A few words about Humectants

I am sure most of you have used humectants before such as honey, panthenol (vitamin B5), or vegetable glycerin. Humectants are simply moisturisers that work by pulling water from one area to another. So ladies, if you use them appropriately, humectants have the ability to pull moisture from the surrounding air into your hair. 

You can use them daily, but sometimes this may not be a wise choice because under certain weather conditions (eg. when air is very dry) they can draw moisture away from your hair. The resulting hair is dry, brittle hair which can be prone to frizz, split ends and breaking. And we don't want that, do we?

Personally, I absolutely love using humectants because of their wonderful moisturising capabilities, but I’m also very careful about when and how often I use them.

When my hair is extremely sun damaged, I often mix honey with a little bit of a protein-rich ingredient, like avocado or egg yolk, which helps replenish the keratin protein bonds that UV rays attack.

Many, many hair products contain panthenol but not in sufficient concentrations for it to really work. It is then worth looking for panthenol in its pure form. Also, it's fantastic for your face!

I use it in my leave in conditioners but also in my moisturising spritz. It's excellent!

Girls, I am going to write a bit more about panthenol, vegetable glycerin and honey in my next few posts so please bear with me :-)