7 Surprising Facts About Your Hair That’ll Transform How You Care For It

Let’s be honest, most of us grew up more concerned about our hair in style than structure.

We worried about how it looked, not what it was made of. But once you understand the biology of your hair, its natural chemistry, and the building blocks that make it strong, soft, or brittle, the way you care for it evolves for the better.

However, here’s the thing: your hair isn’t just “hair.” It’s a living reflection of what’s happening inside you, a story told through proteins, lipids, minerals, and pigments. So, let’s get to know it better.

Because when you understand your hair’s language, you’ll finally know how to give it what it’s been asking for all along.

1. Lipids are your hair’s invisible shield.

Lipids make your hair soft, shiny, and resilient. Lipids are natural oils and fatty acids that coat each strand like a thin armor, sealing in moisture and protecting against damage.
Your scalp produces sebum, a natural oil that travels down the hair shaft to lubricate it. But for curly and coily hair types, the twists and turns make it hard for sebum to travel, which is why dryness is such a common struggle.

But why does this matter? 

When your lipid layer is healthy, your hair retains hydration longer. But when it’s stripped away by harsh shampoos, over washing, or cold weather (especially now that the weather tends to get colder and drier), hair becomes dull, brittle, and thirsty.

That’s where moisturizing oils and butters come in…think avocado oil, broccoli seed oil, jojoba seed oil, and Tucumã butter. These botanicals mimic your hair’s natural lipids, rebuilding that outer barrier and sealing in softness. So, moisturizing isn’t just tradition, it’s science. 

No worries…you’ll find these deeply moisturizing botanicals in our ÈYÍ DÁRA Leave-In Conditioner, the simplest way to give your hair everything it needs, in one nourishing step.

2. Your hair is mostly protein, and it needs help to stay strong.

While lipids make it soft, shiny, and resilient, protein makes your hair strong.  About 85–90% of your hair strands are composed of a tough, fibrous protein called keratin. Keratin is built from amino acids, the tiny building blocks that come from the protein in your diet, such as eggs, beans, seeds, and nuts.
Inside your hair, keratin forms long coils that twist like ropes, creating both strength and flexibility.

But when hair loses these internal bonds through heat, chemical treatments, or dehydration, it can feel weaker, less defined, and more prone to dryness.

Why does it matter?

If your hair is breaking easily or feels “mushy” when wet, it’s often a sign that its keratin structure needs support. This is where protein-rich treatments or strengthening oils (like hydrolyzed proteins, amla, or moringa) come in. They help rebuild the outer layers of your strands, restoring that bounce and elasticity. 
So next time you’re deep conditioning, think of it as feeding your hair the amino acids it needs to rebuild itself from within.

3. Water is your hair’s first and favorite moisturizer. 

Before oils, butters, or creams, there’s water. Hair is about 10–15% water, and that moisture content directly affects its elasticity (that bouncy feel). When hair is hydrated, it stretches and returns to shape easily. When it’s dry, it snaps, and that’s not what we want. Most people avoid spraying water on their hair on a regular day because they think it causes their hair to shrink, but that’s just a sign of well-hydrated and healthy hair.

Why does this really matter?

Skipping hydration is like skipping breakfast; your hair starts running on empty. That’s why even the most luxurious oils won’t work well on dry hair; they seal nothing in if water wasn’t there to begin with.

Start every routine with water then follow up with oils and butters. Because water is what your hair needs, moisturizers are what helps it hold on to hydration. Better yet, use our light weight ÈYÍ DÁRA Leave-In Conditioner on damp or dry hair to moisturise and nourish your curls. 

4. Melanin gives your hair color and natural sun protection.

Melanin isn’t just a pigment; it's your hair’s built-in sunscreen and antioxidant system. It helps protect your strands from UV rays, free radicals, and environmental stressors that can cause early graying or dullness.

There are two main types of melanin in hair:

1. Eumelanin (dark brown to black)
2. Pheomelanin (red to blonde tone)

Why do you need to know this?

Melanin levels naturally decrease with age, but oxidation (from the sun, pollution, or stress)can accelerate it too. This is why incorporating antioxidant-rich oils like moringa or rosemary is so powerful; they protect your hair’s pigment from fading and help maintain its natural glow.

5. Minerals, the tiny nutrients that change everything.

Your hair stores minerals like zinc, iron, copper, magnesium, and silica. Each one plays a role in your hair’s growth and strength.

• Zinc helps balance scalp oils and supports follicle repair.
• Iron boosts oxygen flow to the roots, reduce shedding.
• Copper increases melanin levels
• Magnesium and silica strengthen hair from the inside out.

Why does this matter?

When you’re deficient in these minerals, you might notice slow growth, dullness, or even breakage. No matter how many treatments you use on the surface, it is crucial to know that healthy hair starts with a healthy body, too.

So, nourish from both sides: eat mineral-rich foods (leafy greens, nuts, seeds), and use products infused with mineral-dense botanicals. You’ll find trace minerals in botanicals like nettle, hibiscus, aloe vera, acai oil, avocado oil, and rosemary extract, all known to nourish the scalp and strengthen strands from the root.

Every  ÈyÍ Dára formula is intentionally crafted with mineral-dense botanicals like these (and more) to restore balance, shine, and resilience to your hair.

Hurry now to get your nutrient-rich hair care system. [SHOP YOURS NOW]

6. The cuticle decides how your hair behaves.

Your hair’s outermost layer, the cuticle, is made up of overlapping scales, like shingles on a roof. When those scales lie flat, your hair feels smooth, reflects light, and resists breakage. When they lift (from dryness or heat), moisture escapes, and your hair is prone to dryness.

Why should you care?

Everything in your routine, from washing to drying, affects your cuticle’s health. Using a pH-balanced shampoo (like Èyí Dára’s Moisturizing Shampoo Bar) will help gently lift buildup without stripping away natural oils, keeping the cuticle calm and aligned.

Follow it up with our Deep Conditioning Mask to flatten the cuticles again, sealing in hydration and softness. And when you finish with our Nourishing Leave-In, you’re not just styling,  you’re sealing in goodness while laying the cuticles.

Finally, your hair remembers how you treat it.

Each strand on your head is about 2–6 years old, depending on your growth cycle. That means some of the hair you’re caring for today started growing years ago, it’s been through seasons, stress, and probably a few styling mistakes.

This is important because your hair doesn’t heal itself like your skin. Once it’s damaged, it can’t regenerate, but you can protect what’s growing now and preserve what’s already there. That’s why consistency matters more than trends.

Your weekly wash, your satin scarf, your gentle detangling, they all add up.
Your hair is a living system, a blend of biology, chemistry, and care. The more you understand your hair, the easier it becomes to love it right. It responds to how you treat it, inside and out. So feed it well. Hydrate it often. Protect it from stress.