What is the sodium hydroxide actually there for?
Length goal well and truly met, now just seeing how it grows ...
Picky scalp but easygoing hair, thank goodness
What is the sodium hydroxide actually there for?
Ósnjallr maðr hyggsk munu ey lifa, ef hann við víg varask;
en elli gefr hánum engi frið, þótt hánum geirar gefi.
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Hydroxides have various purposes in cosmetics. It’s likely there to balance the pH, but if it isn’t pH balanced it can act as a chemical exfoliant in skin care products or may have been added to help attract water molecules.
It’s also used in soaps and as the active ingredient in chemical hair relaxers. In soaps, it reacts with other ingredients and very little ends up in the finished product. In relaxers, it is present in much higher concentrations and used for its properties as a powerful base to break the disulfide bonds in hair. Unless the product you have is labeled as a cleanser or relaxer, it is likely only the first paragraph of this post applies.
Personally, I generally avoid it because my hair is naturally porous and I have enough trouble keeping my cuticle sealed. I’m a little less picky about its presence in rinse out products though, and am using up a co-wash that contains it.
Classic stretched, bcl to tbl most days otherwise.Unruly mix of 3s.
Ósnjallr maðr hyggsk munu ey lifa, ef hann við víg varask;
en elli gefr hánum engi frið, þótt hánum geirar gefi.
Instagram | Last.fm | Folk band | Acoustic metal duo | My links
I read recently, that many of the so-called 100% brand name aloe vera gels on the shelves today, don’t even have a smidgen of actual aloe vera gel in them! Or very little! 😮
Have anyone else heard about this? 🤔
Hawaiian Tropic is one of the offenders I read about...misleading customers into believing they are getting pure gel but there isn’t ANY in the bottle! What the heck?! There was random testing done and the tests proved these companies were cheating people.
reviving this thread to say that I'm in love with aloe vera gel as a leave in conditioner. I used it on wet and dry hair and it's soooooo amazing, leaves my hair soft and shiny
I only use AVG on my scalp as pre-wash, in combination with Melatonin and oil.
I buy pure aloe gel online and mix it with coconut oil and lavender essential oil to make a night cream for my face. I’ve not used it on my hair though.
I use it on slightly damp hair (which is how my hair likes everything, it seems) before braiding or bunning to keep my hair smooth. It helps with softness, and gives AWESOME waves!
Yesterday I was gifted with a aloe vera plant, so I get to use fresh aloe soon (I'm mostly thinking about my bf who gets sunburns easily...). I do have store bought aloe vera gel that I usually mix in with my conditioner and deep treatments. I also use it on my scalp and as the cream/gel when I do LCO and when I need to tame flyaways. So it's very versatile product for me.
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