Amazing Ammonia free hair-colour! – NOT so great…

With the move to ammonia-free hair colour, many are excited by the idea of hair colour with less damaged hair.

Logically it makes sense – however, alkaline hair – that has been exposed to ammonia in colour – can and should be treated with acid normalisers &/ anti-oxidation treatments, post colour, to return it to a normal state. This means that you have longer lasting colour, without the damage.  You know your hair’s in an alkaline state when you can’t get a comb or your fingers through your hair.  It will tend to be matt and colour strips out really fast – it’s just really unmanageable and not fun.  Colour containing ammonia or it’s derivatives should not damage your hair when professionally done.

Now the problem: with lower levels of ammonia, there’s normally higher levels of ppd.  This is Paraphenylenediamine (pronounced: Para-Fennel-Lean-Dye-A-Mine) We’ll just call that PPD for short.  It was voted allergen of the year in 2006 by the American Contact Dermatitis Society.  It’s an organic compound – just because it’s natural, does not mean that it’s safe.

What does it do?  It makes your colour stick to your hair.

What it does to you?  Nothing – hopefully, you could colour your hair 700 times without a reaction – However, when you do react, your scalp might have a burning sensation, you experience throat irritation, coughing, tight scalp, an insistent itch, swelling, a full body rash, eyelids swelling shut, face swelling, enlarged glands etc… Usually you’ll have at least one of these reactions, but it quickly becomes worse with PPD exposure.  Think of any of the hair colour stories involving really bad reactions – it was probably PPD.

Once you have had an allergic reaction – you will always be allergic to PPD.  The sensitivity then spreads to include black clothes (PPD fixative), dyed leather, certain inks and some brands of black make-up (liners and mascaras)

There is good news.  If you are reacting, or just worried about allergen loads and carcinogen levels, there are many brands of PPD-free colour available.  Luckily most PPD-free colour is also SLS and SLES-free, which means no damaging reaction with chlorinated tap water or ammonia.

Check your colour ingredients – ask your stylist for the box or for the package insert with the ingredient list – there is ALWAYS an ingredient list.

PDD will appear as one of the following:

PPD

Paraphenylenediamine

1.4-diaminobezene

phenylenediamine

Dry hair? What to do…

Jojoba might be the answer if you’re hair’s just too dry.  With moisture-dry hair the problem could originate anywhere from a hormonal fluctuation, smoking, excessive hair-washing with harsh shampoos, to just not getting enough essential fatty acids (Your omega 3, 6 and 9).  These fats trap water to your hair and skin.  With appropriate dietary and lifestyle changes, you could do a lot to alleviate this problem.

 

However – while you’re waiting for the new healthy you to make your hair better – there’s also our trusty friend Jojoba (pronounced: Ho-Ho-Bah)

 

Jojoba is not an oil – it’s a natural plant wax that VERY effectively mimics our own sebum and moisturises beautifully (while also being anti-microbial).  Add a few drops to your conditioner before applying and boost the moisture in your hair.  One to two drops added to your styling aid will hugely increase smoothness, elasticity and shine.  You’ll find jojoba in any health store that stocks essential oils – and it’s also included in many professional products – like FHI Hotsauce heat protector.

 

Ask your stylist about cold-pressed oil treatments – like jojoba – that greatly improves the hairs elasticity and shine.  It’s also a wonderful treat for hair the week before a tint: the hair is in the best condition to receive colour and is more resilient to chemical processes.

 

Moisture arrives in Muizenberg…

Reference Of Sweden.

Having changed their product line to a sulfate-free formula, I’ve finally been using some of their new shampoos – and I’m getting really good results and excellent feedback from people that are using it.  It comes in four shine boosting variants: moisture, volume, treatment and colour care – all completely sulfate -free.  Here’s the blurb from their site:  (they make one of my all-time favourite products: REF Hold and Shine Hairspray – it’s SUPER lightweight and strong – my hairspray addiction *sigh*)

Sulfate Free – The New Reference!

In ancient days, we washed our hair with herbs, soft soap and other natural products but as time went by, more and more chemicals where used. Now many shampoos are more or less pure chemical products.

The conscious consumer of tomorrow does not settle with that fortunately, they want products good for your hair and for the environment. And that does the job.

We believe we have found the solution to this request: REF Sulfate Free Surfactant Technology With a well balanced mixture of natural ingredients and chemistry, with ingredients such as Tamanu and Argan oils, Linseed oil, Blueberries, Linginberries etc we have developed shampoos you are going to love!

© REF Professional Hair care and Beauty products. Find your reference.

What’s “in” in hair?

2012 in hair trends still continues the new decade’s theme of revival.  The buzzwords being revival and evolution.

Men have very long hair, textured precision short cuts and everything in between. The old Beatles cut has been dusted off and modernised into the Brit-rock indie hairstyle and the quiff (think Elvis, James Dean, Morrissey) is here in a big way – with a sleek and a rock version.  The Rockabilly from 2010 is still doing the rounds, but it might eventually give way to a customised quiff – it’s a “wait and see” game.

Woman’s hair has seen the drama of the mod bob, or inverted bob, as worn by Victoria Beckham and Rihanna. There’s still lots of life left in this bob, and now that the hype around the haircut has died down, I find that more woman are trying out custom versions of this cut. Longer hair is still worn in curls, waves and stick straight – just keep it glossy. The days of the Rachel cut (Jennifer Aniston in Friends) is finally over. The textured short crop is also in high demand, think the 1968 Mia Farrow crop in Rosemary’s baby and Emma Watson‘s hair. for both men and woman, a parting in the hair can change the entire look very easily.  With the 60′s and 70′s revival in fashion – centre partings are cropping up everywhere.

The ponytail – in all its incarnations – is still very trendy this year, having been all over the 2012 runways -  as is softly braided hair -  whether down your back or on the side.  The chignon is also very popular right now.

(From WIKI: The word “chignon” (pronounced shin-yon in English) is from the French phrase “chignon du cou,” which means nape of the neck. Chignons are generally achieved by pinning the hair into a knot at the nape of the neck or at the back of the head)

Colour leans towards subtler tones – blondes are golder rather than platinum, brunettes have honey-toned highlights with dark chocolate lowlights. Some subtle colour is still the easiest way to change your hair, be careful of going too dark though. It’s the fastest way to look really tired.

As for products, the green trend has gone high fashion. No longer are natural shampoos the sad alternatives used by a select few.Good products are being demanded and they need to be sulphate, paraben and formaldehyde-free.

ProRituals, Reference of Sweden, Phyto and Naturalmente are just a few chemical-free product ranges currently trending that make shiny natural hair easy.

And of course – not to be forgotten – argan oil. It’s now available in conditioners, shampoos, treatments and skin care. It’s the must-have item on your shopping list.

The Horror of LICE! Everything you didn’t want to know.

So you had a phonecall from school or found some nits (louse eggs).  What do you do…?

Firstly - DO NOT GO TO YOUR SALON.  Legally, a South African stylist may not work on your child’s hair if they have lice – and on discovery of nits or lice, they are obligated by law to ask you to leave the salon.   This can be really embarrassing for both of you, so don’t put yourself through it.

What is it – how do I find it?  So this small, brownish-grey, wingless insect lives in human hair.  It’s called Pediculosis humanus capitus (human head lice – singular = louse), is about the size of a pinhead and has three sets of legs that allow it to cling really firmly to hair-shafts.  Even though its legs are strong,  it can’t jump.

It attacks and punctures the skin to feed on blood, setting up irritation similar to a mozzie bite.  These bites may set off an allergic reaction in some people, showing up as itching – often raised – red marks.

If you carefully part the hair, you may find lice or the skin reaction to their bites.  However, you will usually find the hatched, empty pearly-white egg cases and these are often confused with dandruff, which it resembles.  These empty shells are sticky and as the hair grows, it is found further away from the scalp than where the lice are.

The actual live eggs are teardrop-shaped and brown.  These are laid on the hair roots – close to the scalp – and are called nits.  Lice will attack ANY scalp, it does not discern between a clean head of hair and a dirty one.  There absolutely no stigma attached to contracting head-lice.

So how do I treat it?  The human head-louse is classed as a disease and an infestation of lice is often called a lice infection.  Lice are passed by head-to-head contact, or by sharing hats, brushes, combs or towels.  Make sure while you are treating the condition that all these items – including all bedding and clothes – are constantly cleaned and sterilised after use and kept separately from other family members belongings.

Get to your pharmacy and buy one of the many delousing preparations available.  This needs to be applied at least twice.  Although the lice are VERY easily killed, (and don’t live longer than 24hours when separated from its human host) the nits are protected by their tough shells and another application will have to be done within seven days to prevent the freshly hatched lice – of the last nit-batch – from laying any more eggs.  The usual method is to apply the shampoo as directed and then carefully use the accompanying fine-toothed lice and nit comb, to remove all the lice and eggs you can find.  IMPORTANT: Seek medical treatment immediately should the treatment be ineffective or the scalp becomes inflamed or infected.

Natural Route?  Lately a popular alternative has been to apply natural preparations to hair (during a school or family outbreak).  These preparations usually contain Quassia bark, tansy, essential oils of rosemary, geranium, lavender, eucalyptus, lemon and tea-tree.  This could be used as a treatment or deterrent.

Here’s a local head-lice site: www.lice.co.za

But does my hair smell nice?

One of the longest lasting trends in hair care has been fragrance retention.  It’s clean – but how does it smell?

The problem here is that most “smells” in hair products are artificial fragrances designed to make the product more appealing – none of the smells do anything for you besides trying to influence you to buy the product.  The use of fragrance in products is increasing and so are the number of people affected adversely by them. Here’s a helpful article on fragrance sensitivity: FRAGRANCE

There are a few product houses who have embraced a more natural approach while not sacrificing a professional finish on your hair.

Naturalmente is from Tuscany and the really wonderful thing is that all the fragrances used in the product line are there because they are active ingredients.  The essential oil combinations are there to balance sebum, moisturise or calm the scalp.  These combinations are what happen to perfume the product – so you get fresh hair with long-lasting fragrance – but the fragrance is actually working for you in a big way.

Silicone – the slippery foe…

Silicone – it makes your fingers move through your hair while shampooing and makes your hair silky soft – for now…

Silicone is a petrochemical derivative used to give products a “slip” factor– just like mineral oil (the second leading cause of skin-aging after sunlight).  It seals moisture in – and prevents humidity from causing your locks to frizz.  However, that sealing action seals moisture out of your hair, because the sealing action is long-term.  It starts turning to a plastic consistency at around 40 degrees celcius (bath water temp) so heating tools, like a blow dryer, over it is lethal.

Silicone is a waxy, plastic-like substance that makes your hair feel like it needs another wash.  Your hair also feels and looks oily way too soon after washing it.  The only solution is to stop using silicone.

It’s carcinogenic and is one of the main reasons for oily, yet moisture-dry hair.  It causes splitting and a host of scalp problems.  It’s also the reason you see smoke when you use your flat iron or blow-dry. Why is it everywhere? It’s cheap.

Your hair without silicone?  After about one to four months (when the silicone residue is finally off) your hair is lighter, weightless and shiny – and there are alternatives to silicone, which leave zero long-term coating.

Naturalmente produces a product called Macassar, which is made of sea-sand (silica) and quartz crystal.  You have the smoothness of silicone – but with a difference… Macassar is also a leave-in restructuring fluid treatment.  So not only is it making your hair pretty – it’s also good for your hair. The excess pulverises in sunlight and the whole lot is water soluble – so rinses right out.

Wet Hair? Only ever use a comb.

Top Tip:    NEVER brush wet or damp hair.
Always comb wet hair with the biggest wide tooth comb you can find (without any rubber coating) – making sure there are no sharp seams on the comb that could tear your hair.  Wet hair is really fragile and will ribbon up into over-stretched frizzy bits with a brush.   (Causing fuzzy/or unmanageable hair when you leave it to dry or try to style it) Use your brush for blow-drying, or brushing out your hair while it’s dry – before washing.  Brushing your hair before washing exfoliates the scalp, improves circulation, removes loose hair and shed skin and spreads your natural oils.

Speaking of combing hair – the nifty Tangle Teezer revolutionizes brushing hair.  It’s a comb that looks like a brush – but there’s zero pulling, breakage or stretching of hair.  It spreads your conditioner and styling aids quickly and you end up using a lot less product.  No more pulling and tears, just pain-free grooming. The Tangle Teezer retails at an average of R300 – (R200 @ Lorenzo Hair Salon and Bliss Day Spa)

Why do I advocate only Sulphate-free products?

Sodium Laureth/Lauryl Sulphate/Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulphate (SLS/SLES) is often found in over the counter products – its pH, once in contact with chlorinated water (your tap water), increases up to 10 times.

This alkalinity has an aggressively damaging effect on the hair and skin and can actually severely dry out your hair, causing split ends and hair breakage

SL(E)S is linked to chronic hair shedding (blocking your shower drain) and is a known auto-immune disorder trigger – triggering eczema, psoriasis, lupus etc…  It is absorbed through the eyes, skin and mucous membranes, the longer your exposure to this chemical, the more reactions you develop.

Many anti-inflammatory creams are tested by first exposing the skin (of anyone – sensitive to SL/ES or not) to sulphate to provoke a reaction.  This surface active agent (surfactant) is used to degrease car engines and is the active ingredient in almost every brand of dish soap, bath foam and hand wash – think anything that foams.

Consider switching to a SLS-free shower-gel, soap or skin cleanser and SLS-free toothpaste – like Sensodyne Gentle Whitening, Spry, Earthsap or any other brand that is known to be sulphate-free.  ALWAYS read the ingredients list.

Keep your hair and skin healthy by keeping in a naturally acidic state (pH 4.5 to 5.5)

No to sulphates!

Argan: The Miracle Oil

What You Should Know About Argan Oil

By Imad Mouaddine

 

Argan oil is a special kind of oil that is extracted from the nuts of the Argan tree. This tree is found only in southwest Morocco in an area that covers only about 700,000-800,000 hectares. Argan trees were first seen and reported in 1510 by Leo Africanus, the explorer. The tree belongs to the Tertiary age and over time has adapted itself to the diverse and difficult environment conditions specific to this area.

Argan oil is full of essential fatty acids, such as linoleic acid, the precursor to Vitamin E. This has made it a very popular product because it is very effective against anti-aging, moisturizing and as an antioxidant. Science has proved that the use of Argan oil has corrected age-related loss of moisture or dehydration and elasticity of the skin.

Argan oil also contains tocopherols. The amount of tocopherols is double of what is found in olive oil, 700mg/kilogram. It’s a natural antioxidant and is known to be able to enhance intracellular oxygenation, which helps protect the soft tissue by neutralizing free radicals.

Argan oil comes in two variants, culinary and cosmetic. It is known for its cosmetic and nutritive value as well as its exceptional medicinal properties.

In its culinary avatar, Argan oil consists of:

• Essential Fatty Acids, which are building compounds the body needs to manufacture and repair cell membranes.
• A Lipid called Prostaglandin that helps regulate body functions like the heart rate, blood pressure, smooth muscle contraction, circulation, and the immune function. Prostaglandin is a natural anti-inflammatory and acts as a controlling factor in overall cell growth and development.
• Carotenoids called xanthophylls that are known to lower the risk of arthritis.
• Polyphenols or polyphenolic compounds, which are known for their antiseptic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic, and anti-aging properties.
• Ferulic Acid that helps prevent damage caused by ultraviolet light.
• Sterols, such as schottenol and spinasterol, which are known for their anti-cancer property.
• Vitamin E, which is a powerful antioxidant and excellent free radical scavenger. Vitamin E protects essential fatty acids and Vitamin A levels in the body.
• In its cosmetic avatar, it’s is the best oil for your skin. It is high on antioxidant, anti-aging, and moisturizing aspects of skin. It reduces wrinkles, increases elasticity, revitalizes cell functions that have been affected by stress, smoking, sun, pollution, etc., so skin regeneration is possible. It reduces oiliness, as it has sebum regulating actions and takes care of all those unsightly acne, chicken pox scars, and blemishes. Argan oil works wonders for pregnancy-related stretch marks if used regularly.
• Argan oil is very good for nails. It takes care of brittle nails and helps nails become stronger. Under eye crinkles can be reduced by applying it.

Frizzy hair can be history with just 2 drops of Argan oil applied, and this also takes care of spilt ends. It brings a shine to your hair (and a smile to your face), prevents damage due to exposure to the sun and other pollutants, and improves elasticity so hair breakage is reduced.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Imad_Mouaddine