Can S-Curl cause breakage?

[SweetNic_JA]

I myself was and, to a certain extent, still am an S-curl user. That was until I started to feel that the s-curl was softening my hair too much. What do I mean? I mean that I thought the product was causing my hair to rot. It may have been my imagination but because I'm aware that propylene glycol can break down the protein structure in your skin, I felt that it would do the same to my hair (since they share similiar chemical makeup). I switched to an s-curl brand (pink and white bottle -don't recall the name off hand **maybe luster's**). This brand doesn't have propylene glycol in it but it did not perform as
well as the blue and white bottle (I think that was lustrasilk). I do periodic (ok more like obsessive) strength tests on my hair and my hair just used to seem weaker. Has anyone, especially a 4a/4b with fine hair, noticed a reduction in the strength of her hair after using the product for a while? Please let me know.

 

[beana3]

i loved what scurl did for my hair to a certain point, but i noticed that if i used too much it was awful. In moderation it was great!
I didn't repurcahse it immediately because at times i felt like my hair was TOO soft... like weak soft. wheni used to examine the shed strands i noticed they would pop easily and they were very limp.

 

[Nessa]

I have 4a/4b fine hair. And S curl makes my hair soft. But too soft. I want my hair to be a little harder. It is soft. But I don't think it causes breakage. I mean there are chemicals that make it not to cause Breakage. So I don't know.

 

[diamoness]

It breaks my hair off. S-curl is a no no for me. It causes my hair to stick together and makes it too weak to even finger comb....my strands just come out in between my fingers. Out of all brands that I have tried, worlds of curls gel does the best. And I only use that in small amounts when I'm in braids to keep them from drying out.

 

[beana3]

ok my previous post was kind of confusing, what i meant to say was.. when i use too much i get mild breakage (something like how product build up can cause breakage)

 

[caralexis2005]

I know exactly what you all mean! BUT- I think this breakage happens when I used it on dry hair and then tried to manipulate while wet. The best way to use S-Curl (for me obviously) has been to use it on my wet hair when I'm airdrying. If I use it on dry hair- meaning my ends to do a protective style- then i do not manipulate my hair much if at all.
hth
caralexis

 

[Faith]

For everyone getting breakage from scurl,

I think it may be a good idea to manipulate the hair only after the scurl dries and try not to use too much. Maybe concentrate on the ends especially. JMO!

 

[ngaa]

no!!

say it isnt so!! this is the only product that had managed to keep my hair moisturised all day and because i've stopped doing strength tests on my hair so that i dont depress myself more (coz depression =less hair growth

) , i have no way to check if this is actually true.....i mite have to use it in moderation then

figures, it was too good to be true

 

[SweetNic_JA]

come on Ngaa, it isn't that bad. Just use it in moderation. I move to another product (I'm at home now so I have the name

). Lustrasilk "Right On Curl"

Ingredients:
water
glycerine
hydrogenated starch hydrolysate
cetrimonium chloride
hydrolyzed animal protein
simethicone
stearyl alcohol (Is this bad)?
cetyl alchohol (what about this ?)
sorbitol
methylparaben (Is this a propylene glycol clone?)
DMDM hydantoin
phosphoric acid
fragrance
FD&C Yellow No. 6
D&C Red No. 33

I usually mix it with leave-in, water, and some essential oils. I use it in moderation and I don't get the same results as when I was using bull-blow Luster's but, it's still pretty good.

 

[adrienne0914]

i've never experienced this, but except for my blow drying experiment, i've almost always worn my hair up after using any curl activator, not just S-Curl. i would just use it less often if i felt like my hair was too soft.

that's interesting what you said about propylene glycol. i always thought of it as a humectant. i had no idea that i breaks down the protein structure of the skin. i wonder why they allow it to be used in so many health and beauty products.

maybe the Vaseline that i use with it has been the reason i haven't had a problem with it.

like you said, there are other similar products on the market. hopefully you'll have better results with one of those.

adrienne

 

[VALLEYGIRL]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
I'm aware that propylene glycol can break down the protein structure in your skin, I felt that it would do the same to my hair

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi SweetNic!!!
Where did you hear this from? I have heard that it is used in antifreeze and that it is a humectant and it increases spreadability (gives slip) but never that it breaks down protein in the skin.

I have been using curl activator and gel that both have Propylene Glycol as a main ingredient since 1998.

I have never experienced any problems from this.

Thanks

Valleygirl

I found this a few times when I did a search:
Propylene Glycol: A substance used to improve the spreadability of a product that can worsen acne. Combination of glycerin and water, an organic humectant similar to Butylene Glycol used in cosmetics. Clear, colorless liquids that are among the most common moisture-carrying vehicles in skin care. It delivers superb permeation through the skin and excellent humectant properties (softens and moisturizes the skin).

 

[lala]

I guess it works differently for folks. I've had great results from using it. No breakage whatsover. I think it has actually contributed to my hair growth.

 

[SweetNic_JA]

Here is one of the first sites I could find
http://www.naturessimplesolution.com/Warnings.htm

I went to yahoo and entered the following search criteria:
"propylene glycol" AND "protein and cellular structure "

 

[beana3]

ok.. I'll try to clarify myself one more time b/c i feel like i'm going

I think the heavy use of ANY product that has the capability to seriously soften can cause breakage from build-up. I'm not saying S-curl is a bad product at all, It just takes a few tries to know EXACTLY how to apply it in a way that serve your hair best.
I will repurcahse this eventually as i've learned how and whe to use it to my benefit.

 

[Nessa]

lET'S JUST SAY THAT IT IS DIFFERENT FOR PEOPLES HAIR

 

[Faith]

Beana may be right. You have to know what works for your hair. It made my hair too moist that's why I only use it 2x a week and that's cause my hair was SUPER dry before. Some may need it only 1x/week.

 

[mirrormirror]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
SweetNic_JA said:
methylparaben(Is this a propylene glycol clone?)


[/ QUOTE ]

No it is not, it is actually a preservative.

 

[Brownie]

Okay, I guess a lot of us like S-curl and other activators because they make our hair more soft and managable. I was just wondering if you could get the same results just using glycerin (olea europaea) and water? I saw some glycerin for sale on this carrier oil site ($14 for a gallon---$5 for 32 oz), and it said that glycerin is a derivative of olive oil (but it's not as heavy as olive oil). I bought some glycerin the other day from a beauty supply store--it says on the bottle that it can be mixed with water and used as an activator. Could this be a safe way to go for those who have problems with S-curl or other activators? What do you all think?

 

[aikaa71]

I believe that this may have been one of the causes of my breakage.

I have 4b hair somewhat fine hair and the spray i used made my hair too moist. I was using a braid spray(better braids) daily. It has glycerine, im not sure if it has propylene glycol( i cant check cos im at work now).

I have not used that spray this week and im getting less breakage. I know my hair loves olive oil

, so im using it as a leave in( on wet hair) and on my ends daily

 

[Allandra]

I've been using Worlds of Curls curl activator for a few months (not daily, but two or three times a week). I have not experienced any breakage from using this product. I love how soft it makes my hair feel. It's definitely a keeper in my stash of hair care products.

 

[NAPPtural]

WOW

I've never heard of this.
This is really

to me about S-curl breaking hair off, making your hair rot etc...

. Maybe those who is experiencing breakage and rotting

of the hair what other products are you using??
ALso remember back in the 80's when people had jerri curls (me

)

had use this and other products of the like and it made the hair grow..and grow...(well mine did) I was like 12-15 yrs old with a jerri curl and I'm sure I used alot of it and my hair did nothing but grew(and drip)

. So I'm really

that this can make the hair rot and break. I 've never heard of hair rotting.

HAs anybody really experience rotting of the hair....?

~Napptural~

 

[babygirl89]

It seems like it's kind of causing breakage for me. Thanks so much for posting this!

 

[moneychaser]

bumping

 

[patience]

Just about any chemical has the potential to cause breakage. From the ingredients listed, it has phosphoric acid in it...THAT stuff can eat through just about anything and works great for cleaning items...

 

[debyjay]

I used S-curl every day for almost 5 months whilst in braids and my hair grew. I got almost an inch a month. Now, when I used Sta-Sof-Fro my hair was weak weak weak.

 

[Brooke007]

For any of the ladies that experienced breakage/excessive hair softening how often do you use protein in your regime? Won't any moisturizer or conditioner have this effect after awhile if your hair doesn't have enough protein?

 

[bettydavis]

Now that I think of it, it WAS making my hair too soft... everytime I used it I was getting hairs on my hands. My hair is 4a and fine. My new love is the NTM leave in, it keeps my hair strong and moisturised.

 

[bzb1990]

bump because I notice the same (breakage) even when used lightly and also when diluted, on damp hair and let air-dry... spritzing with water in between...the ic fantasia and avene combo and oil was working perfectly, no issues, and had been earlier this year too, when i add the s curl later it starts breaking all over, even though i wont touch it when it's dry.
Sucks cuz it's been giving such awesome results otherwise.