You walk into the first drugstore closest to your home. You look at the hair care shelf, and there are a lot of shampoos, conditioners, and masks with adjectives like “emollient,” “protein,” “humectant.” What’s up with these foreign-sounding names (ok, maybe you associate proteins with the protein powder you add to your pre-workout smoothie)? Let us explain!
PEH balance is the foundation of hair care, although in reality its use is not so popular. It is a balance of 3 key hair ingredients that make them healthy, shiny and smooth:
Sounds like a chemistry lesson? Maybe, but in this case it's worth paying attention.
Proteins
Proteins are the building blocks of your hair. They are like foundations - so they should be solid and durable. They are responsible for volume, shine and dealing with micro-damage.
How do I know if my hair has too little protein?
The hair is dull, without shine and "lifeless", tired and limp.
How do I know if my hair has too much protein (yes, it's possible)?
The hair frizzes, tangles, and is difficult to comb and style.
Proteins are the opposite of humectants, so when caring for your hair, you should pay attention to balancing their content. IMPORTANT: it doesn't have to be the same amount! Some hair "likes" proteins more, and then it's worth increasing their content. It may also turn out that your hair doesn't like proteins at all - so check this with different products.
You can also choose between animal and plant proteins. Of course, we recommend the latter!
Non-vegan proteins: keratin, silk, collagen, elastin.
Vegan proteins: wheat, oat, pea.
Emollients
Emollients are a kind of protective filter for hair. They protect it from external factors, but also make it smooth and soft . That's why you can guess that emollients are most often found in conditioners and masks.
How do I know if my hair has too little emollients?
The hair is dry, "straw-like", and electrified.
How do I know if my hair has too many emollients?
The hair is flat, weighed down, and becomes stringy.
Emollients are a complement to proteins and humectants. We can say that they enhance their action, i.e. they prolong the moisturizing effect of humectants and the nourishing effect of proteins.
Emollients come in many forms. These include oils, waxes, silicones, fatty alcohols, mineral oils, and lanolin. IMPORTANT: If you choose oil-based emollients, match them to your hair porosity. Oils are great for curly hair.
Humectants
Humectants have one most important, although not the easiest task: to moisturize the hair. They are the opposite of proteins, as you already know from the earlier part of this text.
How do I know if my hair has too little humectants?
The hair is dull, without shine and "lifeless", tired and limp.
How do I know if my hair has too many humectants?
The hair frizzes, tangles, and is difficult to comb and style.
There are many humectants. We can distinguish:
Strongly acting: glycerin, aloe.
Gentle acting : linseed oil, panthenol, niacinamide, allantoin.
Remember, just like some hair doesn't like proteins, it may not like humectants :). It's all about checking and listening to your hair.
You already know what PEH balance is and why it is important in hair care. And how to achieve it? The basis is observing your hair. Testing cosmetics and choosing those that make your hair healthy and shiny.
Include the GLOV Hair Harmony hair mask in your hair routine . It suits hair of various types and porosities, but really check for yourself whether it works in accordance with your individual PEH balance. From observations in our team, we can conclude that it works best on damaged, dyed, straight or slightly wavy hair, with a high content of emollients and a low content of proteins and humectants. That's right - our mask has a strong regenerating and moisturizing effect.
Good luck!
