Sunday, October 14, 2018

Humectants


In the previous post we discussed using oils and waxes to lock in moisture. Those ingredients work well for wet sets (such as twist outs, braid outs and roller sets) and protective styles (such as braids, cornrows and twists) but they may not be enough to keep combed out afros moisturised for the whole day. Humectants such as glycerin and honey have the ability to hold onto water molecules so when they are used in hair products they help to keep your hair moisturised for longer. Humectants work well when there is a sufficient amount of moisture in the air as they are able to draw moisture from the air and onto the hair. However, if there isn't sufficient moisture in the air humectants can lose their ability to moisturise the hair effectively. In those situations it's important to use a pomade along with the humectant to lock in the moisture.

Humectants should be avoided when wearing your hair in stretched out styles because they may prevent your hair from fully drying which means that it will quickly shrink into it's natural curl pattern. However, if you are wearing your hair in a style that embraces the shrinkage, humectants are a great option. Curl activators normally include humectants such as glycerin and propylene glycol so they are a great choice for the those who do not want to make their own humectant moisturiser.