Pages

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Experiment: Strand Test

As mentioned, I decided to post monthly updates to my blog, unless I have something to write about that is blog-worthy and out of the ordinary.

Last week, I wanted to test the use of yogurt as a deep conditioner on my hair. I'd seen many bloggers  rave about the soft, moisturized and  tangle-free hair they achieved using this as a deep conditioner. Now, usually when I try something new that has provided other naturals with great results, I go in deep. I cancel any routine wash plans I've had and try it out. This spontaneity has sometimes resulted in negative outcomes, contrary to it working for others.

This time, I decided to play things safe and do a strand test on my hair before emptying my breakfast stash of plain yogurt. Then it hit me, why not do an experiment! I decided to test 5 different natural items on my hair and determine which one would yield the best results.

Strand Test Variables
  1. Vinegar diluted in water
  2. Plain yogurt
  3. Plain yogurt, Tresseme Naturals and glycerin
  4. Rhassoul clay mixture (vinegar, distilled water, aloe, essential oils)
  5. Water (control variable)

Procedure
  1. Wet hair and apply the mixture to wet strands. 
  2. Wrap hair in plastic cling wrap and let sit for 15 minutes, rinse.

Measures (1 poor/not at all - 5 excellent / totally)
  1. Level of Shine
  2. Softness and Moisture
  3. Detangling Ease
  4. Definition/Clumping

Results

Level of Shine Softness and Moisture Detangling Ease Definition/Clumping
Diluted Vinegar 4 3 3 2
Yogurt 2 2 2 1
Yogurt Mixture 4 4 3 3
Rhassoul Mixture 5 5 5 5
Water (control) 5 5 4 4



Average
Diluted Vinegar 3
Yogurt 1.75
Yogurt Mixture 3.5
Rhassoul Mixture 5
Water (control) 4.5

Photo Results (click on photo to enlarge)
Diluted Vinegar
 
Yogurt

Yogurt Mix


Water (control
Rhassoul Mix

Discussion
There you have it. Rhassoul clay was shown to provide all around perfect results for my strands. Surprisingly, the yogurt by itself did not prove to be so effective and has the lowest average score. My hair felt rough and dry and it wasn't as easy as the other methods. Surprisingly, plain old H20 was more effective than all of the variables, excluding rhassoul clay. The yogurt mixture, did leave my hair with a nice shine and it felt moisturized, however rhassoul clay is the clear winner in this trial. So, contrary to the overwhelming amounts of positive results using plain yogurt, this did not work for me. Possible explanations, my yogurt was not full-fat, I have a protein sensitivity or it just doesn't work for me. What I learned, it couldn't hurt to do a strand test, your hair will thank you for it. Oh yeah, rhassoul clay rocks!


Rhassoul application

Oh and one last thing, I read about rhassoul clay interacting with color-treated hair. I was nervous it would strip away my color-treated strands, however, it didn't at all. Now, this could be due to the fact that the stylist used a color without bleach from a natural line. So when it doubt, test it out!

No comments:

Post a Comment