Croda’s Textured Hair Routine Formulation Kit – an answer to the specific needs of people with textured hair

How is textured hair much more than a type of hair? 

This is probably the part I would never fully understand as I never experienced it myself, but I think it is important to be said so people can better appreciate how embracing textured hair is much more than an aesthetic manner.

Some women in the focus group mentioned the strong social pressure they felt when they were younger to follow the established beauty standards at that time. When having their natural hair, they sometimes faced racial prejudice, especially at school where they were hearing their hair described as ugly and dirty for example. In the absence of role models with textured hair and adapted hair care products, most of them chemically straightened their hair. It was more convenient at every level!

The advent of social media changed that perception. They have disrupted usual influence channels and offered more diverse role models. It has helped the creation of a more supportive network with followers that felt, and still feel, more empowered for change. Where wearing natural hair was a sign of protest against ‘established’ beauty standards and racial discrimination in the 60s in the United States, we realize the meaning is not far removed from that today either. The rising number of consumers motivated to transition and leave their hair natural claim to do it for several reasons: for the sake of their hair obviously, mistreated for years with straightening treatments, but also to stand against the prevailing standards, like their peers in the past, and most of all, as a proof of self-love and a sign of self-acceptance.

But it would be wrong to imagine that this is a simple decision, caring for textured hair is far from being a smooth ride. 

What are the challenges and needs of textured hair? 

It is difficult to ignore the visual differences between straight and textured hair, and it is directly linked to their inner characteristics. Textured hair grows in a follicle with a specific angle and a U- or C-shape that influence the style of the hair and the distribution of keratin along the hair, accumulating more on one side of the hair fibre because of its shape and angle, further accentuating the spiral shape. It results in an oval or flat hair shape, with unequal thickness of the hair cuticle, smaller diameter, and lower tensile properties than other hair types. This style of hair also has an impact on the sebum repartition on the hair fibre, with the nourishing oil that is naturally produced in the scalp that does not readily flow down curly strands. 

All these parameters have a detrimental impact on the state of textured hair state and how to take care of it:

• Textured hair tends to have more weak points within fibres and therefore can be more easily broken or damaged,
• The tight curls lead to a high number of knots, making it difficult to comb, especially when hair is dry,
• Hair moisture and hydration are lower in comparison to other hair types,
• Presence of curls makes the appearance of hair less shiny and more dull,
• Definition of curls, hair volume, baby hair and frizz are day to day issues,
• Scalp can suffer from dandruff, oiliness, or build-up because of the resulting high number of products to use to take care of textured hair. 

These numerous challenges can make the list of hair care needs quite long, way longer than mine! The non-exhaustive list would be the need for anti-frizz, anti-shrinkage, curl definition, detangling, cuticle smoothing, hydration, scalp health, hair growth and good-looking hair the day after washing. To be able to answer to a high number of these needs, people with textured hair have developed a specific and elaborate hair care routine. 

What hair care routine do many people with textured hair follow? 

Women involved in the Hair Care Focus Group in Brazil explained to us in detail the hair care routine they follow. I must say, this is a lot of work, and I admire their dedication. In general, people with textured hair follow a series of five steps, with different purposes, all important to get healthy hair:

- Cleansing: It won’t be a surprise, the initial goal here is to clean the hair. But it is interesting to go in detail and realise this is not only about removing excess oil from the scalp but also the excess of hair products remaining on the scalp to prevent build-up and the resulting creation of flakes. The cleansing step is also very important to open the cuticles and prepare the hair to receive the treatments. 

- Treatment: The need here is to provide moisturisation and nourishment to naturally dry and dehydrated hair. The objective is to impart a healthy state upon the hair and offer repair, strength, smoothness, shine and more. 

- Conditioning: It helps to detangle hair, which is the most well-known attribute of this step. To that is the added importance sealing-down the hair cuticle and retain the treatment benefits. 

- Styling: The last step and final touch to get beautiful hair. Many benefits can be looked at here and it really depends on individuals’ specific needs, including the desire to remove frizz, define the curls, protect from heat and from environmental damage, and also to smooth the hair ends and impart shine. 

Based on all of these challenges, needs and the usual hair care routine followed by people with textured hair, Croda has developed a dedicated formulation kit.