Fia
March 3rd, 2017, 05:34 AM
GM speaks of a three-fold structure that is the basis of all successful hair care routines.
1) Open/cleanse - when the hair shaft is cleaned from outside debris and opened to be able to take in whatever treatments follow.
2) Give - when the hair shaft is given back moisture/protein/flexibility from some sort of (deep or regular) conditioner; this step is not always necessary at every wash, a hair in good condition can sometimes be quite content with only the open and close steps of the routine and only need the give step occasionally.
3) Close - when the hair shaft is closed again with a rinse (acidic of some sort) to be able to withstand daily handling
Personally I'd like to add a fourth step
4) Protect - where some sort of product that gives added slip/protection is used on the length of the hair to protect it from damage
One does not necessarily have to use the GM products to follow the train of thought laid out in the structure. More or less automatically it's where most of longhairs end up anyway after a process of trial and error. I'd say that the step most miss is the third one - using an acidic rinse to close the cuticle of the hair once the conditioner has done its work. Contrary to popular belief most conditioners - there are a few exceptions - aren't acidic enough to close to cuticle. They are made to give slip and deposit repairing ingredients into the hair strand (hence the need for the cleansing step to slightly open the cuticle to enable these ingredients to penetrate). An acidic rinse doesn't require anything more exotic than ACV (or other vinegar) or a pinch of citric acid mixed with water.
The fourth step, to add something to the washed hair to give slip and protect it from outside influences is necessary for most of us as hair grows longer. There are as many options as there are longhairs - from regular serums or leave-ins, to oils, to aloe vera gel, to hair's own sebum. As with the products used for the three preceeding steps no one is more right than the other, it's more a matter of finding what works for your particular hair.
A hair that is given care through these four steps, and with products that suit that particular head of hair, is a hair that will thrive and both be and look as if it's in good condition. Finding those products can require a bit of trial and error, but a good start is to look at longhairs with similar hair to yourself (texture, coarseness, length) and see what works for them.
1) Open/cleanse - when the hair shaft is cleaned from outside debris and opened to be able to take in whatever treatments follow.
2) Give - when the hair shaft is given back moisture/protein/flexibility from some sort of (deep or regular) conditioner; this step is not always necessary at every wash, a hair in good condition can sometimes be quite content with only the open and close steps of the routine and only need the give step occasionally.
3) Close - when the hair shaft is closed again with a rinse (acidic of some sort) to be able to withstand daily handling
Personally I'd like to add a fourth step
4) Protect - where some sort of product that gives added slip/protection is used on the length of the hair to protect it from damage
One does not necessarily have to use the GM products to follow the train of thought laid out in the structure. More or less automatically it's where most of longhairs end up anyway after a process of trial and error. I'd say that the step most miss is the third one - using an acidic rinse to close the cuticle of the hair once the conditioner has done its work. Contrary to popular belief most conditioners - there are a few exceptions - aren't acidic enough to close to cuticle. They are made to give slip and deposit repairing ingredients into the hair strand (hence the need for the cleansing step to slightly open the cuticle to enable these ingredients to penetrate). An acidic rinse doesn't require anything more exotic than ACV (or other vinegar) or a pinch of citric acid mixed with water.
The fourth step, to add something to the washed hair to give slip and protect it from outside influences is necessary for most of us as hair grows longer. There are as many options as there are longhairs - from regular serums or leave-ins, to oils, to aloe vera gel, to hair's own sebum. As with the products used for the three preceeding steps no one is more right than the other, it's more a matter of finding what works for your particular hair.
A hair that is given care through these four steps, and with products that suit that particular head of hair, is a hair that will thrive and both be and look as if it's in good condition. Finding those products can require a bit of trial and error, but a good start is to look at longhairs with similar hair to yourself (texture, coarseness, length) and see what works for them.