Is it possible to get salon results at home with natural shampoo and conditioner?

When talking about the skin, we often talk about proliferating cells, their vitality and their renewal capabilities. All this makes the skin smooth and maintains its youthfulness. In the case of hair, the so-called alive part is very small, the hair along its length is keratinized. If the hairs are not alive, how can shampoo and conditioner improve their condition at all?

Hair consists of the hair bulb and the dead and keratinized cells. The hair bulb resides in the hair follicle at the base of the hair root. It is the living part of the hair that receives nutrients from the bloodstream. The part of the hair that is visible to us is keratinized and hardened, dead. What can we do to make hair stronger, more durable, and easier to care for, if at all?

When looking more closely at the structure of the hair, we see that the hair has three layers:

Cuticle („outer layer of skin“ in Latin)

Cortex („bark“ in Latin)

Medulla („little brain“ in Latin)

The cuticle, or the layer of scales, is the outermost layer of the hair, and its main function is to protect the hair from damage. It consists of scales that can open and close. The opening occurs when the hair is wet, and the scales close when dry. When the scales are open, substances can penetrate this layer and affect the inner layer. If the hair is highly treated, the scales don’t close and the hair feels rough, they break easily and you have split ends.

The cortex, or the fiber layer, is the middle part of the hair, which makes up 90% of the hair. This layer contains melanin, which gives hair its color, and keratin or protein compounds. The strength and elasticity of the hair depend on the structure of the fiber layer.

The medulla, or the core, acts separately and this part of the hair cannot be affected by care products.

We can conclude from this brief analysis that with hair care products we can affect the hair from the outside – protect, soften, moisturize and smooth it. Smooth hair reflects light better and your hair is shinier as a result.

STILL, HOW WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO CREATE A VISIBLE EFFECT AND GET MORE BEAUTIFUL AND VIBRANT HAIR?

We need to start with the scalp. Since D’DIFFERENCE products are focused on the skin, restoring and strengthening its normal protective capacity, we have prioritized scalp care when creating our first hair care products.

Before creating the products, we asked on social media channels about women’s preferences when choosing shampoo and conditioner. It turned out that the focus is on the hair because we are used to the fact that the shampoo should make the hair clean and the conditioner should make it soft. Moisturization, smoothing and shine are expected from the products. Those who have had problems – itching, scaling, dryness and dandruff – know to focus on the scalp.

Our test group was very wide, there were women with both natural curls, as well as very damaged hair. There were those with thick and long hair, as well as owners of thin and short hair. Since the D’DIFFERENCE range includes one shampoo and one conditioner, we wanted to create products that would meet the expectations of many.

We set the following goals:

– keep the hair clean for longer

– that the scalp would not itch

– that the hair would be shiny, moisturized and smooth

– that the hair would not be heavy and limp

– that hair would not fall out and grow faster

– that the hair color would last for a long time and stay bright

The feedback from the test group was extremely good. Many did not believe that it was possible to achieve the results of salon products with such a large number of natural ingredients!

The most important components of the shampoo are:

– cloudberry extract: moisturizes the hair, soothes the scalp and reduces itching

– biotin: stimulates hair growth

– zinc: balances the work of sebaceous glands and has an anti-dandruff effect

– niacinamide: strengthens and protects

The most important components of the conditioner are:

– aloe vera and cloudberry extract: moisturizes the hair and soothes the scalp

– argan oil: nourishes and softens

– plant-based keratin: strengthens

– biotin: stimulates hair growth

– “hair glue”: smoothes the hair and “glues” damaged hair ends together

D’DIFFERENCE products are free of SLS and SLES substances. If you have a dry scalp, please check your shampoo’s ingredient list (INCI). If there are substances like Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) among the first on the list, then the cause of scalp dryness, as well as itching and irritation, can lie in the aforementioned surface active agents. The purpose of such substances is to clean and create foam, unfortunately at the expense of the scalp’s good condition. There are many substitutes for both, such as Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Decyl Glucoside, Lauryl Glucoside, Disodium/Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate (all approved by COSMOS/ECOCERT). An interesting fact is that SCS or Sodium Coco-Sulfate which is also a popular surface active agent contains about 50% of SLS.

These scalp-friendly alternatives may not create as much foam as products containing SLS and SLES, but I assure you, you can get used to it pretty quickly. Especially when the scalp expresses its praise!

More information about the D’DIFFERENCE shampoo can be found here: https://ddifference.eu/en/products/scalp-hair-in-sync-shampoo/

and this link takes you to the conditioner: https://ddifference.eu/en/products/roots-ends-in-sync-conditioner/

The words of a hairdresser who participated in our test group: “I have tried hundreds of products, and with D’DIFFERENCE I was surprised by the fact that my hair stayed clean longer, the hair was smooth, shiny, moisturized and felt light. Very good work indeed!”

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Author: Carmen Kibur, Brand Manager for D’DIFFERENCE

Translation: Kelli Püss