Keeping our skin ever glowing and flawless, and growing out our hair thicker and healthier-both things come at the cost of great research and the correct use of products and ingredients. Though the haircare industry isn’t as diverse as skincare, there’s still a lot of hassle to deal with. Some of the most common hair products are often confused with one another for their similar texture and smell: Hair serums, Hair essence and Hair oils.
How Do They Work?
The choice of hair oils, hair essence and hair serums solely depends on your hair type and the time you feel like applying it. When it comes to hair oils, it’s usually preferred to oil your hair before bed and keep it overnight. This gives your hair enough time to penetrate to your roots and strengthens your hair follicles, resulting in noticeable growth.
Similarly when it comes to hair serums, they altogether have a completely difficult task. Hair serums are products that make your hair more manageable and tame the frizziness without actually making it greasy like the hair oils. You don’t need to apply and keep it overnight.
Since hair serums are lightweight, you can apply it either while styling your hair or before you step out of the house. Application of hair serums just eases out the way you carry your hair. Since straight hair is already tidy enough, they might not require the use of hair serums to make them appear more sleek. But for curly hair, application of hair serums tend to make it more manageable, and keeps away dryness.
And when it comes to Hair essence, they’re completely different too. Hair essence has nothing to do with the functioning of oils and serums. Their main purpose is to help you manage your hair effortlessly, similar to what serums do.
The only difference is that hair essence is more of a hair mist so they are even more lightweight than hair serums and don’t weigh your hair down. You can apply them anytime; before brushing your hair to help detangle the knots, before stepping out of the house or while you’re in the comfort of your house. Literally, anytime.
Hair Oils
Hair oils are thick and have a viscous consistency. They are used as a restorative, conditioner and a styling aid. Hair oils have a higher concentration of the key ingredients which hydrate and moisturize your hair, keeping it smooth and repairing the damage caused by either prolonged exposure to sun and pollution or by continuous use of hair styling tools. Hair oils are designed to spread evenly through your scalp, nourish it and improve blood circulation, which in turn stimulates the hair follicles and promotes growth.
The most effective hair oils are:
- Coconut oil
- Black seed oil
- Argan oil
- Castor oil
- Almond oil
- Olive oil
How To Apply
Hair oils can be used as a pre-treatment before you wash your hair. Take a good hair oil and massage it into your scalp and bring it all through the lengths of your hair, concentrating more on the ends. Application of oils on the ends helps prevent split ends that can actually be a nightmare for you. Either leave the oil in your hair overnight or apply it 2-3 hours before using a shampoo.
Hair Serums
Hair Serums are more of a styling product. They on the other hand have a runny consistency. They do not weigh your hair down or make them look greasy. Hair serums are primarily made up of silicones and water, therefore they’re very lightweight. They act as a protective layer on your hair and protect them against humidity. The main purpose of hair serums is to prevent and tame away frizziness, while keeping your hair hydrated. It also helps detangle your hair easily.
Not to forget, hair serums act as a great heat protectant while adding a gentle shine to your hair. Unlike oils, hair serums aren’t meant to deep nourish your scalp. They’re designed to make your hair manageable, thus they act only on your hair strands. Neither do they promote hair growth nor do they moisturize your hair like oils.
Hair serums are generally made up of:
- Argan oil
- Jojoba oil
- Rosemary essential oil
- Rosehip seed oil
- Lavender essential oil
How To Apply
Hair serums are best applied on freshly washed damp hair. It eases out the brushing process and helps prevent hair fall and breakage. Apply it thoroughly on your hair strands and use your finger to gently detangle your hair. After your hair gets dry, comb your hair and you’ll notice your hair detangling more effectively and appearing smoother.
Hair Essence
Hair essence is nothing but a mist designed specially for your hair. They’re lightweight serums that are used on your hair to make it manageable without actually weighing it down. Their main purpose of the product is to add a little shine and volume to your hair and keep it soft all throughout the day.
While oils have a very thick consistency and serums are somewhat midway, hair essence usually has a very thin consistency since it’s not made up of viscose oils and ingredients. Hair essence can be simply compared to your common face mists. Just like face mists are used to hydrate and moisturise your face, hair essence does the same work for your hair. Since it curbs damaged and frizzy hair, you might notice less hair fall and more healthy looking hair.
Hair essence is generally made up of:
- Ginger oil
- Castor oil
- Ginseng
- Grape seed
How To Apply
You can use hair essence as per your choices. If you’ve freshly washed your hair, you can either apply it on damp hair or choose to use it before styling. Since it is lightweight, you can use it everyday to maintain the texture of your hair and add sufficient volume and shine to it.
How To Choose Among Them?
Honestly speaking, there’s no comparison among the products. Each of them have a totally different task assigned for your hair. But based on your hair type, you can make a choice and give preferences accordingly.
If you’ve got straight hair, then your hair might need an oil that nourishes. And there’s nothing better than coconut oil or castor oil that’ll boost up your health. Straight hair usually doesn’t need products to make them manageable. So use of serums might not be necessary.
In case you’ve got wavy hair, you can go for either castor oil or argan oil. Since wavy hair has a frizzy texture, these oils would repair your hair from within, make them stronger and tame the frizziness that stands in the way of carrying out your hair effortlessly. In case you need to style your hair, you can apply a lightweight serum that has rosehip seed oil and argan oil as its main ingredients.
Curly is the most difficult one to manage. Although the curls look beautiful in however form they are, they need a lot of care. Smoothing them out and adding volume at the same time can be quite tricky. For that, you can go for either almond oil or olive oil combined with an ultra nourishing leave-in conditioner.
These not only add inches to your hair but all soften your curls and add volume to your hair, making them shiny and bouncy at the same time. While styling and wearing your hair down, you might need something that makes your hair appear tidy and enhances your curls. For that you can use a serum that has flaxseed oil and jojoba oil as it’s key ingredients. These add shine and volume to your curls, making them flawless and gorgeous.
No matter how your hair is, You should always be habitual of giving it a good oil treatment every now and then. Oiling your hair strengthens the hair follicles which in turn prevents hair fall and encourages growth. In the busy work schedules we are engulfed within, taking care of hair is something we feel is of least importance. But we’re unaware of the fact that the moment we walk out of our homes, the pollution and UV rays start degrading the health of our hair. The least we can do is oil and massage our hair at least once a week to do away the damage.
How To Choose A Good Oil?
While you’re getting an oil for your hair, make sure you check the method via which it was extracted. Extra virgin and cold-pressed oils are best for your hair since they retain all the beneficial fatty acids and minerals in them.
Oils extracted via hot pressing might not be beneficial for your hair since this particular process involves extracting oil at high temperatures, and because the acid value rises significantly, it loses most of its natural quality.
How To Choose Hair Serum & Essence?
While people with smooth and frizz free hair don’t actually need the application of hair serums, the ones with curly or dry hair can actually add that extra wow element with a mere quantity of it in their hair. The choice of hair serums solely depends on your hair and scalp type. If you have a sensitive scalp that gets irritated fast, you should opt for serums that do not contain any artificial fragrances or color.
Since hair serum gets added to your hair care routine and you’ll genuinely be dependent on it, it’s best to go for serums that are 100% natural, organic and are made of fresh ingredients which are ethically sourced. Natural products like cold-pressed Moroccan Argan Oil show up results in just a few days. So if you’re keen on getting the best for your hair, delve into some research and go in for organic brands.
As far as organic hair care products are concerned, PURC Organics has a wide collection of hair serums and oils. Before picking up something, all you’ve got to do is check the list of ingredients and make sure it has organic products that will suit your hair and prevent all your existing hair problems.
Not only this, PURC Organics also has a hair essence that is capable of completely transforming your hair. It is loaded with the goodness of castor oil and ginger oil that promotes hair growth and makes it healthier. While Ginger oil keeps away dandruff and flaky skin, castor oil improves blood circulation and initiates the growth of hair.
For people who intend to make their hair more manageable and moisturised can add hair essence in their hair care regimen. Be it straight, wavy or curly hair, a little hydration would never harm your hair. So if you’re having a bad hair day, turn to a good hair essence.
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