Our hair is an expression of personality and health. The market for hair care products is correspondingly large. But many shampoos and rinsing contain problematic chemicals that harm health and environment. How do beautiful and healthy hair succeed without silicones, parabens and co? How do you make your hair care yourself and how often should you use it?
Hair is much more than lifeless body structures. We often use them consciously to present and share them. Even in ancient times, hairstyles were, for example, expression of social status and prestige. Later, enslaved used their braiding hairstyles to capture escape plans. During the women’s movement, short hairstyles served as a means of protest. Today, many people express their identity and collective belonging with their hair.
What are hair?
Biologically speaking, hair is keratine threads. These chains made of protein molecules have no nerve connections and therefore cannot feel pain. To cut them off is therefore not a problem. The hair root cells that form the hair are completely different: here we feel pain when someone pulls on the hair.
There are such hair follicles all over the body, most of them are on the scalp. Because the dense head hair is supposed to protect our skin from harmful sun rays and protect our brain from overheating or cooling due to its insulating effect. The number of hair also varies according to color and thickness: people with blond hair have an average of 150,000 hair, but also very thin. Brunette has an average of 110,000 hair, black -haired 100,000 and redhead only around 90,000 hair.
Hair root decides on appearance
The hair color is created in the hair root. There the melanocytes produce melanin pigments that determine the skin and hair color. With increasing age, these production cells are less active and the hair lose their pigments, they become gray. On average, this happens from the age of 30, in some cases before. The time of gray, like the hair color, is genetically determined, but can occur earlier through environmental factors: UV radiation, smoking, stress and lack of nutrients accelerate the process of gray.
The hair structure is also inherited. A distinction is made between smooth, wavy, curly and frizzy hair. If the hair is formed in oval and narrow follicles, it has more crossing between the keratin fibers and thus becomes curly. The curly hair, the drier it is often. Therefore, care should be particularly rich in curly and frizzy hair. This is also possible with natural ingredients.
Why natural hair care products?
Many people prefer hair care products with vegetable ingredients because they find them milder, less toxic and more natural. Conventional shampoos actually often contain strong surfactants that clean the hair, but also weaken the natural protective barrier of the scalp. This can lead to skin diseases. The parabens often contained in hair care products are also suspected of being harmful to health because they can intervene in the hormone balance.
Some ingredients are also critical of the environment: the rainforest is cut down, for example, to win palm oil for surfactants. Many products also contain silicones. This liquid plastic makes the hair shine at short notice, combed well and look healthy by sealing it. In the long term, however, silicones do not help the hair and also strain the environment. Microplastics from shampoos, rinsing and their packaging also get through the shower water in streams, rivers and seas. Because sewage treatment plants cannot filter out the tiny particles.
In hair care products of natural cosmetics, parabens, silicones and microplastics are mostly dispensed with, as well as synthetic preservatives, emulsifiers and perfumes. Instead, ingredients of natural origin such as grape seed oil maintain hair. In some cases, however, these can also recover health risks. Essential oils as natural fragrances and plant extracts can, for example, trigger allergic reactions or skin sensitivities.
How to produce shampoo and rinsing yourself
You can also make your own shampoo for natural hair wash without chemical additives. To do this, rub a small amount of core soap and mix them with warm water until the soap flakes have dissolved. You can add home remedies for the desired additional effects: chamomile extract, for example, has an anti -inflammatory and brightening effect, herbs donate a pleasant fragrance, black tea should worry for shine in dark hair and coconut milk brittle hair. The specially produced shampoo should be kept in the refrigerator because it does not contain preservatives. Sodium or rye flour for hair washing are also suitable as alternatives.
As a natural rinsing, an acidic cider vinegar or lemon juice can ensure shine and combability. Simply mix two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar or six tablespoons of lemon juice with one liter of water and apply it to the moist hair after washing. Let it dry or wash out as you wish. Alternatively, you can massage olive oil or coconut oil into the wet hair. The natural fat puts on the scales and receives the moisture, flexibility and smoothness of the hair, especially when curly.
Rosemary oil can allegedly help with hereditary hair loss. A massage of the scalp with this oil should stimulate blood circulation and be as effective as the drug minoxidil. So far, the causality has not been scientifically proven.
Carey hair healthy
In addition to the right ingredients, nursing routine and lifestyle can also support healthy hair. For example, shampoo should only be applied to the scalp and the first five centimeters of the hair to remove sebum. It is advisable to wash your hair about every three days. Too rare washing with strong talk production favors yeast and bacteria on the scalp.
In the lengths you do not use shampoo, but care products to store moisture in the hair. After that, the hair should not be combed when wet, as they then break more easily. Also make sure to protect your hair from strong sunlight with a hat or the like. The UV radiation otherwise weakens the structure of the hair and makes it more susceptible to split and breaks.
Too little movement, smoking, lack of sleep and poor nutrition damage to the blood flow of the hair root and thus the growth of hair. A balanced diet with sufficient iron, vitamin D3, biotin and zinc, on the other hand, supports the activity of the hair root. Food such as oatmeal, legumes, nuts and eggs contain several of these nutrients.
