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