Showing posts with label what. Show all posts
Showing posts with label what. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

What are the products which help hair care



First of all, one needs a shampoo or hair cleanser, along with conditioner or hair rinse.  If the hair is oily, a hair rinse is better.  For dry hair, a creamy conditioner may be used.  Leave on conditioners are also available.  Apart from these, you would need hair oil, herbal hair tonic and hairs pack. As nutritional deficiency is one of the most common causes of hair loss, the diet is very important.  A nutritious diet helps healthy hair growth, since the hair is actually fed by the nutrients in the blood stream.  You should include a small bowl of sprouts daily in your diet.  Sprouts contain amino acids, which are very beneficial to the hair.  Also include fresh fruits, raw salads, leafy green vegetables, whole grains and curd in the daily diet.  If the scalp is oily, or if there is dandruff, drink plenty of water.  Add the juice of a lemon to a glass of water and have it first thing in the morning. Ask your doctor to prescribe vitamin and mineral supplements.
This is marketing ploy of competing manufacturers.  If a product works different,  it is because of changes in your scalp and serum production or seasonal hormonal or chemical changes.  Prescription medications can change your hormonal balance, body, scalp and hair.  Pregnancy causes these changes too. If you color your hair, change to a shampoo for chemically treated hair. Hair doesn’t develop a resistance to anything; it can only be weakened by chemicals and poor treatment. If you have a hairstyle that needs to use hair products – hairspray for hold, wax for hold and shine; or serum for shine and to maintains fly away pieces – then don’t use to much! You might end up weighing your hair down and reducing its volume or just making it greasy and dirty.  Often less is more.  Also, don’t forget to protect your hair.  If you style your hair with  a hair straightened or blow dryer, it’s very important to protect your hair with heat protecting products, and to give your hair  a break every few days from the stress of using hair accessories and hairstyling tools.

The higher quality your hairbrush, for the healthier your hair.  We have found the best brushes have rubber bases with boards head bristles.  These allow bristles to flex, cutting down on the damage to your hair. Shampoos contain ingredients that cleanse the hair of natural oils, 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.  The effort, however, doesn’t have to take up all of your time or break the  bank.  In fact, the only thing you need to do is put in the short amount of time necessary to follow this simple daily hair care routine.  It is that easy!

There are several choices of alcohol free styling products as well as fragrance free hair stylng products, long hair styling products, styling products for short hair, styling products for fine hair, moisturizing shampoo, hair glossing and more.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

What About Sunscreen

Even in the middle of Winter people ask me: what do you recommend for sunscreen? Now that theres a hint of Spring/Summer out there (even though it snowed here today!) Im sure Ill be asked the question more. So, I thought Id lay it all out here so you know exactly what I think about sunscreen.

In my opinion, most sunscreens can do more harm than good. Most of them are filled with synthetic fragrances, parabens, formaldehyde donors---ingredients youd find in common lotions. The biggest difference though, is the "active ingredient." These active ingredients are the components that keep your skin from burning in the sun for a period of time. The problem with these active ingredients is that when exposed to sun, they break down and create free-radicals on the skin. Now wait a minute---arent these the free radicals we all hear about that cause cancer? They sure are. So, even if youre not being visibly burned, your skin can get damaged invisibly from these chemicals. How does this happen? Instead of being a sunblock that reflects the suns rays, these particles absorb the suns energy. The energy has to be released from the particle somehow, so it breaks down and creates free-radicals (also referred to as "oxidative species") Lets take a look at a few "active ingredients" one by one. Ive listed a few examples of products that contain these chemicals, although there are many more products than listed.

Oxybenzone
Used in:
Neutrogena Skin Smoothing Body Lotion
Banana Boat UVA & UVB Sunscreen
Jason Naturals Sunscreen

Oxybenzone is one of the most commonly used SPF agents, and possibly the most damaging. According to the Environmental Working Groups Skin Deep website, a 2006 study showed that oxybenzone (aka benzophenone-3), "produces excess reactive oxygen species that can interfere with cellular signaling, cause mutations, lead to cell death and may be implicated in cardiovascular disease." Cellular mutations? Isnt that what causes cancer? Thats the fallacy of modern sunscreens today. We think were protecting ourselves with these chemicals, but they can be doing just as much, or even more harm than the sun. Oxybenzone is also known to be absorbed into the skin and the bloodstream, and can affect the endocrine system and hormone function in the body.

Phenol
Used in:
Blistex Lip Balm
Carmex Lip Balm

Phenol receives a risk of 10 on the EWG Skin Deep Database, the worst score an ingredient can get. It is banned in Canada and Japan, there is limited evidence that it is a carcinogen, it is known to be a reproductive and developmental toxin, and a wildlife pollutant.

Octinoxate (Octyl Methoxycinnamate)
Used in:
Alba Organics Sunscreens
Jason Naturals Sunscreen
Coppertone Sunblock
Aveeno Facial Sunblock

Often listed as "made from cinnamon" by the peddlers of "natural" products, Octinoxate is an endocrine disruptor, estrogen mimicker, a penetration enhancer, and "produces damaging reactive oxygen species upon exposure to sunlight."

Octocrylene
Used in:
LOreal Daily Face Moisturizer

Octocrylene is restricted in Japan because it creates free radicals on the skin when exposed to sunlight and is a penetration enhancer. One study says that "when octocrylene penetrates into the skin, the level of reactive oxygen species increases above that produced naturally under UV illumination." Another free-radical-forming chemical.

PABA (Octyl Dimethy PABA, PABA Ester)
Used in:
Aubrey Organics Natures Balance Unscented SPF Hand and Body Lotion

PABA has a long list of concerns. In the manufacturing process, it can be contaminated with nitrosamines, a group of dangerous carcinogenic chemicals. It too produces free radicals on the skin, and lab tests have shown it to cause cellular mutations. A penetration enhancer and a hormone distruptor, PABA has long been an ingredient to be avoided.


Nanoparticles
Used in:
Jason Naturals
Total Block Cotz Waterproof Sunblock

Nano Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide are gaining popularity among the "safer" companies that make sunblock. Sometimes billed as "natural" or "mineral" these particles are anything but natural. Labs take the natural minerals of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide and put them under intense heat, light, and other processes that break down their natural structure to make them smaller particles. These nanoparticles are then absorbed into the skin and in to your body. You now have these little particles of metal in your bloodstream that your body doesnt know how to handle. Nanoparticles are a very recent invention and there has not been enough study done to find out the side effects of these unnatural particles. They too break down to create free-radicals in your skin. In their natural, non-nano form, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are my safer sunblock agents of choice. The most difficult thing is that companies dont usually disclose if theyre using nanoparticles. So, it could be listed as zinc oxide and we dont know if its "regular," "micronized," or "nano." Micronized is smaller than natural and larger than nano. Most companies claim that micronized particles are not absorbed into the skin.

The Safer Choice: Non-Nano Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide. Zinc Oxide especially is a great sunblock agent. It gives you both UVA and UVB protection. This is the old-fashioned zinc oxide you see in old surfing movies---the white pasty stuff. Yes, its not as convenient, and its not as fashionable, but its the safest and gives you the best protection. One thing to consider when using a zinc oxide sunblock is to apply it frequently. Zinc oxide is a powerful anti-inflammatory, so its going to soothe your skin. So much, in fact, that you could be sunburned and not know it. After your day in the sun, you go in and rinse off the zinc oxide and you could be deeply burned. This is why I always recommend to apply it every hour to make sure youve got adequate protection, even if you feel like youre not getting burnt.

Im still looking for a product with non-micronized zinc oxide for my personal use and recommendation. As soon as I find it Ill be sure to post it. If any of you know of any sunblocks that fall under these guidelines of safety or have any product suggestions, be sure to post your comments below. We are currently developing a sunscreen with zinc oxide, as well as some other choices, and well keep you informed of them as they come out.

Theres always another more organic option: a wide-brimmed hat!

What do you think? Would you rather use the less-fashionable white sunblock for safetys sake, or would you take your chances with nanoparticles?

Update:
Badger Balm and Mexitan use micronized particles instead of nanoparticles. They claim that the particles are not absorbed into the skin. So far, these two products are the safest that Ive seen. Thanks to Monica for the tip!

Thursday, August 21, 2014

What Can go Wrong When Dying Your Hair Problems


Anyone who has tried to dye their hair at home knows that sometimes, the results can be unexpected.

Well, that "sometimes" is a very gentle way to put it. So what can go wrong with dying your hair at home? There are many things that can go wrong when you dye your hair, and all end up giving you something very different than what you dreamed.

Lets look at some of the problematic results with the most common of  colours and examine their possible causes. In the following cases, we assume that you followed the instructions correctly both for mixing and application and colouring process, so that the problems have not been caused by your mistake.

Colour does not take Problem:

Ok, you’re just finished washing your hair to take away the rest of what youre dyeing and drying using a hair drier to check the results. You may notice that something has gone wrong just starting to rinse your hair. As hair dries, the problem is obvious: the colour does not show.

Possible causes: The hair is obviously resistant to chemicals. If your hair is gray or having great natural pigmentation, might have low porosity, which makes it less likely to absorb moisture and, therefore, is less likely to penetrate into each dyeing hair to deposit colour.

If your hair has been treated with stains (especially with products like henna) or if youve dealt with some other product to increase the brightness (for example, gloss enhancers), it may contain a layer that covering and sealing it, so that impedes the penetration of other chemicals.

Henna is one of the most common culprits. It is an oil-based colouring that covers the hair follicle and is able to cause many problems for you or your stylist in the future when you want to get an application or permanent colour.

Solution: For low porosity, and resistant hair, the best solution is a softener (keratin). Search your beauty salon product with softening agents or apply a volume 10 developer for 10-20 minutes before you re-dye your hair.

Developer Rinse with water to remove hair and make it dry enough to reapply the colour accurately. This should allow better penetration of the dye in the hair follicle and give you a better result. In the case of henna or other colour treatments impeding the penetration of colour, you need to take steps to remove the annoying sealer you d applied previously.

When it comes to henna, you can use alcohol and mineral oil to remove and remove the henna enough to improve results. If this is another sealant, look in the product packaging or read the manufacturers instructions to find a solution to the problem.

My colour is uneven - mottled Problem:

Youve finished the application of colour and, for now, all is normal. When you finish drying your hair, however, you notice your new hair colour is uneven and appears mottled in some areas.

Possible causes: The most likely candidate is a build up of hair product in your hair. If you are using too many hair products daily, that can cause an accumulation occurrences in the hair that will not go away with a simple wash, especially if you use a mild shampoo.

The build up causes colour preparation to not penetrate hair at certain points along each hair, which can cause the colour to be uneven.

Solution: If youre the type of person who uses many different hair products, or use hair products all day combined with heat treatments (and arranged hair with additional products throughout the day), you should always use a clarifying shampoo to completely remove hair product build up and residue before submitting your hair colouring treatment.

Thus, your hair will absorb the colour evenly and the resulting colour is distributed evenly, and so will look like you want.

Oh, my Goodness, I look GREEN!" Problem:

You started to dry your hair after applying colouration and you realize that the colour is not what you had planned. In fact, there are many reflections of a colour you find completely appalling that are starting to show with drying.

Possible Causes: Sometimes, even if you make the best effort possible,  you can select a colour that is not compatible with your current colour. Either because of too similar pigments or because the pigments are combined giving a final result that’s objectionable (for example, a gold base [yellow] naturally combined with a bluish tint base [ash tone] which gives a greenish result).

These unfortunate results often happen when you try to make subtle changes in your hair colour. If you don’t know what colour base youve used previously, you may choose a new dye base with a  non-complementary colour.

Solutions: The good news is that all the errors of the colours, apart from the most drastic, can solved with a simple colour correction.

This is usually the point when women who prefer the "do it yourself"  approach to dying their hair go running to the hairdressers in Livingston. The stylist will simply sit on a chair, observe the result of coloration and choose a colour that can neutralize unwanted tones.

Usually mix colour corrector includes a developer weakness with a conditioner to prevent further damage to the hair than necessary. The true colour result will depend on the actual colour shade you dislike:

For green hues, use a red colour base, to orange hues, use a blue colour baseuse a violet colour base, and vice versa.

But it wasn‘t so dark on the box! Problem:

Youve started to notice that something is wrong halfway along the colour application process. The hair seems awfully dark.

Then you confirm it: After application of colour, rinsing and drying, the hair color is fine, but is MUCH darker than you expected.

Possible causes: This usually occurs with semi colorations. A person uses a colour wanting to intensify the natural colour a shade or two, not knowing what colour applications have cumulative effects.

The process is similar to a mixture of instant coffee: The more coffee you add, the darker it becomes.

Solution: You can apply a preparation for lightening the colour, or the next time, use a lighter shade of semi-permanent colour to prevent the hair going too dark.

Many kits have colour photos in its box where it says what the recommended base colour shades that are available.

It shows the basic colours and colour results that will be obtained after applying the product. Always remember that if your base colour is darker than the one shown on the box, you get a darker colour if you use a semi-permanent colour.

Here we have presented the most common problems related to colour applications, the probable causes of each of them and their respective solutions to correct and prevent errors.

Wondering what can go wrong when dying your hair does not have to be a daunting task, but you have to know what can go wrong and you have to consider how other hair care products and can affect the final result.

Once you understand these basics, it will be much easier to get the desired colour (or at least know why it’s not possible to get the colour you want.

For total piece of mind make an appointment with a professional hairdresser in Livingston.