HYDRATION: DIY Cacao, Honey, Olive Oil, Yogurt Mask

    Hydration masks are all about restoring water and nutrients to the hair. Key ingredients for these masks are simple sugars and carbohydrates.

Examples of simple sugars: brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, molasses, agave nectar, raw sugar, apples, pineapple, watermelon, dates, etc. 

Examples of carbohydrates: sweet potato, beetroot, bananas, mangos, oats, quinoa, buckwheat, and many more. 

Ingredients such as aloe vera and sea kelp also have strong hydrating properties. 

Today's mask is comprised of cacao powder (packed with fatty acids and antioxidants hydrating and nourishing hair), honey (a simple sugar), Greek yogurt (rich source of vitamins and water), and olive oil (for extra shine).  

But before jumping into the recipe, its important to note that for an added benefit, I recommend using the relevant treatment shampoo (before mask) and conditioner (after). Trick there is only to shampoo once, before the mask. Focusing on shampooing the scalp and dragging the lather down to the ends vs. shampooing the entire head. 

Personally, my favorites for the Hydration phase are these Intensive Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner by Shea Moisture I bought at Whole Foods. My hair feels extra silky after their use:

 

After shampoo-only shower, as hair mildly air-dries, time to whip up the mask!

INGREDIENTS:

• Organic or All-Natural Full Milk or Full-Fat Greek or Plain Yogurt
• Organic Honey
• Organic Cacao or Cocoa powder 
• Organic Cold-Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

SPECIAL NOTES:

Its important to use Full Fat or Whole Milk yogurt to get the most out of this mask. Bonus points if its Whole Milk Greek Yogurt, as Greek yogurt contains more vitamins than plain yogurt. 

Both organic Cacao or Cocoa Powder will work.  However, I prefer Cacao as it is the highest source of antioxidants and full of magnesium. Also, in contrast to cocoa, is made of beans that have not yet been roasted.  

Its very important to use cold-pressed organic olive oil. This is because hot-pressed or regular oils lose a lot of healthy natural attributes during the manufacturing process, while in cold-pressing all the nutrients are retained.  

RECIPE:

Note: quantities are suited to hair 3-4 inches longer than the collarbone and don't have to be exact

1/2 cup Whole Milk Organic Green Yogurt

1.5 heaping tbs Organic Cacao Powder

2 tbs of Organic Honey

1 tbs of Organic Cold-Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Optional add-ons:

Disposable hair cap

Microwaveable hair bonnet

Instructions:

Put all ingredients in a large cup or a medium bowl. 

Mix well. Feel free to add more honey or olive oil, if needed, for preferred consistency. 

 

Apply generously from ends and up, being especially generous in areas where you feel your hair is driest and frizziest. My preferred application technique is comb the hair, divide in half, and each half in half again. This will allow for a more thorough application.

Wrap in a bun. At this point you can either leave it as is or cover with disposable hair cap, followed by a warmed microwaveable hair bonnet for best results. Either way, leave on for 1 hr. Then wash off with conditioner. However, if you've added more olive oil beyond the recipe, you might want to shampoo as well, as the hair will look a little oily. 

If you're looking to repair your hair, as I do, then shy away from hair styling with a fan until you get hair to desired state. 

So there you have it. Enjoy!

The Solution: Capillary Schedule

The Capillary Schedule, or the Hair Chronograph/Chronogram, is a consistency-focused hair schedule used to restore hair's vitality lost to harsh chemical treatments or naturally. The recharge is achieved by focusing on three treatment/mask types: Hydration, Nutrition, Reconstruction. By applying these methods on a weekly/monthly/yearly basis, the hair will be made healthier, shinier, thicker, longer.  

Three Mask Types:

Hydration: Restores water and nutrients to dry hair. Makes hair soft and shiny. 

Nutrition: Restores natural oils and replenishes lipids to the hair. Soothes dry and coarse hair. 

Reconstruction: Restores hair mass, and makes it thicker.

Where to begin?

Start by identifying the problem via a Porosity/Float Test (described in last post). This will assist in evaluating the state of your hair. Your results will fall into one of these categories:

Low Porosity. This hair type is usually very dry, and use of protein-rich products can often result in a surface buildup. 

Medium Porosity. This hair is manageable, can retain moisture for extended periods, holds shape longer.  Generally the healthy hair type. 

High Porosity. The type does not keep shape easily and is often found flat. Hair is highly frizzed, flat, and straw-like. 

Making Your Capillary Schedule

The rule of thumb to building a Capillary Schedule is "listen to your hair". You can build a Schedule based on your goals/hair deficiencies. However, in your first month, there is an "official" Schedule everyone must follow:

Hair Schedule	1st Wash	2nd Wash	3rd Wash
1st Week	Hydration	Hydration	Nutrition
2nd Week	Hydration	Hydration	Nutrition
3rd Week	Hydration	Hydration	Reconstruction
4th Week	Hydration	Hydration	Nutrition

 So, first week, you will wash your hair on (say) Monday, wait 2 days, and wash second time on Thursday. Each day you will wash your hair with the relevant shampoo/conditioner for that treatment day (i.e. hydrating, repairing, etc.), apply the relevant mask afterwards (natural or commercial), and wash off either with or without conditioner. 

Once the one month is up, listen to your hair. Feel free to play around with the schedule based on your hair needs. 

And now that we know a little about the Capillary Schedule, let's move on to the DIY's!

 

 

 

Diagnosis: Porosity Test

    So there I was, left with a mystery. Why were none of the high end hair product lines in my bathroom working?? Why was it that when the women around me used same products, their hair always looked better?? Clearly there was something wrong with my hair.

Porosity

        What is hair porosity? Simply, it is how porous your hair cuticles are. This property is key, as it determines how the cuticles absorb/retain moisture and nutrients. Or in my case, how well my hair could absorb and retain the benefits of the products I used... 

As such, knowing your hair's porosity type is crucial for picking out care, treatment, and products that suit it best, and in turn, deliver greatest health and lushness boost.  

Typically the cuticle's porosity is broken down into 3 categories: Low, Normal/Medium, and High:

How can you tell which porosity type are you??

    FLOAT TEST:

    I found that this seems to be a pretty controversial test. Many claim it doesn't perfectly characterize the porosity type. Personally, I've done it twice and felt the results were pretty accurate. The test is done as follows:

1. Wash the hair with your fave shampoo, do NOT condition or style. 

2. Air dry. 

3. Fill a glass or a small glass jar to 75% full with room temperature water.

4. Pluck a strand of hair.

5. Drop into the water.

4. Leave undisturbed for 15 minutes. 

5. After 15 minutes, observe glass closely... What of the below do you see?

INTERPRETATION:

Hair floats at the top/upper water level. Low Porosity. The cuticle is flat and tight. Reminiscent of shingles on the roof. Water and treatments of choice cannot be easily absorbed, when are in fact deflected. This hair type is usually very dry, and because of the cuticle's tight structure, use of protein-rich products can often result in a surface buildup. 

 

Hair floats in the middle. Medium Porosity. The cuticles are looser while still fairly tight. A solid mix of of absorption and repulsion. Therefore, this hair is manageable, can retain moisture for extended periods, holds shape longer.  Generally the healthy hair type. 

Hair sinks. High Porosity. The highly damaged, raised cuticle. Moisture and nutrients go in and out freely. The hair does not keep shape easily and is often found flat. Because of its broken and raised composition, the cuticle has holes which leave it highly frizzed, flat, and straw-like. Hair type lacks both moisture and nutrition and requires repair. 

Which type of hair are you??

If you've read my prior post, you need not wonder the hair type the Float Test revealed me to be.... you got it. High Porosity. The kind that needs special intervention. Stay tuned....  

The Problem

 My hair sucks. A sad, brutal, and totally honest realization I came to looking at recent photos of myself: 

Long or short, coiffed or air-dried, my hair is flat, dry, thin, frizzy.  

Even using expensive hair shampoos/conditioners and styling products from brands like Oribe and Moroccanoil left my hair lackluster :

So I began to re-evaluate my hair care choices, especially after reading through the colorful ingredients list on my favorite anti-Frizz shampoo from Moroccanoil: 

What  is PEG-120, C12-14 SEC-PARETH-7, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Butylphenyl Methylpropional?

Are these ingredients I could put inside my mouth? If not, then why am I lathering my scalp in them multiple times per week? Things had to change...