Ingredient Spotlight: Humectants Help to Moisturize Your Hair

Happy December Folks!! This is the last month of the year and I feel like I've learned so much about my hair & hair in general than I ever expected. It is so important to understand your hair, what it's telling you at any given moment and how to attend to it's needs.

With that being said, this month I'm going to focus primarily on "Knowing Your Ingredients". I feel like there is power in knowing what is in your shampoo's, conditioners, moisturizers etc. Normally, products targeted towards Women of Color (in the ethnic isles at various stores) tend to have ingredients that aren't beneficial for our hair. With the right knowledge and research, a head full of damaged hair can transform into a head full of gorgeous tresses!! Let's Begin :-)

What is the importance of a Humectant?

A humectant is used in hair care products to promote mositure retension. Humectants attract water from the atmosphere (hygroscopic) and binds itself to the hair shaft. Humectants are great for thick, coarse, kinky, curly dry damaged hair simply because it has a strong moisture binding capacity. Here are a list of some Humectants:

1. Glycerin
2. Honey
3. Propylene Glycol
4. Butylene Glycol
5. Sorbitol
6. Sugar Cane
7. Panthenol
8. Maltitol
9. Acetamide MEA
10. Hydrolyzed Wheat Startch
11. Sodium PCA

All of these ingredients help the hair absorb and retain moisture preventing dry (dry = breakage), frizzy, and poofy hair. Humectants help to rejuvenate, hydrate and make the hair more pilable. Look out for these ingredients in your products (esp. in conditioners & moisturizers) or when you get your next product junkie fix.

*12.9.08 Update* Quick list of some products containing humectants:

1. Silk Elements MegaSilk Moisturizing Treament
2. Neutrogena Triple Moisture Silk Touch Leave-in Cream
3. Wave Nouveau Moisturizing Finishing Lotion
4. S-Curl Activator Spray
5. Care Free Curl Gold Instant Activator
6. Cantu Shea butter Leave-in
7. Africa's Best Kids Organic Shea Butter Detangling Moisturizing Hair Lotion (be careful there are proteins in this)

P.S. Oh yeah, this is my 100th POST!! finally...I'm so happy :-)

♥ Sunshyne