Unlocking the Mystery
A complete guide to decoding hair product types, who the are for, and what to look for
Picking out hair products can be a daunting task. What do these words even mean? Despite the seemingly never ending range of products out there, the reality is most hair products can be broken down into just a few types. The best part is, If you know what to look for, the bottle will tell you which one.
Moisture-Based Products
What do they do?
Moisturizing products are designed to add moisture and hydration to the hair. The end goal of these products are to help improve the overall health and appearance of the hair. Dry hair using a quality moisturizing regime will have softer and shinier hair with improved manageability.Who are they for?
people with dry hair(not to be confused with damaged hair). Dry hair lacks natural oils and can result from factors such as overwashing, heat styling, and exposure to harsh weather conditions. It can be frizzy, brittle, and prone to breakage.Words to Look for Cheat Sheet
We have compiled a list of words commonly used to describe each product type. Refer to this cheat sheet when trying to determine what category a product lives in.
Who are they for?
Repairing products are created for those have damaged hair. Damaged hair is usually weak, brittle and quick to snap and break. Those who find themselves with ‘damaged hair’ usually either dye their hair blonde, do their own hair color (roots to ends) at home more than twice a year, have had a color correction in the past year or two, or those who get perms/ permanent straightening treatments. A worst case scenario of bleach damaged hair can be seen on the right in figure 2 .What do they do?
designed to address the damage caused by chemical treatments like coloring, perming, and relaxing. These products typically have various types of proteins, amino acids, and other strengthening agents that help to repair and strengthen the hair shaft.
figure 2, chemically damaged hair
Moisture
- Moisture
- Hydrate
- Replenishing
Repair
- Restore
- Repair
- Nourishing
- Strengthening
- Revitalizing
Smoothing
- Anti-frizz
- Taming
- Smoothing
- Shine-Enhancing
- Sleek
Curly Hair Products
What do they do?
People with curly hair with medium- coarse textures. People with fine curly hair will often be happier with a lighter weight moisturizing based product, as curl products may weigh their hair down too much for their liking.
Who are they for?
People with curly hair with medium- coarse textures. People with fine curly hair will often be happier with a lighter weight moisturizing based product, as curl products may weigh their hair down too much for their liking.
Colored Hair
- Color-enhancing
- Anti-fade
- vibrance-boost
Bonding
- Words to look for
- Bond
- Plex
- builder
Treating
- Regrowth
- Hair loss
- prevention
- Growth promotion
Bond Builders
What Are They and Who Are They For?
Bond builders are additives and treatment done in the salon to help prevent the hair from beaking while chemically processing the hair. This is done through introducing polymer links to the hair during chemical processing that will re-link any hair bonds that have been broken during the chemical treatment. Eventually, like all other substances artifically introduced to the hair, these links will begin to loose their power and “fade away”. Products of this type are strictly for the purpose to help supplement those bonds, and will do little to help anyone using it who does not need them supplemented.
Scalp Treating Products
Who are they for?
People with scalp issues such as dandruff, psoriasis, scalp dryness and eczema. There are also some shampoos for people trying to prevent or reduce hair loss.
What do they do?
Most scalp issues are all treated with either zinc oxide or acidic acid. This makes treating scalp issues (when a doctor is not required) fairly straightforward without doing too much research when a minor problem arises. Hair Loss shampoos almost all use an ingredient called minoxidil, which helps promote hair growth, when live follicles are present. Some hair loss shampoos made for men help to neutralize any testosterone that may be lingering on the scalp through direct contact. Testosterone left on the scalp is a major cause for hair loss in young men when it is not properly removed or neutralized regularly.
