Curly Hair

Due to my skin condition, if I go too long without using H&S my scalp health really starts to really suffer. I don't find H&S to be as harsh as people say but I wonder if there's a better shampoo out there with the same active ingredient (zinc pyrithione). Does anyone else here suffer with eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, or other skin conditions linked to inflammation on the scalp? What do you use to balance scalp health and maintain beautiful curls?

thanks ahead of time!

An interesting dive on what hygral fatigue is and the supporting evidence as well as the evidence against it.

Sarah Ingle video

Afobe Atoyebi video

Science-y hair blog article

Sura Kamil blog article

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometric investigation of penetration of coconut oil and mineral oils into human hair fibers: Relevance to hair damage” Published in Journal of Cosmetic Science , 2001 , Volume 52 , Issue 3 , pp. 169–184

Lee Y, Kim YD, Hyun HJ, Pi LQ, Jin X, Lee WS. Hair shaft damage from heat and drying time of hair dryer. Ann Dermatol. 2011 Nov;23(4):455-62. doi: 10.5021/ad.2011.23.4.455. Epub 2011 Nov 3. PMID: 22148012; PMCID: PMC3229938.

Stam PB, Kratz RF, White HJ. The Swelling of Human Hair in Water and Water Vapor. Textile Research Journal. 1952;22(7):448-465. doi:10.1177/004051755202200702 (Couldn't find a free link to this one)

Gamez-Garcia, M. The cracking of human hair cuticles by cyclical thermal stresses. 1998 May. Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists 49(3):141-153

Yang FC, Zhang Y, Rheinstädter MC. The structure of people's hair. PeerJ. 2014 Oct 14;2:e619. doi: 10.7717/peerj.619. PMID: 25332846; PMCID: PMC4201279.

Franbourg A, Hallegot P, Baltenneck F, Toutain C, Leroy F. Current research on ethnic hair. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2003 Jun;48(6 Suppl):S115-9. doi: 10.1067/mjd.2003.277. PMID: 12789163.

It's summer and the place I live is even more humid than normal. I thought I would share some information about humidity, dew points, humectants, anti-humectants, etc. I hope you find this informative!

Relative humidity: The relationship between the vapor pressure or vapor density of the water in the air at a specific temperature versus the saturated vapor pressure of water at that temperature.

Dew point: A higher value for our dew point means a higher concentration of water vapor in the atmosphere, and a lower dew point means less moisture is in the air.

Humectants: Molecules that possess atoms and groups of atoms that attract and bind water to themselves. Examples: glycerin, agave nectar, honey, algae extract, hydrolyzed collagen, propylene glycol, butylene glycol, hyaluronic acid, sorbitol, glucose, fructose, and hydrolyzed proteins

Film Forming Humectants: Forms flexible barriers that retain water in your hair. These are safe to use in low dew points because of the film (cast) they form. Examples: flaxseed, okra, aloe vera, hydroxyethylcellulose, pectin, xanthan gum, guar gum, marshmallow root, slippery elm, carrageenan (also known as irish moss or seaweed extract, sea emollient, sea algae, sea vegetable), nettle leaf tea, nettle extract, panthenol, and hydroxypropyltrimonium honey

Anti-humectant: Does not attract water molecules to itself, water repellent/insoluble in water, and typically coats, flattens, and seals the external cuticle layer of the hair strands. Can also include emollients which are plant oils, but can cause buildup or be too heavy for certain hair types. Examples: silicones, esters (such as isopropyl palmitate), hydrogenated castor oil, beeswax, and plant triglycerides such as coconut oil, palm oil, olive oil, mango butter, cocoa butter, and shea butter.

Humidity Resistant Ingredients: Helps your hair tolerate excessive moisture in the air. Many of these ingredients do build up, you need to make sure you clarify regularly. Examples: polyquaternium-4, polyamide-1, polyquaternium-10, polyquaternium-69, polyquaternium-11, PVA/VP Copolymer, VP/DMAPA Acrylates Copolymer, polyacrylate acid, and polyacrylate-2 crosspolymer

Dew points below 35°F

A humectant applied to your hair might be irresistibly drawn to the moisture in your hair and make every attempt to steal it from you (by drawing it out of your hair and binding it to itself). This can result in dry, fly-away hair, split ends, and broken strands. You can combat this by using plenty of moisturizing products, not over-drying your hair (leave it somewhat moist after washing), and layering leave-in conditioners with humectant-containing styling product. Use leave in conditioners, light hold products, and plenty of emollients.

Dew points from 35°F to 60°F

Curly hair seems to really thrive in moderate climactic conditions, and dew point ranges of approximately 35°F to 50°F seem to be optimal. In this type of weather, most curlies find that they can get really pleasant results by using products that contain some humectants. There is just enough moisture in the air that the humectants can grab a little from the environment, which can enhance the curl and create a bouncy feeling to the hair.

Dew points of 60°F or above

Might be a good idea to apply some product with anti-humectant properties. These products will seal the hair shaft, flatten the cuticle and prevent atmospheric moisture from absorbing into the interior of your strands. Most of these products will contain ingredients that are water insoluble. However, many of these products contain ingredients which are easily removed with an extremely mild shampoo or perhaps even a thorough conditioner wash. May skip a leave in conditioner, use hard hold products like gels. may want to avoid humectants, and use emollients.

References from:

https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/humidity-humectants-and-the-dew-point

https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/wavy-hair-type-2/the-411-on-dew-points-humectants

https://holisticenchilada.com/curly-girl-guide-weather-styling-dew-points-humectants/

It's official, the protest has started, r/curlyhair is now private. I noticed it a while ago, I thought the protest started tomorrow so I was surprised. I feel bad I didn't think of this idea sooner, maybe more people could have seen my post on there. I posted about this community on r/curlyhair and when I went to check on my post, it was already too late. I posted in r/wavyhair, r/curlygirl, and r/curlyhaircare. Hopefully the word gets out.

I don't want to use reddit if I can't use infinity. I thought maybe I could browse in my mobile browser but apparently reddit is testing to see if they can block people from browsing in the mobile browser so they are forced to use the app. It's infuriating when all I want to do is see the latest news and check out the curly hair communities. I might be done with reddit for good next month. It's a shame because r/curlyhair was one of my favorite subreddits to check, even though it's mostly just selfies.

Hi, I just discovered lemmy because of the drama going on with reddit. I thought it would be great to have a community alternative to the curly hair subreddits, especially with the upcoming protests. I'm going to be still working on things since I'm new to lemmy, but I hope everyone feels welcome to post and discuss about curly hair!