Posts Tagged ‘mask’

Does Leonor Greyl Masque Quintessence Hair Mask Work?

May 5th, 2010 The FLHC

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Peppermint poses a question…I am interested in the Leonor Greyl Masque Quintessence hair mask but at $137 a tub I am incredibly skeptical. In this economy I wonder how this product continues to have sales at such an unbelievable price! I am just wondering if this masque contains some kinds of superior ingredients or something that justify the price? Are there any alternative products worth trying that are at a more reasonable price that might have the same impact on hair?

The Right Brain responds:

We agree that the cost of this Leonor Greyl product is ridiculous for the benefits it provides. For that much money, it had better be the “Holy Greyl” of hair care products! (By the way, for those of you not in the know, you can read about Leonor Greyl.)

We can’t tell you how this product can have sales at such a high price, but we can tell you this: we have an AWESOME community in the Beauty Brains forum, where this question was posted. Case in point, forum member Lelalela did some research to break down the ingredients in this product. So we thought we’d share the results of her work. Thank you Lelalela, you rock!

Leonor Greyl Masque ingredients

  • Water- good ol’ water
  • Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil- regular coconut oil, it is very hydrating to hair and does penetrate the cortex to icrease pliability and manageability, this makes this product a great deep conditioner
  • Buxus Chinesis Seed Oil- oil that coats the hair
  • Ricnodendron Rautanenii (Manketti) Seed Oil- oil that coats the hair
  • Butyrospermum Parkii- shea butter, coats the hair
  • Hydrolyzed Hibiscus Esculentus Extract- pointless
  • Acacia Sengal- thickener
  • Cetyl Alcohol- thickener and emollient
  • Cocamidopropyl PG-Dimnonium Chloride- quat, lightweight conditioning agent
  • Hydrogenated Vegetable Glycerides- thickener, emollient
  • PEG-8 Beeswax- thickener
  • Theobroma Grandiflorum- silly puffery
  • Limonium Latifolium- silly puffery
  • Tocopherol- vitamin e, hydrator
  • Oleic/Linoleic/Linolenic Polycerides- thickener and emollient
  • PEG-15 Cocopolyamine- antistatic agent
  • Tridecyl Timelliatate- thickener, emollient
  • Polyquaternium-47- antistatic agent
  • Parum (Fragrance)- pretty scent
  • Behentrimonium Methosulfate- very powerful quat conditioning agent
  • Quaternium-33- quat conditioning agent
  • Quaternium-91 – quat conditioning agent
  • Cetrimonium Methosulfate- quat conditioning agent
  • Propylene Glycol- solvent
  • Amaranthus Caudatus Seed Extract- puffery
  • Glycerin- humectant
  • Cerus Graniflorus Flower Extract- puffery
  • Lauryl Dimethyl Amine Oxide- preservative
  • Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil- oil that coats the hair
  • Sodium PCA- humectant
  • Urea- humectant, preservative
  • Trehalose- sugar
  • Polyquaternium-57- quat conditioning agent
  • Sodium Hyaluronate – humectant
  • Triticum Vulgare- wheat germ extract, has effect on skin as antioxidant, not on hair
  • Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride- guar gum based conditioner
  • Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil- oil that coats the hair
  • Methylchlorosisothiazolinone – preservative, sensitizing when left on skin
  • Methylisothiazolinone- preservative, sensitizing when left on skin

The Beauty Brains bottom line

We agree with Lelalela when she says that if you were looking just at the top 5 ingredients which comprise the bulk of the formula, you have one oil that penetrates to make hair feel really healthy and several that coat the hair to increase a shiny film (it will look greasy unless your hair is SUPER thick and coarse and you use very little). That one oil is coconut oil and yes, it’s a fabulous conditioning ingredient, even on it’s own.

What do YOU think? Have you ever spent this much money on a hair care product? What IS the most you’ve ever spent on a single cosmetic? Leave a comment and share your extravagances with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

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Does Neutrogena Cleanser/Mask Work Better If I Leave It On?

March 13th, 2010 The FLHC

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Kalisa’s Question…What can you tell me about Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Cleanser/Mask? Specifically, is there any additional benefit to my skin of using it as mask (leaving it on for three minutes) as opposed to merely washing my face with it?

The Right Brain’s Answer:
To our surprise, Neutrogena does indeed recommend that this cleanser can be left on and used as a mask. We quote:

This revolutionary formula works as a daily cleanser or 3-minute mask. It foams instantly to dissolve dirt, oil and makeup. Skin tingles as the cooling lather deep cleans to leave skin feeling energized and shine-free for hours. For more intensive cleansing, use it as a mask. As it dries, you’ll feel it working deep within the skin’s surface to absorb shine-causing oil and pore-clogging impurities.

Why do we find this surprising? Let’s look at the ingredients, ignoring preservatives, fragrance, etc., and just focusing on the functional ingredients:

Ingredients that clean your skin:
Methyl Gluceth 20, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Glucoside, Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Dimethicone PEG-8 Meadowfoamate, Polyquaternium-7

Ingredients that form a film on your skin and feel like a mask:
Polyethylene, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Synthetic Wax

Based on the presence of the mask type ingredients, this does look different than a typical cleanser – it appears to be designed to have a mask like feel to it. But how good of a mask is this? Typical masks contain clay or some kind of film forming polymer that really tighten the skin as it dries. Becaus this formula is different and because it contains so many cleansing ingredientes that will tend to soften the film so we doubt formula one would give you that strong tightening effect. Based on looking at the formula, our guess is this product would be a really good cleanser but it wouldn’t be a great mask.

But our real concern is about leaving this much surfactant on your face for so long. Surfactants, even relatively mild ones like this formula uses, can irritate skin. This product also contains menthol which is a known irritant.

The Beauty Brain’s bottom line:

Based on looking at the ingredients, we think that the risk of drying out your skin would outweigh any potential benefits. That’s our opinion without doing any testing so take it with the proverbial grain of salt. If anyone has tried this, let us know.

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Make yourself a fruity face masks

November 16th, 2009 The FLHC

I remember when I was a teenager and my friends and I would try to invent our own facial mask at sleep over parties. We had so much fun coming up with such wild creations. The fun doesn’t have to stop now! There are several fruits, oils and oats out there that can be transformed into a fabulous facial mask.

Try one of the recipes below to attain silky soft skin with a healthy glow.

Avocado Addiction: is great for people with dry skin because it will help penetrate deep moisture

Ingredients

  1. Mix the avocado, honey and vinegar together and add enough sesame oil to create a spreadable consistency.
  2. Spread the mask over your cleansed face and leave on for five to ten minutes.
  3. Rinse off with warm water and pat skin dry with a soft towel.
  4. If you have toner you can apply it to the face and then apply moisturizer as usual.

The Gracious Grapefruit: this works great for oily skin and will help to clean out any excess oils

Ingredients

  1. Beat the egg white until it’s smooth and fluffy.
  2. Blend the beaten egg white, sour cream and grapefruit juice together in a bowl.
  3. Apply to your face and allow it to rejuvenate your skin for about 15 minutes.
  4. Rinse with warm water, pat softly dry and then use any toner and moisturizer as you would normally do.

So the next time you go to try out one of these facial mask, make sure to call your friends over for a full night of fun and pampering!

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