Ever glanced at a hair care product label and felt like you were reading a foreign language? You’re not alone. Giovanni Nutrafix Hair Reconstructor may seem daunting at first glance, but understanding its ingredients doesn’t require a chemistry degree.
In this blog, we’ll delve into the science behind Giovanni’s formula, exploring its blend of natural and certified organic plant extracts. Let’s unravel the mystery behind this product’s unique composition.
Giovanni Nutrafix Hair Reconstructor: Hair Mask
Giovanni Nutrafix Hair Reconstructor is a “Deep Conditioner” specially formulated for chemically treated hair. The product targets highly porous hair fibers and claims to infuse proteins into the hair matrix.
Harsh chemicals used in hair treatments are known to cause significant damage to the delicate fibers of your hair. Consumers often opt for two particular chemical treatments to modify their hair – permanent coloring and bleaching using alkaline hydrogen peroxide.
Additionally, alkaline hair straightening and perming using thioglycolates is also frequently utilized to alter the physical and cosmetic appearance of hair fibers.1-2
During these chemical treatments, hair loses some of its proteins. The damaging chemical treatments cause irreversible damage to some of the essential covalent bonds inside the hair, ultimately weakening its structural organization and integrity.
Consequently, hair loses its mechanical strength and will experience breakage while brushing or combing. Moreover, it becomes porous, frizzy, unmanageable and difficult to style.3
Those with chemically-treated hair desire to restore its natural luster, vigor, and resilience. Giovanni Nutrafix Reconstructor is designed specifically for this purpose; allowing consumers to achieve the look they want without sacrificing quality.
Below are my results after using the GIOVANNI Nutrafix Hair Reconstructor!
Ingredient Listing
This product boasts an impressive ability to “infuse proteins” that deeply penetrate the hair cortex, thus repairing broken structural components of the hair fiber.
This can recover some of the lost mechanical strength of hair fiber and restore its original cosmetic features.
Let’s review the GIOVANNI Nutrafix Hair Reconstructor’s formulation and attempt to decode the ingredient listing.
INGREDIENTS: Aqua (Purified Water), Cetyl Alcohol, Stearalkonium Chloride, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Natural Fragrance, *Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, *Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, *Betula Alba Extract, *Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Extract, *Achillea Millefolium Extract, *Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, *Equisetum Arvense Extract, *Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, *Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, *Salvia Sclarea (Clary) Extract, *Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Extract, *Tussilago Farfara (Coltsfoot) Flower Extract, *Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract.
The Formulation Science
The formulation comprises a blend of a cationic hair conditioner, natural emollient, and plant extracts.
The exclusive cationic conditioner of choice is stearalkonium chloride, paired with the addition of sunflower oil for its capacity to produce smoothness, sleekness, and slip.
The formulation also contains multiple natural plant-sourced extracts which work synergistically to strengthen the hair fiber and improve scalp health.
The product also contains vitamin E offering protection against free radical-mediated damage to hair proteins.
Let’s study GIOVANNI Nutrafix Hair Reconstructor’s ingredient list more closely.
Cetyl Alcohol
Cetyl Alcohol is a long-chain fatty alcohol. It is generally obtained from coconut or palm oil. The main objective of its addition to the formulation is to stabilize the formulation and boost viscosity and body to a creamy texture.
It also gives a nice shiny crystalline appearance due to sharp light reflection. Due to its waxy nature and long carbon chain, it also conditions hair fibers enhancing their slip.
Not only does it add a brilliant, crystalline sheen to the hair due to its sharp light reflection but also conditions and nourishes hair fibers with its waxy nature and long carbon chain.
Stearalkonium Chloride
It is a cationic hair conditioner having a long carbon chain attached to the quaternary nitrogen group. This gives a partial positive charge at the nitrogen center which forms a coulombic bond with negative amino acids of the hair fiber.
Due to this electrostatic bonding, stearalkonium chloride becomes attached to the hair fiber. The long carbon chain detangles hair fiber and improves hair surface slip.
More importantly, stearalkonium chloride is an essential cationic material that helps to effectively treat frizz, static charge and porous damaged hair fibers. By minimizing these problems, this powerful remedy makes styling more manageable.
Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
Tocopherol is a large aromatic molecule demonstrating an excellent ability to neutralize highly reactive free radicals.
These radicals are formed during oxidation processing, thermal treatments, and photodegradation and can cleave essential chemical bonds inside the hair fiber.
Tocopherol captures these reactive free radicals and converts them into more stable and non-reactive species, thus protecting hair fibers against damage.
Citric Acid
Citric acid is a natural buffering agent added to acidify the formulation, lowering the pH, and offering a buffering range that extends product shelf-life. It also works as an excellent metal chelant removing any calcium or magnesium build from hair.
Phenoxyethanol
Phenoxyethanol is an aromatic alcohol used as a preservative. It preserves the formulation against microbial contamination and extends product shelf life.
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
Sunflower Oil is a natural emollient that provides slip and detangling. Its chemical composition highlights the presence of unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E. The unsaturated nature of fatty acid ensures a uniform coating over the hair shaft protecting it against external damage.
Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract
Glycine soja seed extract is a plant-based antioxidant complex to protect hair color and fiber against damage from UV radiation. It is an abundant source of soy isoflavons which are natural antioxidants working to preserve fiber integrity and strength.
Betula Alba Extract
This extract is a rich source of betulin and betulinic acid which are frequently used as anti-inflammatory actives. It also works as an antioxidant, anti-microbial, regenerative, and revitalizing agent improving scalp health and stimulating new hair growth.
Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Extract
Mallow extract offers excellent moisturizing benefits by controlling trans epidermal water loss (TEWL) as well as a soothing effect on the scalp tissues. It improves the condition of dry hair fibers by hydrating the dry fibers.
Achillea Millefolium Extract
Achillea millefolium has been used for wounds, cuts, scrapes, rashes, and skin burns. It is blended in hair reconstructor formulations to boost scalp health and address any dry or itchy scaling over the scalp surface.
Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract
For a gentle and supportive skin-friendly formulation, Chamomilla floral extract is the premier option.
Not only does it regulate the potency of irritating ingredients included in the formula, but it also soothes and calms sensitivities caused by harsh chemical ingredients. This enhances the product compatibility with the scalp, soothes scalp tissues, and stimulates blood circulation to the upper surface.
Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Extract
Horsetail is an exemplary herb belonging to the Equisetaceae plant family. This extract has astringent, collagen-stimulating and anti-irritant effects that make it a perfect addition for use in hair and scalp care products.
When used cosmetically, horsetail extracts are extremely beneficial in preparations designed to soothe irritated skin or scalp as well as shampoos and conditioners.
Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract
Lavender is known for its aromatic fragrance and soothing benefits. It has strong antimicrobial properties fighting microbial growth on the scalp surface. This mechanism addresses the problem of scalp itchiness, dandruff, and other scalp disorders.
Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract
Rosemary Extract is a powerful source of antioxidants and therapeutic essential oil, offering numerous health benefits.
With its intense fragrance, the application of this product has a calming effect on both your scalp and mind. It increases blood circulation to the area while giving relief to any tensed tissues in that region. Consequently, it contributes significantly towards better hair and scalp health.
Salvia Sclarea (Clary) Extract
Clary sage is composed of flavonoids, triterpenic derivatives, and essential oils as its main components. This highly sought-after herb also contains high sugar content, which makes it ideal for enriching cosmetic products with immediate moisturizing benefits. It not only hydrates dry hair fibers, but also increases moisturization of the skin surface.
Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Extract
Thyme provides strong anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effects. It is rich in essential oil, which is a combination of thymol and pinene-containing polyphenolic compounds. It is said to help with inflammable changes of the skin and scalp and dandruff.
Tussilago Farfara (Coltsfoot) Flower Extract
Coltsfoot is popular for its therapeutic benefits on the skin and scalp surface. It shows an anti-aging effect with anti-oxidant and cell regenerative activities.
Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract
Nettle extracts provide essential minerals to scalp cells. It also works as an astringent and anti-bacterial agent in hair shampoos, conditioners, and other related products.
Summary
GIiovanni Nutrafix Hair Reconstructor formulation is a combination of cationics, emollients, and plant extracts. Applying it to hair fibers can help restore your hair’s mechanical strength, vibrancy, and lustrous shine.
The combination of plant extracts helps improve scalp disorders and stimulates cellular turn over targeting new hair growth or preventing any hair thinning/loss.
The plant extracts hydrate scalp dryness and helps maintain hair water content. This can facilitate the uptake of minerals and essential nutrients by hair fibers from the scalp boosting their overall health and quality.
The plant extracts help hydrate the scalp, help promote healthy hair growth by locking in moisture and enabling essential minerals and nutrients to be absorbed into each strand. This allows for strong and smooth strands!
References
1. Zviak, C., The Science of Hair Care. Taylor & Francis: 1986.
2. Robbins, C. R., Chemical and physical behavior of human hair. 4th ed.; Springer-Verlag: New York, 2002.
3. Imai, T., The influence of hair bleach on the ultrastructure of human hair with special reference to hair damage. Okajimas Folia Anatomica Japonica 2011, 88 (1), 1-9.
