Hair | Fitness Lifestyle Health Club

Posts Tagged ‘hair’

Is Baby Shampoo Bad For Your Hair?

March 9th, 2010

The FLHC

Kitten Devine’s question…Yesterday at a hair shop they asked me what shampoo I used. So I told them I use Zwitsal baby shampoo, because I like how it makes my hair feel and because sodium laureth sulphate is only the 5th ingredient on the list, so I figured it’s more gentle and doesn’t strip the color out of my hair. Now they told me that baby shampoo was bad for your hair because the pH of it is different then regular shampoos. Because of the different pH it would open your cuticles whereas ‘good’ (more acidic) shampoos would close them. Is this true or myth?

The Left Brain’s reply:

As Purple Rules pointed out in our Forum, the pH of baby shampoos has nothing to do with it’s performance. Shampoos are formulated over a pH range from about 5.0 to 7.0. Most people’s water has a pH around 6.5 to 7.0. No matter what shampoo you use, once it’s on your head mixed with water, the pH will be about the same as the water. The people at your hair shop are mistaken.

What do YOU think? Has your stylist ever told you to change shampoos because of the pH? Leave a comment and share your thoughts about this myth with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

View full post on The Beauty Brains

Posted in Beauty

Tags: Baby, baby shampoo, beauty brains, cuticles, hair, hair shop, left brain, ph range, shampoo, sodium laureth sulphate

3 Comments »

Does Infusium Weaken Hair?

March 7th, 2010

The FLHC

Berlina beckons…I had recently been using Infusium leave in treatment on my hair and it had been working fabulously. But, my little brother managed to spill the entire bottle on my floor. After thinking of buying another bottle, I bought a replacement conditioner for the time being for the rest of the week. I was wondering what it is in Infusium that works so well with my hair? I heard that it may cause your hair to weaken. Is this true?

The Right Brain Responds:
Infusium 23 has been around for many, many years (although now it’s owned by P&G) and it’s a very nice leave-in formula. What’s in it that makes it work so well? Let’s take a look at the ingredient list:

Water, Amodimethicone, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Panthenol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Dimethicone Copolyol, Polyquaternium-11, Citric Acid, Betaine, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Tricontanyl PVP, PPG-2 Methyl Ether, Serine, Glycine, Glutamic Acid, Arginine, Threonine, Lysine, Alanine, Proline, Hydroxyethylcellulose, PEG-8/SMDI Copolymer, Behenic Acid, Palmitoyl Myristyl Serinate, Oleic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Stearic Acid, Arachidic Acid, PEG-8, Polysorbate 80, Amino Methylpropanol, Fragrance, Sodium PCA, Methylparaben, Methylisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone

If we strip this list down to the basic, functional ingredients it looks like this:

Amodimethicone, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Cetrimonium Chloride, Dimethicone Copolyol, Polyquaternium-11

Infusium action

Of these ingredients, two are really doing most of the work: amodimethicone (which is a water soluble silicone dispersion) and cetrimonium chloride (a very simple but very effective quaternary ammonium compound which sticks to damaged areas of the hair.)

Does it weaken hair? No. All conditioners work by smoothing the cuticle and lubricating the hair shaft to protect hair from damage. Infusium does that very nicely without weakening the hair.

The Beauty Brains bottom line:

If you like leave-in conditioners, you’ll probably like Infusium 23. Make your brother buy you a new bottle and don’t worry about weakening your hair.

How do YOU like to conditioner your hair? Leave in? Rinse out? Leave a comment and share your conditioning tips with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

View full post on The Beauty Brains

Posted in Beauty

Tags: acid, beauty brains, functional ingredients, hair, hair shaft, hydrogenated castor oil, Infusium, methylchloroisothiazolinone, quaternary ammonium compound, sodium pca, Weaken

1 Comment »

Man With World’s Longest Hair Dies

March 4th, 2010

The FLHC

What kind of beauty science blog would we be if we didn’t report on this story: The man with the world’s longest hair just died.

Tran Van Hay, who lived in Vietnam and passed away last week at the age of 79 is on record as having the longest hair in the world, according to the Guinness World Records. At the time of his death it was estimated to be 6.8 meters (more than 23 feet! The last time his hair was officially measured, in 2004, it was 5.6 meters or 18 feet.)

Ladies of the Long Hair Community, eat your hearts out!

What’s the longest hair you’ve ever known anyone to have? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

View full post on The Beauty Brains

Posted in Beauty

Tags: Beauty, beauty brains, Dies, guinness world records, hair, last time, long hair, Longest, longest hair in the world, share your thoughts, tran van hay, Van Hay, Vietnam, world, World’s

No Comments »

What’s The Difference Between Shampoo and Conditioner?

March 3rd, 2010

The FLHC

Rainbow is curious…I don’t understand, when you apply your shampoo, your hair gets really rough and when you put on conditioner your hair gets really soft. What happened? and also i want to know, is conditioner ACTUALLY being absorbed by your hair?

The Left Brain explains:

The difference is simple. Shampoos contain cleansing surfactants like SLS, SLES or other detergents. These materials surround oil, lift it off and get rinsed away with the water. Shampoos do not necessarily dry your hair. What they do is remove all the oil (unless you’re using a 2-in-1). This makes the hair feel more dry.

Conditioners also contain surfactants, but these are conditioning surfactants. These surfactants have a positive charge on them which makes them “stick” to the damaged, negatively charged proteins on hair. So, when they are rinsed away, things like cetyl alcohol and other ingredients in the conditioner are rinsed away. Conditioners also contain silicones that will stick on hair and are not rinsed away. Conditioners mostly remain on the surface of hair but they do penetrate (absorb) to a small degree.

View full post on The Beauty Brains

Posted in Beauty

Tags: beauty brains, between, Conditioner, Conditioners, degree view, detergents, difference, hair, left brain, shampoo, silicones, surfactants, What’s

1 Comment »

Chemically Straightening Or Flat Iron: Which Is Worse?

February 27th, 2010

The FLHC

Kim comments… What’s worse: chemically straightening hair, or blowing hair out and flat ironing it 2-3 times per week? I know they’re both bad, but is there a lesser of the two evils?

The Right Brain Replies:
Chemically straightening is about the worst thing you can do to your hair. That’s because the first step in the hair straightening process breaks apart the protein bonds in hair.

Breaking those bonds allows you to take the curl out of the hair but it’s very harmful because not all the bonds are repaired. So, your hair is left much weaker after straightening.

Blow drying and ironing are harmful too, but they’re much less damaging than chemical attacks. Plus, you can use heat protection products that will help cut down on the damage.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

You can iron your hair straight many times before you’ll equal the damage from chemically straightening it one time.

View full post on The Beauty Brains

Posted in Beauty

Tags: Beauty, beauty brains, Chemically, Damage, Flat, hair, heat protection, Iron, Kim, protein bonds, right brain, Straightening, straightening hair, time view, two evils, Worse

No Comments »

Liquid Glass for Hair?

February 24th, 2010

The FLHC

Professor Auntie asks…Do you think we’ll be spraying liquid glass on our hair soon?

The Left Brain says:

Auntie is referring to a story I Tweeted about a few days ago about “SiO2 ultra-thin layering” technology.

According to Physorg.com this sprayable glass coating, consisting of nano-sized silicon dioxide particles in water or ethanol, could revolutionize “almost everything” because it can protect any surface from environmental factors like moisture, UV radiation, dirt, heat, and even bacteria. Follow the link to read more about this fascinating new discovery.

Glass for hair?

Considering the protective properties of this technology and given that the coating is flexible and invisible, there is certainly potential application to hair care. If this product is proven safe, I certainly think you will be seeing salon hair treatments with it first. Then eventually it will be brought to the mass market. But that could be 5 to 10 years or more. (The Right Brain disagrees with me and thinks that instead that it will come from a major beauty company that has the resources to do the research and development. I guess time will tell which one of us is right.)

What do YOU think? Can you think of any other uses for this kind of breakthrough coating? Leave a comment and brainstorm with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

View full post on The Beauty Brains

Posted in Beauty

Tags: beauty brains, coating, Glass, hair, left brain, Liquid, liquid glass, new discovery, Professor Auntie, right brain, silicon dioxide, uv radiation

3 Comments »

Our Wedding Plan: My Hair (Round 2)

February 22nd, 2010

The FLHC

Ok, so wedding hair is an important topic, so I need to talk about it again. Mostly because I can’t make a decision without a lot of input.

That’s where you guys come in.

In case you missed my first hair post, I’m going to be sporting a modern version of the classic finger wave. Since our wedding theme is “Old Hollywood”, I think it’ll fit in with the theme pretty well. However, my goal is to have movie star hair without going completely overboard.

I’ve decided that I’m not going to wear a veil, but I want some sort of embellished ‘thing’ in my hair.

My lovely, wonderful, gorgeous BFF Matron of Honor will be wearing this in her blonde hair (as long as she approves it, of course):

p.s…my decor is going to be heavy on the peacock feathers, so this will fit right in. I will be wearing a champagne pearl necklace, but I haven’t come to a decision regarding earrings yet.

Here are the fascinator hair pieces from Etsy that I’m toying with:

#1

#2

#3

(the picture is kind of blurry, but it has pearls)

#4

Now, keep in mind that my hair is sort of brownish-reddish, and it will most likely be some shade of brownish-reddish for the wedding as well.

Input?

* Have you joined my Facebook Group yet?

* See how my training is going over here!

* Looking for my eBook?

*Check out my body image project!

View full post on Jogger’s Life

Posted in Jogging & Running

Tags: decision, etsy, finger wave, hair, Hollywood, image project, matron of honor, old hollywood, peacock feathers, Plan, Round, Wedding, wedding hair

3 Comments »

How Do Volumizing Treatments Work?

February 17th, 2010

The FLHC

Chrissy’s quote…After years of limp hair, I am seeking a hair routine that actually works. How do volumizing treatments work? What ingredients should I look for in a product like shampoo?

The Right Brain’s regrettable response:

Chrissy, allow us to put this delicately: Remember when your parents told you about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny? And you thought that was SO AWESOME? And then you found out that they weren’t real, that they were just a made up fantasy? Remember that?

Turn down the volume

Well, volumizing shampoos and conditioners are kind of like that. There is no real ingredient technology that can volumize hair from a shampoo or a conditioner. At best, a shampoo or conditioner can help volumize hair a little bit by NOT weighing it down. That’s because some shampoos, and all conditioners, work by leaving a residue on hair. That’s great if you need conditioning, but this residue can weigh hair down and rob it of volume and body. “Volumizing” products are designed to leave less stuff on your hair so you keep more of the volume you have. Make sense?

Oh, it’s also possible that you could say shampoos volumize because they’re getting dirt and oil off your hair that is weighing it down. So if that’s all the volume you want, any clarifying shampoo will do that.

Pump it up

If you really need to ADD volume, your options are limited. You probably already know that mousses, gels, etc help you get the volume you want in your style and hairsprays and spritzs help lock in volume. But you might not know that coloring your hair is a good way to add volume too because the coloring process damages the hair shaft and causes it to swell. Many women comment that their hair feels fuller after they have it colored. It’s not a great solution because it is damaging, but you might like the end results.

The Beauty Brains bottom line:

There’s really nothing a shampoo or conditioner can do to add volume to your hair. But that doesn’t mean you can’t believe in Santa Claus.

View full post on The Beauty Brains

Posted in Beauty

Tags: beauty brains, Bunny, Chrissy, clarifying shampoo, Claus, coloring your hair, hair, hair shaft, hairsprays, ingredient technology, shampoo, shampoos and conditioners, Treatments, volume, Volumizing, work

No Comments »

What Does Your Hair Really Need?

February 17th, 2010

The FLHC

Cubelixa’s question…Ok, thanks to you I have already learned that silicones are not as bad as some people say; that the first 5 key ingredients of shampoo and conditioner of different brands are often the same or at least similar; and that the herbal stuff they throw into their products don’t do much for my hair but are mostly there for selling/marketing reasons. Now my question is: what (ingredients) does my hair really need to stay healthy and grow as long as I want it to?

The Left Brain’s answer:

The truth is your hair doesn’t “need” any topical ingredient to keep it “healthy” and growing long.

No such thing as healthy hair

It’s a common misconception that hair can be healthy. Hair can be no more healthy than a shoe lace, a cotton blouse, or any other non-living fiber. The hair on your head is not living tissue. It is dead, keratinized protein. Hair cannot be healthy. Of course, it can look healthy or not-healthy but that’s not the same thing.

What does hair need?

So, hair doesn’t need any topical treatment. However, hair follicles (the living tissue below your scalp that makes hair) do need vitamins, nutrients, and other critical elements that it gets from the foods you eat. This is why it is important to eat a healthy diet to have healthy looking hair.

One other factor

Although there is no ingredient you can put on your hair to make it healthier or improve growth, the particular hair style you wear can have an effect on growth. If you wear pony tails, do a lot of heat styling, or otherwise physically damage your hair, it will negatively affect hair growth.

Read more in the Beauty Brains Forum thread on healthy hair.

View full post on The Beauty Brains

Posted in Beauty

Tags: beauty brains, growth, hair, hair need, ingredients of shampoo, left brain, Need, pony tails, question, Read, Really, shampoo and conditioner, shoe lace

No Comments »

How to quick fix your messy bed head

November 16th, 2009

The FLHC

Washing, blow drying, straightening or curling your hair every day can be very annoying and time consuming. There are those days where our hair is flat, oily or dull and going through the whole hair routine is just not a possibility. Sometimes all you need is a little bit of primping to revive your hair back to its beautiful state.

1.) Oily Bed Head

Oil starts at the root of the hair but that doesn’t mean you should allow yourself to turn into a grease ball. The days of “Grease Lightening” are a trend that’s long gone! To aid your oily roots, apply a small amount of baby powder to the root and scalp area. Massage into the hair and fluff excess powder out. This will allow your natural oils to be absorbed by the powder and leave you smelling baby clean!

2.) Dead Flat Do

Whether it’s your pillow or gravity sometimes your hair just falls dead flat. Often we result in re-washing and drying to get the life back in our hair, but you don’t have to go through this anymore. Flip your head upside down and mist the crown of your head with hair spray. Before the spray dries, circulate a blow dryer throughout your hair. The heat with the help of the hair spray will help to pump up your volume.

3.) Tease and Toss

Another way you can revive your bed head is by using a simple teasing

technique. Spray the roots of your hair with hair spray. Place a fine toothed comb against the first four inches of the base of your scalp. Stroke the comb in an up and down motion against the grain of the hair. After completing about five or ten teasing motions, pull the comb through the underside of the hair to one time to give it one last fluff.