Product Solutions for Hair

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You have many options when it comes to hair care products. With so many on the shelf, how do you know which ones to choose?

There’s no magic formula. Dermatologists say the changes you might see from even the best hair care products are subtle. But there is a roadmap for healthier hair:

• First, analyze your hair’s texture and condition.
• Then pick a product formulated for your specific type of hair.
• Finally, every few months, rotate your brand.

Zoe Draelos, MD, editor of The Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, says changing products every few months keeps your hair at its shiniest.

Lynne Goldberg, MD, an associate professor of dermatology and pathology at Boston University, says that if you've noticed a problem, such as thinning hair or hair breakage, you should analyze your styling practices and the products you use.  Blow drying hair, using a curling iron, and coloring hair can all damage your tresses.

Shampoos

Shampoos contain ingredients that cleanse the hair of natural oils (sebum), dirt, and pollutants such as smoke.

Just about any shampoo will do the job. But some inexpensive brands may be harsh, stripping the hair’s lipid layer. To protect your hair, apply shampoo only on the scalp. You don’t need to wash your hair every day unless you have oily hair.

Volumizing shampoos or thickening shampoos build up fine hair temporarily. “They work,” Robert Bernstein, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at Columbia University, says. The tradeoff? Volumizing formulas often skimp on conditioning ingredients, so hair may end up looking dull.

Glossing shampoos temporarily boost shine by coating hair with silicones and polymers. Some contain ingredients such as hydrolyzed silk to  make hair feel silky. But dermatologists say the best thing you can do to keep your hair looking glossy is to treat it with care.

Blow dry hair on the cool or warm setting, never hot. Invest in a hairbrush made of natural fibers, and brush hair from the underside out, not from the top down.

• For maximum shine, Bernstein suggests alternating a volumizing shampoo with a moisturizing shampoo.

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All About Summer Hair Care

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Most of us have a misconception that we lose more hair in winter than in summer; however far to the contrary most of lose more hair in summer due to the hot summer air that causes not only damage to the scalp, but also to the hair. Summer hair carecan prove to be very important considering the loss of hair due to the ultra-violet rays of the sum that are harmful to hair health and cause graying of hair and dry and brittle hair.

Summer hair health care involves following certain tips like:

The first step lies in blocking the ultra-violet rays from causing damage to hair; this involves wearing caps, hats and scarves that are used loosely to not restrict the supply of blood in the scalp. I would strongly advise other methods like the use of benzophenones or cinnamates that act as a SPF for your hair. As an alternative it would be great to leave a conditioner and sunscreen on the hair before leaving for outdoors to prevent damage caused due to ultra-violet rays, however I would say that our hair should be washed well after returning back home.

Swimming and enjoying ourselves in the beach has always been most loved activities during summer to keep cool; however chlorine present in pool water and salt present in sea water could dry the hair and cause split ends. It has been observed that dry hair is more prone to hair damage than wet hair; dry hair soaks in most chemical in the water faster. Soaking the hair in non chlorinated water before going for a swim or bath in the beach helps when complemented with washing it soon after with a clarifying shampoo to  wash off chlorine and salt residues.

I have heard many of my hair beauty conscious friends reveal their hair care secret; they say that they never use hair care techniques that direct heat towards the hair during the summer. The use of most favorite beauty tools like hair dryers and curling hair directly on the hair causes irreparable damage to the hair and had the same effect as the UV rays of the sun. Beauty tools that blow hot air have the effect of damaging the cuticles of the hair and dry them up, making them susceptible to split ends and breakages especially in summer. I would say that it is always best to not hot air dry hair before styling but instead air dry it to provide protection the follicles.       

The same principle applies to taking a hair bath with hot water during summer; hot water dries hair and increases fall of hair. Some beauty conscious family members have always advised me to shampoo my hair only a few times in a week and to use a good conditioner. The use of beautyhair products that contain the silicone ingredient dimethicone proves useful; to protect the hair cuticle and lock in moisture in the hair. The use of a deep conditioner with protein or keratin could give additional protection and overcome frizziness.

Water is the elixir of not only body health, but also hair health. The hair fall and dryness remedy that complements most other remedies is drinking a lot of water; enough to keep hair flowing healthy and shiny. I would lastly surely recommend trimming of the hair to avoid static and frizz hair and saying "No" to salon treatments like bleaches and dyes in the summer months.

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Makeup and Hair Tips

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Actress Salma Hayek has come a long way from the small town of Coatszacoalcos, located in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. Born on Sept. 2, 1966, she is part Spanish and part Lebanese—a pedigree that undeniably accounts for her exotic beauty.

Salma launched her acting career in her early 20s, appearing in a number of Mexican tele-novelas (soap operas). She first found an international audience when she landed a small part in Mi Vida Loca (“My Crazy Life”), a 1993 film about Latina girls growing up in a poor Los Angeles neighborhood. She eventually garnered supporting roles in Desperado, Road Racers, Four Rooms and Fair Game, before achieving superstardom with When Fools Rush In, Traffic, Once Upon a Time in Mexico and her Oscar-nominated tour de force, Frida.

The length of Salma’s hair allows her great versatility: long (either sleekly straight, curled, or adorned with accent braids); shoulder length, with sexy flipped ends, embellished with hair jewelry or the occasional flower; pulled back into a graceful topknot or chignon, defined by a center part; or slicked back to accentuate the symmetry of her refined bone structure.
Salma’s hair is one of the most luxurious shades of brown. Colorist Jaime Abraham of Looks Salon in Naperville, Illinois, believes such deep, natural tones are one of the hottest trends this year. “I don't know if you've seen Salma Hayek’s hair recently, but a lot of the stars have really rich, dark hair,” she told The Chicago Tribune in July, noting that stars like Salma tend to set the stage for the rest of us.

Perhaps Salma is the best judge of her own style, which may account for her fascination with the iconoclastic Frida Kahlo. The 1920s were sexy “because they were a time of experimentation and self-expression,” she told In Style magazine in September 2003. “All of a sudden, women were independent and speaking up. They were flying airplanes, directing and painting. The ’20s were also a time of sexual freedom; even the makeup and hairstyles had romance and glamour. Clothing was chic, and makeup highlighted the eyes, which are the windows to your soul."

Many beauty experts have dissected Salma’s look in their upscale books. In Latina Beauty, Belén Aranda-Alvarado, a former beauty editor for Latina magazine, describes Salma’s makeup as a palette of shimmery neutrals:

• For the face, begin with foundation and concealer to even skin tones and cover any blemishes. Avoid using powder (unless your skin is oily). Mix dark contour powder with blush, and apply to cheeks.
  
  
• Eyeshadow should be a neutral pink or pearl, with a slight frost, applied from the eyelid to the top of the brow bone. Blend in a touch of silver shadow for contour, as well as a shimmery white shadow on the outer two-thirds of the brow bone to play up the eyes.
  
  
• Curl lashes and apply mascara.
  
  
• Brows should be tamed, but retain their thick, natural arch.
  
  
• Lips are also neutral—a brownish-pink, without the severe penciled-in outline to which so many women seem addicted. Add a clear gloss for shine.

In The Mane Thing, celebrity hairstylist Kevin Mancuso teaches readers how Salma’s thick and curly hair can be sensually straightened. The cut is one length, with layers around the face. After shampooing, conditioning and towel-drying hair, you’ll find that the process couldn’t be easier:

• Apply straightening gel to damp hair, and comb it through. Detangle, as necessary.
• Section the hair, pinning it atop the head. Blow-dry from the bottom layers inward, gently pulling on each section with your brush to straighten it.
• Repeat for all sections of hair, saving the top for last.
• After hair is dry, apply a small amount of silicone, and brush hair to enhance shine.
• Use a flat iron for finishing.

With the Frida prosthetic unibrow long gone, Salma is now the face of Avon, appearing in the global beauty company’s new My Lip Miracle television commercial. She will be featured in numerous print and TV ads for cosmetics and fragrances, also partnering with the nonprofit Avon Foundation to publicize its domestic violence initiative.
“Salma's personal story and values are a perfect fit for us, and we have a shared commitment to the empowerment and well-being of women,” says Avon Chair and CEO Andrea Jung.

“I’m very optimistic that in joining forces with Avon, we can truly make a difference to the important cause of domestic violence and bring hope and empowerment to women around the world,” Salma adds.

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Hair Care Product Advice

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Bored kids read cereal boxes. Smart women read shampoo bottles.

While products like hair color and styling gels command greater attention, choosing the wrong shampoo can have a serious impact on how your hair looks. You’ll never achieve the result you want if you buy the wrong shampoo—or use the right one incorrectly.

It all starts with shampooing frequency. And with a penchant for cleanliness, Americans tend to overwash their hair.

"The hair and scalp should be cleaned, on average, every other day," says Dr. Andrea Lynn Cambio, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City.

But women with exceptionally dry hair, such as African-Americans, need to reduce shampoo frequency. Conversely, if you have incredibly oily hair, daily shampooing may be required to cut the grease.

"The consequence of overdoing it is stripping the hair of sebum [oil]," Dr. Cambio tells Stellure.com. "This causes the hair to look dull, feel coarse, be prone to static electricity and be a styling nuisance."

Shampoo & Your ’do

By definition, shampoo is designed to remove dirt and excess sebum from the scalp and hair. Sebum is necessary for hair health. It is secreted by sebaceous glands, found in skin all over our bodies, including the scalp. These glands provide healthy lubrication to our skin and hair. Scientists estimate that the average woman produces approximately 1 ounce of sebum every 100 days, so it’s a substance worth protecting!

If you have oily hair, your sebaceous glands secrete too much sebum, and you’ll want to select a shampoo designed to control it. If you have dry hair, your glands secrete too little sebum, and you’ll want to choose a shampoo that provides extra moisture. If you have “normal” hair, sebum production is how Goldilocks described her final bowl of porridge: “Just right!”

While Goldilocks may have been a porridge expert, it’s hard to say whether she knew how to choose the right shampoo for her specific hair type. Gentle shampoos, like baby shampoo, remove the bare minimum. Harsher shampoos, like dandruff shampoos and those made for oily hair, are manufactured to cleanse more thoroughly and remove more sebum. Problems typically occur when, for example, a woman with oily hair accidentally buys a shampoo intended for dry hair. She may not discover why her scalp has become an oil slick until she checks the shampoo bottle.

Understanding Labels

As with food products, ingredients in shampoos are listed by the amounts contained in the bottle, in descending order of weight. The higher up on the list, the more of the ingredient in the shampoo.

Normally, the first ingredient in shampoo is water. If it, alone, could cleanse the hair, we wouldn’t need shampoo. Water, however, cannot remove oil, sebum or product buildup, so manufacturers must add detergent agents known as “surfactants.”

Surfactants cleanse the hair and create lather. Manufacturers can choose from inexpensive or pricey surfactants, and these generally determine the quality of your shampoo. Cheap surfactants, such as sodium lauryl sulfate and ammonium lauryl sulfate, are popular among manufacturers because they keep down costs. You’ll find these particular surfactants in generic, supermarket, drugstore and certain mass-market brands. (They’re also the chemicals most commonly associated with eye irritation.) The problem, however, is that these surfactants are harsh on hair, stripping it of oil and causing hair color to fade more quickly.

The more expensive “designer” or salon brands contain more expensive surfactants, such as sodium cocoyl isethionate and methyl cocoyl taurate (sometimes labeled simply as “coconut oil” or “fatty acids”), cocamidopropyl betaine and cocamidopropylamine oxide. Yes, they’re certainly a mouthful, but they are nondrying, much more gentle on the hair and tend to work well regardless of whether you have hard or soft water. They’re also more expensive for manufacturers to use, so that’s why you’ll pay more for a bottle of shampoo. (Many manufacturers compromise, mixing low-cost sodium lauryl sulfate with a coconut-oil surfactant. This can work well.)

Some shampoos contain detanglers and anti-static agents, which function exactly as their names imply. A common agent to look for is “quaternary ammonium.”

“Humectants” behave like tiny sponges, attracting and holding water. You’ll find them in shampoos for dry, damaged or color-treated hair. Commonly used humectants include glycerin, sorbitol, sodium lactate and hyaluronic acid.

“Conditioning agents” help soften hair and allow it to retain moisture. Look for amino acids, collagen, panthenol, elastin and proteins on ingredient lists.

“Thickening” or “volumizing” shampoos increase bulk and improve manageability. They contain ingredients like hydroxyethyl cellulose, gum arabic, guar, xanthan and chitin. One of the newest products on the market is Aveda’s Pure Abundance Volumizing Shampoo, which contains coco/babassu sulfate—a substance derived from organic coconut and babassu oils. Shane Wolf, Aveda’s executive director of global hair care marketing, recommends it for the “one-third of American women who describe their hair as naturally fine or limp."

“Preservatives,” such as methylparaben quatern-15, methylisothiazolino propylparab, help prevent shampoo from becoming contaminated by mold or bacteria. “All-natural” shampoos that contain no preservatives have a tendency to “spoil” if not used within their designated shelf life.

Never buy a shampoo based on its fragrance, which is no reflection of a shampoo’s quality. It’s only one more ingredient manufacturers use to convince you to buy their products. (Who doesn’t open the cap and sniff before buying a shampoo?)

What’s Best for You?

Since each of us has individual needs, experiment with different shampoos to determine which ones make your hair most manageable.

Many women fail to take their hairstylists’ recommendations on shampoo, assuming the stylist is “ripping them off” or “trying to sell them something” so the salon can make more money. In reality, stylists know that salon-quality shampoos are generally superior to their drugstore counterparts. If you trust your stylist, it’s worth taking her advice. The worst-case scenario: You won’t like the product, and you can express your disappoint to her.

If budget is a problem and you simply cannot bear the thought of spending $10 to $15 for a single bottle of shampoo, dilute the $3 brand you’re currently buying (one part water to two parts shampoo). This will reduce the harshness.

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