Can You Get Hooked On Lip Balm?

There are probably two reasons: First, we know that as you age, the follicles produce less of their natural lubricating oils. That can make hair feel dry and coarse. Second, gray hairs are just easier to notice because of the color difference. Think about all the hairs on your head that are unruly. Those that are the same color as the rest of your hair simply don’t get noticed.

THE BOTTOM LINE

There is no solid data to show that gray hair has a different physical structure that makes it feel more kinky and unruly. In fact, we’ve seen experiments that show if people close their eyes they cannot feel a difference between gray hair and “normal” hair.

WILL HONEY AND CINNAMON HELP STOP HAIR FROM FALLING OUT BUT TURN HAIR GRAY?

Sosina says: I read on the internet that applying honey and cinnamon to hair is good for treating hair loss. But people say that honey makes hair gray. Which one is true?

The internet is a wonderful tool, but remember anyone can write anything, and you never know what is really true. (Unless you’re reading the Beauty Brains, that is.)

WHAT DOES HONEY DO ON HAIR?

Honey is a humectant, which means it has a tendency to hold on to water molecules. This is a desirable property in a moisturizer, especially one designed for skin. But unlike skin, hair is not alive and it doesn’t need as much moisture as skin does. Honey is not a good lubricant, so it doesn’t have any benefit for making hair slippery and smooth. In fact, it’s the opposite of slippery—it’s sticky because it’s basically a sugary solution. (Rub some between your fingers and you’ll see!) It will not smooth your cuticles or help a comb pass through your hair without damaging it. So any moisture-grabbing benefits that honey might give your hair are offset by its stickiness. The bottom line is that honey is not good for conditioning your hair.

But what about hair loss and graying?

HONEY AND HAIR LOSS

Hair loss is one of the most vexing cosmetic problems facing both men and women. Hundreds of thousands of materials have been suggested as a treatment but the truth is the only topical treatment that has been proven to work is Minoxidil. And even this is not effective for the majority of people. There is no proof that honey prevents hair loss and there isn’t even any scientific reason that it would work.

HONEY AND GRAY HAIR

Gray hair is the result of melanocytes (pigment-producing cells) in your hair follicles shutting down. Literally, your gray hair has no pigment, thus no color. Fortunately, exposure to honey will not cause your hair to turn gray. In fact, it might even help stain your hair to make it darker.

CINNAMON AND YOUR HAIR

While honey is primarily sugar, cinnamon is made up of a variety of bioactive materials, including cinnamaldehyde, essential oils and antioxidants. If either honey or cinnamon would have an effect on hair loss, cinnamon certainly would be a better candidate. There is some evidence that cinnamon has an anti-inflammatory effect. Another anti-inflammatory ingredient, silanediol salicylate, is currently being studied for its potential to reduce hair loss, raising the possibility that cinnamon might also help in a similar way. However, there is still no solid proof that anti-inflammatory agents help stop or reverse hair loss.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Neither honey nor cinnamon has been proven to help stop hair loss or turn hair gray, but if you are going to try one, go for cinnamon. At least it has the potential to do something.

ARE THE PICTURES ON THE BACK OF THE SHAMPOO BOTTLE ACCURATE?

Rosanna requests: On the back of many Pantene shampoo bottles, there are pictures—one that shows damaged hair and one that shows repaired hair after the use of Pantene. Are those pictures realistic and, if so, how long does it take for the repair to take place?

Pantene has been the market leader in shampoo for over ten years, partly because it is an inexpensive and excellently formulated product. However, to maintain this kind of market dominance, you need more than great technology. You need the best marketing in the industry and that’s what Procter & Gamble (the makers of Pantene) has.

PANTENE SMOOTHES HAIR FIBERS

Believe it or not, the pictures on the back of Pantene’s bottles do give a reasonable representation of what is happening on your hair. What is shown are two pictures of hair strands—one strand has cuticles that are jagged and lifted up, the other strand is smooth and nicer-looking. The message you are supposed to get from this is that by using Pantene shampoo and conditioner, your hair will be softer, smoother and shinier. Is it true? It is true that the cuticles (the outer layer of a hair fiber) of damaged hair will look jagged and lift up from the fiber. The image is an artist’s rendition of a close-up microscopic view of the hair. When a fiber is treated with a conditioning shampoo like Pantene, it leaves a coating of silicone and polyquat that “glues” down the cuticles and makes the hair look smooth.

This effect is immediate and doesn’t require weeks of product use. But Pantene’s advertising claims that your hair gets better after a month is more story than fact. Hair gets better right away. There could be a minor improvement over time but, for the most part, as soon as you apply Pantene you’ll get the benefit.

We should mention that almost any conditioning shampoo could put a similar picture on the back of its shampoo bottles. Any shampoo that leaves a coating of silicone or polyquat will have this smoothing effect on the cuticles. Also, any conditioner will have this effect, too.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The images on the back of a Pantene shampoo bottle do demonstrate how the product actually works. The effect is immediate and one you can get from almost any moisturizing or 2-in-1 shampoo.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ALL THOSE HAIR COLOR PRODUCTS?

Sandy wants to know: What do all those different hair color products do? Also, do they damage your hair if you add highlights?

Highlights, lowlights, washable, semipermanent, demipermanent, permanent! With all the different hair color products out there, it’s no wonder people are confused. Add to that all the different color shades and it’s enough to make you give up.

TYPES OF HAIR COLOR PRODUCTS

Hair colors are all classified by the length of time they will last in your hair. Here they are in order of shortest-lasting color to longest.

1 Washable: These are temporary dyes and stains that wash off relatively easily with shampoo. They are also called “deposit only” colors. The benefit of this type of coloring is that it does not damage hair. The drawback is that the color does not look as good or last as long.

2 Semipermanent: If you are unsure about a new hair color, the semipermanent route may be the way to go. These products deposit color on and just below the surface of hair. They do not break down your natural color so they can only be used to make your hair darker. Demipermanent hair colors use the same basic technology but last a little longer. They look good and do not damage your hair as much as permanent colors, but they also don’t last as long.

3 Permanent: These colors completely change the hair and can make even the darkest brunette into a bleach-blond bombshell. They work in a multiple-step chemical process. First, the color that is already in the hair is chemically broken down with hydrogen peroxide. This step also has the effect of opening up the hair “pores” so the color molecules can get in. Next, color is applied and allowed to chemically react. As it reacts, the color molecules get too big and become locked inside the hair shaft. This is how the color becomes permanent. This method gives you the most natural, longest-lasting hair color possible. Unfortunately, it is also the most damaging to hair. There’s always a trade-off.

4 Highlights: Blond highlights are the result of bleaching hair in a controlled way. Aluminum foil is often used to keep the peroxide bleach away from hairs that are not to be colored. The process is permanent (until your hair grows out, of course) and highly damaging. But it does make your hair look great!

DOES HIGHLIGHTING HURT HAIR?

Permanent highlights chemically break down hair, so they definitely make it weaker. But most people like how highlights look, so they are willing to suffer a little damage. Washable highlights are based on temporary colors and do not damage hair. If you are unsure whether you will like having highlights, starting with the washable kind is an excellent idea. If you want the look to last longer than a couple of days, however, you’ll have to get permanent highlights.

THE BOTTOM LINE

While permanent hair color is damaging, it looks better and lasts longer than the semipermanent and washable options. If you want your hair color to look as good as it can, go for a permanent color and have it applied by a skilled hairdresser.

IS A RELAXER THE ONLY WAY TO GET HAIR REALLY STRAIGHT?

Valerie asks: Is there anything out there in the market to straighten my hair without using a harsh chemical relaxer?

The quest for straight hair has led people to try everything from pulling, ironing and blow-drying to chemical treatments. Chemical relaxers have a number of drawbacks, including being inconvenient, expensive and, worse, painful. Relaxers are the most damaging cosmetic treatment you can do to hair.

Unfortunately, there is nothing on the market that works as well or lasts as long as chemical relaxers. However, there are at least five other things you can try to get straight hair that won’t cause as much damage. These include the following:

Hairdressings and silicone creams: Products to control your hair shape have been around for over a hundred years. They contain oily materials like petrolatum, mineral oil and lanolin, which coat hair and prevent it from taking its natural shape. Silicone creams are also available and contain materials like dimethicone or cyclomethicone. The product is put on damp hair and combed straight. VO5 Hairdressing is the most famous of these types of products.

Performance These treatments work well for all types of hair, are nondamaging and are relatively inexpensive. On the other hand, they leave hair feeling greasy, looking unnatural and they only last until your next wash.

Brushing, blow-drying and styling: When hair gets wet, it straightens out. If you can hold the hair in that shape while drying it, you can keep it straight. To aid in this process, styling products like gels, mousses and pomades can all be used. These products will add an additional polymer coating on hair to keep it straight.

Performance This method can be effective but requires a lot of time and some skill in applying the product and shaping your hair. It is minimally damaging and can lead to a natural look. However, the effect doesn’t work on all hair types and lasts only until your next wash. This is much easier if done by a stylist.

Flat iron: If you have really curly hair and the blow-drying + brushing method doesn’t work, a flat iron might. Used on clean, dry hair, it gets hair straight in the same way as blow-drying, but it is more intense and effective on nearly all hair types, especially dry hair.

Performance Flat irons work with almost any hair type and can give a nice, natural look if you know what you are doing. However, they are damaging to hair and hair will frizz out when humidity is high if you don’t use a styling product, too. The results are temporary and have to be redone any time your hair gets wet.

Brazilian hair straightening: This is a chemical treatment in which a stylist applies a keratin protein formula and uses a flat iron to get your hair straight. Theoretically, the protein crystallizes on your hair, which helps keep it straight for many weeks. To retain the look, you need to avoid washing your hair.

Performance Although this method works, at $150 and up per treatment, it hardly seems worth it. You can’t wash your hair or it will return to its natural, curly state. There’s also the issue of a significant amount of formaldehyde being released during the process. It is probably not a problem for occasional use, but imagine your poor stylist! You can get the same effect using a flat iron, styling products and less frequent hair washing, so it’s probably not worth the money.

Japanese straightening system: This is a more permanent way to remove the curls from your hair. At $500 and up per treatment, it is the most expensive of all the methods listed. During the Japanese straightening system, the stylist applies a special formula consisting of reducing agents like Thioglycolates. Then a flat iron and a neutralizing solution make the hair straight. With proper care the effect can last for six months.

Performance The high price of this procedure has kept most people away from repeat procedures. It uses a process similar to traditional relaxers and is just as damaging. If you are looking for a replacement for relaxers, this is not a good choice.

Relaxers: No doubt about it—relaxers are the most effective and permanent way to take curls out of hair. They are more effective and less expensive than either the Brazilian or the Japanese systems. Relaxers employ a chemical like sodium hydroxide to break down hair bonds and permanently change the structure.

Performance Relaxers are the most damaging hair treatment, so your hair will break more easily and feel dry. Also, your curly hair will grow back so you’ll need to continue to relax your hair every six weeks to keep it straight.

THE BOTTOM LINE

At the moment, there is no less-harsh treatment that works as well as a relaxer. Blow-dryers, styling products and flat irons can mimic the results, but they take a long time and are short-lasting.

WHY DOES SHAMPOO HAVE MEAT TENDERIZER IN IT?

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