Hair FAQ or Hair Care 101

You guys know I've been a hairdresser for almost 9 years now. While I haven't worked in a salon for most of that time, I have kept up my hair knowledge and education and I do hair still almost every week in my kitchen. So while I wouldn't consider myself an artisan or a grand master or anything, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of hair and skin care knowledge. I've been mentally compiling a list of "FAQ's" for the last few years; the questions people ask me the most about hair care and beauty products, and I thought I'd share it with you here in case any of you were tempted to ask me the same questions. And what's the point of having a blog if you can't pontificate on your area of expertise? What prompted me to do this now instead of in the past or future is that tonight I was asked to give a 10 or 15 minute talk to our women's Relief Society at church on these very subjects. As I went over things in my head and online and in my books, trying to separate opinions from facts and anecdotal evidence from science, I ended up with at least an hour's lecture and maybe more.

As a disclaimer, I did go only to cosmetology school and I have a barber/stylist's license; I am not a doctor of chemistry and I do not have a microbiology degree. So while I did try to write everything as factually as possible, I am relying heavily on my own experience and clarifications I got on the internet. I didn't write most of it in Latin, but in layman's terms, and things may work differently for you (or I may be downright wrong sometimes). Feel free to let me know if this is the case; however, if you want to tell me your hair and scalp are so perfect that you can use Suave or White Rain or any other crap shampoo and you still look like a hair commercial actress with no split ends or dry scalp, keep it to yourself. I don't want to know.


What causes damaged hair and how can I prevent it? (Damage = frizz, flyaways, breakage, "baby hairs" at the scalp line, chlorine/copper discoloration, non-genetic or non-hormonal hair loss, color loss or fadage, etc)

Damage can come from lots of places, but the two main sources I have found are improper shampooing technique combined with bad shampoo, and mistreatment of hair when wet. I'll talk more about shampoo products in a bit, but It is true that shampooing can damage hair; it is not only the ingredients that cause damage, but the “sudsing-up” process. Moving your hair around twists and turns hair fibers making them susceptible to breakage. Gently massage your shampoo directly onto your scalp, then as you rinse work it down the shaft to the ends. Don't bring the ends to the scalp, scrub in circular patterns or rub the strands between your hands like ropes.

When hair is wet, it is more vulnerable to breakage. Brushing or fine-combing the hair while wet is guaranteed to break the hair shaft, both at the ends and anywhere down the shaft. Excessive brushing or combing, especially when your hair is wet, can seriously damage your hair. Hair is most vulnerable to breaks and tears when wet. Be gentle and use a wide-toothed comb (not metal though!) When dry use a brush with natural fibers or one whose ends are protected with plastic balls. Once the balls break off, throw away the brush.

Avoid using hot water when washing hair. Heat raises the cuticle and causes rapid color loss for those with color-treated hair and tangling, splitting and knotting in natural hair. If you're wimpy like me you can wash in tolerably warm water and just rinse your conditioner out with cold water. This will seal the cuticle which will result in two noticeable effects; hair that is less tangled/damaged, and hair that really shines!

Water is the real culprit for color loss. Shampoos speed the process a bit, but just getting hair wet is enough to pull out your color. The pH of water is 7; around 100 times as alkaline as your hair which has a pH around 4.5 to 5.5. Alkilinity raises the cuticle; damaged cuticle can't hold in your color. If you find your color fading quickly, try washing your hair less often. This also holds true for permanent wave solutions.

Other damage comes from:
Hair pins, clips, unprotected rubber bands.
Too much heat.
Sun damage.
Chlorine and Salt Water.
Over-perming.
Cold weather.
Medications.
Hats.

Is professional product really better than drugstore brands? Why?

Many drug store brands claim that they are just as good as the salon brands. The simple truth is that salon products and drug store brands can have the same ingredients. However, the amounts of those ingredients per bottle are what you really need to know. Most salon quality hair care products have much more of the ingredients that make a difference in your hair health and less filler; they often also have higher quality formulations of the same compounds. The drug store brands may have these ingredients, but they have them in much lower quantities. If you read the ingredients list on the bottle you will see that they are all listed but the amounts they contain are not included. The main ingredient in most shampoos is water. The ingredients are listed from highest quantity to lowest quantity however you still can't tell just exactly how much is in that bottle.

All shampoos contain a detergent. The safest agent to use in a shampoo is a non-sulfate or sulfate-free surfactant. These are hard to find and expensive, but if you find something labelled Sulfate-Free that you can afford, grab it! You will see a real difference. The next best thing is Sodium Laureth Sulfate. This is the gentlest common type for both hair and scalp. The only problem with this type (or sulfate-free, for that matter) is that it does not produce a lot of lather. Through television ads we are convinced that the more lather a shampoo may make, the better it is cleaning the hair. This isn't true. Lather has nothing to do with cleaning power. The drug store brands will usually use one of the following, ammonium lauryl sulfate, ammonium laureth sulfate, or sodium lauryl sulfate. Though these three types will produce a richer lather, they are harder on your scalp and hair. You will find that many salon brands use the gentlest kind despite that fact that it produces very little lather. Don't be indiscriminate, though. Some drug store brands use the good stuff and I've been disappointed by many salon brands using the cheaper, harsher ingredients. Read the label.

Foaming occurs when surfactant molecules gather around air instead of oil. The result is millions of tiny bubbles. Obviously, the air bubbles are using the surfactants that should be removing dirt and oil. The truth is, lots of foamy lather only means too much shampoo was used. Excess foam equals waste. Sebum and other oils quickly destroy foam. Ideally, the head should have just enough lather to lubricate the scalp and hair. This will help your fingers massage the shampoo more effectively into the hair.

Salon conditioners will contain more of the important moisturizers and proteins that your hair needs. The drug store brands only need a small amount of these ingredients to claim that they are in the conditioner. Just because they say those helpful moisturizers are in the product does not mean there is enough in there to do anything to help the health of your hair.

Salon brands are typically satisfaction guaranteed. If you buy hair care products in a salon and find out after using them that they really aren't what you wanted or needed, you can take them back and get a refund or an exchange. Grocery stores and drugstores are getting better about satisfaction returns but you're still not guaranteed to be able to return products you don't like.

Professional hair care products purchased in a salon are more concentrated than drugstore brands. You will use smaller amounts of the product, so a bottle will last much longer than drugstore brands.

When you buy a salon-brand product, you are also purchasing the educational information of your stylist. Different types of hair and different problems with hair require different types of products for the best possible results. When you purchase in a salon, you have the added benefit of the advice you receive from your stylist so you can choose a product that best suits your hair and the problems your hair may be experiencing.

If you choose to buy salon products at your local CVS, what you get is likely to be every bit as good as the stuff you get at the salon. It is usually a myth that these products were diverted or diluted. If the folks at Paul Mitchell or BedHead really wanted to stop these sales, they would simply question their distributors and find out who is selling to CVS, or Target or Stop and Shop.

The problem of counterfeiting is a real one, but it’s not something that you’ll find at large stores like Costco or CVS. Those company is not going to sell something contaminated because they would be sued in a heartbeat. The places that are a little more sketchy are the small shops and some salons with the dust on top of the bottles. Those are the places you have to worry about.

The biggest thing you have to ask yourself is, is it any cheaper? For instance, the Redken Anti-Snap leave in conditioner I love sells for 19.95 at CVS...but it sells for $15 at the salon I frequent. Know someone with a beauty license? ;) I can get it at CB Sullivan for $8. So don't go into CVS, see something your stylist recommended and grab it thinking it's cheaper. Make sure you have done pricing research just like you would for anything else.

Should I use gel or mousse to hold my style/curl?

Gel brings all the strands together to hold them still. Short men's hair styles and styles where you want crisp hold all need gel. Curls respond well to gel but they do tend to stay crispy when you use it. Don't get the gel too near the scalp.

Mousse blows all the strands apart, and holds them there. If you're wanting softness, volume and a lightweight hold, use mousse. Curls also respond to mousse well, but it will give them a lot of volume. Use the mousse near the scalp for extra volume.

What is the difference between dandruff and dry scalp?

Most people who think they have dandruff really have dry scalp. Dandruff is a contagious bacterial condition that really requires special care and can be treated by your physician, not your stylist. The so-called dandruff that Head and Shoulders commercials show on tv is dry scalp.

Dandruff is a mixture of sebum (oil which comes from the hair shaft), sweat, bacteria and scalp tissue. It is always yellow or orange colored because of the sebum and sweat. The bacteria is contagious; sharing combs, towels, hats, etc will spread dandruff as effectively as lice.

Dandruff can flake out of the hair or stick to the scalp, which is known as honeycomb dandruff. It usually appears in large areas of the scalp at a time, and is distinctly different than dry scalp if you see them side by side. It can be small flakes all the way up to pieces the size of cornflakes, incorporating the area around several follicles.

Dry scalp is an over shedding of dead and dehydrated skin cells of the scalp caused by itching, scratching, over combing, and due to severe dehydration of the sebaceous glands. This shedding will be white in color, just like the flakes in commercials for "dandruff" shampoos. There is also not a bacteria present in most cases, and the skin has not combined with sweat and sebum. The size of the flakes is almost always very small, incorporating the area around only one follicle or less.

Dry scalp is usually attributed to bad products being used. Sulfates in shampoos, especially ammoniums, are prominent triggers for dry scalp, but not the only triggers. Not washing enough, washing too much, not rinsing, bad weather, allergies, scratching, etc can all cause dry scalp. Remember that your hair is essentially dead material, but your scalp is alive and needs more care.

4. You may also have a severe buildup of product on the hair and scalp. An easy way to tell is to take the edge of a comb or your fingernails and glide down a strand of hair with them. If you have a powdery white substance or a sticky white residue on your nails or comb when you are done, it is probably from product buildup. This occurs when shampoos or conditioners either fail to remove hairspray, and styling products from the hair, or when the fillers in the shampoos and conditioners themselves leave a buildup. Product buildup can be cured by thoroughly shampooing and obsessively rinsing the hair.

My daughter screams when I comb out her tangles. How can we detangle her hair pain-free?

First of all, fine hair tangles more, as does damaged hair. Make sure you're using the best possible shampoo for her hair type (which may be different from yours). If you already are, a few things will help with depainifying the process.

Put in a bit of lightweight leave-in conditioner in her hair when it's barely moist or towel-dried, or use a thin detangler in addition to her shampoo. Rinse her hair in cooler water than you washed it in as well. This will ensure a smooth shaft and far less knots.

Put it all up in a clip and comb it out in smallish sections. (If her hair is fine or thin and only qualifies for one section, skip that step) Start at the ends/bottom of the hair shaft, comb down, then when it's smooth go a little higher. You'll be releasing the knots, instead of locking them in like you do when you begin at the scalp or try to do the whole head at once. And be gentle! You may be in a hurry or irritated by her or whatever, but don't take it out on her hair. If she's screaming, you're doing something wrong.

My teenager has disgusting, greasy hair, even when the rest of her is pretty clean. How can I help her?

Things to avoid:
1. Moisture enhancing or enriching shampoo products applied to the scalp section of your hair. If your middle or ends are dry or damaged, apply moisture enriched formulas only to the areas of your hair that are excessively dry.
2. Rinse out conditioners applied near the scalp. Only apply to the middle or ends and keep away from the top of your head.
3. Deep conditioning products applied near the scalp.
4. Styling products such as gels, pomades or mousses that will attract oil to the scalp area.
5. Washing hair in hot water.
6. Touching, combing or brushing hair except when absolutely necessary. Your fingertips, teeth of the comb or bristles of the brush can transfer oil to and from your scalp causing hair to rapidly become greasy.
7. Wearing forehead hugging bangs. Grease and oils from the hair and skin can easily migrate causing the problem to worsen in some cases. This will also cause acne on the forehead, something else to be avoided.
8. Using oil based skin care products and cosmetics.

Things to try:
1. Shampoo with lukewarm or cool water and avoid hot temperatures.
2. Use products that are advertised as clarifying, chelating, or oil-removing.
3. Shampoo every day, to minimize oil buildups.
4. Layer shampoo appropriately. Use oil removal products only on the scalp but layer moisture enhancing or body building products on the middle and ends.
5. Never pile wet strands on top of the head. This can transfer oil and grease from the scalp to the rest or the hair.
6. Always finish each shampoo with a cool/cold water rinse which will help cut down on the natural oil production and leave the hair smooth and shiny.

If you guys have additional questions or found this interesting and want to hear more, or want me to touch on topics like skin or nails, let me know in your comments. If I get good responses, I can make it a regular column or another blog or just answer you as you ask. :D

The weasels are gnawing...

...so I have to get this post out before it gets any closer to lunchtime! Sometimes I think there's more going on than just a baby. It must be at least two ravenous weasels wiggling around in there.

Things are good here, nothing big to report. I did want to direct your attention to a website that has been taking up some of my time though. ;) It's called Spoonflower and it's a great place to put your own fabric designs! For me, that means putting my fractals on fabric, but for you that might mean stamps or illustrations or photos. Right now they're new, and you can only buy your own work. It's a soft cotton fabric, 44" wide, and it's $18 a yard. If you see something of mine that you want though, let me know and I'll get it sent to you. I'm at Winter's Fabric Designs. We can work something out through paypal. The best part is you can play with the design and decide whether it works best repeated directly, offset, mirrored, etc, and get the best design for the picture. I can't wait to get some and make a skirt or a bag! Or, more accurately, buy the fabric and pay Julia to make me a skirt or a bag. In fact....maybe even a baby sling...

But that will have to wait till we find out if Baby Kelsey is a boy or a girl. ;) We'll know next Tuesday, February 17th. So stay tuned!

From 65 to 5 in two weeks!

Ha! You thought I was talking about a car with really bad brakes, didn't you? No, I'm talking about the fall from glory that happens when you leave Cali for Boston in the winter. We had such a great trip, and now we're dealing with the post-Christmas blues on top of very frigid temperatures. Boy was it worth it though!

We started the trip with a cozy Christmas at Mom and Dad's, and we spent time at Aunt Anna's and Uncle Gary's too. Kristin and Nicole came over often and we saw Danny and Griff too. It was also nice to see Janeil Lambourne, she's kinda like a cousin.

We had fun playing the Wii (yay for Wii Fit and bowling!). I discovered the only way to beat my dad at Wii bowling was to make him sit down, hehe. When we were both sitting, I was better. We read a lot of books and ate yummy food! I showed Jed how to make olive penguins for appetizers, because I was too lazy to do it myself. He did a good job!



Besides all the nice, comfortable family time, we went some pretty fun places too! The boys had joined a Lego Brickmaster's club this year, and that earned us some free tickets to Legoland, so we really had a great time there.


We also hit Sea World and went to the movies. All wonderful places!

Now we're back here and have had a month of freezing temperatures and inches and inches of snow. A couple weekends ago they said oh yes, 2-4 inches...we got 14!! So let me tell you how nervous I am that they said 6-12 inches for tomorrow.

Jed wore his beard until my birthday and shaved it this weekend. I will miss it. A moment of silence for the beard.

I had a great birthday. Tons of online well-wishes as well as cakes from my friends and a great date with my hubby. I felt very old and decrepit after the movie when we were eating though...I could barely stay awake at a time when I used to be rarin' to go! I was too tired to even get dessert...and we were at Cheesecake Factory. :( Hopefully the fatigue is more pregnancy than old age, hehe.

Aidan and Mike are still playing basketball, and we're getting closer to the competition for Destination Imagination. We didn't have our usual team meeting today due to half the team members being sick, but we should have the kids writing their play by February break.

Hope everyone's January has been nice and not too dreary.

A Little Holiday Humor

This is Aidan singing in the bathroom:

Jingle elfs! Elfs smell! Elfs laid an egg!

(Yes, I know it's elves. But they haven't gotten to plurals yet in Kindergarten.) Aidan inspired me to write my own version of a popular holiday song.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Snow, and sleet, and rain.
It is 20 degrees today, but it was 60 just yesterday,
The kind of weather that is such a pain!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Toys up to my ears.
I am having to wrap them all, but I didn't go to the mall,
I happily shopped the internet this year.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Soon, our bags we'll fill.
California here we come, our bums no longer be numb,
Won't 10 days in the sun be such a thrill!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Merry days to you.
Keep the Spirit of it in your heart, we won't be long apart,
And have the Happiest of New Year's too!

Well, it's not the greatest, but you try finding a rhyme for "come".

It snowed last night, and that left us a lot of shoveling this morning. I started, Jed finished, and our wonderful Brazilian neighbor Evandro did the big part of our driveway with his plow-on-an-atv thing. I caught this fantastic picture of Jed:


Isn't he cute in his new beard! I love it! I'm trying to convince him to keep it but really, I think he thinks I'm just "trying" in the other sense of the word.

Ooh! I got a job. Well, actually, my best friend Julia landed me the job. She often does wedding cakes for people in our ward and stake, and she's doing one for a reception this coming weekend. Well, the MOB was freaking out about getting a photographer for the wedding, because the ones around here are very expensive (especially last minute). Julia suggested me! I'd done her family holiday photos, and I guess she liked them. The MOB (Sister Ross, she's a hilarious German lady in the ward) called me up and said "I hear you taking wedding photos". ROFL! I never have before, and I let her know that. I may have been snapping shots with my camera since I was 9, but I have no training. Luckily she was so desperate she didn't care. I negotiated a fee which is about 10% of the going rate around here, so I get a little Christmas cash and she gets a photographer! Whee! Lets hope the book I bought helps....I still don't know what I'm doing and it's on Saturday. *faint*

In other news, Aidan's doing basketball like his big brother Mike. He's on the Knights, and he made 3 baskets at his first practice! He doesn't like his mouthguard, and I don't blame him. In fact, it caused the funniest thing to happen at his second practice, and I just have to share it.

So it's Aidan's turn at shooting practice. He gently carries the ball to the line and shoots, forgetting to bounce it along the way. The assistant coach shouts encouragingly, "Dribble, Aidan!" Aidan turns to look at the assist. coach......and promptly drools a 2 or 3 foot long string of thick, ropy wet drool! "Dribble, Aidan!" ROFL! Right on cue! No one can say he's disobedient. It must have been collecting in his mouthguard the whole practice. Aidan was mortified! He ran and sat on the bench with a flaming face and wouldn't talk to or look at anyone until the game started. The whole set of parents did an involuntary "Ew!" when he did it, which didn't help. Luckily he's little and he's forgotten all about it. But mean mom that I am, I got such a kick out of it I had to share it with you all. Lol!

I have to say, thank goodness for Aidan. I think at this time of year, with the sun going down around 3:30pm and all the darkness of humanity, all the capitalism and greed and selfishness and just plain tiredness, it would be easy to give in to the darkness and just get depressed. Aidan somehow manages to be funny and endearing at some point every day. He gives me such faith that there is hope for our future. All our children and neices and nephews and friends kids give me this feeling in some measure, but there's something especially sunny and funny about my youngest that is just especially bright. I'll leave you with this image of him and his funny self and crooked eyes and sheer joy to brighten your holiday season just a little bit. (If you can read his shirt, that'll give you smile #2. It is unfortunately true!) Love you all!

All is right with the world.

Jed is home, it's 60 degrees, and the tree is up. Ahhhh. ^^

Le Sigh.

Jed is out of town for two weeks on business. Testing the little unmanned submarine robot things he's been working on. I hope things go well for him. I wouldn't know, because he can't call me from his cell-phone while on the island base at San Clemente. I honestly don't mind him being gone for a few days but two weeks is really really stretching it. Who will take out the trash and de-clog the toilet? And it might snow. It is December. Also, while I was dreading sleeping alone and being cold at night for two weeks, I didn't imagine a small person would take it upon himself to keep me warm company from 4am on. Too bad it's the small person who doesn't really like to bathe and who still wets the bed. I love Aidan and enjoy his company, but only from 7am to 8pm.

On the upside, when Jed is gone we can eat whatever we want without worrying about whether he likes it or not. Bring on the avocados and seafood and nuts! Bring on the cereal for three meals a day! Bring on the thin crust pizza with pineapple! Also, when he leaves, he leaves me his bank card. I was done Christmas shopping within two days of his absence. ;) So much fun! I done-did stim-you-late the econ-o-mee. He won't even have to shop for me now. I got my own Christmas presents.

Speaking of presents, if you're looking for something fun for someone hard to shop for, please check out my various art websites. DA has my calendars and mugs and Zazzle has shoes! SHOES, for heavens sake, that I designed. I know it's rude to solicit your own family and friends (and that those are the only people who read this blog or I wouldn't have said Jed was gone and I have all the money). I just don't know anyone else to solicit. ;)

www.nataliekelsey.com

www.zazzle.com/winter79/gifts

Hooray! :D

Just a quick note to say....we have a new nephew! :D His name is Kyle Rodriguez and he was born on November 6th at 1:01 am. He was 8 lbs 8 oz, and I can't remember his length or middle name. Still and all, that brings us to a grand total of 13 nieces and nephews, or 16 total grandchildren on the Kelsey side! Kyle tipped the genders back to a balance of 8 boys and 8 girls. Hooray!