MOISTURE OVERLOAD - What is 'Hygral Fatigue'??

If you are a curly or afro girl, one thing you will hear a lot of is how important it is to keep your hair moisturised. Curly and Kinky hair types have a tendency to absorb moisture quickly and can appear dry. However, there is a breaking point as to when moisturising can be dangerous to hair strands.

Hygral Fatigue is the result of over-moisturised hair. Whether it's water or a topical treatment such as a cream, oil, lotion, shampoo or conditioner; cuticles which are forced to expand (wetting of hair and absorbing moisture) and contract (drying of hair) in excess can put a strain on hair strands causing them to be fragile and may result in breakage. It is the direct opposite of hair that is dry and lacking in moisture.

TREATING HYGRAL FATIGUE

Signs of Hygral Fatigue can be similar to signs of dry hair so it is important to observe your routine. Do you swim a lot? Wash your hair more than necessary? Breakage and shedding can be one of those signs!

Hair that lacks in elasticity, can be limp or becomes 'stringy' and doesn't clump together, can be signs of hair that is over-moisturised.

When repairing hair from over-hydrating, protein treatments are ideal for rebuilding strength in hair (test for protein sensitivity before applying any protein treatments to your hair by doing a small strand test). Again, assess whether hair in water can be limited as well as topical treatments.

It's all about balance! Don't let the term 'Hygral Fatigue' be a scary term that stops you from adding moisture to your hair. The aim is to be patient enough with our hair that we are able to spot signs of when we are causing damage to our hair.