Marija Ocokoljic

SIMPLY POWERFUL How searching for hair solutions can lead you to an unexpected place - fruit and veggies section in the supermarket. Having tortured my hair in recent months I went searching for help. As a result, I had a huge list of hair products from famous and not so famous brands and an even bigger list of DIYs, you have it in your fridge kind of solutions. As for the big beauty brands, the science behind them is clear. Or at least they communicate it that way. Every week we have a new hit compound doing wonders so that you can pull your hair, color it, burn it… you name it the latest rexylane, texomine or whatever the weird name is will fix it. Never trusted them much. Results were sometimes there, maybe for the first few times and then nothing. Or they were not there at all. Compared to the big flashy names and formulas in the beauty industry olive oil, coconut oil, banana, eggs, cayenne pepper, honey seem so simple. Perhaps too simple to work? Let`s look at the science behind a few of them appearing the most in online tutorials. Olive oil is an antioxidant powerhouse. Antioxidants defend us from free radicals and oxidative stress doing harm to our whole body, hair included. Vitamin E is a lipid protector which means that it guards moisture in our skin. Vitamin A is a necessity for each cell to grow. including hair. Olive oil is loaded with both, amongst a lot of other good stuff. Coconut oil has a specific structure enabling it to penetrate hair in ways other oils can not. It is over 40% lauric acid, fatty acid helping to prevent protein loss in hair. Its also moisturizes and helps to bring balance to a dry, dandruff prone scalp. Cayenne pepper is the latest hit. Dozens of tutorials for rapid hair growths masks and other solutions sounding a bit too good to be true. But the chemistry is there. Capsaicin and natural cannabinoid blockers found in this spicy little thing make it actually effective in combating hair loss. Capsaicin activates certain skin receptors to produce peptides boosting insulin-like growth factor I very important in the body’s creation of hair. Cannabinoids from various natural and chemical sources can stop hair growth. Cayenne pepper blocks them. Feisty little spice for sure. Sure, the chemistry is there, but of course there are no miracle solutions, no one application wonders to turn damaged hair into silk. Persistency and discipline pay off. At least they did in my case. Few times a week, or whenever you are supposed to wash your hair, a mask with olive or coconut oil, or both, from time to time add a little something like honey, banana, egg, …pack it up and leave overnight. Your hair will appreciate the care. So, the next time when you look through all those fancy named compounds in the latest hit shampoo or conditioner on the beauty aisle consider walking down to the fruit and veggies section and try something…simple. Simply powerful.