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This is the original post , with the updated list. I've done a little more research and this may be more accurate. Because all these oils have not been tested side-by-side using the same technology, it's a little tricky to guess which ones actually will do what is predicted. And of course, your hair will be the best judge of which oil may work best for you.

It's fairly common to have hair that is porous on the ends, but not at the roots. That means different parts or your hair require rather different care. How easily your hair becomes porous with just normal wear and tear and weathering depends on a lot of things. In fact, the kind of porosity your hair accumulates can be very different from person to person. How can the ends of your hair become porous? The ends of your hair are the oldest - they have had the most time to accumulate damage. While you up to 11 layers of cuticles covering your hair, if your hair is long there may be few layers left on the ends.  Brushing, combing, detangling, sleeping, wearing hats and collars, blowing around in the wind, wearing ponytails and braids and barrettes; these activities cause cuticles to chip or break away completely. Even more dramatic is over-washing the hair (especially if using strong or concentrated detergents), bleaching, highlighting or lightening the hair, permanent dyeing the hair ...

I have been researching protein for use in hair products to see whether there is any background for predicting which proteins will work well for which hair (if they are helpful at all). ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 What have I found? Not much that is well-tested. What does that mean? You're on your own?! I think there are some guiding themes not so much in your hair's thickness or density or curliness - but in the effect you want and the composition of the proteins themselves. I don't believe I can create a "mix and match" guideline, but at least you'll have more information to explain your hair's reaction.   ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 Proteins condition your hair. First of all, protein is regarded as a conditioning  ingredient in two respects. One in that it can in some cases bond to hair and also that it can soften, reduce static and improve the feel and luster of hair. Being oil-free and not waxy nor oil-based makes proteins well-suited conditioners for hai...

I have been updating my list of hydrolyzed proteins by weight, you can find the new list in this old post. I also learned that hydrolyzed collagen and gelatin (partially hydrolyzed collagen) contain significant concentrations of amino acids which are beneficial to hair strength - many of which are found naturally in high concentrations in the cuticle of hair, already serving a functional role. Those include Proline (not found in most other hydrolyzed proteins), Glutamic acid, Valine, a little Cysteine and Histidine. © Science-y Hair Blog 2013 Hydrolyzed collagen adsorbs (temporarily bonds to) hair, increasing it's resistance to breaking under tension. The more concentrated the collagen in a formula, the more will bond to hair - at least up to a point. The smaller the collagen molecule, the better it bonds to hair - so hydrolyzed collagen will bond to hair better than and longer-lasting than gelatin you can buy over the counter. If your hair is damaged (on the ends, for example) it ...

This post relates to a recent post about pH and your hair . It's best to stay between pH 4.5 and 7 under most circumstances. Outside these limits of pH 4.5 and 7, hair is far more vulnerable to damage because it may swell rapidly and take the acid or base (alkali) into the hair, beneath the cuticle and this may damage proteins. It certainly removes some oils. Homemade rinses are a fun, simple way to solve hair problems or try out ideas. But acids and bases on hair can be damaging. The more resilient your hair (the lower the porosity), the less damaging a homemade rinse can be - but then again exposure to the wrong pH is one cause of hair damage. Most hair can withstand a slightly too-low or too-high pH for brief exposures. But if your hair is bleached, damaged, or otherwise especially vulnerable - even brief exposures to pH extremes can have lasting effects. The treatments: Citric acid:  Excellent rinse for helping reduce chlorine odor after swimming and to reduce hard water prob...

This post contains 2 links for testing hair thickness and porosity, an elasticity test follows. To calculate the mean thickness of your individual strands, I have a test through this link which requires good eyesight and a steady hand. ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 If you'd like to estimate your hair's porosity , this post may help. To determine elasticity , here is a simple test. It is based on these averages:  1) A dry hair can stretch 20-30% of its own length before it breaks. 2) A wet hair can stretch up to 50% of its own length before it breaks. If your hair is 6 inches (15 cm) long, if it has very good elasticity, it should stretch to 6.2-6.8 inches (~16 to 17 cm) when dry and up to 9 inches (~22 cm) when wet. So grab several shed hairs, a ruler, a cup of water and try it out! If your hairs are slippery, you need something for grip - latex or nitrile gloves or a pair of tweezers for one end will give you enough grip. If your hair slips even a little, the measurements will ...

This subject came up recently on the Wavy Hair Community and I wanted to do a little research to find out how much water is too much - and for how long. ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 Hair does not take on water immediately, it is designed to repel water in it's unaltered state. Whenever I put hairs in water to photograph them, they do not swell dramatically to the point at which the cuticles are standing up and things look awful. The measurements you'll read about below are tiny. Your hair is probably more protected than the hair cited below by things like conditioner, hair gel and maybe oils - including those that protect your hair naturally. There are 2 ways to get hair to swell with water - expose it to high relative humidity and soak it in water. When hair begins to swell with water, the swelling is initially distributed along the length of the hair and hair can actually increase in length (temporarily) as a result. But not very much. Think of the pressure exerted on a garden h...