Is your Deep Conditioner bad for your hair?

Have you ever used a deep conditioner and left it on your hair for hours in hopes that after you rinse, your hair will be more moisturized, only to be sharply disappointed?  This is the experience most coily/curly girls have with deep conditioners. We waste hours “letting it sit” on our hair, with the promise that with time the conditioner will penetrate our hair shaft and leave behind particles that will enhance the health and shine of our tresses. And it never does.

What’s going on? Why don’t our deep conditioners deeply condition our hair?

The truth is, most over-the-counter deep conditioners do not contain ingredients that contain a strong enough positive charge to attach to our negatively charged hair shaft and balance an important layer of our hair strand – the cuticle. The cuticle's health or porosity is important to understand if you want to end your dry hair spell for good.

Porosity, or Why Balance is the Major Moisture Key
Let’s talk about the first layer of the hair strand and learn about Porosity. Porosity is simply how your cuticle layer handles moisture. Two of the three porosity types are dry hair culprits:

• Low Porosity – when moisture isn’t easily absorbed into the strand because the cuticle isn’t very porous
• High Porosity – when moisture too easily absorbs into the strand because the cuticle is too porous

Your cuticles need to be Balanced.

To get your cuticle porosity “balanced”, you need to make a few things happen.

If you have:

Low Porosity – this cuticle is too oil/fat-soluble, and oil and water don’t mix. So when moisturizing, you need to use ingredients that are better at introducing water to Lipophilic structures and ensuring that water is absorbed.

High Porosity – this cuticle lacks a lot of protein. This cuticle acts like paper when water is introduced to it. Not only that, High porosity cuticles are raised and can have several holes. When the hair bends or is disturbed in any way, the hair strand is highly prone to splitting and breaking at the weakest points, those holes and scaly areas, of the cuticle. Those holes need to be filled so that the integrity of the hair strand is reinforced. And you want to fill it with something strong, durable yet elastic, and long-lasting. Or even permanent.

To protect your hair and prevent breakage, you must thoroughly moisturize your hair by reinforcing the protein bonds of your cuticle. And there aren’t many deep conditioners on the market offering a powerful natural way to do that.

But Four Naturals knows of two ingredients – natural ingredients, that can do what your deep conditioning treatments have never!

Meet Cassia Obovata and Slippery Elm
Plants. The key to naturally and effectively balancing the structure of your Type 4 or “Afro” hair cuticles is plants. Cassia Obovata and Slippery Elm are two plant extracts with Ayurvedic, the ancient Indian medicinal practice focused on balancing bodily systems, and healing properties.

Let's get to know them:

Cassia obovata is a perennial herb traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat digestive conditions. It is also known as Senna Italica, part of a genus of therapeutic plants. For centuries, Cassia Obovata has been used for its powerful, lasting moisture infusion.

Your strands can fully absorb Cassia and benefit from its active compounds, which include elasticity-boosting flavonoids and strengthening tannins. This helps repair the keratin in the hair cuticle, leading to a shinier look, better moisture retention, and tensile strength. Tensile usually refers to the measure of the strength of steel. The tensile strength is determined by how much force a strand of steel can take before it snaps. For something to have a tensile characteristic, it needs elasticity.

Cassia Obovata also contains anthraquinones and chrysophanic acid, which inhibit the growth of fungi and microbes. If you suffer from dandruff, you may have weaker hair due to poor scalp conditions. Cassia can help restore your scalp, so new hair grows nice and strong; it’s great for boosting your curl pattern as well! And unlike your run-of-the-mill deep conditioner, when you leave a Cassia conditioner on your hair, it is absorbing into your strands and remains in your hair after you rinse. And what’s left will never leave your hair dull or dry. Instead, you’ll enjoy health and shine for days after your treatment. Cassia is a great and highly effective hair porosity fix.

Slippery Elm Bark is a traditional Native American herbal remedy. While it’s often used for skin treatments or cold and flu symptoms, it’s also an incredible hair moisturizer. Packed with procyanidins that help bind proteins, slippery elm enhances the tensile strength of hair strands. Slippery elm improves and increases the elasticity of the hair strand — helping your hair bend before it breaks. This alone restores the cuticle and keeps moisture in. But that’s not all that slippery elm does.

Imbued with oleic acid (the primary constituent of nourishing olive and avocado oils) and linoleic acid (the omega-6s that hold cells together), this magic herb pumps powerful moisturizing ingredients into your hair and restores its integrity. And because it is indeed slippery, you can enjoy easy detangling while the product infuses each strand.

Plus, slippery elm bark contains iodine and calcium. Deficiency in these ingredients is a major factor in hair loss. So, adding slippery elm to your regimen can both restore your strands and prevent further hair loss.

Altogether, this remarkable substance helps rebuild your hair, add shine, and makes it as strong as spider silk. No more shedding all over your pillow or having the dreaded frizz ball!

Four Naturals to the Rescue!
If you struggle with chronic dryness the best solution on offer has been deep conditioner. And in spite of your hope that it will restore your hair’s strength and luster, it does little more than add a thick moisturizing film to your hair. And once it’s rinsed out… it’s done.

Your strand needs balanced moisture throughout. And you need a solution that tackles the root problem (pun intended.) The Four Naturals Cassia Deep Conditioner does just that.