My name is Sessie, and I love all things beauty! I am passionate about healthy skin and hair care.
My curiosity about the science behind skin and hair care products led me to do a master of science degree in Cosmetic Science at Fairleigh Dickinson University, after my bachelor of science degree at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology.
As a Cosmetic Scientist and formulator, I have been privileged to combine my science background with my creativity and passion for healthy skin and hair to develop innovative beauty products. I have truly fallen in love with my career and have for the past twelve years been working in the personal care industry.
I look forward to interacting with you, and sharing my knowledge and journey towards radiant skin and luscious hair
The
importance of porosity when it comes to natural hair care
I often get
asked what hair porosity is and whether it really matters. The bottom line:
Porosity – the rate at which hair can absorb water – is important for any
texture and type of hair because it directly impacts moisturization, which is
vital to maintaining healthy hair.”
Porosity
refers to how well your hair is able to absorb and hold moisture. It is
affected by the flexible outer hair layer called the cuticle, which determines
how easily moisture and oils pass in and out of your hair. For most, porosity
is genetic, but it can also be affected by external factors such as exposure,
heat treatments and chemical processing. Knowing your hair’s porosity can help
you choose the right products to keep your hair well-moisturized, supple,
strong and shiny.
DETERMINING HAIR POROSITY
There
are two methods you can use to find out how porous your hair is.
The Float Test: To determine where your strands fall on the porosity meter, conduct a
float test. Place a few clean strands of hair on top of room temperature water
in a clear glass, making sure they aren’t overlapping or touching the edge. Let them sit for 2-4
minutes. If your hair floats, you have low porosity. If it sinks, you have high
porosity.
The Slip’n’Slide Test: Take a strand of hair and
slide your fingers up the shaft (toward the scalp). If you feel little bumps
along the way, this means that your cuticle is lifted and that you have high
porosity. If your fingers slip smoothly, then you have low porosity hair.
Low
porosity hair
Less-porous hair
is compact, and the shaft has very few damaged areas, so hair is typically
shinier and more easily detangled. ‘Another great thing about less-porous hair
is that once water is absorbed into the hair shaft, it retains the moisture for
a long time. However this also means it takes longer for the hair to dry.
The trick with
this type of hair is opening the cuticle to infuse as much moisture as
possible. Incorporating a steamer during the conditioning process helps diffuse
moisture in between the cuticle layers because gaseous water molecules like
steam are smaller than water molecules. Layering water-based and humectant-rich
products – those with ingredients like glycerin, honey, propylene glycol and panthenol – can also benefit
low-porosity hair.
Choose
lighter, liquid-based products such as hair milks that won’t sit on your hair
and leave it oily or greasy.
MEDIUM POROSITY
Hair
with medium porosity often requires the least amount of maintenance. The
cuticle layer is looser, allowing just the right amount of moisture to enter
while preventing too much from escaping. Curls tend to be healthy, shiny and
voluminous without requiring a ton of product. This hair type doesn’t get
fluffy or visibly dried out by the end of the day.
Occasional
deep conditioning treatments with protein conditioners can benefit medium
porosity hair, but proteins should not be included in your daily regimen.
High
porosity hair
A good
conditioner is essential for those in this category because conditioners
contain cationic – positively charged ingredients that bind to the negatively
charged damaged areas of the cuticle and add moisture. You should also
incorporate penetrating oils such as avocado oil, olive oil or coconut oil.
HIGH POROSITY
High
porosity can be either an inherent property of hair or the result of damage
from chemical processing, rough treatment or environmental damage. High
porosity hair has gaps and holes in the cuticles, which let too much moisture
into your hair and leave it prone to frizz and tangling. Even simple acts such
as bathing, swimming and shampooing can create more damage and breakage due to
the sheer amount of moisture highly porous hair can absorb.
Be
sure to use anti-humectants in climates with high heat and humidity. This will
help seal your damaged cuticles and prevent them from absorbing excess moisture
in the air.
Because
highly porous hair can also lose moisture easily, it’s important to use
leave-in conditioners, moisturizers and sealers. Layering these products will
help your hair hold on to the moisture you’re giving it. You can even follow up
with a heavy hair butter to help fill the gaps in your damaged cuticles and
further protect your hair from losing too much moisture.
Dry skin is
a common skin condition that affects people of all ages, especially in cold and
dry weather. It occurs when skin does not retain sufficient moisture, causing
the skin to be dry, flaky and sometimes itchy.
Our skin has
its own natural moisturizing factor components (NMF), comprising mainly of
amino acids, and humectants. The skin also has ceramides which are lipids or
oils in between skin layers, this together with the NMF components, form a
barrier to prevent water loss. This barrier can be disrupted by daily
conditions such as the use of soaps, and natural factors such as wind and sun.
The skin in turn, loses its hydration causing dry, flaky skin.
There are
two main ways to relief dry skin –
Cosmetic moisturizers – creams, lotions, balms, oils etc.
can help repair the skin’s barrier and restore hydration. Using moisturizers of
any kind that contain certain key ingredients allows your skin to do its job of
restoring and replenishing itself.
Here are
three major ingredient types to look out for in your cosmetic moisturizer:
Humectants: These are ingredients
such as glycerin, Lactate, PCA and urea. Their simple function is to attract
water and help keep water bound in the skin’s layers to keep it hydrated.
Occlusive Agents: These ingredients
provide a physical barrier on the skin to prevent water loss. Examples are
petrolatum, waxes, and butters – Shea butter, Cocoa butter, Mango butter etc.
Emollients: They impart partial
occlusiveness as well as improve the appearance of dry skin, by softening and smoothing
flaky skin cells. They moisturize similarly to the lipid components of the
skin. Examples are Ceramides, Vegetable oils such as – Olive oil, Coconut oil,
Jojoba oil, Apricot oil, Canola oil, Corn oil, Safflower oil, Sesame oil,
Soybean oil, Sweet almond oil etc.
A good cosmetic moisturizer which effectively combats dry skin, should incorporate each of these ingredient types at effective levels. They work synergistically to ameliorate the symptoms of dry skin.
2. Exfoliation – For very dry skin, especially during extreme cold and dry weather conditions such as winter, there is the need to exfoliate the skin.
The legs are the most
affected during the winter or very cold seasons. Leaving them dry, scaly and
sometimes itchy.
In order for your moisturizer to be
effectively absorbed into your skin, there is the need to constantly exfoliate
your skin using gentle natural scrubs, before applying your moisturizer.
One of the questions a lot of people ask me is how I became a Cosmetic Scientist and formulator! Others are curious about what a cosmetic formulator does and what it takes to be one.
Simply, a Cosmetic formulator is someone who does research and develops skin care, hair care and color cosmetic products for cosmetic companies. This involves ideation, formulation and claims development. I’ve found that everyone who works in this industry had a slightly different path. Here is mine.
Growing up I had fantasized about different careers from Aeronautic engineer, Air hostess, TV presenter, Hair stylist, Fashion designer and what have you! I even auditioned to be a newscaster. My career aspirations evolved over the years, until I discovered my ideal career.
Early Education
In High School, I majored in Chemistry, Biology and Physics. I had not yet figured out what career path I wanted to follow. However, I thought becoming a doctor or pharmacist will be good choices since these were both high paying jobs. I developed a love for Biology and Chemistry. I loathed Physics!
After high school, upon deep introspection I realized medicine was not for me. This was because, I could not stand the sight of someone else’s blood – I will cringe and feel sick to my stomach. I decided to major in Pharmacy in College, however I did not make it into Pharmacy school and ended up studying Biochemistry. I realized rather quickly that a first degree in Biochemistry was the way to go for someone undecided like me – as this field is broad and one has several different career pathways to consider after graduating.
I did well in Biochemistry, but had no clue what kind of job to do when I got out. I did internships in the food industry, both in research and in product development. These were both good experiences, but did not excite me enough. The defining moment was when I attended a career seminar, and the presenter mentioned cosmetics formulation as a career. The thought of being able to make beauty products immediately resonated with me!
I started my career after college in the food industry, as they were no cosmetic companies in my country Ghana. However, this desire to be a cosmetic formulator was still there.
Cosmetic Science Course
I did some research and realized that there were two main paths to becoming a cosmetic formulator – formal education or on the job training, working in the industry. I looked online for masters programs and found three schools at the time, all in the US offering these programs. The University of Cincinnati, Rhode Island University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. I applied and got accepted to all three schools and decided to go to FDU after carefully reviewing the course content and the cost of study.
FDU was a great choice because the courses were specifically focused on developing skin care, hair care and color cosmetic products. Also, almost all the professors work in the cosmetic industry and have several years of experience in the industry. My favorite class was the cosmetic formulations lab, I loved it!
While in my program, I interned at Chemaid Labs, a contract manufacturing company as a product stability Technician. It was a good introduction to the industry, however I yearned to be on the bench formulating.
Cosmetics Career
After graduation, I landed a contract position at Johnson & Johnson consumer products as a Formulations Scientist for facial care products. I was fascinated and learned quickly because of my love and passion for the industry and my educational background. It was fun working with all the ingredients I had learned about in school. I worked on different product types for facial care – cleansers, scrubs and moisturizers for some of their big brands like Neutrogena, Clean & Clear and Roc.
After about a year and a half at J&J, I got a permanent job at Palmer’s as a Formulations Chemist, I was stoked! Growing up in Ghana, I had used Palmer’s skin care products which is a highly loved personal care brand in Ghana. Palmer’s was a smaller company than J&J, and that meant a Chemist got to work on different product types simultaneously. I was privileged to develop skin care, hair care and color cosmetic products for their brands. It was always a joy to go into a store like Wal-Mart or Target and see products I developed on the shelf.
After almost five years at Palmer’s, I moved on to Colgate-Palmolive as a Senior Research Scientist, where I worked for four years. At Colgate-Palmolive I formulated skincare, suncare and haircare products for their Protex, Neutro Balance, Palmolive haircare and EltaMD brands.
My advice if you are considering working in this industry, is to do an internship and that will help you decide first hand if this is for you. To gain formulation experience in all the different product categories as quickly as possible it is best to start out working in a smaller company that has a broad portfolio or a contract manufacturer. Bigger companies tend to have formulators specialize in one or the other category eg. Shampoos, Conditioners, Lotions or Cleansers etc.
The key to success in this industry is to have a passion for your consumers and be interested in the industry in general. Know the ingredients types and their functions and also have an in depth knowledge of the biology and physiology of skin and hair.
