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Hair Care and Info:
Should You Use Pro Hair Care Products???
Ah, the never-ending debate over professional
and non-professional hair-care products. In the past, this debate was resolved easily with a famous quote, "You get what you
pay for." But today, the line between professional and non-professional products has become blurry due to the emergence of
inexpensive professional products and expensive non-professional products.
You see, it used to be that you almost
always paid $10 for a bottle of shampoo from the salon. Non-professional shampoos, on the other hand, only cost a couple of
dollars. Today, however, you can spend as much or more on a bottle of shampoo from your local department store as you can
for a bottle from the salon. The reason that this is so is because most professional product lines have not raised their prices
in years, while new shampoos and conditioners being introduced to the non-professional market have been given packaging and
price tags to mirror their in-salon competition.
So, now the only thing that separates the non-professional from the
professional is the quality standard by which each product line is produced. Just think about it this way: All products made
to be used in salons by professionals can only be retailed in salons. That means that the products must be of the highest
quality. If they weren’t, beauticians simply wouldn’t use them. Never will you find a professional product that
causes build up or leaves the hair feeling dry and brittle. Professional shampoos will also not strip hair of color or vital
moisture. If you could get these products or products of similar quality in any department store, why wouldn’t your
beautician use them?
While not all non-professional products are bad, you do run the risk of choosing a product that
could cause problems like build up, dryness, breakage, color fading, lifelessness, frizziness and a host of other problems.
That means that if you choose to use a non-professional product, you should monitor your hair closely to look for any adverse
affects.
Also, keep in mind how much you are spending. While it makes perfect sense to choose a non-professional product
at huge savings over a professional one, it doesn’t make much sense to spend as much on a non-professional product as
you would for a guaranteed, professional product.
In the end, the choice to use professional products or not to use
them is yours. Just remember to watch your wallet and most importantly watch your hair. Choose products that are kind to both
What are the reasons for hair loss?
Research has shown that genetics is only one of the causes is of thinning
hair. Build-up of conventional hair care product ingredients, toxins and pollutants from the environment, and as a lack of
circulation to the scalp skin also can contribute to thinning hair. The damaging effects of chemical service residues as well
as the mechanical aggressiveness of styling combined with the heat from styling tools can also lead to excessive daily hair
loss. Hormonal changes that women experience throughout their lives can cause temporary as well as permanent hair loss. Many
medications or medical treatments have side effects leading to excessive daily hair loss.
What is normal hair loss per day?
Recent research has shown that when shampooing daily, losing more than
75 hairs per day is considered to be excessive. How long does it take to re-grow hair?
Every individual is unique,
as is the body's ability to grow hair. The body normally produces hair in a growth cycle of 2 - 6 years; however, the length
of time varies from person to person. The hair on the scalp goes through three cycles: Anagen Phase (growth), Catagen Phase
(intermediate) and Telogen Phase (resting).
· Hair is the fastest growing tissue in the body, second only to bone marrow.
· 35 meters of hair fiber is produced every day on the average adult scalp.
· The average scalp has 100,000 hairs. Redheads have the least at 80,000; brown and black haired persons
have about 100,000; and blondes have the most at 120,000.
· 90% of scalp hairs are growing and 10% are resting.
· It is normal to lose 75 hairs per day from the scalp.
· You must lose over 50% of your scalp hairs before it is apparent to anyone.
· Many drugs can cause hair loss.
· Thyroid imbalance and iron deficiency are reversible causes for hair loss.
· Over 50% of men by age 50 have male pattern hair loss.
·
Forty percent
of women by the time they reach menopause will have female pattern (hereditary) hair loss.
There are many misconceptions about hair and its care. Once one knows
the truth, the solution for hair challenges becomes logical, not a hidden secret to be discovered.
The most widely held misconception concerning hair is that is alive,
and, therefore, its condition can be 'permanently' altered by using some newly discovered commercial potion. The truth is
that hair is only living matter at its base below the surface of the scalp. Like the tip of one's finger nail, hair is dead
matter, and can be clipped shorter and discarded. This fact alone brings us to two important conclusions about how one may
maintain stronger, healthier looking, shiny hair.
Conclusion #1:
We must be concerned with
preventative maintenance by creating a healthy environment below the surface of the scalp, where hair is germinated or born.
Since hair in its basic form is 100% keratin (protein), our diets should consist of a good balance of easily digested protein,
i.e. - dairy products, poultry and meat. For those of us who are vegans, good protein alternatives are nuts, beans and the
old stand-by - peanut butter. I suspect that with the popular emergence of low-carbohydrate/high-protein diets, we in turn
will begin to see more heads of hair with less frizzies and easily split ends.
Now, how do we ensure this quality protein gets to the living roots
of our hair? Just as we stimulate quality muscle growth through exercising and bringing protein-laden blood to specific body
parts, we can do the same for our hair. This is easily achieved by simply massaging your scalp, once a day, while you shampoo
and condition your hair. You'll not only have cleaner and more thoroughly conditioned hair, but you will have stimulated protein-supplying
blood to feed the germinating roots of your hair. Be careful to use only the pads of your fingers in small circular motions
as you gently massage your scalp. Never use your fingernails for this purpose as you can cause abrasions to your scalp that
could lead to infection and possible skin disorders.
Conclusion #2:
Since the hair we visually
see above the surface of the scalp is essentially dead matter, how can we repair it from external environmental and/or chemical
damage? First, we must realize that any product remedy we might add to our hair is always a temporary fix, no matter how good
it is at initially solving certain hair challenges. (NOT including the Nano treatment!!!!) Any product that is effective
at controlling frizzies must be used periodically to continue to be effective. Some haircare products work for longer periods
between uses, while others must be used every day to overcome challenges like split-ends.
This brings us to several fallacies concerning the shampoo and conditioning
of hair. One of which is that a shampoo alone can increase the overall health of the hair. Shampoo, no matter what exotic
or expensive ingredients are added to it, is designed to perform one single task - to cleanse the hair of excessive sebum
(natural oils), body sweat and environmental impurities. It is a scientific contradiction that cleansing the hair alone will
keep it healthy, once you have stripped it of all of its natural protective properties, like sebum. The longer your hair is,
the less the chance is that these natural hair oils will reach the mid-shaft to ends of your hair with daily shampooing. This
leaves the older and more vulnerable sections of the hairshaft exposed to further damage from heated styling appliances and
chemical processes, such coloring or permanent waving.
Therefore, the mid-shaft to ends of your hair do not need the same
intense daily cleansing as the first few inches of hair closest to the scalp. The remedy is very simple - as you gently massage
your scalp while shampooing, only apply and focus your shampoo within the first 2 - 3 inches of hair closest to your scalp.
When you rinse the shampoo from this base section of the hair it will quickly pass though the mid-shaft to ends of your hair,
thus providing these areas with the lighter cleansing they require.
Many people have the misconception that daily conditioning (protection)
of their hair will cause flatness or added weight. This challenge is easily resolved by, first, knowing how to physically
condition the hair and, second, by understanding the different intended uses of the main 3 types of conditioners, i.e. - rinses,
daily and deep conditioners.
Daily conditioning (protecting) any type of hair, from thin &
fine to thick & frizzy, is basically the same. It is simply the reverse concept of shampooing hair as discussed above
- considering that throughout the course of the day the first 3 inches of hair closest to the scalp will receive an adequate
supply of naturally-occurring hair oil (sebum). Therefore, if you condition this area with a crème rinse or daily conditioner
it can become over-conditioned, heavy & less manageable. The solution is to apply your conditioner from the mid-shaft
(3 inches from scalp) of the hair to the ends. Then using a wide-toothed comb and holding onto the ends of your hair, gently
comb the conditioner from mid-shaft to ends for even distribution, detangling and sealing split ends. By the time you finish
doing this, the conditioner will have remained within your hair for the appropriate 3 to 5 minutes to be effective in temporarily
repairing any damaged or frizzy areas.
The concept for applying deep conditioners is the same as above, however,
the time the conditioner is left within the hair must be extended up to 20 minutes to allow penetration into the inner (cortical)
layer of the hairshaft - only 10 minutes if your wrap your hair in a moist, hot towel. Deep conditioning should be done sparingly
- once per week for most hair types. Deep conditioning the hair more than this is could cause the opposite intended effect.
If you over-use a protein-based deep conditioner to strengthen and add body, it could cause the hair to become dry and brittle.
If you over-use a moisturizing or oil-based deep conditioner, it could cause your hair to become limp and lifeless.
Notes about detangling hair and hair loss:
Many people are misinformed that it is safer to detangle the hair
while it is dry. One must understand that the hair can stretch up to 50% of its length while wet without breakage, however,
while dry, hair will break before it stretches 25% of its length. It is best to keep a wide-toothed comb within your shower
to detangle & seal split-ends, as described above, while using a low pH (3.5 to 5.5 acidic) crème rinse or daily conditioner.
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