Tag: natural hair

ATHD Investigates Texture Manageability Systems

Texture Manageability or Texture Management or Texture Smoothing Systems are the latest hair straightening products now being marketed to women with highly textured hair.  There has been an explosion on the market but most don’t understand how they work and what exactly they are used for.

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What are Texture Manageability Systems?

These consist of a 2 or 3 step hair modification system that is used to straighten hair in a semi-permanent fashion.  In essence, they are similar to Brazilian Keratin Treatments, BUT they don’t last as long. The systems usually include a dual chelating and clarifying shampoo and a treatment product. Some include a deep conditioner which is used before the treatment product.

Here’s a reminder of how Brazilian Keratin treatments work:

http://askthehairdoc.com/january-qom-is-brazilian-keratin-treatment-safe/

So how do they work?

The active ingredient in Texture Manageability Systems used to straighten the hair is glyoxyolol carbocysteine, also called oxoacetamide carbocysteine. This reacts with the side chains of the keratin molecule in a similar fashion to what formaldehyde does in Keratin Treatments.

Below is the molecular representation of the active ingredient:

1268868-51-4

 

It does produce some amount of formaldehyde but apparently at a much lower concentration than regular Brazilian Keratin Treatments. Of course, the levels of formaldehyde would be of importance considering the controversy of mislabeled “formaldehyde-free” Keratin Treatments were being found to actually have some other aldehyde at high concentrations. I was able to find one study that compared a typical Brazilian Keratin Treatment to a typical Texture Management System. The results showed that there was significantly lower amounts of formaldehyde and aldehyde released, which is great for both the hair stylist and the client. See the study here:

http://www.midwestscc.org/blog2/wp-content/uploads/presentations/Teamworks2012NonFormaldehydeSmoothing.pdf

What’s the Procedure?

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The same thing is done as with the regular formaldehyde containing Brazilian Keratin Treatment:

  1. Wash hair with stripping, chelating and clarifying shampoo.
  2. Towel dry hair
  3. Apply treatment product in small sections throughout the hair
  4. Allow product to set in the hair for 20 minutes
  5. Blow-dry hair, then flatiron at ~230 deg C
  6. Maintain style using sulphate free products, usually included in the kit.

 

The Verdict?

There are many Texture Manageability Systems that are now available on the market. Most are marketed for at-home use. These include systems from African Pride, Dark & Lovely, Beautiful Textures and ORS. The only in-salon product I’ve come across is the Avlon Texture Release. There are lots of persons in hair forums and Youtube who have described their experiences with the system.

I, myself, have tried it. I didn’t necessarily want my hair to stay straight for weeks so I didn’t follow up with the maintenance products. I had however gone to a hairdresser, which in my opinion should be the best way to apply these products, as people can inadvertently damage their hair since it requires a lot of manipulation with the blow dryer and flatiron.  I was quite pleased that my hair did not revert within 2 hours of straightening and it washed it out really well thereafter. This was my hair after the procedure:

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One positive is that it can be used on both natural as well as hair that is relaxed or transitioning.  Another positive is that it can be done within a relatively short period of time compared to older Keratin Treatments. There is definitely no offensive formaldehyde smell when it is activated through heat, and I believe that it may very well be less of a problem than traditional Keratin Treatments.

It unfortunately needs to be maintained like a relaxer in the sense that you have to re-do it every 6-8 weeks.  Most are sold as kits, and so if you don’t know that there are other sulphate free shampoos and conditioners that you can use to help maintain the style, you will end up buying several kits to get the maintenance products. This is a serious disadvantage if you have long hair like mine. Just like the Keratin Treatments, your hair should not be dyed on the same day you do the original treatment.

 

Here’s another blogger’s perspective:

http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2014/06/beautiful-textures-texture-manageablity.html

 

Have you tried it as yet? What do you think about it?

June QOM

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Dear Doc,

I recently flatironed my natural hair. After I washed it out, some sections of my hair remained straight. Is there anything that I could do to restore them?

 

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The short answer to that is no. Unfortunately, when hair is subjected to high temperatures, especially without a heat protectant, the proteins are permanently changed. The only way to restore the hair, is to have it cut off.

There are reports of persons who have tried to revive their heat damaged hair with intense deep conditioning about twice a week. That may help IF the hair wasn’t completely burnt straight. However, there is absolutely no guarantee.

Having had this happen to me in the past, it was quite frustrating to have to cut  sections of my hair, but in the end it did grow back.

 

 

 

December’s QOM- Can I dye hair before braiding?

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Is it ok to dye hair and (deep) treat your hair one day before braiding?

 

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I am assuming that by “braiding” you mean putting in braid extensions. It is best not to dye hair one day prior to braiding.  In general,  you should  avoid chemical treatments right before installing any hair extensions or weaves. This includes both relaxers and permanent and semi permanent hair dyes. Hair will be weak from the chemical bonds being broken in the processes. Wait at least two weeks after the processes to install the braids. This is because new growth would be stronger than the already dyed hair and thus be more likely to handle the added hair than weak dyed hair.

For the second part of the question, yes, go right ahead and do a deep treatment for your hair. In fact, it is  always good to perform a deep treat before braiding. That way the hair will be adequately prepared for the added hair fibres that will absorb oils from your own hair. If your hair goes in dry and brittle, it will be even drier when the extensions are removed, despite using braid spray on a daily basis.

 

Dr. Llorenia Muir-Green is a practising dermatologist in Jamaica.  She graduated from the University of the West Indies, first obtaining a double major in Chemistry and Biochemistry. She then went on to pursue a career in Medicine. Having obtained her Medical degree from UWI, she went on to pursue postgraduate specialisation in Clinical Dermatology at Cardiff University, for which she got distinction.  She was a recipient of the 2013 Fellowship in Hair and Scalp Disorders at the University of British Columbia.  She is a member of the North American Hair Research Society, International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery,  Dermatology Association of Jamaica as well as an Associate Member of the Caribbean Dermatology Association. She currently works at the Dermatology Clinic at National Chest Hospital where she recently established a Hair Clinic.

Black Hair Growth Myths

Five Common Black Hair Growth Myths- Do you know of any more?

Black hair growth myths are so deeply entrenched that persons often find it impossible to believe that there is more to kinky/curly/coily hair than  what they have been told their entire lives. I didn’t want to discuss this as yet in my blog series as I am still compiling articles on hair in general. However, recently, I was told something so unbelievably stupid about natural Afro-textured hair that I figured that I needed to publish this sooner. Today’s blog will be about myths about African hair. I will deal with the totally absurd things I’ve heard about African hair another time.

Myth #1: Black Hair Doesn’t Grow

This myth is pervasive because the length that a lot of black women covet has been seemingly out of reach for them. This has been mistakenly attributed to an inability for the hair itself to grow, never mind that persons have to relax  or colour their NEW GROWTH every six weeks. The problem with black hair growth lies in the ease with which the hair breaks. LENGTH RETENTION is hard due to poor grooming practices i.e. daily flatiron or curl, abusive combing of the hair,  and not conditioning the hair enough. Once those problems have been addressed, persons will be surprised as to how much hair will remain on their head and how much longer it will get.

Myth #2: Natural hair is tough and unmanageable

And why not? After all, a lot of persons have memories of their hair actually breaking combs! Telling someone in Jamaica that ,”Your hair favour coir*,” conjures up images of an unruly dry mass that is beyond salvation. This is so far from the truth. Experimental data have conclusively shown that African hair is the most fragile compared to other racial hair types. Each bend in the hair is a potential point for breakage. It is the innate dryness of the hair that causes significant friction making it difficult to comb. Studies  also showed that wet combing the hair and using a leave-in-conditioner will make it much easier to comb and therefore manage. 


Myth #3: Natural hair is thick, plentiful and STRONG

Do not be fooled by the illusion of 3-D volume created by curls. Persons are often surprised by the reduction in volume they see when they straighten their hair. The density of hair on anyone’s scalp is genetically determined. Blacks in general have the least amount of hair on their heads compared to other races. Only natural red heads have the lowest density compared to persons of  African descent. Even the hair strands are not as thick as people think they are. Asians have the thickest strands, African hair is in the middle, while whites have finer hair.

It is the difficulty in combing natural hair that causes persons to assume the hair is strong. Heck, people think that the hair is so strong that it can stop the path of missiles! People, therefore, then do all sorts of crazy things like going platinum blonde in one sitting and then wonder why their hair breaks right down to their scalp simply because they thought their hair could take it? Studies have shown that African hair breaks at a lower applied force than European and Asian hair. It is not as hardy as it appears. Treat your hair delicately and it will thank you for it.


Myth #4: Wearing braids/weaves grows your hair

This is not entirely false. Wearing additional hair does decrease the amount of daily handling of the hair thus allowing the hair to retain length. However, too tight braiding that causes soreness to the scalp will result in hair pulled out directly from the root, and if the hair strand was weak and dry before braiding/weaving, the hair will dry out even more and break once the additional hair is installed. This is especially true if the type of hair used is ultra absorptive sucking all the oils and moisture away from your own strands of hair. So even though persons have experienced significant hair growth after having installed braids or weave, they still had to cut a lot of it off due to the poor condition the hair was found to be in. It is imperative that the hair is in excellent condition BEFORE installing the added hair. Ensure that you deep condition before installing, and continue to moisturise the hair under the wig, weave or braid extensions, otherwise the rest period would have been a wasted effort.


Myth #5 : Hair oils/pomades and “growth creams” will make your hair grow

For whatever reason, this myth cannot be banished to never neverland. There is always someone in the beauty supply store exclaiming how X product for their scalp grew their hair. Now there are some things that have been clinically proven to grow hair e.g. Minoxidil, however, not everything that is on the market has been definitively shown to grow hair. In any case, your hair will grow once you are properly nourished and are not experiencing some internal problem , such as Thyroid disease or Systemic Lupus, or some scalp disease such as Alopecia areata, Lichen Planopilaris or Traction Alopecia. Once you adopt a better hair care regimen, the length will be seen eventually.


*coir-fibre from the husk of the coconut mistakenly pronounced “kaya” in Jamaica.

About

Dr. Llorenia Muir-Green is a practising dermatologist in Jamaica. She has an avid interest in hair and scalp disorders.  She is a member of the Medical Association of Jamaica,  Dermatology Association of Jamaica and is an Associate Member of the Caribbean Dermatology Association. She was a recipient of the 2013 Fellowship in Hair and Scalp Disorders at the University of British Columbia.