Stronger Cuticle Layer with Ceramides

Here at relaxed hair health, we're all about the quest to achieve hair perfection. What we strive to here is understand the hair, it's wants, it's needs, it's desires. The more we learn of our precious hair, the better we are equipped to nurture it. There's still much more to learn but what we do know is that the basic framework of the hair consists of several layers covered by a series of scales called the cuticle layer.

The cuticle layer, my friends, is the first line of defense against hair breakage and damage. More importantly, this layer helps to provide the hair strand with the qualities we desire most-strength, shine, and elasticity. If the cuticle layer is damaged, then everything else starts to go downhill. The bad news is that the cuticle layer is not that thick. Even worse than this is the fact that our precious cuticle layer is eroded by even the most basic grooming functions such as combing the hair or even shampooing.

So now I'm thinking of ways to help protect or even repair the cuticle layer (if that's even possible). Well I'm here to tell you all that I've officially crawled out from under the rock I was under and finally came across the wonderful benefits of ceramides. We've probably all heard of ceramides before in passing. It was when I actually found out about what they actually do that I got all excited.

According to hair-science.com, ceramides play a major role in keeping the cuticle layer in place. In fact, the researchers went on to examine strands of damaged hair only to find that these stands were lacking in ceramides. When ceramide stores are depleted, the hair is prone to dryness, brittleness, and breakage. Ceramides are also crucial because of the role they play in providing a protective barrier that helps keep moisture levels where they should be. I'm also excited about the impact of ceramides in increasing elasticity of the hair. Think about it, without the ceramide "glue" helping to keep the cuticle layers in place, the risk for breakage only increases. Studies show that hair which has been treated with ceramide containing conditioners, showed in increase in tensile strength along with protection of the hair against both UV damage and chemical processes. By the way, ceramines are lipids, not proteins. Which means ceramides still provide the hair with strength and elasticity without the hardness side effect of some proteins. For some of us, that's fantastic news!

So enough talking, let's get our hands on some of this stuff shall we. Phase two of my learning about ceramides is locating this ingredient so I can incorporate (as quickly as possible) into my routine. You can imagine my surprise when I found out that some ceramides occur naturally in plant oils such as wheat germ oil and barley malt oil. Hemp oil is also said to contain ceramides as well.

There are also several product lines like Biolage and L'Oreal which boast of ceramide rich products. There are a myriad of other product lines fortified with ceramides but I've had some great success with Biolage in the past so I'm thinking that I'm making a trip down to my local Ulta store for some Cera Repair-4. I also need more of the Utlra Hydrating Balm and the Leave In tonic. I sure hope Ulta is having one of the by two get one free deals on Matrix.

Stay tuned for the review!