All hair is made up of a medulla, the cortex (the inside) and a surface layer of cuticles.  All hair is dead.  Stress of heat, repeated brushing, stripping shampoos, chemical treatments, and the sun and environment are all able to damage the hair, leach protein and strip the lipids from the surface.  A proper conditioner can replace protein, repair bonds and replace the surface lipids.

Cheap conditioners are purely anti-statics and do not repair the hair shaft.  They merely counteract the effect of anionic shampoos.

Common conditioners contain cationic compounds that bond to the hair surface and make brushing easier.  They also do not repair the hair shaft.

The best conditioners contain protein to replace the leached proteins and lipids (structured oils) to replace and repair the lipids on the hair surface that have been damaged.  Good conditioners also contain molecules like Panthenol that can penetrate the shaft, repair bonds and elasticize the embrittled hair again.

Wampum Conditioning Rinse (our light conditioner) and Wampum Limited Edition Conditioner (our strong conditioner) both contain cationic compounds to condition, protein to repair, oil to relipidise the surface and Panthenol to re-elasticise the hair.  Wampum Magic Rinse also contains a silicone wax to give additional surface slip for very fine and dull hair.  In addition, all the Wampum conditioners contain humectants to stop the hair from drying out between baths and being damaged by the sun.

by Dr Heidi Rolfes PhD PrEng (www.wampumproducts.com)