Diatomaceous Earth....Hair Treatments?

[OhMyCurlz]

I know there was a bit of controversy before regarding taking diatomaceous internally, but has anyone done hair treatments with it before?

I lightened my hair and as a result it has been breaking off like crazy around my hair line. It's really bad. I mixed diatomaceous with rosemary, horsetail, mushroom root, honey and soy and added hot water. The texture was a lot smoother than henna and it gelled up to a yogurty consistency. I applied it like I would henna and then rinsed. My hair has been a LOT ....I mean a LOT stronger since I have started doing this. I also added this mixture to my sister's henndigo treatment and it made her hair really shiny soter and a lot stronger as well (I believe the results were more obvious with the henna). I massaged a little on my dandruffy scalp too and it cleared it right up.

I'm really excited about this and I am NOT one to think that you can get immediate results with something like this.

Anyway, has anyone had any experiences with applying diatomaceous...what have your results been?

[Aredhel77]

Ooh! How interesting...I haven't tried it on my hair but I mixed some in a face mask with another clay powder (fuller's earth) and got really glowy skin. I will give this a try! Is it something to do with the silica content do you think?

(I have also taken it internally and didn't experience any problems but I haven't done this for a while).

ETA: I notice your formula had a lot of other hair-beneficial herbs and ingredients so they would have contributed to the effects as well I suppose. Do you think the DE just helped with the consistency of the mixture...?

I may try being a guinea pig and doing a more simple DE hair mask....maybe adding oil or aloe if I feel it needs it to help the consistency.

I'll report back :-)

[OhMyCurlz]

Yes, I really do beieve that the siica could have been a factor....I only say that because I have been using those particular herbs for a long time now and have not seen such dramatic results. I think the herbs may have helped the diatomaceous in the recipe actually..lol. I would advise you add a lot of conditioning oils to your mix though, the diatomaceous is drying on it's own. I bet a mix of this with fenugreek or something woud be even more beneficial. I also googled "diatomaceous earth for hair" and ALL of the links mentioned the benefits it has with regard to strengthening the hair and nails, growth ect. This may have been more towads taking it internally but I noticed a huge difference when I applied it directly to my hair. I may start adding a tbsp or so to my deep conditioners and other hair treatments from now on. :cheese:
Ooh! How interesting...I haven't tried it on my hair but I mixed some in a face mask with another clay powder (fuller's earth) and got really glowy skin. I will give this a try! Is it something to do with the silica content do you think?

(I have also taken it internally and didn't experience any problems but I haven't done this for a while).

ETA: I notice your formula had a lot of other hair-beneficial herbs and ingredients so they would have contributed to the effects as well I suppose. Do you think the DE just helped with the consistency of the mixture...?

I may try being a guinea pig and doing a more simple DE hair mask....maybe adding oil or aloe if I feel it needs it to help the consistency.

I'll report back :-)

[Aredhel77]

Yes, I thought it might be drying (I guess it might also be slightly abrasive LOL) but others here have washed their hair with other clays such as rhassoul/fuller's earth so hopefully it would have a similar effect. Fenugreek is a good idea - I have some seeds that I haven't tried using yet, so that may be what I'll do.

Update i) :

OK I didn't go with the fenugreek. I mixed 4 tablespoons of conditioner with 8 tablespoons of DE and enough warm water to get a smooth consistency. It looked like a deep conditioner and felt quite light and almost 'foamy.' The consistency was quite pleasing :-)
I was concerned about over-drying the hair so I pre-oiled my hair fairly generously with coconut oil. I then sat in the bath, dampened my hair with warm water and applied the mixture all over my scalp and lengths, taking care not to 'scrub' the hair as I know D.E is used as an insecticide because of its abrasive action! I let it sit for 30mins and rinsed it out very thoroughly. The mask did not dry in this time. I also applied the mix to my face as a mask as I use organic conditioner and wasn't too concerned about putting either on my face!!

My hair felt rough when rinsed so I attempted to detangle and was unable to do so. Determined not to panic (!!), I cold-rinsed. It felt much the same. I then tried an ACV rinse which I allowed to sit for 5 mins or so before attempting to detangle again. My hair felt slightly smoother but still did not detangle. Edit: I googled the ph value of D.E and a couple of sites said it is slightly alkaline with a ph value of around 8 - so I think an acidic rinse was probably beneficial. I found this out AFTER doing it though!

I then conditioned with a non-cone conditioner, left it for 5 mins and was able to detangle, although hair still felt rough. So I repeated the conditioner step, rinsed well and applied my usual leave in of aloe mixed with coconut. The hair felt a little better, although not quite normal. My hair always sheds quite a lot, and I do not think I lost any more than the usual small handful!

My hair has now dried. It still feels slightly 'coarse' as if after a deep cleansing (which it no doubt has had) - but I have washed with rhassoul clay before and I think it is no worse or any more stripping than that. I will see how it feels in the morning and perhaps stretch out the next wash if need be, or if I can bear it. On the plus side, my hair feels and looks 'heavier', it does not look any less shiny than usual and has curled/clumped very well. I also was a little concerned that the mixture might strip my recent Lush Caca henna from my hair but didn't notice any dye in the rinse water after. So hopefully I have suffered no real ill effects! My hair is naturally slightly dry, thick and wavy so I tend to use deeper conditioners. My hair has (so far) been quite forgiving of all the different 'natural' hair experiments I have made it endure. Probably though it wouldn't be wise to copy my exact ratio if your hair is very dry, coarse or porous.

If I experiment with this in future, I would probably reverse the ratios i.e add a smaller amount of D.E to a larger proportion of conditioner and see if that benefited my hair.

So a fairly happy experiment all in all! Phew. I'll write again tomorrow to update on the look/feel of my hair.

Update ii): morning after

My hair felt slightly softer this morning. I decided that the crunchy 'feel' to my hair felt more like buildup, as if I had put a ton of mousse/styling product on my hair - rather than my initial diagnosis of feeling 'stripped.' It was still VERY full in texture.

I decided to wash it out rather than wait another day so did a conditioner soak on dry hair, dampened it and washed with dilute shampoo and rinsed (hair was feeling happier now) and followed finally with an SMT for half an hour.

My hair, now damp, STILL seems a little fuller/heavier than normal although now the extreme-buildup feeling has gone.

In conclusion

I can certainly corroborate OhMyCurlz's theory that D.E adds weight & fullness to the hair! My experiment was a little extreme in retrospect but, I think I will try again in a later wash, adding perhaps a teaspoon-1 tablespoon of DE to my regular conditioner.

I guess the thing to watch out for is potential buildup - but as I demonstrated above, this wasn't difficult to deal with.

On another note - and this was a happy accident - I noticed last night that my skin felt very smooth after my bath. I thought it might be due to the D.E that had rinsed out of my hair into the water. When I had taken D.E internally for a couple of months I had noticed a similar effect.

This morning I added about 3-4 tablespoons of D.E to my clean bathwater and experienced the same effect. So I've now found a couple more uses for it if I don't start taking it internally again!

[jojo]

sounds pretty good.

[ktani]

The best Diatomaceous Earth for ingestion is almost silica free. I was asked about the earth and have posted information on my profile page, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/member.php?u=1381. The silica content presents a heakth risk for use as a cosmetic ingredient or ingestion, depending on exposure.

[Aredhel77]

The best Diatomaceous Earth for ingestion is almost silica free. I was asked about the earth and have posted information on my profile page, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/member.php?u=1381. The silica content presents a heakth risk for use as a cosmetic ingredient or ingestion, depending on exposure.

Thank you ktani for contributing to this thread :flower:. I read the information on the links you posted in your profile. So the things to be aware of with DE is possible inhalation and its abrasive quality. As it is also an alkali ph, and abrasive, do you think it is harmful if added to conditioner? (although not in the high ratio I used...
:o)

[ktani]

Thank you ktani for contributing to this thread :flower:. I read the information on the links you posted in your profile. So the things to be aware of with DE is possible inhalation and its abrasive quality. As it is also an alkali ph, and abrasive, do you think it is harmful if added to conditioner? (although not in the high ratio I used...
:o)

I should have been more clear. DE is mostly silica. It is the amount of crystalline silica that can be the problem, healthwise and for abrasiveness. This website http://www.safe2use.com/safe-products/diatomaceous/diatomaceous_Earth.htm, claims their product has only 1% of it.

The pH can vary.

[ktani]

More on DE, http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/occup-travail/whmis-simdut/_substance/diatomaceous-diatomees-eng.php.
"Uncalcined diatomaceous earth (CAS No. 61790-53-2) typically contains around 1% crystalline silica. When diatomaceous earth is subjected to pressure or is processed ("calcined") at temperatures above 1000°C some of the amorphous silica is converted to crystalline silica in the form of cristobalite. Calcined diatomaceous earth can contain anywhere from 1% to 75% cristobalite."

In cosmetics DE can be labelled as "Solum Diatomeae &/or Diatomaceous Earth + Terre de diatomées"
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pubs/indust/labelling_guide-etiquetage/appendix-appendice-eng.php

More information with links, http://www.shadowridgedonkeys.com/ds_perma_guard.htm.

Uses in cosmetics, http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient_details.php?ingredient_id=1844
"Why is it used in cosmetics and personal care products?
Diatomaceous Earth functions as an abrasive, absorbent, anticaking agent, bulking agent and as an opacifying agent.
Safety Information
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permits Diatomaceous Earth to be used as an indirect food additive. It is permitted for use in the manufacture of phenolic resins used in some food contact surfaces and as a colorant for food contact polymers. The FDA includes Diatomaceous Earth on its list of substances migrating to food from paper and paperboard products considered Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)."