Reader's Question: When Shea Butter Doesn't Work

Post inspired by a reader! Thank you for your question. 

For some people, shea butter is not an effective moisturizer (or sealant).  In order to enhance its moisturizing properties, oils (e.g., olive oil), aloe vera gel, or other substances are added and the final mixture is applied to damp (not dry) hair.   However, even this technique does not work for some.  So now what?

Add Honey

Honey is a natural humectant, or substance that aids in moisture retention. Adding 1-3 teaspoons of honey to a cup of shea butter may do the trick. However, if this option does not work, try ...

Alternative - Glycerin and Water

Vegetable glycerin, like honey, is a natural humectant. Mix a teaspoon of vegetable glycerin with a cup of water to start.  Spritz on damp or dry hair. Add more glycerin to your mixture if desired. 

Alternative - Products Containing Propylene Glycol

Propylene Glycol is yet another humectant.  If you are familiar with jerri curls and leisure curls, then you are aware of the wet drippy look of these styles.  Well, this "wet drippy" look is achieved by products called activators, which usually contain propylene glycol as well as water and glycerin.  Activators can be applied to all hairs, natural or relaxed, to aid with moisture retention.  (Propylene glycol in this form is safe.)


Alternative - Kokum Butter and Honey

Kokum butter is stocked with fatty acids (e.g., oleic acid, stearic acid, etc.).  It is used in certain natural hair care products to aid in moisturization.  It is also very firm.  Try mixing kokum with another butter, such as mango or avocado, to make it usable.  Add some honey to improve moisture retention.

Upcoming "Type 4 Series" Posts

Coming soon (readers' requests) ...

- Easy ways to combat tangles and knots

- More elegant, special-occasion styles

- Styling fine/thin hair

- Styling short, neck-length hair

Feel free to add more requests in the comments section.

Nitrate: a Protective Factor in Leafy Greens

Cancer Link and Food Sources

Nitrate (NO3) is a molecule that has received a lot of bad press over the years. It is thought to promote digestive cancers, in part due to its ability to form carcinogens when used as a preservative for processed meat. Because of this (1), nitrate was viewed with suspicion and a number of countries imposed strict limits on its use as a food additive.

But what if I told you that by far the greatest source of nitrate in the modern diet isn't processed meat-- but vegetables, particularly leafy greens (2)? And that the evidence linking exposure to nitrate itself has largely failed to materialize? For example, one study found no difference in the incidence of gastric cancer between nitrate fertilizer plant workers and the general population (3). Most other studies in animals and humans have not supported the hypothesis that nitrate itself is carcinogenic (4, 5, 6), but rather that they are only carcinogenic in the context of processed meats due to the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines. This, combined with recent findings on nitrate biology, has changed the way we think about this molecule in recent years.

A New Example of Human Symbiosis

In 2003, Dr. K. Cosby and colleagues showed that nitrite (NO2; not the same as nitrate) dilates blood vessels in humans when infused into the blood (7). Investigators subsequently uncovered an amazing new example of human-bacteria symbiosis: dietary nitrate (NO3) is absorbed from the gut into the bloodstream and picked up by the salivary glands. It's then secreted into saliva, where oral bacteria use it as an energy source, converting it to nitrite (NO2). After swallowing, the nitrite is reabsorbed into the bloodstream (8). Humans and oral bacteria may have co-evolved to take advantage of this process. Antibacterial mouthwash prevents it.

Nitrate Protects the Cardiovascular System

In 2008, Dr. Andrew J. Webb and colleagues showed that nitrate in the form of 1/2 liter of beet juice (equivalent in volume to about 1.5 soda cans) substantially lowers blood pressure in healthy volunteers for over 24 hours. It also preserved blood vessel performance after brief oxygen deprivation, and reduced the tendency of the blood to clot (9). These are all changes that one would expect to protect against cardiovascular disease. Another group showed that in monkeys, the ability of nitrite to lower blood pressure did not diminish after two weeks, showing that the animals did not develop a tolerance to it on this timescale (10).

Subsequent studies showed that dietary nitrite reduces blood vessel dysfunction and inflammation (CRP) in cholesterol-fed mice (11). Low doses of nitrite also dramatically reduce tissue death in the hearts of mice exposed to conditions mimicking a heart attack, as well as protecting other tissues against oxygen deprivation damage (12). The doses used in this study were the equivalent of a human eating a large serving (100 g; roughly 1/4 lb) of lettuce or spinach.

Mechanism

Nitrite is thought to protect the cardiovascular system by serving as a precursor for nitric oxide (NO), one of the most potent anti-inflammatory and blood vessel-dilating compounds in the body (13). A decrease in blood vessel nitric oxide is probably one of the mechanisms of diet-induced atherosclerosis and increased clotting tendency, and it is likely an early consequence of eating a poor diet (14).

The Long View

Leafy greens were one of the "protective foods" emphasized by the nutrition giant Sir Edward Mellanby (15), along with eggs and high-quality full-fat dairy. There are many reasons to believe greens are an excellent contribution to the human diet, and what researchers have recently learned about nitrate biology certainly reinforces that notion. Leafy greens may be particularly useful for the prevention and reversal of cardiovascular disease, but are likely to have positive effects on other organ systems both in health and disease. It's ironic that a molecule suspected to be the harmful factor in processed meats is turning out to be one of the major protective factors in vegetables.

Type 4 Series: Formal Style (Rollerset)

This is a series on how to style and manage type 4 hair healthily. It doesn't matter whether you are natural, transitioning, or stretching relaxers.

Today's topic: Roller set type 4 hair with no/low heat. Style into an elegant updo as pictured.

Difficulty level: Easy/Medium for experienced rollersetters or those with short hair, Hard for newbie rollersetters or those with long hair

Time: several hours

Tools: 

moisturizer (no humectants), 

gel (if you're natural; recommend Pantene, Eco Styler),
OR setting lotion (if you're relaxed, transitioning) 

anti-humidity serum (recommend Redken, CHI, Pantene), 

rattail comb, 

ouchless bands, 

snap-on magnetic rollers (size depends on length of hair; the smaller, the longer lasting the style)

OR flexi-rods (more difficult to use)

Instructions:

• Wash, deep condition, detangle as usual
• Apply moisturizer and braid into 6-10 sections with ouchless bands at the roots
• Allow hair to airdry to 70-80% (somewhere between damp + dry but closer to damp).  This step stretches the coils and minimizes the density of natural, shrunken hair.

• One by one, undo each braid, remove the ouchless band, and do the following:
• Part a 1 inch by 2 1/2 inch section of hair
• Apply a moderate amount of gel to the section
• Follow up with a moderate amount of anti-humidity serum 
• Comb with rattail comb and roll tautly with a snap-on magnetic roller
• Repeat until done and move onto the next braid
• After you've finished roller setting, let the hair airdry COMPLETELY. (Alternatively, you may sit under a hooded dryer until hair is dry.)
• Remove the rollers and style as desired.  

[Back in 2008 with flexi-rods]

NOTE:

*It's KEY to let the hair dry completely before removing the rollers.

*The smaller the parts, the tighter and smoother the curls. 

*The smaller the rollers, the tighter and smoother the curls.

*Gel works better on my hair than setting lotion.  Experiment with your hair to see what works for you.

*Reserve this style for dry (non-rainy, non-humid) weather.

Fermented Grain Recipes from Around the World

In my last two posts on grains, I described how traditional food processing methods make grains more nutritious and digestible (1, 2). I promised to briefly describe a few recipes from around the world, then got distracted by other things. Here they are.

Africa: Ogi

Grain fermentation is widespread in Africa and is probably nearly as old as agriculture on the continent. The nutritional importance of fermentation is suggested by the amount of time and effort that many African cultures put into it, when they could save themselves a lot of trouble by simply soaking and cooking their grains.

Ogi is a common West African porridge that's eaten as a staple food by people of all ages. It's even used as a weaning food. It's made in essentially the same manner from corn, sorghum or millet.

Whole grain is soaked in water for one to three days. It's then wet milled, mixed with water and sieved to remove a portion of the bran. Extra bran is fed to animals, while the white, starchy sediment is fermented for two to three days. This is then cooked into a thin or thick porridge and eaten.

South America: Pozol

At first glance, some people may think I left the 'e' off the word 'pozole', a traditional Mexican stew. However, pozol is an entirely different beast, an ancient food almost totally unknown in the US, but which fueled the Mayan empire and remains a staple food in Southeastern Mexico.

To make pozol, first the corn must be 'nixtamalized': whole kernels are boiled in a large volume of water with calcium hydroxide (10% w/v). This is a processing step in most traditional South American corn recipes, as it allows a person to avoid pellagra (niacin deficiency)! The loosened bran is removed from the kernels by hand.

The kernels are then ground into dough, formed into balls and placed into banana leaves to ferment for one to 14 days. Following fermentation, pozol is diluted in water and consumed raw.

Europe: Sourdough Bread

Sourdough bread is Europe's quintessential fermented grain food. Before purified yeast strains came into widespread use in the 20th century, all bread would have been some form of sourdough.

Although in my opinion wheat is problematic for many people, sourdough fermentation renders it more nutritious and better tolerated by those with gluten/wheat sensitivity. In an interesting series of studies, Dr. Marco Gobbetti's group, among others, has shown that fermentation partially degrades gluten, explaining the ability of fermentation to decrease the adverse effects of gluten in those who are sensitive to it (3). They even showed that people with celiac disease can safely eat wheat bread that has been long-fermented with selected bacteria and yeasts under laboratory conditions (4). Rye contains about half the gluten of bread wheat, and is generally nutritionally superior to wheat, so sourdough rye is a better choice in my opinion.

To make sourdough bread, first the dry grains are ground into flour. Next, the flour is sifted through a screen to remove a portion of the bran. The earliest bread eaters probably didn't do this, although there is evidence of the wealthy eating sifted flour in societies as old as ancient Egypt and ancient Rome. I don't know what the optimum amount of bran to include in flour is, but it's not zero. I would be inclined to keep at least half of it, recognizing that the bran is disproportionately rich in nutrients.

Next, a portion of flour is mixed with water and a "sourdough starter", until it has a runny consistency. The starter is a diverse culture of bacteria and yeast that is carefully maintained by the bread maker. This culture acidifies the batter and produces carbon dioxide gas. The mixture is allowed to ferment for 8-12 hours. Finally, flour and salt are added to the batter and formed into dough balls. These are allowed to ferment and rise for a few hours, then baked.

My Experience

I've tried making ogi (millet) and pozol, and I have to admit that neither attempt was successful. Pozol in particular may depend on local populations of bacteria and yeast, as the grains' microorganisms are killed during processing. However, I do eat fermented grains regularly in the form of homemade brown rice 'uthappam' and sourdough buckwheat 'crepes'. The buckwheat crepes are tasty and easy to make. I'll post a recipe at some point.

The first two recipes are from the FAO publication Fermented Cereals: a Global Perspective (5).

Oils, Aloe Vera, and Whipped Hair Butter

It's that time of year again to mix another whipped hair butter!  (My batch ran out this weekend.)  

Ingredients (all are moisturizing):

• unrefined shea butter (softening)
• coconut oil (protection [1] [2])
• olive oil
• safflower OR grapeseed oil (high in fatty acids)
• aloe vera gel
• essential oil (for fragrance, optional)

Instructions:

Read my earlier post on the body butter mixture; the instructions are very similar.  For every cup of shea butter, use 1/4 a cup of olive oil, 1/8 a cup of coconut oil, 1/8 a cup of safflower/grapeseed oil, and a few tablespoons of aloe vera gel.  Of course you can tweak this mixture for a creamier or firmer consistency.  Feel free add drops of your favorite essential oil for fragrance!

FOR THE MIXOLOGISTS:

More whipped butter recipes can be found here.

Hiatus Update

Back from hiatus, but only posting weekly for now.  :)