Charnika Jett of NaturallyCurly writes;

After the first week of reducing your calories, working out at the gym and consuming different varieties of fruit and vegetable medleys, you step on the scale to see your fate. If your weight loss is so remarkable that you can’t believe it, chances are you shouldn’t because you’ve probably only lost water weight.

According to WeightlossForAll.com, when a person cuts back on calories suddenly, the body tries to make up the difference by borrowing some fat and protein from your body. When this happens, you lose a lot of water weight, as muscle tissue holds a lot of water.

During the following week the body stabilizes and you might see a huge difference on the scale. More than likely, it will look as though you gained weight this week, when really the scale is showing you an accurate body weight.

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CurlChemist Tonya McKay writes;

If you peruse the CurlTalk discussions, you’ll see honey mentioned on numerous threads.

This should come as no surprise, given honey’s long history as a health and beauty ingredient.

The use of honey has been documented throughout human history, with mention found as far back as in various Sumerian tablets. The practice of cultivating bees for the purpose of harvesting their honey was an integral part of ancient Egyptian culture. Honey was widely used in Egypt and Babylon as a hair and skin treatment, in cosmetic mixtures, for medicinal purposes, and as a bath component. Through trading, honey gradually found its way into the lives of humans all around the globe.

There are many hair and skin-care products being marketed that highlight the inclusion of honey. There are also many recommendations for the use of honey in recipes for home conditioning treatments and rinses for curly hair.

So what’s the real story on honey? What sorts of things should one be aware of when using honey in a hair-care routine?

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CurlChemist Tonya McKay of NaturallyCurly writes;

We always get lots of questions about silicones, as they are in so many products and are of ongoing concern to many curly-haired consumers. I thought this month we could tackle a couple of those questions in a quick, practical manner (hopefully) to aid in the seemingly never-ending process of ingredient scrutiny and product selection.

Q: Is there any way to rank silicones in order of their water solubility and also recommend the best surfactants to remove each category?

A: It is difficult to actually rank the silicones in order of water solubility, simply because they are usually either soluble or not. Most silicones are water insoluble due to being non-polar, but there are a few that are chemically modified in order to render them more compatible with water. The following table lists the main types of silicones found in hair care formulations. It also indicates whether or not they are water soluble and includes which surfactants can be used to ensure good removal of the silicone from the hair. Studies done by Dow Corning have found that the water-insoluble silicones show no appreciable buildup when a shampoo containing one of the recommended surfactants was used.

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“pH” is an abbreviation for “potential hydrogen” and is a scale used for ranking the relative acidity or alkalinity of a liquid solution. The precise mathematical definition of pH is the negative logarithmic value of hydrogen ion (H+) concentration in the solution. pH = – log [H+]

A scale of zero to fourteen is used for pH, with 7.0 being a neutral solution (water). A number below 7.0 is considered to be acidic, with a lower number being more acidic, and anything above 7.0 is considered to be alkaline or basic, with 14 being the strongest alkaline value. Due to the logarithmic nature of the pH scale, a solution with a pH of 2.0 is ten times more acidic than one with a pH of 3.0. Human hair is a solid material, a composite of protein molecules with three distinct layers. The central portion called the medulla is not present in every hair and is usually just made up of air. The surrounding layer, known as the cortex, is composed of bundles of fibrous coils made of keratin protein molecules that supply the hair strand with its strength and elasticity. The cortex also contains particles of melanin, which impart color to the hair strand. The outer layer is comprised of multiple layers of overlapping, keratinized scales and is called the cuticle, which acts to protect the cortex and medulla. Hair and skin are both covered by a very thin fluid layer comprised of oil, salt and water, called the mantle, which is slightly acidic (pH = 4.5 – 5.0). This acid mantle is very important in maintaining the proper moisture balance in our hair and skin. It is also instrumental in making the cuticle scales lie flatter against the surface of the hair shaft, which makes hair smoother and shinier as the flat scales reflect light more coherently. Scales that lie more snugly against the hair shaft also prevent moisture loss more efficiently, which helps hair to be stronger and healthier. With the normal exposure to the environment as well as washing and styling, this acid mantle can become contaminated or removed and must be restored with the use of properly pH-balanced products.