If you haven’t figured it out yet, we LOVE hair products. Of course we love all the smells and styling help, but our main focus has always been having the healthiest, most manageable hair possible for our guests. We thought long and hard, and did lots of research before choosing the color, treatments and take-home products that we provide for our clients!
These 3 are so important as each can address different issues in breakdown of strength, elasticity, porosity and texture. Depending on the stressors your hair faces, you may need to tackle one or all the factors that lead to breakdown of the hair.
I’ll try not to get too nerdy, but here’s a simple breakdown of what the hair is comprised of and how those elements are broken down to cause damage. Protein comprises 91% of the hair’s composition. The building blocks of those proteins are amino acids which link together to form polypeptide chains.
Have I lost you yet? Hold on I’m getting to the point!
The hair fiber is held together by 3 different bonds that link these chains together which account for the strength and elasticity of the hair. These bonds are hydrogen, salt and disulfide bonds.
Now here’s why that’s important!
Hydrogen Bonds are easily broken by water and heat and account for 1/3 of the hair’s strength. Did you know that water can be damaging along with heat? Your hair is its most fragile when it’s wet. Be gentle when brushing and drying. It’s very important to use shampoos, conditioners and treatments to protect the hair, even if you’re not receiving any type of chemical treatment. Always use a heat protectant before blow drying and when using heat tools on dry hair.
Salt Bonds are broken down by changes in ph of the hair caused by strong acidic or alkaline solutions.
While these 2 bonds are temporarily broken to change shape, mold and style, the strongest of the bonds is disulfide bonds.
Disulfide Bonds are not physical bonds like the other 2, they are chemical. They are broken by chemical services that change the shape and color of the hair. As I stated, this bond accounts for most of the strength in the hair. This is what popular in salon bonding treatments address and have become a popular addition to services for clients that regularly color or perm their hair. When receiving chemical services, it is especially important to use products that will mend and strengthen these bonds.
So why do we talk about, use and suggest at home products?
It’s because we want to prescribe products that will address structural issues as well as styling manageability to give you the best possible hair we can!
Want salon quality hair? Let us help you figure out what is best for you!
Barbi Lee, Owner/Lead Stylist
