Healthy hair is moisturized hair. If your hair is damaged slippery elm can help mend and prevent further damage. To find out if your hair is retaining moisture, check your hairs porosity. You can determine your hair's porosity by simply placing a single strand of hair into a bowl of water. If the hair sinks to the bottom, your hair has a high porosity as it's absorbing all the moisture. If your hair floats on top of the water, your hair has a low porosity and doesn't absorb moisture easily.
If you have low porosity hair you need deeply penetrating ingredients to deliver moisture through closed off cuticles. Products containing ingredients like glycerin, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Honey (quaternized honey), oils such as jojoba, grapeseed & squalane. These ingredients penetrate the hair strands and draw moisture from the air right into your hair. Be sure to use clarifying shampoos, or light shampoos to avoid buildup. If buildup does occur, spending a little time with a clarifying scalp scrub or charcoal shampoo can help eliminate buildup and any associated itchiness. High-porosity hair tends to tangle easily and s susceptible to high heat, heavy chemicals, and bleaches/hair dyes. This type of hair needs heavier conditioning and sealing oils/butters to retain moisture. Emollients are your friend. Castor oil, coconut oil, babassu oil, and argan oil are all great for sealing. You'll also want to deeply condition every time you wash your hair. Look for products with hydrolyzed proteins. Nutrient rich ingredients like fermented rice and fenugreek can help strengthen your strands. Just don't overdo it as too much can lead to protein overload and make hair dry and brittle. Slippery elm has a ton of calcium that helps keep the hair strong. It's also full of amino acids which are known to help build up hair proteins. The presence of Amino acids encourages the growth of strong and healthy hair. It is responsible for the creation of red blood cells, which helps in the delivery of required nutrients to the hair. If you are experiencing a hair loss problem, then slippery elm is the perfect solution for you. The presence of Iodine will make your dry and coarse hair feel smooth and shiny, thus reducing hair fall. An iodine deficiency is a common cause of hair loss among women. According to the University of Michigan Health Systems, hypothyroidism cause by iodine deficiency may result in dry, coarse hair. It helps moisturize dry, brittle hair (often a caveat of 4C hair), while also promoting shinier, more manageable hair. It is known to produce a mucilage that is fantastic for coating the strands and helping to detangle without having so much hair breakage. So not only is slippery elm great for the skin by helping with boils, burns, abscesses, etc. and cough, constipation, IBS, and sore throat but it is also fantastic at helping curlies and those experiencing hair loss.