is that you can add things like Paprika, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, black tea, black coffee, ground cloves and some select other things to throw the color of your henna. I really wanted a red the be on my hair just because my hair is dark brown so the more red it has, the more red my hair will show up, so more like an auburn/ red brown. 

Back to the process...
So after you've mixed your mixture with all the ingredients you have to let it sit for at least 12 hours so the dye can release and you will actually get some color. During this process go back and mix your henna maybe once or twice during the twelve hours to make sure that the dye releases throughout the henna. It should be a brown color when you return if you want to dye red, you will see red 'liquidy' packets in the henna, that is the dye. 
Once your dye has been sitting for 12 hours, you can begin to apply it. Some people apply henna to freshly washed hair, some people apply it before washing hair. Do the henna in sections as a person would apply a relaxer, but you can use bigger chunks of hair. You should let the henna sit on your hair for at least 3 hours if not 5 or 6. The longer it is on your hair, the more the color work on your hair. I sat for  4 hours, only because I had work the next day and I started the color at 7:00pm.  I knew henna would take like an hour to get out of my hair and do the conditioning.
After you wash out henna you should DEFINITELY DEEEEEEEEEEEP Condition, regardless of if you shampooed or conditioned before the henna. Henna can be drying, so you must deep condition after it. And when I say deep condition, I mean like put conditioner in and sit for like 30 minutes with saran wrap on your head so your body will heat it up , but sit under the dry with a low setting for like 20 minutes. 
I did a deep conditioner with a mayo, coconut milk, banana (DO NOT USE A BANANA- you've been warned),  olive oil, and jojoba oil. I followed that with a Giovanni deep conditioner mixed with HE Hello Hydration and Organix Coconut Milk conditioner. I let that conditioner sit in my hair for roughly 15 minutes with saran wrap on. I rinsed it out then did the organix as my leave in conditioner (which I normally use on any wash). 
Henna takes time and effort to wash out, do this on a day when you are free the next day or free all day for that day and start in the morning. The henna made my hair a deep red brown color, it would be noticeable in the direct light, but only barely. I will do it again and use the paprika for a more red color to my hair. I plan to do the treatment maybe in 2 weeks or so. You should give henna 7 days to show its true color, the color continues to oxidize as you wear your hair for a few days, once day 7 has hit, you'll know your true color.

It was a new experience, the henna definitely caused my curls to form a bit more, I didn't notice any loosening, yet, but I noticed it caused more of them to clump together, which I like.

The color isn't overwhelmingly noticeable so I won't post pictures, but in a few weeks when I do my next henna treatment, I will either document it or photograph it.

love, love




www [dot] ceceUNedited [dot] com
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Saturday, January 2, 2010

Homemade Hair Recipe #1: Clarify with Apple Cider Vinegar!

Posted by Anonymous |

Hello my Radiant Naturales!

It's time to talk about hair clarification. Though many people use shampoos as their clarifying substance, there are other methods that a person can use to clarify their hair.

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is one way to clarify your hair and clean it with out having to use a shampoo. Most clarifying shampoos are too drying, apple cider vinegar is less drying and also cheaper. You only need to rinse with it once, so it is also less time consuming. It can also reduce frizziness in your lovely curls. The way it should be done is with 1 part ACV and 3 parts water. So you can use 1cup ACV with 3cups of water. You should mix this beforehand in a container so its ready to go in the shower or whenever you wash your hair. PLEASE do not use just ACV straight on your hair, because it is very strong in terms of scent and if even the diluted version gets in your eyes it stings. The ACV scent will subside as you wash your hair further.
When I do the rinse I pour half of it in my hair after saturating my hair with water and rub it around my scalp some. I scratch my scalp lightly. Do not scratch it too roughly because it will start to irritate your skin. I leave it in for roughly 3 minutes and rinse out, then i pour in the rest and rub it around like a normal shampoo and rinse. I do mine in two parts just because I want to get secondary buildup I may have. You are free to do what ever method you choose.

You should also rinse with cool water after the ACV rinse. Some people also like to shampoo first then do an ACV rinse. I have been on a kick where I'm trying all naturale products and trying to stay away from the commercial hair products.

Curlychronicles has a youtube video showing how she used the ACV rinse.
IsisCold also has a video where she reviews the ACV rinse.

Please go visit these lovely ladies channels and Subscribe!!! :)


xoxo

Naturale Radiance
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