Everything about hair and hair care

We talk a lot about skincare and skincare routines, so it’s high time to take hair care into consideration ✍🏼 However, this topic concerns (almost) everyone and is often a source of great confusion and even frustration. Each of us has our own hair challenges and usually aims for a specific effect, hoping for volume or softness, for example.

Especially Nordic hair is often thinner and smoother in quality, so caring for it brings its own challenges. In this article, we generally cover hair treatment and care, how to achieve strong and healthy hair, and how to choose the right products for each hair type.

• What is hair?
• How does Korean hair differ from North European hair?
• Everything about hair washing
• Everything about hair conditioning
• How to choose the right shampoo and conditioner?
• The best way to dry your hair

What is hair and what is it made of?

One reason why hair gets less attention in beauty care is the misconception that because hair is not alive, it cannot or does not need to be cared for. This is not true – hair can be cared for in many ways, and as with skin, prevention is the most important way to take care of hair. The scalp and hair follicle, where hair grows from, are alive and should also be taken into account.

Hair consists mainly of a protein called keratin and also a keratin-like matrix protein. The structure of hair is complex; its surface, the cuticle layer, is made up of keratin fibers that protect the inner part of the hair. This transparent surface layer tends to repel water, and in intact hair, these cuticles are more “closed.” If the cuticles lift, the cuticle layer allows water to enter more easily, which can damage the hair. Most of the hair is its fiber layer, made of keratin and melanin, which gives hair its color. At the core is the medulla, which may be completely absent in the thinnest hairs.

The strength, quality, and shape of hair are influenced by the bonds within it. Different chemical bonds affect hair, and the strength and number of these bonds influence, among other things, how strong the hair is. A thick hair strand alone does not guarantee strong hair.

How does Korean hair differ from Nordic hair?

Is hair quality very different among people? In the Nordic countries, there are many different hair qualities, ranging from very coarse and thick hair to thin and slippery hair. Some have very curly hair, others have stick-straight hair.

Similarly, in Korea, there are different hair types, from thinner to thicker, curly or straight. Generally, it can be said that Asian hair type is often thicker and straighter. Studies have shown that Asian hair has a thicker fiber layer compared to other groups, due to having more individual keratin layers. Asian hair has also been found to withstand mechanical wear better than other hair types. Otherwise, Asian and Caucasian hair types share many similar characteristics, and the mentioned differences vary greatly between individuals.

Korean cosmetics offer a wide range of hair care products, reflecting the different needs in hair care. There are also several products targeting specific challenges. One common challenge for Asian hair types is hair loss, a problem many in the Nordic countries also suffer from. Different scalp issues are addressed, for example, in Kundal’s caffeine-containing ampoules and VT Cosmetics’ PDRN serums for the scalp.

Everything about hair washing

Everyone surely knows the basic formula: shampoo and conditioner, but still, there are many misunderstandings and misconceptions about hair care. We cover the basics related to washing and caring for hair, from washing frequency to finding the right conditioner and drying hair.

Hair oiliness is very individual and influenced by genes and environment, among other factors. Oiliness, sweating, environmental pollutants, and styling products are reasons why it’s good to wash hair regularly. Washing frequency varies greatly among people – too long intervals increase the risk of inflammation and residue buildup, but washing too often can dry and irritate the scalp and may damage hair. Choose the hair wash product and frequency that suit you. Often, it’s claimed there is one correct washing interval for everyone, but this is not true; there are many individual differences. For many, this interval is every 1-2 days, or only once a week, or even once every two weeks. For example, very coarse hair doesn’t need washing as often as fine, thin hair. Few need to wash hair daily, but if you feel it’s necessary, pay attention to choosing a gentler shampoo with enough nourishing ingredients.

Is double washing necessary?

There is some basis for the usefulness of double washing, especially if hair is very dirty or has styling products applied. When washing, you can often feel whether the hair feels clean or not. Clean hair has no residue from dirt or styling products, so it feels smooth and lighter. If hair doesn’t feel like this after the first wash, it may be worth repeating the wash a second time.

The foaminess of shampoo can also indicate how well it has cleaned your hair. Typically, foaming shampoos don’t foam if all the micelles formed by the shampoo are attached to dirt. Foam forms when cleansing agents remain “excess,” and micelles don’t form, creating foam. But since foam formation varies greatly between shampoos and some don’t foam at all, it can be an unreliable measure of cleansing power. Foam itself doesn’t indicate cleaning effectiveness but often gives a feeling of cleanliness and is therefore a popular feature in shampoos.

Is a deep-cleansing shampoo really needed?

Deep-cleansing shampoos are rarely necessary; their cleansing power is very strong and may leave hair squeaky clean, which is not needed. This also increases the demand on the conditioner’s effectiveness, so you might do more harm than good. A regular shampoo should already remove all the necessary excess from hair. If you have found the perfect deep-cleansing shampoo for yourself, of course, continue using it! But buying one separately is hardly necessary.

Everything about hair conditioning

Is it necessary to use a conditioner?

The longer hair grows, the more likely you will need some kind of conditioner. Hair is subjected daily to mechanical, chemical, heat, and sun damage. Since hair cannot repair itself, it’s important to care for it regularly, for example, during washing. The classic way to care for hair is conditioner – it is useful regardless of how cleansing or mild your shampoo is, as shampoo probably cannot provide enough care for hair ends, especially for long hair.

What does conditioner do?

The effectiveness of conditioners is based on their ingredients’ ability to form a protective film on the hair surface and the charges of the ingredients and hair. When hair is wet, it is negatively charged, and conditioners contain positively charged, i.e., cationic ingredients. These attach to wet hair and repair damaged areas. The more cationic ingredients, the more nourishing the product. Fatty alcohols together with these cationic ingredients do much of the conditioner’s work. Other good ingredients in conditioners are silicones and proteins. Silicones effectively smooth the hair surface without weighing it down. There are many types of silicones, so they differ in how each works overall. And to clarify one thing: silicones are not the same as plastic ☝🏼 If you prefer not to use silicones on principle, good alternatives include plant oils or proteins, which are especially good for damaged hair.

How long should conditioner be left on?

Regular conditioner works quickly. It doesn’t need to stay on hair for a long time to have enough effect. The chemical effect of conditioner happens during rinsing, when its cationic ingredients attach to damaged parts of the hair. So if you apply conditioner carefully and then rinse your hair, the conditioner has done its job and you don’t need to wait long.

The exception is certain protein-containing conditioners that need longer time on hair to achieve full effect. Usually, about 5-10 minutes is enough. An example is Kundal’s Protein Treatment, which contains hydrated soy protein and numerous plant extracts. This conditioner is perfect for slightly dry or treated hair. But with regular conditioner, careful application to towel-dried hair and rinsing is enough.

How to choose the right shampoo and conditioner for yourself?

Korean cosmetics offer many product options for different hair types, from smooth to very curly hair.

In shampoo, the right balance of cleansing power must be found. If shampoo leaves hair squeaky clean, the conditioner has a bigger job smoothing and repairing the hair surface. Often, the challenge is that the scalp area has very different needs than the hair ends. It can be a good idea to combine products from different categories. For example, if your hair gets oily quickly but the ends are dry, you can choose a volumizing shampoo with a moisturizing conditioner.

Fine hair can especially benefit from volumizing products. They are specifically formulated to reduce hair flattening and can also make hair easier to manage. The volumizing effect can be achieved with various polymers. Polymers help hair hold a certain shape and add structure. Polymers are also used in products designed for curly hair because they make hair easier to manage and define curls. (What are polymers? Polymers are simply long molecular chains, which can be natural or synthetic. Plastics are also polymers, but not all polymers are plastics) – this is a side note for some box. For example, Daeng Gi Meo Ri Vitalizing shampoo is designed for quickly oily hair, strengthening hair and adding structure to thin and/or curly hair with polymers.

Damaged or treated hair needs conditioners rich in cationic ingredients that can repair damage in hair. These include ingredients ending with -onium in the INCI list, such as behentrimonium chloride and cetrimonium chloride. These are very commonly used cationic ingredients. Proteins also nourish and strengthen hair. The savior for damaged and dry hair is Daeng Gi Meo Ri Ki Gold Premium Treatment, which contains plenty of plant extracts and silicones that smooth the hair surface.

For frizzy hair, it’s important to have enough nourishing ingredients that smooth the hair surface and cationic ingredients. Silicones are again an easy and effective ingredient group here. External moisture easily makes hair frizzy, even if it was smooth when leaving home. Any change in humidity, whether from humid to dry or vice versa, can make hair frizzy. Leave-in conditioner can be an excellent solution for frizzy hair, for example, the wonderfully scented Odid Milk Protein Treatment is sprayed onto towel-dried hair after washing, but its light texture does not weigh hair down or make it oily.

What about very irritated and sensitive scalp? Choose a gentle shampoo with scalp-soothing and cooling ingredients. For example, Some By Mi’s Cica Peptide Derma Scalp shampoo balances the scalp, cools, and gently exfoliates skin cells. The peptides and panthenol nourish and strengthen the skin during washing. The tonic from the same line, sprayed on the scalp after washing, also soothes irritated scalp.

For bleached hair, there are also specific products, most commonly so-called purple shampoos, which neutralize yellow or orange tones in bleached hair. For example, Lador Anti-Yellow Treatment is a tone-correcting conditioner containing nourishing plant oils for treated hair as well as essential fatty acids and cationic ingredients for hair.

What is the best way to dry your hair?

Hair contains many chemical bonds, some permanent and some temporary. When hair is wet, the hydrogen bonds break and reform. This happens every time you wash your hair and is inevitable. Thanks to these temporary bonds breaking, you can style your hair into a certain shape when wet, but not easily when dry. What does this mean? When hair is wet, it is also in its most fragile state, so how you treat your hair matters. Hair type also affects this – curly and straight hair behave somewhat differently when wet and benefit from different handling.

A practical example: many of us may have gone to bed with wet hair 👀 In this case, hair undergoes strong mechanical stress while being at its most fragile, and it can form new temporary chemical bonds leaving hair in interesting shapes... In addition, it damages hair structure, especially if hair is already fragile, e.g., after bleaching. A warm recommendation for everyone: it’s better to dry hair with a hairdryer than to go to bed with wet hair.

The gentlest ways to dry hair depend on many factors, but generally, towel drying, blow-drying with heat protection, and “air drying” are the gentlest methods. Hair turbans designed for drying are also very handy because they don’t pull hair as much with their weight, dry effectively, and are comfortable to use. Any unnecessary pulling, rough towel rubbing, or harsh brushing can damage the outer and inner layers of hair.

Have you learned something new from this article?