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Can You Get Hooked On Lip Balm?
We all care about hair care products, but have you ever wondered what really works? In this chapter we’ll give you tips on preventing split ends, drying hair properly, keeping it shiny, and we’ll even explore how to keep your hair from smelling bad. If you want great-looking hair without spending a fortune, this chapter gives you the answers.
DRYING DILEMMA: WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO DRY YOUR HAIR?
Angela asks: I usually don’t have the patience to blow-dry my hair completely, but my hairdresser said it’s not good for my hair if I only half blow it dry and then let it finish drying by itself. Is it true?
We think this idea is kind of silly but we’ll avoid the temptation to just tell you to get a new hairdresser and instead we’ll try to present both sides of the story.
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING
It’s more damaging to blow-dry or towel-dry your hair than it is to let it air-dry. It’s as simple as that. That’s because heat from blow-dryers can mess with the natural lipid distribution in your hair and degrade the intercellular cement that holds the hair’s protective cuticle in place. And the physical abrasion from towel-drying not only loosens healthy cuticles but can actually wear them away! So if you dry your hair a lot, you’ll end up with less shine and more split ends.
STYLISTICALLY SPEAKING
We assume a hairdresser would argue that blow-drying keeps your hair sleek and smooth and that air-drying makes it frizzy. At least this is what the hairdressers we have worked with think.
THE BOTTOM LINE
It looks like the answer to your drying dilemma could come down to this: What’s more important to you—avoiding damage or fighting frizz? Less damage is better for your long-term hair health, but nobody wants frizz. Only you can decide which to choose. But, hey, if you’re that worried about frizz, you can always use a good smoothing product after you dry your hair. You can buy a few bottles of an effective frizz fighter, like John Frieda Frizz-Ease, for only twenty bucks!
DOES ANTIDANDRUFF SHAMPOO REALLY WORK?
Fran is feeling flaky: What’s your opinion of Burt’s Bees Feelin’ Flaky Shampoo? Checking out the ingredients list, it looks as if the formulation does a good job of avoiding skin irritants (except for the tea tree oil), but since it all gets washed off after a few seconds, I don’t know how much good it could do. The ingredients are vegetable glycerin, lemon fruit water, sucrose cocoate, decyl polyglucose, willowbark extract, peppermint leaf extract (organic), willow leaf extract, burdock root extract, nettles leaf extract, yucca schidigera extract, cedar leaf oil, tea tree oil, lemon oil, rosemary oil, juniper oil, peppermint oil, xanthan gum (natural thickener), glucose, glucose oxidase and lactoperoxidase.
This is one of the shampoo issues that really make the Beauty Brains mad—false and misleading antidandruff claims. Some companies make it appear as though their products will control dandruff, but they really won’t. The way companies do this may not be strictly illegal, but it certainly is unethical in our opinion. Let’s look at this Burt’s Bees product as an example. While we believe Burt’s Bees generally produces high-quality products, the way they market their anti-dandruff shampoo is questionable.
BURT’S BEES FEELIN’ FLAKY SHAMPOO
According to drugstore.com, the full name of the product is Burt’s Bees Doctor Burt’s Herbal Treatment Shampoo with Cedar Leaf & Juniper Oil. Doctor Burt, huh? We know that the reference is tongue-in-cheek, but that sure sounds medicinal to us! Strike 1.
Below the name it describes the shampoo as Feelin’ Flaky? with a question mark. In the context of cleaning hair and scalp, flaky is generally the term used to describe a symptom of dandruff. (Itchiness is another symptom.) Hmmm. Strike 2.
And finally the directions: “Wet hair, lather, rinse, then lather and rinse again. Shampoo at least three times a week for maximum effectiveness.”
Maximum effectiveness? Again, sounds like they’re promising some kind of sustained effect. If they’re not talking about dandruff, what effectiveness are they talking about? Just getting your hair clean. That’s lame—Strike 3!
While this product, and others like it, don’t overtly claim to control dandruff, they seem to be making that implication.
WHAT’S IN A REAL ANTIDANDRUFF SHAMPOO?
The truth is antidandruff shampoos contain active ingredients that treat the physiological causes of dandruff. How can you tell if a shampoo is really effective against dandruff? In the United States, look for active drug ingredients like zinc pyrithione (ZPT) or selenium sulfide. In Europe and a few other countries, look for octopyrox on the label. If you don’t see some kind of legitimate active ingredient listed, it’s not an effective antidandruff shampoo. Don’t believe everything the cosmetics companies tell you!
THE BOTTOM LINE
You ask “how much good” this product will do for you. Well, it will certainly get your hair clean. The primary surfactants (sucrose cocoate and decyl polyglucose) will see to that. And it won’t dry your scalp out, either—those are pretty mild cleansers. But that’s about it. It’s not a medicated shampoo so it won’t do anything to control dandruff.
CAN YOU CLEAN YOUR HAIR WITH CONDITIONER?
Nancy needs to know: WEN is a line of cleansing conditioners created by Hollywood hair stylist Chaz: Dean. Dean believes that sulfates in most shampoos can be very damaging and stripping to hair, so he created these cleansing conditioners to clean hair without stripping it. Nancy wants to know if hair can really be better off in the long run by cleansing with a conditioner. And if it does work, would a regular drugstore conditioner produce the same effect?
First of all, the idea of cleansing your hair with conditioner is not new and was not invented by Chaz. And no, he’s not using any kind of revolutionary technology. Let’s take a look at the ingredients:
water, glycerin, cetyl alcohol, rosemary leaf extract, wild cherry fruit extract, fig extract, chamomile extract, marigold flower extract, behentrimonium methosulfate, cetearyl alcohol, stearamidopropyl dimethylamine, amodimethicone, hydrolized wheat protein, polysorbate 60, panthenol, menthol, sweet almond oil, PEG-60 almond glycerides, methylisothiazolinone, methylchloroisothiazolinone, citric acid, essential oils.
Looking at just the functional ingredients (leaving out extracts, preservatives and pH adjusters) leaves the following:
glycerin, cetyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate, cetearyl alcohol, stearamidopropyl dimethylamine (SADMA) and amodimethicone.
COMMON CONDITIONER
These are very common conditioning ingredients. Here’s what they do: Glycerin can provide moisturization in a leave-on product, but it doesn’t do anything for hair when it’s rinsed out. Cetyl and cetearyl alcohol are thickening and emulsifying agents used to make a conditioner rich and creamy. Because they’re oil-soluble they could, in theory, help lift some of the sebum off your hair and scalp. Behentrimonium methosulfate, SADMA and amodimethicone are very effective conditioning ingredients because they deposit on the hair.
DOES IT WORK?
Could you clean your hair with this product? Sure, if your hair isn’t very dirty, this could work pretty well. But so could any basic conditioner. In fact, we’d look for a conditioner that doesn’t have any silicone in it, just to make sure it leaves as little on your hair as possible.
But what if you have greasy hair, or if you use hairspray, mousse, gel or putty? Then cleansing conditioners are not a very good idea. They don’t have enough cleansing power to remove gunk from the hair. Chances are that cleansing with conditioner will leave your hair feeling dirty and weighed down.
THE BOTTOM LINE
If you’re really worried about drying your hair out by overshampooing, there’s nothing wrong with skipping your shampoo and just rinsing with conditioner once in a while. But you don’t need to spend $28 on a special product. A nice inexpensive drugstore brand like Suave or VO5 will do the same thing.
WANT SHINY HAIR? AVOID THE DULLING DOZEN!
Naturally shiny hair has a cuticle that’s smooth and flat; it’s plumped up with water (about 10 to 15% by weight) and it’s rich in natural oils that keep the whole thing “glued” together. Unfortunately, you’re stealing shine from your hair every day and you probably don’t even realize it. If you want good gloss, you should avoid these twelve things that can rob hair of shine. Or as we like to call them, the Dulling Dozen:
Even “harmless” water can be a shine stealer. That’s because too much moisture swells the hair shaft and causes the cuticle to buckle. The more frequently you wet your hair, the less shine you’re likely to have.
Scrubbing bubbles seem cute but that rub-a-dub-dub lifts the cuticle even more. Using a conditioning shampoo can help because the hair shafts won’t snag against each other when you’re lathering up.
OK, we don’t all need to condition every time we wash our hair. But if your hair is dry to begin with, it’s much more likely to be damaged during and after styling if you skip conditioner. You’re just giving shine away!
So now your hair is wet. What do you do? Blot, don’t rub! A rough towel can cause an amazing amount of damage on wet hair.
Don’t fall for that old myth that you should brush your hair 100 strokes every night. While brushing does temporarily help by distributing natural oils, in the long run it strips off layers of cuticle and weakens hair.
Heat is the natural enemy of shine. That’s because high temperatures damage the natural lipids (fancy word for oils) that help keep hair flexible and shiny. If you do decide to heat-style, use protection, like the silicone-containing TRESemmé Thermal Creations Heat Tamer spray.
Yes, you do need to use heat protection, but be careful what you wish for. Some leave-in creams and gels leave behind a dulling residue.
Chemical coloring is very damaging because it breaks down the inner structure of hair protein. Even if you use the special conditioner that comes with the coloring kit, your hair never fully recovers.
Permanent waving is another chemical process that’s highly damaging.
Twisting and playing with your hair is a dangerous habit as far as shine is concerned. That’s because the torsional forces (fancy word for twisting and bending) loosen the cuticles.
Wearing your hair in a ponytail may seem like a hassle-free style, but if you pull it back too tightly you may be creating microfractures in the hair that will reflect light unevenly and cause loss of shine.
And with the sun comes damaging UV radiation that can wreak havoc on natural hair lipids like 18-methyl eicosanoic acid. Without these lipids, hair dulls quickly. If you can’t stay out of the sun, make sure you’re protecting your hair with a good conditioner.
ARE HAIR EXTENSIONS KILLING YOUR HAIR?
Wanda writes: I got hair extensions almost two years ago. I paid $4,000 for the kind that are put on individually with clips, which need to be put in and taken out with a tool that only salons have and they have to be adjusted every month.
After about nine months, as the stylist was adjusting the clips, I noticed that my hair was coming out along with the extensions! There was no more hair below the clip of hair extension hair. My hair was just gone. It all broke off at hundreds of different places where the clips were attached. It looked like a horror film!
I cried for months. Now my hair is still growing from my roots, but it’s not getting longer. Is there anything I can do to help strengthen my hair and stop it from breaking? If I were a multimillionaire, would there be some way? Do movie stars have some way that we don’t know about to repair their hair?
Based on her description, Wanda probably has a condition known as traction alopecia, a type of hair loss that is caused by pulling on hair. In some cases this can be caused by wearing your hair in a ponytail; in this case it’s caused by the weight of the extensions. Over a long period, this pulling stress can cause the follicle to atrophy and stop producing normal hairs. Depending on the intensity and duration of the stress, the follicle may or may not recover.
FOLLICLE RECOVERY
If the extensions are removed in time, the follicles will recover and begin producing thick, strong hairs again. But if the follicles were permanently damaged, there’s not much that can be done. Sadly, there is no secret millionaire’s product that can solve the problem; there is no known medical treatment for late-stage traction alopecia.
One thing that might help increase hair strength, though, is treatment with pure coconut oil. Coconut oil is one of the few natural oils shown to penetrate the cortex and provide some strengthening effect to hair. It won’t make hair grow any thicker, but it might help protect thinner, weaker strands.
STRAIGHT TALK ABOUT STRAIGHTENING IRONS
Corinne asks: I’m in the market for a high-end straightening iron, and I feel completely overwhelmed by all the product choices out there! The major differences I see for most irons are the types of plates used, which include tourmaline/ceramic mix, ceramic and metal. While I’m presuming it’s the high heat (some heat up to 450°F) that helps straighten the hair shaft, how do these different plates benefit the hair? Are these newer kinds of straighteners with the tourmaline and ceramic healthier for your hair? I’m looking for an iron that works well, but doesn’t completely wreck and fry my hair shaft.
The number of choices for hair appliances is, indeed, paralyzing! But you don’t have to pay too much attention to all the hype about the different types of ironing plates. While it’s true that more expensive irons can be made from higher-quality materials, that really just means that the heating element is more rugged and the plates are built to take wear and tear. Cheaper flat irons may have inferior plates that can’t handle the heat and may snag your hair.
But whether it is tourmaline or ceramic, there’s nothing about the composition of the plate material that makes it intrinsically healthier for your hair. And don’t believe any of that crap about ionic straighteners. That’s pure marketing hype without a shred of scientific validation.
THE BOTTOM LINE
When buying a straightening iron, you’ll need to pay a bit more for high-quality construction, but you don’t need to pay extra for bogus scientific claims. There is no proof that tourmaline irons are better.
HOW TO KILL LICE AND NOT YOUR HAIR
Susan scratches her head: I’m having a lice problem. I just want to know what’s the most effective way to kill lice and nits and not dry or damage my hair in the process.
Head lice are tiny crawling insects about the size of a sesame seed or smaller. They have six clawed legs that they use to crawl over your hair; they cannot hop, jump or fly. Lice lay eggs, also known as nits, which they glue to individual hair shafts. Lice live only on humans, not pets, and (here’s the best part) they feed on human blood!
9 TIPS TO STOP SMELLY HAIR
It seems that a lot of people are complaining about smelly hair, and the blogosphere is buzzing with tips on how to neutralize hair odors. Here are nine ways to get rid of the odor and keep your hair smelling great.
1. Wash and condition your hair: This may seem obvious, but it’s the most thorough way to get your hair clean and odor-free.
2. Hair wipes: Hair wipes are like baby wipes made especially for your locks. Ted Gibson has an excellent product that should help remove any odor from your hair.
3. Hair fragrance: One way to get rid of an odor is to cover it up with some other odor. Hair fragrances are great for this purpose.
4. Use your perfume: If you can’t find a “real” hair fragrance, just improvise with your favorite perfume or cologne. Just be sure not to use too much!
5. Powder shampoo: Instead of getting your hair wet, you can use a dry powder shampoo to add a little fragrance and remove the odor. Just sprinkle it in and brush the odors out.
6. Leave-in conditioner or combing cream: A touch of leave-in conditioner or another styling product can mask icky odors.
7. Do a speedy, secret sink wash: Wet your hands, take a tiny dab of liquid soap and run your fingers through your hair. Caution: This doesn’t work on all hairstyles.
8. Dryer sheets: You’ll cover up the odor and you’ll get rid of embarrassing static cling.
9. Use an antimicrobial shampoo: This can help if your smelly scalp is caused by scalp fungus or bacteria.
NIT PICKING
The good news is that there several over-the-counter drug products that are effective against lice and nits. The bad news is that these products contain isopropyl alcohol, which can dry your hair. There are “natural” lice cures, but there is little or no data to prove that these are effective. The safest and surest way to get rid of lice and not damage your hair is to use a lice comb to pick the nits out one by one, but this is a very tedious and time-consuming process.
Recently, there was a study done by researchers at the University of Utah in which they created a steam-cleaning device (a cross between a vacuum cleaner and a hair dryer) to kill lice. It’s not even available to the public yet, but it could prove to be an interesting new treatment.
BEST LICE TREATMENT
Which treatment method is best? Rather than spelling out all the pros and cons of each method here, go to HeadLice.org for a thorough question-and-answer page. And if you do decide to use the lice-killing shampoo, make sure you follow that with a good conditioner to counteract the drying effects of the alcohol.
3 HAIR MYTHS
While your mom, friends and stylist are well-meaning when they give you advice about hair products, they may not be giving you accurate, science-based information. We do that here as we explore some common myths about hair products and let you know whether they are true or not. Should you really avoid silicone? Do certain products leave plastic on your hair? Read on to find out.
ARE YOU SPENDING TOO MUCH ON CONDITIONER?
Christine queries: Will a more expensive conditioner make my hair stronger? I’m a science teacher, so don’t spare me the technical details!
Expensive does not always mean better when it comes to hair and skin care products, but to explain further, we’ll have to fill you in on how conditioners work.
HOW DO CONDITIONERS STRENGTHEN HAIR?
The outer layer of the hair consists of overlapping scales, called cuticles. These cuticles are like the shingles on the roof of your house—they protect what’s beneath it. As your hair is damaged from washing and drying and combing and brushing and perming and coloring, the cuticle starts to wear away. When this happens, your hair is broken more easily.
Conditioners strengthen hair in two ways. The most important thing they do is smooth the cuticle and help keep it in place. The “strengthening” effect can be shown by measuring combing force. The other effect is internal. Some ingredients, like panthenol, penetrate into the cortex, the middle part of the hair. By interacting with the proteins in the cortex, these conditioners can improve the tensile strength of hair. This type of strength is measured with an instrument that pulls on individual hair fibers (after they’ve been removed from your head, of course!) and measures how much force it takes for the hair to break.
ARE EXPENSIVE CONDITIONERS BETTER?
So do expensive conditioners strengthen hair better than cheap ones? Not necessarily. The very, very cheap conditioners typically rely on one or two conditioning agents to do the job. And they usually can’t afford to use silicones, which are among the most effective smoothing agents. So, chances are, if you’re only spending a buck or two on your conditioner, you’re not getting the best product.
But once you get up in price to the $4 or $5 conditioners, the differences in strengthening are less significant. For example, Pantene and TRESemmé are among the best conditioners we’ve ever tested and they’re certainly not that expensive. Most mid-or high-priced conditioners will do a pretty good job of lubricating your hair to prevent breakage.