We all know moisture is one of the most important things needed to maintain healthy natural hair. However, it is pretty easy to go overboard with, loading up your hair with too much moisture and causing hygral fatigue on your precious strands. Didn't know there was such a thing as too much moisture on natural hair? You're in for a treat.
In this article, we'll be discussing all you need to know about hygral fatigue and how it can affect your natural curls. Read ahead to learn how to avoid hygral fatigue plus how to fix it if you already overdid with the moisture.
What Is Hygral Fatigue?
Ever wondered what happens when your hair soaks up all that moisture you give it? Well, your cuticles swell to accommodate the moisture intake and shrink back to their regular size once the hair is completely dry. Now, when you load your hair with too much moisture, your cuticles continuously keep swelling and shrinking to accolade all that moisture and over time, the cuticles become weak and damaged as a result. This is essentially what hygral fatigue is, damage to your hair as a result of excess moisture, leaving your hair weak and prone to breakage.
What Causes Hygral Fatigue?
Hygral fatigue is caused mainly by infusing your hair with too much moisture. However, this moisture overload can be a result of some of the following issues.
● Lack of protein-moisture balance: when your hair is only getting moisture and lacks a balance of protein and moisture, it will develop hygral fatigue. This happens when you're using too many moisturising products and not incorporating any products with protein into your routine.
● Not letting the hair dry properly: If you're always in a rush to wet your hair after moisturising without giving it time to dry off properly, you may be at risk of hygral fatigue. This is most common in people with low porosity hair whose hair takes a long time to fully dry. If you don't wait for your hair to be completely dry before loading it with moisture again, it will weaken your cuticles.
● Over conditioning: Leaving your deep conditioner on your hair for longer than the stipulated time recommended on the product label can increase your chances of moisture overload. Many people make this mistake because they believe it offers more benefits, with some even going as far as leaving it on overnight. However, this is a recipe for damaged hair that can leave you with hygral fatigue. Whether you're using our Manuka Honey Deep Conditioning Mask or any other deep conditioner, you should only leave it for around 15-30 minutes max.
Signs Of Hygral Fatigue On Curly Natural Hair
● Weak And Gummy Strands
● Frizzy And Limp Hair
● Breakage
● Loss Of Elasticity
● Lack Of Shine
● Lack Of Definition
● Increased Tangles And Knots
How To Fix And Prevent Hygral Fatigue
Prepoo With An Oil
Doing a pre poo treatment with an nourishing oil like our Hair & Scalp Oil helps to protect the hair from soaking up too much moisture during your wash days by creating a protective barrier around your strands. Apply the oil evenly all over your hair before shampooing with our Manuka Honey Hydration Shampoo to help your cuticles from swelling too much while you wash and condition your hair with our Moisture Rich Conditioner.
Dry The Hair Properly
Keeping your hair wet for too long can cause hygral fatigue so it is very important to make sure your hair gets adequate drying time. If your hair takes a long time to dry, you can speed up the process with the help of a blow dryer or diffuser, but be sure to apply some heat protectant beforehand.
Try A Protein Treatment
If your hair is already showing signs of hygral fatigue, a protein treatment will help to strengthen your strands and help to minimise some of the symptoms of moisture overload and damage.
Establish A Balanced Routine
A hair routine with moisture-protein balance is the best way to prevent and treat hygral fatigue. Your hair needs both protein and moisture to remain healthy, so you need to use both according to what your hair needs. Pay attention to the signs your hair is giving you, if it is brittle and breaking easily, you most likely need some moisture, and if it is limp and does not bounce back after stretching, you need a boost of protein.
Additionally, you should aim to use a mix of hydrating and protein-rich products. But, do not go overboard with either. Limit the number of protein rich products in your routine to 2-4 and opt for nourishing formulas like our Manuka Honey Deep Conditioning Mask and Everyday Curl Refresh that are both moisturising and rich in protein.
Hygral fatigue can be pretty detrimental to the health of your curls if left unchecked. So it is very important to always make sure your moisture routine is not too excessive. Now that you know how to avoid overloading your hair with too much moisture, you can enjoy healthy bouncy curls.