Is your hair feeling dry and brittle? Is your scalp itchy and irritated? It might be time to double check your shampoo ingredients to see if they contain sulfate. Aside from the periodic table, sulfates can be found in many cosmetic products, including soaps and shampoos. Often one of the key ingredients in these products, this FDA approved chemical can be found on labels of many shampoo bottle. But, is sulfate bad for hair; and if so, what does it do? What Does Sulfate Do to Your Hair? Sulfate, known as surfactants, is added to these everyday products as part of the cleansing process. Sulfates bring dirt to the surface so that it can be easily washed away. However,...
The sun can offer many wonderful things such as vitamin D, warmth, and just a general brightness to the day; however, everyone is also well aware of the dangers the sun can have to the skin making sunscreen a must when it comes to venturing outside. But, there is another important though less asked question: can the sun damage your hair? Does the Sun Damage Hair? The same way the sun can wear down skin, it can wear down hair. According to a study by the Journal of Cosmetological Science, both UVB and UVA rays coming from the sun were shown to cause morphological and biochemical damage to hair. Sun-damaged hair is brittle, frizzy, split, and generally doesn’t take to...
If you have ever spent a summer’s day at the pool, you are probably all too familiar with the smell of chlorine clinging onto your hair and skin even long after you have left. Chlorine is commonly used to sanitize pool water, and its chemical properties break down bacteria that otherwise would be harmful to the unsuspecting swimmer. What Does Chlorine Do to Your Hair? Chlorine can become a nuisance, especially if you love going to the pool regularly. Over time, you will notice a difference in your hair after its contact with the chlorinated water. It may become dry and brittle to the touch which are all common signs that chlorine has stripped your hair of its natural oils....
Hair is pretty common. Everyone has (or had) hair at some point in their life. But most people have no idea what hair is, or what it’s made of. And that’s why most people don’t take the proper steps to keep those luscious locks, well, luscious. Any time big words start getting thrown around, people are bound to get confused. We’re here to cut through the chaff and address one such word, which represents the chemical responsible for about 90% of your hair’s strength: cysteine. But first, some background... What is Hair? Hair - like skin, nails, fur, feathers, and pretty much any other exterior biological surface - is partially composed of a protein known as keratin. Keratin is physically...
Is your hair dry and frizzy? Does your scalp get easily irritated? Are dandruff and itchiness a recurring problem? If your hair and scalp are not as healthy as they used to be despite trying new hair products every month, you may be ignoring one major factor affecting the overall health of your treasured locks -- pH levels. What Exactly is pH? The pH level measures how acidic a substance is on a scale of 0-14 with zero being the most acidic. For reference, lemon juice and vinegar are a 2 on the scale and bleach is a 13. Water, which is considered a neutral substance, is a 7 on the pH scale. When it comes to our hair, a...
