Do you 'prep' your hair for a treatment?

[Thumper]

I have lots of different products for leave in and I'm always wondering if I should try something to open the cuticle first? Is that possible and would it help the product do a better job? I'm thinking that rinsing in hot water first would open the hair? What do you do?

[Kimberly]

I think it is generally a bad idea to lift cuticles. They get damaged that way. Leave-in products don't require it.

[Firefox7275]

Are the ingredients proven penetrating or are they patch repairing? Cuticles do not open and close as such, small molecules can slip under over time, heat is more likely to speed adherence to the surface or stop fluids being too viscous. There are some excellent evidence-based articles on deep conditioning and protein treating on the Natural Haven blog and Sciencey Hairblog.

[MINAKO]

i also dont think there is such a thing like "opening cuticles" (unless you go extremely alkaline or literally scrape it off aka mechanical damage = both a bad idea of course)
As Firefox wrote, it really depens more on the molecular structure of an ingriedient and viscosity of oils for example can be influenced by temperature, thus penetrate easier if the are kept slightly warm.
I personally never did ice cold rinses for that exact reason, they are in no way beneficial to the hairshaft.

[Thumper]

i also dont think there is such a thing like "opening cuticles" (unless you go extremely alkaline or literally scrape it off aka mechanical damage = both a bad idea of course)
As Firefox wrote, it really depens more on the molecular structure of an ingriedient and viscosity of oils for example can be influenced by temperature, thus penetrate easier if the are kept slightly warm.
I personally never did ice cold rinses for that exact reason, they are in no way beneficial to the hairshaft.

Really? And here I thought I was to do a cold rinse, that it helped to keep the cuticle closed? But the cold is 'bad'? What about when I go swimming in the lake....that water is cold...I mean it's not 'ground water cold' but it's not something I would not consider warm either.

[Firefox7275]

[/B]

Really? And here I thought I was to do a cold rinse, that it helped to keep the cuticle closed? But the cold is 'bad'? What about when I go swimming in the lake....that water is cold...I mean it's not 'ground water cold' but it's not something I would not consider warm either.

'Not beneficial' does not mean the same thing as 'bad', it can be neutral. There is information on the effect of temperature on the cuticle on the Sciencey Hairblog.

[MINAKO]

[/B]

Really? And here I thought I was to do a cold rinse, that it helped to keep the cuticle closed? But the cold is 'bad'? What about when I go swimming in the lake....that water is cold...I mean it's not 'ground water cold' but it's not something I would not consider warm either.

I truly think that anywhere around body temperature is best. Icecold could result in the same sort of damage as too hot (which is not exactly hot since your skin can only take around at 42°C (107°F) before it feels pain), of course its minor and probaly not even noticeable, depending on the hair type, but in the long run who knows... it could contribute to slightly more splits and dryness after a few years of growing and washing.

[Thumper]

I truly think that anywhere around body temperature is best. Icecold could result in the same sort of damage as too hot (which is not exactly hot since your skin can only take around at 42°C (107°F) before it feels pain), of course its minor and probaly not even noticeable, depending on the hair type, but in the long run who knows... it could contribute to slightly more splits and dryness after a few years of growing and washing.

Thank you for your comments.:D