Can You Get Hooked On Lip Balm?. Perry Romanowski

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СКАЧАТЬ your mom, friends and stylist are well-meaning when they give you advice about hair products, they may not be giving you accurate, science-based information. We do that here as we explore some common myths about hair products and let you know whether they are true or not. Should you really avoid silicone? Do certain products leave plastic on your hair? Read on to find out.

      ARE YOU SPENDING TOO MUCH ON CONDITIONER?

      Christine queries: Will a more expensive conditioner make my hair stronger? I’m a science teacher, so don’t spare me the technical details!

      Expensive does not always mean better when it comes to hair and skin care products, but to explain further, we’ll have to fill you in on how conditioners work.

      HOW DO CONDITIONERS STRENGTHEN HAIR?

      The outer layer of the hair consists of overlapping scales, called cuticles. These cuticles are like the shingles on the roof of your house—they protect what’s beneath it. As your hair is damaged from washing and drying and combing and brushing and perming and coloring, the cuticle starts to wear away. When this happens, your hair is broken more easily.

      Conditioners strengthen hair in two ways. The most important thing they do is smooth the cuticle and help keep it in place. The “strengthening” effect can be shown by measuring combing force. The other effect is internal. Some ingredients, like panthenol, penetrate into the cortex, the middle part of the hair. By interacting with the proteins in the cortex, these conditioners can improve the tensile strength of hair. This type of strength is measured with an instrument that pulls on individual hair fibers (after they’ve been removed from your head, of course!) and measures how much force it takes for the hair to break.

      ARE EXPENSIVE CONDITIONERS BETTER?

      So do expensive conditioners strengthen hair better than cheap ones? Not necessarily. The very, very cheap conditioners typically rely on one or two conditioning agents to do the job. And they usually can’t afford to use silicones, which are among the most effective smoothing agents. So, chances are, if you’re only spending a buck or two on your conditioner, you’re not getting the best product.

      But once you get up in price to the $4 or $5 conditioners, the differences in strengthening are less significant. For example, Pantene and TRESemmé are among the best conditioners we’ve ever tested and they’re certainly not that expensive. Most mid-or high-priced conditioners will do a pretty good job of lubricating your hair to prevent breakage.

      CAN A CONDITIONER BE TOO EXPENSIVE?

      What about the conditioners that are $30 per bottle? They use the same basic types of ingredients as products that cost $10 or less. They may cost three times more, but they certainly don’t strengthen your hair three times more! But, as we always say, you should buy what you like and what you can afford. If you really like the way Frederic Fekkai’s Overnight Hair Repair makes your hair feel, and you can afford the $195 per bottle, then go for it. (Yes, that’s right—it’s nearly $200!) But don’t buy it just because you think that it will make your hair stronger than a less expensive brand. It won’t.

      THE BOTTOM LINE

      Picking the right conditioner is a personal thing. There are literally thousands of combinations of ingredients out there and it’s tough to know which one is best for you. So talk to your friends who have similar hair types. Or just experiment until you find something that feels good. But don’t be tricked into spending more money than you want to.

      ARE SILICONES BAD FOR YOUR HAIR?

      Bonnie is confused: There seems to be a lot of conflicting information about silicone-heavy hair products, and whether or not they help make hair soft and silky. I’m concerned about buildup and having my hair dry out. Also, how do more natural alternatives, like coconut and sweet almond oil, compare?

      In general, silicones work by covering hair with a thin, hydrophobic (waterproof) coating. This coating serves several purposes: It helps reduce the porosity of the hair, which makes it less likely to absorb humidity; it helps reduce moisture loss from the inside of the hair; and it lubricates the surface of the hair so it feels smoother and can be combed more easily.

      PROPERTIES OF SILICONES

      The properties vary depending on which silicone is in the formula. Some silicones leave a heavy coating on the hair that can be hard to wash off. Others are very water-soluble and don’t build up at all. Dimethicone (sometimes called simethicone), for example, is the heaviest of all silicones used for hair care. It provides the most smoothing effect, but it is also the hardest to wash out. Cyclomethicone, on the other hand, gives a great slippery feeling while you’re rinsing your hair, but it evaporates quickly, leaving nothing behind.

      Some natural oils are effective conditioners. Coconut oil, for example, doesn’t provide the same surface smoothing as silicones, but it has been shown to penetrate hair and plasticize the cortex, making hair stronger. (This isn’t true of all natural oils, however.) So oils are useful ingredients, but they’re not direct replacements for silicones.

      THE BOTTOM LINE

      It’s tough to tell which silicones are the best simply from reading the label because there are so many types of silicones and they can be used in combination with each other. You can’t simply say that all silicones are bad. Some women will find silicones too heavy for their hair; others will love the soft, conditioned feel they provide. You have to experiment to find what’s right for you.

      WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SILICONE AND A POLYQUAT?

      Jackie just needs to know: What’s the difference between a silicone and a polyquat? Do both coat and stay on the hair? Do they both need to be removed by sulfates? Do they both tend to build up on the hair?

      Silicones and polyquats are ingredients found in both shampoos and conditioners. They are put in formulas to offset the drying effects of detergents, improving hair by making it easier to comb, making it feel softer, increasing shine and reducing static flyaway. They really are amazing materials. The primary difference between them is their chemical composition and the way they stay on the hair.

      **Caution: Science talk coming up …

      SILICONES ARE MADE OF SILICON

      Silicones (or “cones”) are molecules that have silicon in them. The silicone, which is typically derived from sand, reacts with oxygen, carbon and hydrogen to make useful materials. Ingredients like dimethicone and cyclomethicone are naturally slippery and shiny, which is why they are excellent for hair.

      POLYQUATS ARE MADE OF HYDROCARBONS

      Polyquats are molecules that are composed primarily of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen. The quat part refers to the fact that they contain a positively charged nitrogen atom and the poly part refers to the fact that they are polymers. They also have a slippery effect and can smooth hair while reducing static charge.

      BOTH СКАЧАТЬ