Can You Get Hooked On Lip Balm?

THE BEAUTY BRAINS is a group of chemists who have more than forty combined years of experience developing and testing beauty products at major cosmetic companies, including Proctor & Gamble, Unilever and Alberto Culver. PERRY ROMANOWSKI, the public face of the brains, has spent the past eighteen years researching and developing products to solve consumer problems in hair and skin care. He is the coauthor of Beginning Cosmetic Chemistry, an introductory textbook of beauty science. Visit Perry and the other lobes of the Beauty Brains at www.TheBeautyBrains.com.

INTRODUCTION

WHO ARE THE BEAUTY BRAINS?

The Beauty Brains are a group of cosmetic scientists who understand what the chemicals used in cosmetics really do, how products are tested, and what all the advertising means. They have no cosmetics to sell so you can be sure that the information provided is the most unbiased beauty advice available.

LEFT BRAIN

The most hard-core skeptical scientist of all the Beauty Brains, the Left Brain peruses the world of science to bring you the latest developments and explain how they might apply to the cosmetic world.

RIGHT BRAIN

Still scientific, but a bit less militant, the Right Brain has a good eye for the humorous—and human interest—side of science. The Right Brain is particularly skilled in interpreting advertising claims.

SARAH BELLUM

Sarah works behind the scenes researching questions, reviewing the latest beauty technology and acting as the Beauty Brains’ guinea pig.

WHAT’S THE PURPOSE OF THE BEAUTY BRAINS?

There are literally thousands of cosmetic products and companies constantly bombarding you with confusing, and sometimes false, claims. The Beauty Brains was started in 2006 to help women understand the real science behind the beauty products they use every day. We have taken questions from people around the world about all beauty topics, including hair care, skin care, makeup and even cosmetic surgery.

We’re here to help you cut through the confusing, misleading and sometimes false information with which the beauty companies bombard you. Our goal is to explain cosmetic science to you in a way that’s entertaining and easy to understand. We believe the more information you have, the better you’ll be able to find products that you like at a price you can afford. So you can listen to the advertising, or advice from a friend, or what your stylist tells you. But if you really want to understand cosmetic products in an unbiased, scientific way, you need the Beauty Brains.

In this book we’ve collected our best questions and answers to make learning about cosmetic science easy and entertaining. By giving you honest, unbiased information, the Beauty Brains can help you become a smarter shopper so you’ll be able to get the products you like at prices you can afford.

1 HAIR PRODUCTS FROM SALONS TO STORES

Stylists love to push products but is it really the best idea to buy them? In this chapter, you’ll learn the truth about whether salon brands are really exclusive to salons, the different types of shampoos that are available and get some straight talk about the most popular hair care brand.

THE SHAMPOO SECRET BEAUTY COMPANIES DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW

Corinne asks: I have a very sensitive scalp with fine hair and suffer from hair loss and dandruff. Dermatologists have advised me to use a clear gel shampoo that is clarifying or deep cleansing. So I’ve tried Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo, Suave for Men Deep Cleaning Shampoo, Neutrogena Anti-residue Shampoo and Prell Classic Shampoo (original formula). I’m not happy with those choices and would like you to set me straight. What shampoo is going to work for me?

While we hate to disagree with dermatologists, we don’t understand why they recommended a deep-cleansing shampoo when you have dandruff. Deep-cleansing-type shampoos will remove the surface flakes, but only a dandruff shampoo can address the cause of flaking and itching. So we’d recommend finding a good dandruff shampoo instead of chasing deep-cleansing, clarifying and antiresidue products. This may seem confusing to you because the beauty companies tell you there are so many different kinds of shampoo. But in reality, every shampoo on the market falls into one of a few basic categories.

THERE ARE ONLY FOUR MAIN SHAMPOO TYPES IN THE WORLD

All shampoo can be categorized by their basic function. So why are there what seem like thousands of products on the market, you ask? Because companies that sell shampoo need new ways to talk about their products to keep them sounding new and exciting. There’s nothing wrong with companies being creative about their names and claims as long as they are honestly depicting what their products can do. But you can be a smarter consumer if you can see beyond the marketing hype and understand the functionality of these four basic shampoo types.

1 Deep cleansing shampoos (aka volumizing, clarifying, balancing, oil control and thickening). These shampoos are designed to get gunk off your hair and scalp. They typically contain slightly higher levels of detergents so they foam and clean better. They include the examples above as well as salon products like Paul Mitchell Shampoo and Frederic Fekkai’s Full Volume Shampoo.

2 Conditioning shampoos (aka moisturizing, 2-in-l, smoothing, antifrizz, strengthening, color care, straightening and hydrating). These kinds of formulas are all about leaving a moisturizing agent, like silicone or polyquaternium-10, on the hair to smooth it. They are very good for dry hair, especially if you color-treat or heat-style, but they can weigh down fine hair. Good examples of this type include most of the Pantene formulas and some products from the L’Oreal Vive collection and Dove Advanced Care.

3 Baby shampoos (aka kids shampoo and tear-free). These are milder, lower-foaming surfactant formulas that are designed not to sting or burn your eyes. They’re better for babies but they don’t clean hair as well. Johnson’s Baby Shampoo is the classic example, but this category also includes Touch of an Angel and The Little Bath.

4 Antidandruff shampoos (aka anti-itch, flake control and dry scalp). These are medicated shampoos that contain a drug ingredient that controls itching and flaking. In the United States these are considered to be over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. Head & Shoulders is the leading dandruff product; other examples include Nizoral Dandruff Shampoo and Redken Dandruff Control Shampoo.

THE BOTTOM LINE

We hope this helps you better understand the marketing hype surrounding shampoo names. We’re not saying that all shampoos are the same, or even that all shampoos in a given category type are the same. There are real performance differences so it’s important for you to shop around and find a product that performs the way you like at a price that you can afford. Just don’t get too hung up on the names the companies use to describe their products. That’s the marketing part of the industry, not the science part.

ARE SALON PRODUCTS IN REGULAR STORES THE SAME AS THOSE IN SALONS?

Winnie wonders: Are the salon products that you buy at the local grocery store the same as the ones you can buy at a salon? I saw a news story that said products in stores are fakes.

Salon products are no different than those sold in stores. Selling salon brands in places that aren’t salons is called diversion. The truth is that these salon brands depend on “diverted” product to boost their sales. They want to have it both ways. They want to tell you that Paul Mitchell is a salon-only brand, which makes it seem more exclusive, but they also want the high-volume sales that they can get only through mass market outlets like your local Target or Walmart. Additionally, they don’t want to anger their salon distributors because people are able to get the same stuff—but cheaper—in nonsalon outlets.

They make up this story of products being inferior. In nearly all cases, they are not. Here’s how diversion works. Paul Mitchell hires a company to manufacture its products. Then Paul Mitchell salespeople get and fill orders from distributors. Distributors are legitimate businesses that sell directly to independent salons. The distributors can order as much as they want. They then sell it to the salons, which can then sell it to you.

FOLLOW THE MONEY

Some of these distributors work directly with stores like CVS and Walgreens. So when these stores put in an order (a really big order, compared to a salon), the distributors just order more product from Paul Mitchell to fill the CVS order.

It’s not likely that Paul Mitchell even questions the big orders because company salespeople like the extra sales. They turn a blind eye to what’s going on just so they can express public “outrage” that their product is being sold at the local drugstore. This is a bunch of bunk.

The stuff you get at your local drugstore is every bit as good as the stuff you get at the salon. Don’t be fooled. If the folks at Paul Mitchell really wanted to stop these sales, they would simply question their distributors and find out who is selling to these outlets.

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

THE BOTTOM LINE

If you’re buying a salon brand from a regular store, you can trust that there is no difference between that and the stuff you can get at a salon.

ARE PAUL MITCHELL PRODUCTS MAKING YOUR HAIR BREAK?

Joan asks: About a year ago my stylist started using Paul Mitchell products on me and I haven’t loved my hair since! Now it’s damaged and it breaks easily. My stylist blames me for using a flat iron. I know that doesn’t help but I’ve used a flat iron for years and have never had this happen. She tells me that’s because I had my hair colored so much. I have never had these problems until she switched to Paul Mitchell. Is it possible that his products made my hair start to break off and thin out?

We see how you could think that Paul Mitchell made your hair go bad, but we doubt that’s really what happened. Paul Mitchell products are not different enough from other products you’ve been using (except for probably costing more), so there is likely a different reason you’re experiencing hair breakage. It is natural to leap to conclusions like this, but they are often incorrect.

Instead of worrying about Paul Mitchell, we’d blame three other factors for your hair problem:

1 Flat iron usage is very bad for your hair. That’s probably the most immediate cause of daily breakage. If you want less damage, consider ironing less frequently.

2 In the long run, the worst thing you can do is chemically color your hair. Coloring breaks down the hair’s protein, making it weaker. Frequent chemical processing literally pushes your hair to its “breaking point.”

3 The first two factors are worsened because you’re getting older and your hair is weaker. As we age, our hair gets less dense and more prone to breakage. That’s probably why you’re seeing so much hair breakage recently—Father Time is catching up with you!

WHAT TO DO

So, what can you do? Well, the shampoo doesn’t matter much as long as you’re using a conditioner. The Paul Mitchell conditioner is good, but so are many other cheaper, mass market brands like Fructis, Pantene and TRESemmé. You might consider using one of these every time you wash your hair. The conditioner should provide enough lubrication to the hair so that pulling on it with a comb does not break it. It may even provide some protection against the heat of the flat iron. If you’re not using a conditioner, be sure to use a conditioning shampoo like Pantene 2-in-1. This should help slow your hair-breaking problem.

THE BOTTOM LINE

In truth, heat, coloring and age are all conspiring against you to break your hair. You can’t do anything about the aging process but if you stopped coloring and reduced the heat exposure, your hair would break less. Of course, then you might not like how it looks. Such is the price we pay for beauty!

DOES OJON RESTORATIVE TREATMENT LIVE UP TO ITS HYPE?

Alison asks: I am wondering what you think of the Ojon products, specifically their restorative hair treatment that claims a 52 percent improvement in the condition of very dry hair after just one use. Is this really any better than other products, and how does it work?

Ojon’s oil treatment consists of palm oil, fragrance and a few extracts. It’s particularly interesting because recent research has shown that only some oils will actually penetrate the hair. Mineral oil and sunflower oil, for example, will not penetrate. But coconut oil (which is essentially the same as palm oil) will filter deep into the cortex because it is so similar to hair’s natural lipids.

OIL CONDITIONS HAIR

Why is that a big deal? Because the natural oils in your hair help make it flexible and waterproof. Washing your hair removes some of these natural oils. So it is possible that applying coconut oil to your hair can fight some of the effects of this oil loss. Once inside the hair, the oil serves as a re-fatting agent. However, this type of conditioning won’t have much effect on the cuticle—the outer layer of hair—so you’ll still need to use a good conditioner to smooth the hair and make it easier to comb.

Is that a good value? Well, that’s another question. Any other coconut oil-based product should do about the same job and should be much cheaper. We don’t recommend any specific brands, but look for products that feature coconut oil as the first ingredient.

Is there anything to Ojon’s rain-forest hype? Well, its rain-forest story seems well-intentioned, but this ingredient isn’t proven to work any better or any differently than non-rain-forest ingredients. Coconut trees only grow in tropical climates, but there’s nothing special about trees from the rain forest. So if you like Ojon’s products and you want to support their cause and you can afford the $55 for this product, then by all means buy it. But don’t buy the product just because the company tells you its rain-forest extract is better.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Based on recent scientific research, the palm oil used by Ojon should penetrate the hair. Therefore, it could protect your hair from overwashing. However, at $55, it’s a bit pricey, so shop around for other coconut oil products because you may be able to get the same effect for less money.

TWO NATURAL OILS THAT MAKE YOUR HAIR SHINY AND STRONG

Shannon says: I have been using coconut oil for a while and I feel my hair is stronger than it used to be. I’d like to keep using it and I want to add olive oil to make my hair shiny, but I’m worried that mixing the two oils will stop the coconut oil from penetrating. Is it OK to mix two oils on my hair?

Yes, studies have shown that coconut oil actually penetrates the hair to help make it stronger. And as it turns out, olive oil also has penetrating properties. Scientists at the Textile Research Institute tested olive oil, avocado oil, meadowfoam seed oil, sunflower oil and jojoba oil. Their results showed that straight-chain glycerides like olive oil easily penetrate into the hair. Polyunsaturated oils, like jojoba oil, are more open in their structure so they don’t pass through the layers of cuticles very well.

What does that mean in plain English? Olive and avocado oils penetrate all the way into the hair shaft. Meadowfoam seed oil partially penetrates, and jojoba and sunflower oils don’t penetrate at all. They’re very superficial and don’t really provide any practical benefit.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Mixing coconut and olive oils shouldn’t be a problem. In fact, it’s possible that the olive/coconut oil combination might even penetrate hair better. We won’t bore you with the details, but it has to do with mixed micelles. We’d start with a 50/50 mixture and see how that works for your hair.

IS PANTENE GOOD OR BAD FOR YOUR HAIR?

Kara says: I’ve heard a lot of things about Pantene Pro-V’s shampoo and conditioner. Many hairstylists swear on their hair dryers that it is awful for your hair. Supposedly, it coats your hair with plastic or wax to make it seem smooth, soft and shiny, instead of really moisturizing your hair. It also reportedly makes your scalp itchy and your hair fall out.

However, I’ve been using the Pantene Restoratives shampoo and conditioner for a few months now, and I find my hair less frizzy, more manageable, smoother and softer. I also use John Frieda Frizz-Ease and Pantene Pro-V Restoratives Frizz Control Ultra Smoothing Balm. So set me straight: Is Pantene good or bad for my hair?

Don’t fall into the trap of believing everything your stylist tells you. While most stylists are very talented at cutting and styling hair, they’re not very talented at interpreting cosmetic formulations.

The truth is that Pantene’s shampoo and conditioner formulas are considered among the best in the industry by those of us in the cosmetic science side of the business. It makes sense if you think about it. Proctor & Gamble, makers of Pantene, have a huge research budget; certainly larger than any salon company. That means they can afford to dedicate resources to developing and testing the best formulas possible. We’ve seen Pantene formulas beat the pants off salon products in blind consumer testing. (The products are hidden, or blinded—not the consumers.)

WHY IS PANTENE VILIFIED?

So why do stylists say that Pantene coats the hair with plastic, or makes it fall out? Because that’s what they’re told by the sales representatives for the salon companies. But it’s just not true! Compare the ingredients lists for Pantene conditioner and any salon brand you can find. Even though the names vary, you’ll see three basic types of ingredients:

Fatty alcohols (like cetyl and stearyl alcohol)

Conditioning ingredients (like stearamidopropylamine and quaternium-18)

Silicones (like dimethicone and cyclomethicone)

There’s nary a plastic to be found in Pantene. And no, it doesn’t make your hair fall out, either.

THE BOTTOM LINE

You can choose whatever product you like—a retail brand like Pantene or a salon brand like Matrix. But shop around and make your own decisions based on your own experience. Don’t pass on Pantene because of what a stylist tells you.

DO CURLING SHAMPOOS REALLY WORK?

Carol comments: I’d love to believe that those curling shampoos will really shape my thick hair. Will they?

This is an easy one. Curling shampoos do not make your hair curly. In fact, if you read the labels carefully, some of them don’t even say they’ll make your hair curly!

CHECK OUT THE BOTTLE

Let’s take a look, shall we? Even the most blatant offender of the truth, Wash ‘n Curl Shampoo, only implies that it will make your hair curly just by shampooing. Read the label carefully: It says it provides “the most beautiful curls with body, bounce and resilience after styling.” Well, duh! If the shampoo only makes your hair curly after you style it, it’s not really doing much for you, is it?

What else does Wash ‘n Curl say? “Your hair will be extremely curl responsive … Even dry, damaged, color-treated hair will have the staying power of thick curly hair … Its special Curl Enhancers infuse hair with the Holding Power of naturally curly hair.”

The only worthwhile part of this claim is that the shampoo does contain something that could be called a “curl enhancer.” Looking at the ingredients list, we see that it does contain a polymer (acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer), that could provide some styling benefits. But that would only work if it wasn’t rinsed out!

Remember, just because a product contains an ingredient that does something doesn’t mean that it does something in that product!

The rest of the claims are pretty much made up, as far as we can tell. There is not yet a shampoo technology that will measurably improve the holding power of your hair.

OTHER CURLING SHAMPOOS

What about other products, you ask? Well, here are two more:

Neither KMS Curl Up Shampoo nor Marc Anthony Strictly Curls makes strong curling claims. KMS only promises to be your “curl’s best friend,” “start your style in the shower” and “boost boisterous curls while adding moisture and shine.”

Marc, on the other hand, offers to protect color; repair dry, frizzy areas; and repel humidity to define shiny, soft curls. (Define curls is not really a very emphatic claim.) Aside from a little polyquaternium (a conditioning ingredient), neither of these products has any curling technology, either.

We could go on and on, but you get the picture. These shampoos don’t have anything in them to make your hair curly. They don’t even really do anything to prepare your hair for styling, other than getting it clean.

THE BOTTOM LINE