Hair Type: All
Hair Porosity: All
Hair Sensitivities: All
Hair Goal: All
Expanding On This Principle
Slip. Sleek. Smooth. The idea of lubricating your hair to mitigate friction is REAL. It is so important to use some lubrication to smooth the hair. It is also important to lubricate the hair to seal in hydration. After you put in moisture in your hair, using an additional oil to seal helps to prevent water from easily escaping. This allows the water to penetrate deeply into your hair.
Oils, Conditioners, and Detanglers
Lubrication is also about your hair texture. Oils smooth the hair and it give it slip. Conditioners and detanglers also have oils and mucilage that cause slip. With that opportunity, you can detangle and manipulate your hair without breaking your hair so much. Your regimen should reflect anti-breakage and minimize tangling and knots. Smooth hair does not tangle or knot easily.
Over-Balancing the Lubrication Principle
Doing too much is extremely easy with this principle. Adding too much product, especially oil and conditioners is very detrimental for your hair health and overall hair longevity. Weighing your hair down with product causes slow damage to your hair. It suffocates your hair strands, makes your hair limp and weak, and product build-up prevents your hair from receiving additional air and benefits. It is important to use dime and quarter-size amounts in each section. Build up the amount of product your hair needs. It is always best to start small and build up. Seeing a caste in your hair is a sign you have to much product. Massage the product until the caste disappears.
Under-Balancing the Lubrication Principle
Not using enough oils in your regimen is just as bad. Not lubricating your hair encourages dry, frayed, split, and brittle ends.
Some people are anti-oils because their goal is to have defined, coily hair. They use gels and mousses instead. Note that both gels and mousses have oils in them and mimic the principle of lubrication. Gels and mousses are low tier products and are extremely heavy and sticky. They build up so fast and are extremely man-made. Regular use will thin your hair over the years and damage your hair structure. Stick to using it once in a while or use natural gels instead. You can make your own aloe vera gel or flaxseed gel to mitigate harmful chemicals.
Lastly, oils are not an impenetrable layer. You can still have water come into your hair strands. Gels and mousses are. The gels/mousse sits on top of the hair strand. When you add water, it enters the gel itself and expands but it does not penetrate the hair strand. So your hair ends up being dry and you have to keep wetting your hair to get that defined, soft coily look. Using an all natural gel is much more beneficial for your hair.
Balanced Lubrication
Balanced, lubricated hair is full of shine and luster. The hair is smooth and moisturized. It is not super oily and greasy. It is easy to detangle from root to end. Your ends are also healthy and blunt. Your hair does not knot or get matted.
Balanced lubrication is all about your technique. Using the right amount of oil, conditioner, or slippery detangler will benefit your hair greatly. It will keep hydration in your hair long enough to penetrate your hair strands and benefit you. It also adds slip and causes anti-friction. This helps to prevent and lessen breakage, tangling, and knotting. All these are the enemies of length retention.
Note: To correct an over-balance in lubrication, simply wash your hair. Shampoo your hair and if you section your hair, wash each section at least twice. On the second time, allow the shampoo to sit for at least 30 seconds to penetrate the inside of your hair strands (the cortex). When you finish your wash regimen, simply try again. Use small amounts and build up. Once your hair feels soft and smooth, you do not need any more product.
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Beautiful hair gems! Take time to evaluate how much product you put in your hair. Be serious about using oils and good quality conditioners to keep your hair smooth and tangle-free. Part 2 of the Principle of Lubrication will be up next week. It will highlight specific oils and talk about the pros and cons. Follow the social media pages on Instagram and Tik Tok: @africanhaircarescience. Thank you for your continued support. Cannot wait to make you a part of the African HairCare Community :)
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