One of the main aspects of personal appearance is hair. Many people take the approach that it should be as long as possible, so as to allow for more creative styling options or simply to produce the eye-catching impression that long hairstyles do. But there is a flip-side to having it long, which is that it dries out, loses its color or starts to fracture and break. Nowadays, people try to counter these problems using the best hair serums.
The concept of a serum is not new. Hundreds of years ago, when people did not bathe on a regular basis, the accumulation of naturally secreted sebum (scalp wax) would actually form solid caking in the strands, thereby making them easier to style and also protecting them at the same time. Daily washing in modern times eliminates the sebum and makes this impossible to achieve.
Artificial serums are therefore more popular nowadays, especially since caked sebum would be seen as a sign of immensely poor personal hygiene. They come in two forms - silicon-based (synthetic) and organic. The organic variant is not surprising, since there is a modern sub-trend to move away from synthetic chemicals, whether in food or cosmetics.
Silicon-based serums contain a silicon emollient which adheres to the scalp and the strands, forming a continuous plastic-like layer. It therefore insulates the individual strands in much the same way that cellophane seals food in the fridge. This provides protection against mechanical damage. The serum also contains ceramides and amino acids.
These technical terms are easy to explain. Proteins in the body consist of amino acids, which are the basic construction units of proteins in other animals too. Since hair is also a protein (or mostly one, namely keratin), the amino acids in the serum provide nourishment to it, so that it is able to stay as it was when it first grew. Another example of keratin is the nails of the fingers and toes, which are, in fact, nothing more than aggregated keratin.
Protein is prone to damage by environmental conditions. Imagine the white of an egg (the albumen), and what would happen to it if it was left outside in the sun. It would soon denature (the technical term for a protein that is damaged or changing its state). Keratin is not similar to albumen in its physical properties but, being a protein too, it undergoes similar environmental trauma, so that it ages, dries out, or becomes structurally weak and breaks. You can see this in the way that it displays these changes or loses its color.
The key difference with the organic serums is the absence of the silicon. Organic producers state that the silicon is excessively protective, and thereby seals the strand too securely in the protective layer. This causes it to weaken and break, through over-exposure to the other chemicals in the synthetic serum. Consumers should decide for themselves which type of serum they prefer, using their personal experience and purchasing experiments.
For those who regard their appearance as important, or who are trying to make a high-impact impression, protective serum is one option in maintaining spectacular hair. Understanding how it works is important in its application and assessing its results.
The concept of a serum is not new. Hundreds of years ago, when people did not bathe on a regular basis, the accumulation of naturally secreted sebum (scalp wax) would actually form solid caking in the strands, thereby making them easier to style and also protecting them at the same time. Daily washing in modern times eliminates the sebum and makes this impossible to achieve.
Artificial serums are therefore more popular nowadays, especially since caked sebum would be seen as a sign of immensely poor personal hygiene. They come in two forms - silicon-based (synthetic) and organic. The organic variant is not surprising, since there is a modern sub-trend to move away from synthetic chemicals, whether in food or cosmetics.
Silicon-based serums contain a silicon emollient which adheres to the scalp and the strands, forming a continuous plastic-like layer. It therefore insulates the individual strands in much the same way that cellophane seals food in the fridge. This provides protection against mechanical damage. The serum also contains ceramides and amino acids.
These technical terms are easy to explain. Proteins in the body consist of amino acids, which are the basic construction units of proteins in other animals too. Since hair is also a protein (or mostly one, namely keratin), the amino acids in the serum provide nourishment to it, so that it is able to stay as it was when it first grew. Another example of keratin is the nails of the fingers and toes, which are, in fact, nothing more than aggregated keratin.
Protein is prone to damage by environmental conditions. Imagine the white of an egg (the albumen), and what would happen to it if it was left outside in the sun. It would soon denature (the technical term for a protein that is damaged or changing its state). Keratin is not similar to albumen in its physical properties but, being a protein too, it undergoes similar environmental trauma, so that it ages, dries out, or becomes structurally weak and breaks. You can see this in the way that it displays these changes or loses its color.
The key difference with the organic serums is the absence of the silicon. Organic producers state that the silicon is excessively protective, and thereby seals the strand too securely in the protective layer. This causes it to weaken and break, through over-exposure to the other chemicals in the synthetic serum. Consumers should decide for themselves which type of serum they prefer, using their personal experience and purchasing experiments.
For those who regard their appearance as important, or who are trying to make a high-impact impression, protective serum is one option in maintaining spectacular hair. Understanding how it works is important in its application and assessing its results.
About the Author:
Keralis Professional sells some of the best hair serums on the market today. To check out our other fine hair products, visit us at http://keralisprofessional.com on the Web now.
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