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What is build-up, why should you avoid it and how does build-up damage your hair without you knowing it? Build-up, you've probably heard the term before. In this blog, we will tell you what build-up actually is, what the consequences are and how to prevent build-up.
Build-up is a collection of product residue in your hair. Most of these come from your hair care and styling products. Pollution from the air can also build up in your hair.
You would say that you simply wash these dirt and residues out of your hair. But sometimes the shampoo you use is not enough to wash all product residues out of your hair. Eventually, these product residues will then pile up in your hair and on your scalp. Especially if you have finer hair, you are more likely to suffer from build-up.
Build-up can eventually lead to an disturbed natural balance of your hair and scalp, resulting in lifeless dry hair or sometimes greasy hair. Here are the consequences of build-up in your hair that lead to this:
Some ingredients are more difficult to wash out of your hair than others, and are therefore more likely to cause build-up. Ingredients that are not water-soluble are obviously more difficult to wash out of your hair. We discuss the most common ones.
Silicones make hair soft, smooth, shinier, less static and easier to comb. That is why silicones are widely used in hair care. They form a synthetic layer around your hair. However, many silicones are non-water-soluble. The non-water-soluble silicones are:
dimethicone,
dimethiconol,
cyclopentasiloxane,
cetearyl methicone,
cetyl dimethicone,
trisiloxane and
trimethylsilylamodimethicone.
It is difficult to wash these out of your hair, which means you quickly get build-up from hair products that use these silicones.
Polyquaternium is another common ingredient. It makes your hair soft and is an anti-static agent. Polyquaternium always contains a number after its name. And like silicone, this ingredient puts a layer around your hair. However, this ingredient is poorly biodegradable, even biologically.
Do you use gel? Chances are it contains polymers. For example, a common polymer is PVP, which is often combined with similar types. If a gel contains a high concentration of these synthetic polymers and you use it daily, it can result in build-up.
You might have thought that if you use little or no hair care and styling products, you will escape the dance as far as build-up is concerned. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Air pollution also contains various (harmful) particles and chemicals that easily adhere to surfaces, including your hair. If you live in an area with a lot of air pollution, these particles accumulate in your hair.
But water can also cause build-up in your hair. The lime scale and metals present in water can also build up in your hair if they are present in high concentrations. A water softener can be a solution here, at least for the presence of limescale.
Do you suffer from build-up? Maybe you can replace some of the products you buy in the shop with more natural alternatives that don't cause build-up. For example, use natural hair masks and oils: Natural oils and hair masks can help nourish your hair without causing build-up.
Natural vegetable oils, especially coconut oil, are known for their moisturising and nourishing properties for hair. When coconut oil is used as a natural alternative to commercial hair products, it can help prevent build-up on your hair. This is because coconut oil can help remove product residue and deeply cleanse the hair, preventing product build-up.
In addition, coconut oil can also help hair retain moisture and protect it from damage caused by heat and styling products.
Check your products for silicones and wash regularly with a clarifying shampoo to remove any unexpected build-up. It may also be advisable to look at the combination of silicones and sulphates you use in your hair products. Do you use a lot of non-water-soluble silicones? If so, wash your hair more often with a more aggressive, clarifying shampoo to remove build-up. Does your scalp react negatively to this? Then look for products without silicones, polyquaternium and polymers, because build-up damages your hair without you knowing it.