Shampoo Addiction and the People it Hurts

Wash, rinse, wait at least one day then repeat. This is what it should say on the back of all shampoo bottles. The fact is that most shampoos are essentially chemical scrubs for your hair. If you continuously scrub a surface that surface will dry out and thin until it eventually cracks, breaks, and/or depletes completely. It is not necessary to do this to your hair. Maintaining proper hygiene doesn’t have to be dangerous to any part of your body.

When we shampoo we are attempting to break up dirt and excess oils and then rinse them away. Shampoo does this through the effects of surfactants such as sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, or the ammonium based ammonium lauryl sulfate. Surfactants conduct an amazing process of penetrating oils, emulsifying these oils, suspending them in water, and then finally rinsing these oils down the drain as you rinse the shampoo from your hair. This being the desired effect of you stepping into your shower and grabbing that shampoo bottle we can definitely say that these surfactants do the job. The problem arises when this process of stripping oils is done too often. The body produces sebum(oil) to protect the skin and hair. Sebum keeps the hair from becoming dry, brittle, and cracked from dehydration. To remove sebum daily threatens the integrity of the hair.

I often recommend that a safer alternative to daily shampooing would be to skip at least one day between shampoos. On this day, if it is felt necessary, rather than using shampoo just use conditioner. Start by thoroughly rinsing your hair. Then use a conditioner to emulsify the dirt and oils in your hair by massaging it in as you would a shampoo. Again thoroughly rinse your hair, this time ending with a cool rinse. For my clients who were stuck on a regimen of daily shampooing this alternative proved to be very effective. Many said that even after a workout, when their hair is screaming for a shower, using the conditioner does the job.

As with any change  there may be a period of adjustment. At first it may feel wrong to not shampoo your hair everyday if that is what you are used to. It may feel wrong to put conditioner on your hair when you haven’t shampooed it yet. It is easier to build patterns than it is to change them. There may be a period of adjustment physiologically as well. Your body is a system that reacts to its environment and conditions. The production of sebum is a normal balanced bodily function. When you remove the sebum the sebaceous glands release more to ensure the protection of the hair and skin. A balanced body will maintain a balanced sebum production. When an immediate change is made in the removal of the sebum the body may continue producing and releasing at the same rate until balance to the new conditions is achieved. I have heard from many of my clients that at first their hair felt weighed down but within a few days as they got used to not shampooing daily their hair got its bounce back and was much shinier and healthier looking than before.

To maintain healthy beautiful hair it is important to be aware of what your putting on it and how that will affect the integrity of the hairs structure. How strong it is coming out of your scalp depends on how you treat your body. How strong it is after that is not only based on how you treat your body but a direct result of how you treat your hair. Be nice to your hair.

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Moroccan Oil

I was given a sample of Moroccan Oil sometime last year. It was put in a drawer and I forgot about it. Months later I had a client referred to me with extremely over processed hair. She had a bad color job and then two more on top of that in attempts to fix the problem. After I fixed her color I could still see the tattered texture in her dried out hair strands. The ends were brittle and the overall feel was very rough. I opened my drawer and that little bottle of Moroccan oil winked at me. Moments later her hair thanked me.

I now keep a large bottle of Moroccan Oil on my station. With oil in the name you would expect otherwise but It’s very lightweight, soft and not greasy at all. It provides a smooth surface which is what makes Moroccan oil an excellent  product for enhancing shine. I have used it when the hair is freshly shampooed and towel dried. I have also used it at the end of styling to add just a bit of shine and luster.

I think it’s important to know that Moroccan oil is a Silicone based product. This means that the smooth shiny appearance as well as the softness in the feel of the hair is not necessarily the hair itself through a repairing of the hair shaft but rather is the seal that the Silicone envelops around the hair shaft. I have some concerns with the use of Silicone on the hair, for more information on this visit my previous article on Silicone based products. However, used in moderation along with a regular schedule of clarifying and conditioning treatments I think that Moroccan oil is a great product.

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Are Silicones In Your Products Poisons For Your Hair?

Okay, so I have done extensive research on Silicones in hair products. I have the information that I have established based on my personal experience of analyzing hair belonging to women who regularly use silicone based products. Through what I know of the purposes for using Silicones I maintain an understanding of their effects. And having read a copious amount of information about silicones, their properties, uses, and generally how they function as  man-made polymer compounds I now feel confident in my assessment of their lasting effects in hair products.

Firstly It is important to understand what silicones are and how they perform so as to better understand why they are used in the formulation of many hair products. Silicones are man made polymer compounds with quite a few interesting properties and uses. They can be heat resistant which is the reason for the use of silicones in many modern cooking utensils. They also have a high electrical resistance which, along with their heat resistant properties, is why they are used in electrical products for insulation purposes. Used as sealants  and caulks, as lubricants and coatings it is their properties of resistance that has made silicones so widely used in a large variety of products in many industries.

It is the hydrophobic property(water resistance) that has made them such a staple in many hair care products. When you smooth your hair out in the morning walk out your door with shiny bouncy locks and see limp frizzy hair by the time you are leaving work this is due to the absorption of moisture from the humidity in the air around you. Which is the reason why women in drier climates get away with doing so much less to their hair to maintain style. Silicones in hair care products assist in preventing this limp frizzy disaster by creating a seal around the hair shaft; A seal that blocks the absorption of moisture thereby preventing the swelling of the hair shaft that is frizzy limp hair. It is also said that the silicones smooth and soften the hair. What I have found is that the silicones themselves are smooth and soft so it is not so much that the hair is becoming smoother and softer but rather that the seal formed around the hair shaft is soft and smooth.

Now this all sounds great. Frizz is caused by the absorption of moisture, silicones prevent the absorption of moisture. I agree, honestly I have used some of these products and been very pleased with their immediate results. However, it is the long term effects of excessive use that I intend to caution here. I liken the regular use of silicones on your hair to deciding that the air around you is not the best air you could be breathing so you tie a bag around your head. To sustain your own life you at some point will need to breathe again and a bag tied tightly around your head would make that quite difficult. Your lungs need oxygen as do your skin and hair need moisture. Winter rolls around and we all see the benefits of the moisture our humid climate provides. The cold dry air of winter brings with it chapped dry skin and dry brittle hair.

Through much hair analysis I have seen that excessive use of  silicone based products lead to the hair under the seal becoming dry and weakened. I have also observed that silicone based products can and often do become difficult to wash out with a simple shampoo which leads to a further inability to absorb the necessary moisture from conditioners and natural secretions of the body. This can be taken care of with a good clarifying treatment. I recommend seeing your stylist to do this and getting a conditioning treatment at the same time. Excessive clarifying can extremely deplete the hairs moisture balance.

So I’m not screaming “Here comes Silicones! RUN!” All I am really saying is be conscientious with what you put both in and on your body. Eat your vegetables but also enjoy your wine. Just maintain a balance and take care of your body from hair to toes. Chase health and beauty will chase you -Clemente

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Quick Fix for an Oily Scalp

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Straight Salvation or Mad Science?

So if you haven’t heard yet there could be a pill on the way that will let you throw out that flat iron. Researchers at Australias Queensland Institute of Medical Research said they have discovered the gene responsible for dictating the curliness of  hair.

Researcher professor Nick Martin, author of the research, said a variation in the trachohyalin gene determines the straightness or curliness of  the hair. Professor Martin also says this discovery will lead to a pill that will make it possible to grow straight hair rather than treating the hair directly to achieve the sleek look.

Honestly, knowing what it takes to straighten curly hair and maintain that smooth style, I can see the appeal of  a pill being your straight salvation. But I don’t even like the idea of doing chemical texture changes because you lose your options by permanently straightening your hair. All that aside there is something rather questionable in the possibility of changing your genetic makeup for different hair. I am however excited to see what comes of all this. Tell me what you think by leaving a comment here.

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