Hair is an important part of personal image, and many people try to cultivate long, ample hair so as to enable more sophisticated styling possibilities or generate a striking appearance. Yet long locks also suffer trouble, such as desiccation (dryness), discoloration or breakage. Using the best hair serums is one step that people take in keeping theirs strong and supple.
The concept of a serum is not new. Hundreds of years ago, when people did not bathe on a regular basis, the accumulation of naturally secreted sebum (scalp wax) would actually form solid caking in the strands, thereby making them easier to style and also protecting them at the same time. Daily washing in modern times eliminates the sebum and makes this impossible to achieve.
Artificial serums are therefore more popular nowadays, especially since caked sebum would be seen as a sign of immensely poor personal hygiene. They come in two forms - silicon-based (synthetic) and organic. The organic variant is not surprising, since there is a modern sub-trend to move away from synthetic chemicals, whether in food or cosmetics.
To start with the silicon-based option, its name betrays its operative ingredient. The silicon works like a physical shield, coating the strand in a protective layer in the same way that one plates metal (or other) items with silver or copper. The hair is then protected against physical trauma. Also present in the serum are ceramides and amino acids.
If this sounds too scientific to understand, it isn't. Amino acids are simply the basic structural units of proteins. Hair is mainly composed of a protein known as keratin (which, incidentally, is also the primary component of the nails, since they are nothing other than conglomerated hair). The amino acids in the serum therefore feed the keratin, replenishing their decaying strand structures.
Since it is protein, it is subject to the same potential for damage as other proteins. If the white of an egg is left outside, under the same conditions as those experienced by hair, it would not last very long in its fresh state. As a protein, keratin does not have exactly the same nature as raw albumen, but temperature and physical stress, as well as sunlight, can denature or age proteins so that they lose their properties. And, when it comes to keratin, that means de-coloration, breakages or dryness.
The key difference with the organic serums is the absence of the silicon. Organic producers state that the silicon is excessively protective, and thereby seals the strand too securely in the protective layer. This causes it to weaken and break, through over-exposure to the other chemicals in the synthetic serum. Consumers should decide for themselves which type of serum they prefer, using their personal experience and purchasing experiments.
Having some general knowledge on how the serums work is useful in using them and judging their effect. For those who try to have impressive, healthy hair at all times, hair serums may be of some assistance.
The concept of a serum is not new. Hundreds of years ago, when people did not bathe on a regular basis, the accumulation of naturally secreted sebum (scalp wax) would actually form solid caking in the strands, thereby making them easier to style and also protecting them at the same time. Daily washing in modern times eliminates the sebum and makes this impossible to achieve.
Artificial serums are therefore more popular nowadays, especially since caked sebum would be seen as a sign of immensely poor personal hygiene. They come in two forms - silicon-based (synthetic) and organic. The organic variant is not surprising, since there is a modern sub-trend to move away from synthetic chemicals, whether in food or cosmetics.
To start with the silicon-based option, its name betrays its operative ingredient. The silicon works like a physical shield, coating the strand in a protective layer in the same way that one plates metal (or other) items with silver or copper. The hair is then protected against physical trauma. Also present in the serum are ceramides and amino acids.
If this sounds too scientific to understand, it isn't. Amino acids are simply the basic structural units of proteins. Hair is mainly composed of a protein known as keratin (which, incidentally, is also the primary component of the nails, since they are nothing other than conglomerated hair). The amino acids in the serum therefore feed the keratin, replenishing their decaying strand structures.
Since it is protein, it is subject to the same potential for damage as other proteins. If the white of an egg is left outside, under the same conditions as those experienced by hair, it would not last very long in its fresh state. As a protein, keratin does not have exactly the same nature as raw albumen, but temperature and physical stress, as well as sunlight, can denature or age proteins so that they lose their properties. And, when it comes to keratin, that means de-coloration, breakages or dryness.
The key difference with the organic serums is the absence of the silicon. Organic producers state that the silicon is excessively protective, and thereby seals the strand too securely in the protective layer. This causes it to weaken and break, through over-exposure to the other chemicals in the synthetic serum. Consumers should decide for themselves which type of serum they prefer, using their personal experience and purchasing experiments.
Having some general knowledge on how the serums work is useful in using them and judging their effect. For those who try to have impressive, healthy hair at all times, hair serums may be of some assistance.
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