Update to the Gelatin Protein Treatment

I decided that I wanted to be able to make my gelatin protein treatment for hair in less than a minute (and not wait for it to cool) because I'm always rushing to get in the shower. Impatience can be a virtue if it means you come up with a faster way to mix up a PT! You need a microwave oven for this.

Here's what you do:

Mix gelatin and about 3/4 of the cold water you plan to use in a microwave-safe cup. Let it sit for about 30 seconds. Then microwave for 20-40 seconds. Long enough to dissolve the gelatin so there are no tiny gelatin grains (or flakes) visible. Add the remainder of the water to help cool down the mixture before adding other ingredients and applying.

Recipe is in the link below.
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This protein treatment recipe is STRONG! Not for the faint of heart nor for the hair protein-treatment-newbie. If you're not yet sure about how your hair reacts to protein - use a much smaller amount of gelatin than stated. This recipe does not provide "slip" or detangling so use conditioner or oil in your recipe if you find you cannot get it through your hair or it creates tangles.

What's Cookin': Flax-Free Hair Gel

This recipe is a curl-enhancing, super-thick gel which doesn't require straining like flaxseed gel does. It encourages waves and curls and adds volume, but leaves hair very soft and has medium hold. Xanthan gum and Guar gum can be found in the gluten-free baking section of large grocery stores, or in natural food stores (or online). Sometimes natural food stores have bulk spices and you can buy these products in small amounts. This is a good product alone for soft hair, or can be used under a strong-hold gel as a curl enhancer, or mixed with it for more hold. It's very much like my flaxseed gel recipe #1 (mid-page) - but without the flaxseeds.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Time to make gel: About 10 minutes. It must cool a little before adding the final ingredient.

Freshly made gel, cooling in the sink.

You need a double boiler for the best result - put a metal or glass bowl into a saucepan with water (water should touch the bottom of the bowl, bowl should not touch the bottom of the pan - it should rest on the rim). This prevents overheating and won't let your gel boil too furiously. If you want to leave out the aloe, just use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water.

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons distilled water
1/2 cup aloe vera juice
1/2 teaspoon each of Xanthan gum and Guar gum
1/2 teaspoon agave nectar or honey (use 1 teaspoon for more hold) optional, doesn't provide hold in high humidity
6 drops grapeseed oil for fine hair (use coconut or olive for dry hair - more oil can be used, especially if you use a full teaspoon of honey or agave).

Put distilled water, aloe, and xanthan and guar gum in the bowl and whisk to disperse. Place bowl in pan over heat and whisk as the water heats. When water in pan boils, turn it down and keep whisking until the mixture thickens and you don't see little granules on your whisk (or fork) - about 3-5 minutes.

Remove from heat and take bowl out of pan (carefully - escaping steam is hot and will burn your fingers - use oven mitts or pot-holders). Add agave or honey now. It may smell a little odd - but that goes away when it's cool.
©Science-y Hair Blog 2013
After the gel has cooled to "warm," add the oil (if using) and mix well.

Freshly made gel in my hand - it thickens up a little more
when cooled completely.

Cool and refrigerate. This gel is very, very thick. It will keep for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. If this is more than you'll use in 2 weeks, freeze half or cut the batch in half when you make it.

For a thinner, less goopy gel try one of the following:
1) Use a heaping 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum only (no guar gum), all the other ingredients as listed

or

2) Use only 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan and guar gum

Apply liberally to wet or damp hair. Scrunch in well (more scrunching molds better curls), squeeze out any excess with a towel or old T-shirt. Also can be diluted with a tiny amount of water and scrunched into dry hair to re-activate waves and curls and add shine and hold.

Reasons to Make Your Own Hair Gel

I make almost all my own hair products. They are not all made from “natural” or food-type ingredients. That doesn’t bother me, I’m fairly chemical-literate. I also am allergic or sensitive to ingredients in many hair and skin products. So when I feel bad that I cannot try the new, pretty hair product that promises to transform my hair from “Plain Jane” to “Magazine Cover ” or I can no longer buy a product I liked – I remind myself of these things.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Homemade
hair gel

Reasons to make your own hair gel:

·      You control the ingredients. Leave out the itchy or smelly ingredients, or the   ones that cause build-up. It’s tailored for your hair and scalp.

·      You control the “hold” so you can have the same gel with medium, light, or strong hold, depending on your mood or the style you have in mind.

·      You can adapt the product to your needs for the season or occasion – more emollients? More humectants? Need protein? Just add some. Done!

·      No worries about your favorite product being discontinued or changed = lower anxiety level (okay, I’m kidding a little – but it really stinks then that happens).

·      You can use as much as you want. Glob on the gel and dab off the excess – when it’s inexpensive and homemade you can be extra-generous with gel.

·      Inexpensive (even if you invest in a bunch of ingredients).

·      Re-use bottles many times before recycling them. 
.      Homemade gels work well layered under or mixed with commercial (store-bought) hair gels. Got a product you like, but it just needs a "little something?" A DIY hair gel could be your solution!

·      It’s fun to try new things with the low investment – and you learn a lot!

·      Fewer worries about developing skin sensitivities, triggering asthma, rashes or migraines. You can be allergic or sensitive to almost any ingredient, but some preservatives and fragrances are more highly allergenic than what you’ll use at home.

Why You Really DO Have Time To Make Your Own Hair Gel

·      You won't waste time reading labels, buying things that smell too strongly or cause itching or don’t work right.

·      It really only takes about 15-20 minutes to make hair gel and clean up, and it’s so easy that you can start it while you’re cooking other things or doing the washing up. One cup of gel will last about 2 1/2 weeks in the refrigerator if you use sterilized containers and keep your fingers out of it (unless you use it up before that).

·      Make a double batch and freeze half. Or a triple batch…

·      Make a batch and split it so you can add different ingredients.

·      Once you learn how to make gel – it goes quickly. 

·      You just need to plan time for it. Consider it “me” time, not a chore. Enjoy yourself.

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Actually – that last one relates to cooking food for yourself and your family too. Yes, we’re all busy and cooking food or hair gel takes some time, planning and effort. But the process itself demonstrates the value of family and self and is an expression of caring. When I’m too pressed for time to cook – I know I need to re-evaluate my priorities.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

A final word - homemade hair gel needs refrigeration or a preservative to keep yourself and anybody else in your home safe. Here are some preservation options for homemade hair gels.

Hair Porosity: How To Measure (Sort of)

First off -  think of your hair not as a fiber like yarn because hair is more complex. Think of the inside of your hair like string cheese - protein which is flexible and retains water - it will swell when wetted. Then think of the cuticle as though you glued several layers of tiny, overlapping shingles to the outside of the cheese. You've used proteins and amino acids and lipids (fats) to glue all this together. It's flexible - but it's also prone to damage because proteins and fats do break down. Your hair's porosity is probably not the same at the roots as at the ends, the ends are usually more porous.

"Pores" are openings in the cuticle layer(s) - whether they are chipped or torn cuticle scales (imagine torn or ripped-off shingles), or cracked, shrunken and fused, or simply not glued down very well. Any of these situations leads to a less-protected hair cortex - which means your interior of string cheese will dry out more quickly.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Why the Float Test Is Inaccurate:©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

The "float test" for hair porosity is one in which you try to float a strand of hair in water. It is supposed that a porous hair will immediately begin to absorb water, become heavy, and sink. But there are some flaws in the design. See this post for an update to the float test.

•  First of all is surface tension of water. The molecules at the surface of water stick together where air meets water. Like a "skin" on the water. If you place a light-weight object on the surface of the water gently, it will float. You can make sewing thread and even dry sand float on water this way. So let's say you have a very lightweight, but porous hair and you drop it in a glass of water. The surface tension may well override the weight and porosity of the hair strand and it floats - even after many minutes have passed.
• Second - specific gravity. Hair and water have a similar specific gravity. Things of similar (or lesser) specific gravity to a given liquid will float in that liquid. Dry hair is buoyant in water - like ice or driftwood.
• Third: What is on the hair? Is the hair heavier due to the weight of a product? Is that product repelling water? Is that product a wetting agent (like hair conditioner) which will cause the hair to become wet more quickly and sink?

Arrows show where the cuticle has chipped away due to sun

and friction.

See what I'm getting at? Too many variables. And for porosity, your own observation is going to take many variables into account which will give you plenty of relevant information.

One of the most accurate ways of measuring hair porosity is using gas sorption to determine total pore volume (holes in the surface) - which is expensive and absolutely not do-it-yourself. It measures how much of a given gas can be taken into hair - hair which has more pores will take on more gases. Hair can also be examined under a microscope to determine how much chipping, wearing away, or lifting there is in the cuticle. This is purely visual. Weight of water taken on by a dehydrated hair sample could be measured, if you had a bunch of other samples to compare to for reference material. All impractical!©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Most very accurate methods of measuring porosity are not accessible to most people and that's okay because it is really easy to determine. This post has more information about hair porosity, some of which is about to be repeated.

Porosity matters because it determines how much protection your hair needs (what you'll apply to it) and how quickly it will lose water. It also determines how well or quickly your hair takes color. Porous hair loses water more quickly than hair which is not especially porous. Dehydrated hair (like dehydrated string cheese) is less pliable, breaks more easily, has less shine and does not hold a shape (like a curl or wave) neatly.

How to Determine Your Hair's Porosity: This is something you learn from studying your hair by running your fingers over a hair strand, observing shine or reflectivity, how hydrated your hair feels on a daily basis, and your hair's response to products. Learn by studying!? Yes, this is sensory and multi-faceted. You are the best judge of your hair's porosity - here are some hints.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

This hair is fairly healthy - the cuticles are intact
and fit tightly over one another - not very porous.

Not-porous hair: Your hair is not porous if it is very shiny. Try folding a wide strand of clean hair (no styling products) over a finger - does it shine brightly? If you do not heat-dry your hair with high heat or use curling or straightening irons, do not spend much time in the full sun, do not brush your hair often or do not color or bleach (highlight) it - it's probably not very porous. If your hair does not absorb oils and conditioner and becomes greasy or limp easily, it's probably not very porous. Not-porous hair takes permanent waves (perms) poorly and resists chemical straightening and hair dye. Not-porous hair does not tolerate lots of conditioner or oil - it will become oily-looking and limp (although this variable overlaps with the diameter of your individual hairs quite a lot). Not-porous hair will not dramatically change with more conditioner or deep conditioners because it is not losing a lot of water under most conditions - its cuticle fits snugly and there are not a lot of cracks and chips. Products (hair conditioners, oils, styling products) do not seem to "soak in" to not-porous hair. Not-porous hair is easy to maintain in a healthy condition. There is no reason to try to make it act more porous so that you can apply products to make it softer. Hair products like conditioner are actually designed to make hair behave as though it is not-porous. So if this describes your hair - life is good!©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

This hair is showing normal porosity - the cuticle looks

like shingles on a house - you can see this at the edge of the 

hair.

Normal-porous hair: It shines, maybe not quite as much as not-porous hair. It perms and takes color as expected. Your hair can be normal-porous even if you use some heat on your hair (low-heat diffusers). Normal-porous hair does not become oily-looking with reasonable amounts of conditioners or oils. Normal-porous hair may have times when it feels a bit dry, or not dry at all and it is easy to make it feel "not dry" and soft with hair conditioner and gentle care. You perceive some "soaking in" of hair products. You probably have had some exposure to the full sun, possibly chlorinated swimming pools. Your hair may be not-porous near the roots and normal-porous further down and therefore respond differently to conditioners in those two areas, which is why many people condition their hair from the ears, down. If you run your fingers up and down an individual hair, it feels mostly smooth. This normal-porous hair has cuticle scales which look like shingles on a roof. They overlap and don't stick up much.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

A kink in a hair where it is both narrowing and twisting.

Porous hair: If you run your fingers up and down a hair strand, it may feel bumpy and uneven due to kinking, or to damage. Quite porous hair does not shine much and though it may have some gloss, it's not "reflective" or brightly shiny. It will seem to absorb hair products of any kind, tends to feel dry most of the time and you have a difficult time getting it to feel soft and pliable. It may lose dyed hair color rapidly because of the porosity.

• Kinking and porosity: Kinking in hair creates an uneven surface and it may be difficult for cuticles to lie flat and smooth when the hair shaft they're attached to is widening and narrowing or torque-ing (twisting). Any uneven surface accumulates more friction than a smooth surface. If a cuticle sticks out a bit, it is likely to be chipped or broken off. Kinking hair can be more vulnerable to increased porosity when exposed to daily wear and tear because it suffers more friction from everyday living than non-kinking hair. This photo (above, right) shows a porous hair with kinking (a kinky, curly hair). Kinking can occur in any hair - straight, wavy, or curly. Not every person with kinking hair will have porous hair - and you can look at people in your family to see whether you inherited hair that tends to be extra-thirsty or not. There are many variables involved, but this is an important one to know about because people with kinking hair usually need plenty of "slip" in conditioners to reduce friction. I'm fascinated by the patterns and frequencies of kinking in hair, so I digress...

Arrows show "lifted" cuticle which is one type of pore,

making this hair moderately porous. This is a little tricky to 
photograph. Lower down there is an indentation which
is where a piece of cuticle has broken off.

• Environmentally porous hair (damaged hair): Hair becomes porous with high-heat styling tools (curling/straightening irons, hot rollers, blow dryers on high heat without diffusers). Hair becomes porous with a lot of sun exposure or a lot of swimming in chlorinated water or salt water. Bleaching or highlighting immediately make hair more porous - up to 30% more pores than prior to bleaching - this is similar to the increase in porosity from 200+ hours of direct sunlight exposure. Brushing hair a lot, shampooing frequently, regularly wearing barrettes or tight clips, ponytail holders all can shear away pieces of cuticle or entire scales, leaving gaps. Friction of a handbag over hair, hair tucked into a collar, under a hat and so on also shear off cuticles. 

This hair has substantial sunlight, chlorine and friction 

damage. Notice you can barely see any cuticles. This

is not bad focus in the photograph, it is hair damage. This hair

is quite porous.

Porous hair usually takes on dye, permanent waves and chemical straightening quickly. And loses dye quickly. Porous hair loses moisture easily. The hair in this photo is porous because of all the sunlight and brushing and chlorine it was exposed to over many years. In this case, most of the cuticle has been sheared off and is not visible. It has a difficult time retaining moisture.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

References:

Hessefort, YZ, Holland BT, Cloud RW, 2007. True Porosity Measurement of Hair: A New Way to Study Hair Damage Mechanisms. Journal of Cosmetic Science

Chemical and Physical Behavior of Human Hair 

Robbins, 1994. 3^rd Ed. Springer-Verlag, New York

Wonky Weather - Graphs!

A very science-y post. Fun!©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Dewpoint and relative humidity and how they effect hair has been swirling around my mind this spring as we have had some really variable weather. I live where winters are usually cold and dry, summer is usually hot and humid and spring and fall are combinations of everything. Dewpoint and relative humidity are not easy to understand. They're in the realm of physics - things like “saturation air pressure” that we experience every day and know what they are from experience. But when we try to measure them and predict and explain their effects on other complex systems like hair – Man! It’s not easy.

Here’s what is wonky: Dewpoints getting into the “moderate” range, but dry air. You think your hair should be bouncy and defined, but instead it wants to be limp. But the dewpoint is above 40°F, you think – so what gives? When you go outside, your lips and eyes and mouth dry out and your waves and curls lose their spring or feel rough.

In transitional seasons – it helps to pay attention to relative humidity. For example, the dewpoint is 44°F and the temperature is 80°F. Relative humidity? 28% That’s dry. At this temperature, a cubic meter of air can accommodate up to 30 grams of water (about 1/8^thcup).  But it’s not. It’s got about 28% of that.  If it cools down to the dewpoint (or pretty close), we’ll have dew on the grass and a higher relative humidity, but given the moderate dewpoint, it’s still not super-duper juicy air.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

When the air is super-juicy, I don’t need a weather forecast to tell me that. When I take the dog out in the morning, my hair immediately feels heavier and bouncier as it begins soaking up moisture. That and my shoes are soaking wet.

I’m going to share my love of graphs for some more dewpoint and relative humidity visual aids. Graphs are worth many thousands of words.

Graph #1: Hydration Levels of Hair

This graph is the amount of water which can be absorbed by hair at various relative humidities (RH).  On the left (upright axis) is the RH and along the bottom the numbers indicate the percent of water your hair can hold at these amounts of 

relative humidity. This only goes gown to 40% relative humidity.  You know it gets drier than that!

My point here is to show you how much LESS water there is in your hair at low RH, or how much more moisturized your

hair is at higher RH values.

Graph #2: Water in air at various temperatures

This graph shows the maximum amount of water in grams per kilogram of air, that air can hold at various temperatures

(when it is saturated with water). Please note the temperatures are in °F. 

Grams of water is on the upright axis and temperature in degrees F is on the horizontal axis. The goal of this graph is to 

show you the huge variation in how much water can be in the air at different temperatures. It's not always as wet as it can 

be! One gram of water is just under one quarter (1/4) teaspoon.  This is the basis of dewpoint. Dewpoint is a set point whereas relative humidity is a moving target. But relative humidity is always relative to whatever the dewpoint is in your region.

Graph #3: What happens indoors

Let's say you are indoors at about 68°F (20°C). You look at a hygrometeror or humidity meter and it shows the indoor

relative humidity is 50%. Find 50% on the bottom (horizontal) axis of the graph, follow it up and you see that it

corresponds to an "indoor dewpoint" of just over 50°F. An indoor relative humidity of 30%, if the indoor temperature

stays the same corresponds to an "indoor dewpoint" of about 35°F. When the temperature stays the same, dewpoint and

RH give you similar information.

Graph #4: Dewpoint vs. Relative Humidity

For units, refer to Graph #2
Blue Bar: How many grams water a kilogram of air can possibly hold at the temps (in °F) shown along the bottom of the graph. But in reality, the air isn't always full of water and the temperature and relative humidity are frequently changing in relation to each other.
Red bar: How much water is in the air when the relative humidity (RH) is 25%.
Green bar: How much water is in the air when the RH is 50%.

So even if your dewpoint is up there at 60°F, when the RH is down around 25% - it feels dry.

Glad you stuck with me! I hope that gave some images to your experiences. Or drove you crazy, but in a good way. Skin and hair are not losing moisture to the air around them when the ambient relative humidity is around 60% or above. I have seen two sources for this figure, but I don't think they considered that it can be 60% relative humidity when it's 20°F outside.

So above 60%-70% RH, hair can begin to frizz because it's taking on moisture. As it does that, it A) better expresses its wave/curl pattern and B) said wave/curl pattern wants to take up more space because the fibers don't align neatly. Shorter hairs reach for the sky! If your waves or curls are not very springy or your hair is very fine, when the dewpoint and RH are both very high, your hair may get limp as the weight of the moisture overwhelms the fibers.

Here is another post about humidity.
And here.

Any physics or climatology teacher (or climatologist) would and should feel faint when they see how I have boiled this down because I'm leaving out some technical points. But hey - science belongs to all of us. And we're talking about how the humidity as "juicy or dry air" effects hair - a proteinaceous fiber system. So we need to cut out some of the details because what we really want to do is be able to apply this information to our daily lives.