Of all the weird and wonderful natural ingredients you’ve been sampling since you started seriously taking care of your hair, you probably never thought you’d try snail slime.

Known as baba de caracol, snail extract is one of the top  Dominican haircare secrets…

 

Snail Slime: A Dominican Hair Secret

Snail slime has been one of the many beauty secrets kept by the women of this Caribbean island for generations. Blended into many remedios caseros, this exotic natural ingredient has been used to sort out many skin and scalp ailments, and to keep hair in the pristine condition that Dominicanas are famous for.

 

Reason #1: Snail Slime Seals In Moisture

Snail slime has been one of the many beauty secrets kept by the women of this Caribbean island for generations. Blended into many remedios caseros, this exotic natural ingredient has been used to sort out many skin and scalp ailments, and to keep hair in the pristine condition that Dominicanas are famous for.

Used as a traditional healing and beauty ingredient on the island, throughout the Americas and beyond for centuries, snail extract is also widely incorporated into the country’s mainstream cosmetics, including popular Dominican hair treatments like Halka Baba de Caracol. Recently, the slime has been garnering interest all over the world, and it is currently the subject of many studies looking into its bioactive properties.

Rich in glycoproteins and antioxidants, it’s certainly packed with many appealing constituents. They give snail slime some amazing properties that make this gloopy goo a truly multifunctional, 100% natural ingredient.

Secreting slime is the snail’s natural way of keeping its delicate surface hydrated. Studies have shown that snail slime increases the ability of human skin to hold water, too. Snail extract is itself over 90% water, blended with natural proteins and other polymers that make it highly hygroscopic, or water-loving. This hydrating effect can help you seal moisture into your tresses. 

 

Reason #2: Snail Slime Protects Hair From Damage

Snail slime’s complex mix of proteins, micronutrients and glycolic acids have evolved to protect the snail’s fragile skin from damage, infection and UV rays.

The natural gel consists of a polymer network that performs as a protective layer, cushioning and shielding the exposed, soft parts of the snail body.

Dominicans use it in natural blends to protect their hair and skin from the rays of the strong Caribbean sun. Recent studies indicate it can also protect against free radicals which damage your hair and skin.

Snail extract is equally effective in protecting hair from the mechanical damage caused by day-to-day styling pressure, from combing, brushing and styles that use tension and torsion.

 

Reason #3: Snail Slime Soothes The Scalp

Snail slime has long been harnessed for its soothing and healing powers. Traditional uses include speeding up healing and preventing scarring, from such diverse conditions as acne, skin infections and burns.

These powerful properties making it great for calming a stressed, inflamed scalp, particularly one exposed to damaging heat and chemical burns. 

 

 

Reason #4: Snail Slime Smooths and Softens Hair

Snail slime encases strands in a smooth, sealing layer, filling in cracks and smoothing over rough sections. If your hair shaft has jagged or bumpy sections which together give your strands a brittle overall feel, the smoothing slime can leave your strands with a silky layer of protection. 

 

Reason #5: Snail Slime Provides Detangling Slip

The snail’s signature slime trail is made up of a highly fluid translucent secretion which acts as a lubricant, helping it slide frictionlessly from place to place. This lubricant can work in a similarly smoothing way on your hair, too.

 

 

Brushes and combs glide through tresses coated with this super slippery natural lubricant. Snail slime’s turbo detangling slip takes a load of strain off your tresses, saving on styling time and minimising the kind of mechanical damage that cuts into your progress when trying to grow out your hair.

Reason #6: Snail Slime Leaves Hair Glossy

Snail slime leaves a smooth coating on your strands which in turn creates an even surface. This even surface helps hair reflect light, giving it tons of gleam and covering the cracks and flaws which reduce your hair’s natural shine potential. 

 

Reason #7: Snail Slime Boosts Curl Definition

Snails don’t only use slime to slide, friction-free across surfaces. They also use it to allow them to stick to surfaces. They can do this because snail slime is actually a blend of two types of mucus. One slime is more watery and acts like a lubricant, while the other, more viscous and elastic slime, functions as an adhesive. The adhesive slime is a natural gel and, with its inherent fixative properties, it can help individual curly fibres meld together into defined supercurls.

 

Snail Extract – The Missing Ingredient?

If you’ve tried oils, teas, muds and milks – pretty much every treatment around – to no avail, maybe baba de caracol could be the answer. After all, Dominicanas use it daily to tackle a world of haircare concerns. That shiny streak of a slithering snail might just be the magical ingredient that gets your hair right where you need it to be.

And to supercharge your moisture levels, try moisture training your hair with baba de caracol.

 

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Image credits:

Cmiper| Halka Industrial |Christian Oterhals| GF Peck| Marion Cayla