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The Effects of Chemical Processing and Your Hair

By now, you will be familiar with the term Chemical Processing.  It is an umbrella definition which encompasses treatments applied to the hair using chemicals.  So, it could be anything from a chemical perm, chemical relaxing (or straightening) or chemical hair dying.  However, while all of these treatments in the right environment can initially leave hair looking wonderful, over-chemical processing can result in catastrophic looking locks.  Your hair is your crowning glory so be wary of what chemical processing you choose, it’s important to make sure your hair is in the best possible condition before undertaking any of these treatments and to maintain hair health, you will need to use premium quality hair products.

Perms, straightening and hair dying is so common that almost all women in the UK use at least one of these chemical processes.  The more processes you have on your hair, the more likely it is to become dry, damaged and even broken.  In fact, if you don’t look after your hair in between chemical processes and you don’t understand the chemicals you are putting into your hair you risk hair loss too.  Over long periods of time, hair weakens and using the same chemicals on already weakened areas means you are putting pressure on the hair follicles and scalp, irritating them both and they can even shut down for a while until they are healthy enough to begin re-growth.

It is always wise to take a break from chemical processing every few months and get back to nature with high quality hair products to replenish, hydrate and re-build brittle, dull hair.  The question you need to ask yourself is do you understand the facts about all the chemical processes you use?  Dominican Haircare investigates and brings you all the information you need to know about chemically processing your hair:

Chemical Relaxers

Relaxers are designed to take the frizz and curl out of hair so it looks smoother and straighter.  This used to be the number one process for straightening hair until Keratin treatments appeared during the last decade.  They work by using chemicals which breakdown the natural protein structure of your hair and remove the wave or curl.  The problem is they get right into every strand and can be harmful because they breakdown your hair’s strength and suppleness.  They can also act as an irritant on your scalp.  If you want to use chemical relaxing then go to a very reputable salon, discuss your lifestyle and what you want to achieve and make sure your hair is in excellent condition before having the treatment.  You should never have this treatment on damaged, dry or broken hair because it will cause further damage.  Build up your hair’s strength using strengthening hair masks in the meantime and if you go ahead with this treatment, carry on using quality haircare products.  Recommendations for products to use if you undertake this type of treatment include the Silicon Mix and Nano Queratina range of hair masks or try our own relaxers which include Lye and No-Lye relaxers which are designed to eliminate any damage.

Chemical Perms

Similar to relaxing but the other way round!  A perm is for someone who wants curly or wavy hair but the chemicals involved can be damaging especially if your hair is already in poor condition or is prone to dryness.  Perms apply plenty of high heat to hair to bend it into a curl shape.  This heat dries out the hair’s shaft which leads to brittle texture.  The first or second time you perm your hair you might not notice any hair damage but if you keep applying chemical perms to your hair eventually you run the risk of hair breakage and extreme damage.  To keep your hair in tip-top condition when you perm your hair or to get it into good enough condition so it can take the heat try our Doctor Cabello Argan Oil range especially designed to fortify dry hair with all the nourishment and moisture it needs.

Hair Dying

Probably the most popular form of chemical processing, 69% of British women dye their hair but actually, chemical dying can cause terrible damage and irritate the scalp as well as causing an allergic reaction.  Never do it at home, only go to a reputable salon.  If you experience itchiness on your scalp, redness or scabbing then the dye you or your hairdresser is using is too harsh for your scalp.  It can cause blockage to the follicles which in turn causes breakage and slows down hair growth. It’s best to use organic where you can and check the ingredients for parabens and sulphate because both of these are harmful.  If you colour your hair it is vital that you keep it in good condition so give it weekly treatments, always wash and condition with a high quality shampoo and conditioner and finish off with serum to smooth down the hair shaft.  At Dominican Haircare we recommend Silicon Mix which coats the hair with silicon, protecting it from chemical processing and Biotina enriched with Vitamins E, B5 and coats each strand with Biotin for added protection.

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