so… we just started a BGLH “thread” lol on the “amazing natural coconut relaxer”… and Jc suggested that maybe it’s yogurt that breaks down the curl pattern, not coconut oil/milk… peep her response on the entry
“Ah , I didn’t consider that yoghurt was added to the mix. The bacteria in yoghurt, do break down lactose into lactic acid. The acid can cause bonds in protein to break. Relaxers do the same action but have much stronger chemicals for ‘better’ effect.
I remain skeptical though. Someone needs to write a science paper and report the effects so I can scrutinize it.”
understand that skepticism… but a whiz around the ‘black hair care blogosphere’ turned up many women who claim it works. and it was an ingredient in the video i linked of the woman ‘naturally relaxing’ her daughter’s hair.
the bentonite wash i did three weeks ago contained yogurt, and now i’m starting to wonder if the resulting bounciness was due *in part* to a loosened curl pattern… hmm. my conditioner tonight calls for yogurt… so i will be on the look out for any texture change.
in the meantime, i wonder if yogurt could be the answer to an issue i haven’t tackled yet: detangling.
just as my bentonite serve as both a clarifier and a facial cleanser… could yogurt be a clarifier, conditioner and detangler?!
dun dun dunnnn!!!!
*stay tuned to find out…
has anyone incorporated yogurt as a part of their regimen? what are your thoughts? as always, specify your hair texture if giving a response about results…
8 Responses
I recognize I am late to the game, but looseing of curl pattern also has to do with texture not just curl pattern. Ex. I have 3c, 4a, 4b hair. None of my pattern loosens brecause it is so coarse. When I was relaxed my beautician had a very hard time getting my hair straight because it would not break down. My hair is also resistant to heat. So I think we also need to examine our texture. The finer one’s hair is the easier it will be for these concoctions to work.
Finally the healthier your hair is the less likely these things will work, because when hair is damaged these bonds are already broken so the protein has somewhere to go. On healthy hair the cuticle is sealed so basically the concoction would need to damage the hair to create a place for the protein to go.
Baking soda, and a hint of vinegar, might be the only things I’d put in my hair for a clean wash. I haven’t tried it yet.
I find standard heavy or thick conditioners sufficient. My hair gets so slick / slippery that I don’t need a comb, or to detangle.
Yogurt, coconut, lime, etc. are things I can do without. Although I admire those who use these items.
Another food I love too much to put in my hair…no thanks. Thus far, I have bananas and yogurt…now I’m hungry *smile*.
I just posted a response in the earlier blog entry.. but basically I concur with Jc and Moni – acidity along with the presence of milk proteins IS an important part of its conditioning effects. Being that I have used henna and that is also a somewhat acidic treatment (once activated) I can say that both treatments left me with similar results — less shed hair, little to no breakage, super easy detangling, excellent curl definition (more so frizz reduction + slight curl loosening) and strong strands, although the henna’d hair can be a tad less soft, depending on your batch additives.
Its an excellent natural product to add to your treatments, and its also wonderful for the face as well.. But curl definition can occur with almost any product that has a clarifying effect or an acidic action — i have seen super coily hair with
– bentonite clay rinses
– herbal tea rinses
– coffee rinses
– ACV rinses
– shikakai soap rinses
– a few coconut milk rinses
– certain cowashes..
– even cold water rinses sometimes!
Yay, a science discussion!! All good points Moni. I would however equally add, what happens to milk when you place something like lemon juice into it? It curdles. The milk protein gets separated out of the mixture.
The acid in yoghurt does the same but there is a further step – the bond breaking of disulphide protein bonds. I would suspect this has to do with localized acidity which can be much higher at the site of production compared to stirring up the mix then taking the pH. (Other factors too – possibly temperature and time).
I used to use yogurt in my bentonite mixture and sometimes mix it into my deep conditioners. I think it makes a great deep conditioner, but I doubt it’s strong enough to relax the hair, any more than the acid used in henna or acv rinses does. Yogurt has a ph of between 4 and 5, so it’s less acidic than lemon juice (around 2), vinegar (3) and oj (between 3 and 4), which are all used in various homemade mixes. It’s about the same ph as coffee and beer, both of which people use on their hair undiluted.
Your hair should have a normal ph or 4.5-5.5 (when placed in water, it doesn’t have a ph when dry), so it doesn’t seem like yogurt would make much of a difference.
I don’t know if it’s the yogurt or not. I used bentonite clay w/o yogurt and my curl pattern was more defined so, I don’t know.
Before people go putting yoghurt into their hair, let me just say I was talking only about yoghurt and protein in yoghurt. I don’t know if this works for hair or if indeed the acid could have such a strong effect on hair.
I found a link to explain some more (about yoghurt)if people want to look up bond breaking and yoghurt.
https://www.milkfacts.info/Milk%20Composition/protein.htm