Everything you need to know about hair nutrition and hydration

Updated 11/2022

Healthy hair is well-nourished and well-hydrated hair. But do you know the difference between nutrition and hydration? Does your hair need more nourishment or hydration? These are questions that Centifolia will answer in this article!

5 natural tips to effectively nourish your dry hair

1. Make nourishing masks and oil baths

Vegetable oil baths and applying a mask before shampooing are particularly effective in deeply hydrating and nourishing very dry hair. To do this, once a week, massage your hair with the hair mask or oil of your choice, avoiding the roots, wrap in a towel and leave on overnight for deep nourishment. If your hair tends to get greasy easily, opt for jojoba oil which will give it strength and shine, without making it greasy. Among the most nourishing natural oils, we also include coconut, argan, apricot or macadamia oil. Castor oil is also interesting since it promotes hair growth. The next morning, shampoo once, or even twice, to rinse your hair well. Dry oil is also interesting since it will nourish, repair and brighten all hair types. This often comes in spray form for more practical use and uniform distribution of the product. Spray oils offer a fine and comfortable texture that penetrates deep into the hair. Leave on for 1 hour to overnight before rinsing thoroughly. Do not hesitate to reread our advice to find out which oil to apply to damaged hair.

2. Use egg yolk on your hair

Homemade hair mask recipes based on egg yolk are very interesting treatments if you have dry or damaged hair because it will restore shine to your hair, revealing all of its beauty. Mix an egg yolk with a tablespoon of olive oil and apply this mask to your hair. After a 10-minute break, rinse with plenty of water or shampoo.

3. Use honey

Does your hair tend to look gray? Honey will bring them health, shine and radiance, from the scalp to the roots. This quick recipe to make at home requires few ingredients: cold water and 70g of honey. Mix everything and apply for about 30 minutes on your hair, then rinse.

4. Space out shampoos

Dry hair does not need to be washed every day because the scalp does not produce enough sebum. Washing too frequently and/or with unsuitable products will damage the fiber and make your hair dull and brittle. We advise you to wash your hair 2 or even 3 times a week maximum with organic hair products chosen according to your hair type, and to complete your routine with treatments specific to your needs.

5. Hydrate well and choose hair-friendly foods

Finally, hydration and nutrition come above all from within, so it is essential to drink 1.5 liters of water every day to ensure the good health of your hair and to include eggs in your diet, known to boost the production of keratin, lentils rich in iron, a nutrient necessary for the production of keratin, broccoli rich in iron and vitamins, or even fatty fish such as salmon, herring or mackerel.

How does hair work?

Our hair is made up of approximately 95% keratin. Keratin is a water-insoluble protein found in the hair as well as on the cuticle, the outermost covering of the hair. Its main role is to maintain the hair’s hydration and protect it from external aggressions: heating appliances, sun, pollution, etc. Repeated exposure to these external aggressions damages the cuticle, which no longer performs its functions correctly. The hair becomes fragile and porous, water evaporates more easily and the hair becomes dull and brittle.

Hair nutrition and hydration, what are the differences?

Just like our skin, our hair needs to be hydrated and nourished in order to preserve its beauty and natural shine. These two notions are quite different. Dehydration is a temporary condition characterized by a lack of water and can affect all hair types. This dehydration can be due to excessively dry cold or the frequent use of heating appliances, for example, which have degraded the hair’s natural protective barrier, the cuticle. Dehydrated hair is generally dull and rough, it is easily irritated and lacks tone.

Undernourished hair corresponds more to dry hair, a type of hair whose natural sebum production is insufficient to coat the hair fiber, and therefore prevent water from evaporating. Generally, dry hair has split ends and breaks easily, the ends stay straight when you hold them up. Malnourished hair is often also dehydrated. In fact, undernourished hair lacks lipids, it is therefore less covered by its scales which tend to lift, thus promoting the evaporation of water.

Furthermore, hair lacking hydration or nutrition is often damaged, that is to say in poor health. This state can be due to several factors: coloring, repeated straightening, perms, pollution but also to repeated exposure to the sun (how to maintain your hair during the summer). Applying a vegetable oil is highly beneficial for restoring strength and shine to damaged hair, as well as implementing a routine based on natural ingredients and moisturizing products.

How to take care of your malnourished or dehydrated hair?

Whether you have malnourished or dehydrated hair, the important thing will be to choose a moisturizing or nourishing hair care which will rebalance the scalp so that it resumes optimal functioning and compensate for dryness of the hair fiber. For this, we advise you to choose a nourishing sulfate-free organic shampoo which will repair the hair and give it softness and shine. Among the key ingredients in moisturizing care for dry and damaged scalps and hair are:

• Aloe vera gel: it is a natural moisturizing active ingredient par excellence. Incorporated into a shampoo, aloe vera gel nourishes the hair thanks to its content of essential vitamins and trace elements and helps compensate for water loss in the hair. Aloe vera gel is a plant particularly appreciated and used on the skin and hair for its moisturizing, soothing and revitalizing power.
• The active ingredient of Buriti organic: its oil is rich in carotenoids and has anti-oxidant properties, it is also photoprotective and protects against sun damage by absorbing part of UV rays and trapping free radicals.
• Organic apricot butter: this sun-kissed natural ingredient nourishes the hair deeply, right down to the ends. You will find it in Centifolia nourishing hair products.
• Shea butter: it has a unique composition, rich in unsaturated and unsaponifiable fatty acids. A true natural hair care product, it nourishes and protects dry and damaged hair. Shea butter is used as a mask on the hair. Leave it on for ten minutes before shampooing.

Why is curly hair dry?

Curly, frizzy and frizzy hair has the particularity of growing in a curved manner, thus creating more or less tight curls. The more pronounced the curve, the more difficult it is for sebum and water, which arrive from the root of the scalp, to be distributed along the lengths. This is the reason why curly hair is drier on the lengths, and even more so at the ends. This type of hair requires specific care to hydrate it. To have pretty, well-shaped curls, think about hydration and nutrition by choosing a natural care routine such as masks, creams and shampoos, which provide hydrating ingredients. The application of a fatty substance will also smooth the cuticles and trap hydration in the heart of the hair fiber.

If you have very dry hair, or even curly or frizzy hair, we advise you to complete your dry hair care routine by following our tips to moisturize your hair naturally.