A common topic that I hear about in my conversations with hair stylists and salon patrons is about moisture. What I usually tell people is that the moisture in African descent hair is significantly less than in Caucasian and Oriental (i.e. Mongol descent) hair. One reason for such deficiency of moisture could be the twisted ribbon-like structure of the African descent hair. The other reason for the deficiency of the moisture in African descent could be that the sebaceous glands within the African scalp are often less active and secrete inadequate amounts of sebum--the body's own natural brand of conditioner and hair-dress.
Therefore, the hair and scalp are relatively dry because there is less natural oil to be distributed down the hair shaft. Also, whatever oil that is secreted may find it harder to travel down the hair shaft because of the strands' excessive curliness, thus further contributing to dryness. The lower moisture contents of African descent hair may be a significant contributor to its relative fragility and will require future research.
Contrarily, Caucasians tend to have hyperactive sebaceous glands, hence the widespread practice of daily shampooing and the usage of stronger shampoos that contain less conditioning agents.
How would I go about getting more moisture in my hair? Is finding the right hair products my only solution or could it also be addressed through diet?
One of your presentations that I read on another site helped my pick a new shampoo. And I'm happy to say that it has more conditioning agents and less harsh ones. My hair no longer has the dry stripped feeling that it normally had after washing. Thanks for the information!
Dr. Syed: I am growing out my relaxer and read about "scab hair". Something about the follicles being damaged during the chemical process & the new growth coming in harsh resulting in different textures throughout the entire head of hair. They then said that a healing scalp tonic enriched with aloe vera would aid in reducing this. How true is that and what shampoo or scalp treatment would you recommend? I have some balding/thinning spots on the front hair line.
Dani,
I think you are already on the right track by looking for shampoos with conditioning agents in them. Addtionally, I'd continue to use good conditioners like KeraCare Humecto Creme Conditioner or KeraCare Intensive Restorative Masque to combat the dry or stripped feeling.
Hard water is also a potential culprit so I would test your water. If you have hard water, I would either install a water softener system or use the KeraCare De-Mineralizing Wipes in order to remove any mineral deposits left on the hair.
Dr. Syed,
I would like to start using your affirm fiberguard sensitive scalp relaxer which I understand is no lye. I am currently using your affirm fibergurard creame mild relaxer which is lye. Is it safe for me to change to the affirm fiberguard sensitive scalp relaxer? I want to change due to scalp irritation of the lye. Will this be safe? Thank you in advance.
Hi Nat,
I do not agree with the comments about scab hair. In my opinion, this seems to be a story made up without any scientific evidence. Here are my observations made during scientific experiments on human scalp and relaxing hair with chemicals:
It is true that the scalp gets dry during relaxer application if a protective base is not applied to the scalp. The scalp barrier that is responsible for keeping a certain level of moisture within the scalp does get damaged significantly, but not it does not get permanently damaged altogether. It takes about a week for the scalp to recover and get back to normal condition.
All of this can be avoided if you apply a base cream to the scalp prior to chemical straightening. The Syntonics Comfort Gel contains natural Phyto materials and anti oxidants such as Green Tea, Calendula, Turmeric, and Aloe Vera along with petrolatum and mineral oil, which would be an excellent product to use for the pre-relaxer preparation.
During my study of the before & after effects of relaxer on scalp moisture, the Syntonics Comfort Gel was able to bring the scalp barrier function back to normal within 24 to 48 hours of the relaxer treatment.
If you have balding or thinning spots on your frontal hairline, you need to use products that can accelerate the growth of hair follicles. I can send you a sample of this product free of charge for your trial. There are many products in the market that claim to grow the hair but they do not contain any substantive ingredients. The materials to look for are DHT blockers for this function of faster hair growth along the frontal hairline.
Also avoid any drastic manipulation of the frontal hairline and frequent edging of the hairline with relaxer treatments (a common practice by some women).
Regards
Yes, it is ok to switch to FiberGuard Sensitive Scalp Relaxer. There are no adverse affects for switching from FiberGuard sodium hydroxide relaxer to FiberGuard Sen. Scalp Relaxer. Since your scalp is more prone to irritation, it will be a better choice.
Dr Syed,
Speaking of moisture. I've often heard that when you flat iron damp hair...it is infact sealing the moisture in. Now I'm sure you know about the Wet to Dry flat irons. What is your opinion of wet flat ironing in general. Would you recommend it? By the way I'm an African American woman was 4a type hair. I've done it once and my hair was feeling so soft and it had a lot of bounce to it...why is that?
Thank you in advance for answering my question.
Hi...I forgot to add some of my thoughts. LOL sorry..
I was thinking flat ironing wet hair would be so safer for the hair. Since water absorbs a lot of heat and evaporates I believe at 212 F...so I was thinking I apply a flat iron at 400..it would be 212 less...adding the heat protecting products to my hair...would it mean less heat then blowing drying your hair (drying your hair out) and then proceeding to style...which is usually at 350 higher?....just some thoughts...
:)
Dear Dr. Syed,
Thank you so much for responding. I'm glad there is an expert one can relay questions to and receive educated responses from.
I am very interested in trying the products you mentioned. The thinning in the front is distressing for me. Please, just let me know the best way to pass on my info to you & the optimum application techniques.
Thanks for your advice & feedback!
If only there could be one magic cure for dryness in African-American hair. There would be alot of happy women out there. I must say though that Avlon products do a great job of helping to re-introduce lost moisture to type 4 hair. Thanks for your hard work.
Dr. Syed,
I am very interested and woudl greatly appreciate knowing which products you recommend for thinning spots on your frontal hairline.
Dr. Syed
Can you use a dye(Semi Permanant or Permanant)after Syntonic Relaxer? Or you would prescribe a natural dye like henna(Mehandi), which is now available in different tones.
Yes, you can use a semi-permanent dye after a Syntonics Relaxer; however, I would wait for a couple weeks before applying permanent color or henna on recently relaxed hair.
I would also recommend doing a strand test before applying permanent color or henna just to be on the safe side, especially with henna as they can have additives in them that are tough to control for.
Not very many products are significantly effective on thinning hair in the temple area. However, there are a slew of products available in the market under the "Temple Balm" category that you can try. These products are available in many stores that carry hair care products.
I am sorry for replying to your comment so late.
But I have a good news for you. If you use the KeraCare Dry & Itchy System: KC Dry & Itchy Moisturizing Shampoo, followed by KC Dry & Itchy Moisturizing Conditioner; your scalp will be clean and your hair will be moisturized. Follow this treatment with Dry & Itchy Glossifier from time to time.
You can pass on your info to Ms Florine Newell at fnewell@avlon.com and she will take your request.
Vanessa:
I am sorry that I am responding to you somewhat late. I had to perform some experiments to answer your question. I was taught that one should not use flat iron on the wet hair in order to keep hair healthy and less damaged.
I went ahead and performed the experiment in my laboratory regarding the application of the flat iron on wet and dry hairs. The results indicate that wet hair loses significantly more tensile strength and elasticity than the dry hair that has been treated with flat iron at around 390 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the usual temperature for flat ironing.
Dr. Syed - I am caucasion with dry, damaged and over processed hair and was wondering if using products made specifically for African American hair would benefit my problem. From what I can tell the products seem much more rich in oils and conditioners than the products I've used, which have a reputation for being top of the line.
Vicki, try our KeraCare Intensive Restorative Masque. It will moisturize your hair, strengthen it upto 42%, and minimize any previous damage to the hair.
Dr. Syed- I had been relaxing my hair with Affirm lye reg. strength or time control formula for 5 years. However last month a new beautican used Design essentials sensitive scalp relaxer on my hair. I want to go back to the affirm lye. Will this damage my hair and what precautions can I take to lessen any damage that may occur?
Thanks
You can switch back to Affirm sodium hydroxide relaxer. It will leave more elasticity in the hair as compared to the brand you mentioned. We have patented conditioning agents added in the relaxer system that relaxes and conditions the hair simultaneously. We conduct state of the art research in our Avlon Research Center wheras many companies do not even have their own laboratories and depend upon contract manufacturing companies without any sort of advanced research capabilities.
Please join me on the Avlon and Syntonics Facebook pages for the most current communications.
Dr I would love to try keracare creme conditioner, but I beleive I will not be happy beccause of mineral oil use in this product. I use afrogee on my afro 4b hair and now my hair just come out in blocks each time I comb my hair, so now I was thinking of trying something more gentle of my hair. please advice me what is the best kerecare products to purchase and what will be the benefits of purchasing these product for my hair.
I appreciate your support over the years. We try to use the best scientific methods to develop our products. We also try to use high quality raw materials. Regarding your concern about mineral oil: we use pharmaceutical grades of mineral oil and petrolatum in our products that are approved by the FDA and REACH (European Union regulatory body for hair care and cosmetics).
I will recommend that you use KeraCare Hydrating Detangling Shampoo followed by KeraCare Intensive Restorative Masque. This is our new product and it is very effective against damaged hair. Let me know if this regimen works for your hair.
We do value you as our customer and we are listening to you. In the near future we will modify our product formulations to address your concerns.
Dr Syed
I am trying to take better care of my hair, unfortunately I am not a hair person. I currently wear my hair natural and am finding it difficult to maintain. The products that I currently use do not seem to do much for my hair. I am of Bahamian descent and my hair is very coarse and dry. Is there a product that can at least help with the lack of moisture. I also have a problem with thinning hair, I have read that pumpkin seed oil is a great DHT blocker. Is this correct and would it be effective?
I am a african american female who recently got color/and highlights (October 29, 2009). I previously in the last two months have been noticing my hair shedding(before color). I got a perm and literally in the middle of the perm my hair started coming out in the top of my head with the relaxer. I stopped, rinsed the perm out, and went to the salon the following morning. They in turn applied a reconstructor three weeks ago and assured me it would stop. Instead of me wanting to apply heat daily (I wear a short cut) I got some weave. Today my hair is still coming out at the top of my head. I don't know what to do. I purchased some syntonic intensive therapy conditioner in hopes this would solve my problem
MeMe:
It is a big no no to apply relaxer on highlighted hair. Normally, highlighted hair is treated with bleach and it is very damaged and incompatible with relaxers. You have done the unrepairable damage. Possibly hair will have to be cut short. Good news is that hair will grow back. If you are in Chicago area, you can visit our Test Salon and we will give you a free analysis and free treatment to strengthen your hair. If you are not in Chicago, let me know and I can send you a sample of anti-shedding cream as a free sample for your trail.
Good luck.
DR Syed
I do not think that pumpkin oil has adequate amounts of DHT blockers, if any. I will recommend that you e-mail to Ms Florine Newell at Syntonics and she will send you samples of products that will take care of your needs.
Her e-mail address is fnewell@avlon.com or 708 325 1373.
Dr Syed
Dr. Syed:
I am a cosmetologist and I would like to know what is the difference from the Fiber Guard Sensitive Scalp and the Affirm Dry and Itchy Scalp? Are these Sodium hydroxide or gaunidine hydroxide? If the fiber guard is better why is there still the regular affirm? Is it best to reconstruct when relaxing since there is always some overlapping of products? I would also like to know what product is best to stimulate hair growth quickly?