Yes, I am joining another challenge for the summer!
It is
the 30 Day Ceramide Challenge hosted by “Just Grow Already” and “Relaxed
Thairapy”.
The challenge is less involved than Hairlista’s Coconut Oil
Challenge. To participate all you
have to do is incorporate ceramides into your hair regimen either by sealing
with oil, hot oil treatments, or using a conditioner that contains ceramides.
The link to both host blogs are below and you can sign up
there!
After reading about the ceramide challenge I decided to do
more research on ceramides. Honestly I had never heard of the term before and
had no idea how ceramides can be beneficial for my hair.
Science is not my thing so I am going to explain
the importance of ceramides in the simplest way possible. See link below for
further research.
A single hair strand consists of layers. Our bodies naturally produce
fatty materials (oil) within the inner layers. Ceramides are these fatty
materials found in the hair fiber.
Ceramides act as glue and cement together
the layers of the cuticle making our hair strong. Ceramides also act as
boundaries to prevent loss in moisture.
Relaxers, color treatments, and over manipulation can destroy
and deplete our naturally produced ceramides. If this happens we will see damaged
strands that are dry, brittle, and breaking.
Protein treatments help to build and repair the structure of
our hair. However, incorporating ceramide rich products into our regimen is
also important. They replace natural ceramides depleted by chemical processing and excessive manipulation, and binds together again the layers of the cuticle.
I don't know how I have gone two years into my hair journey and not known about this, but I am glad to finally be in the know. This is a challenge I don't think I can afford pass up!
Ceramide Rich Oils (Ceramides have a high level of linoleic
acid (omega-6 fatty acid) and so do the following oils.)
Grapeseed Oil
Hemp Oil
Poppyseed Oil
Sunflower Oil
Safflower Oil
Wheat Germ
Rice Bran
Corn Oil
Cottonseed Oil
Sunflower is my oil of choice for the challenge. It is inexpensive and readily available in my local grocery. I will seal with Sunflower oil daily.
Companies like Kanachom, L’Oreal, and Biolage produce ceramide formulated shampoos, conditioners, and leave-in
treatments. Since I have not tried these products I will not make recommendations but I am sure you can easily do some Google searching to find reviews that may help you find a product that just
might work for you.
Interested in joining the challenge?
Blessings and Happy Hair Growing!
~Candra
These are the final days of the 30 Day Ceramide Challenge hosted by Jen from JustGrowAlready.com and Divachyk from RelaxedThairapy.com
