ATHD Investigates Archives -

ATHD Investigates Texture Manageability Systems

Texture Manageability or Texture Management or Texture Smoothing Systems are the latest hair straightening products now being marketed to women with highly textured hair. There has been an explosion on the market but most don’t understand how they work and what exactly they are used for.

beautifultextures

What are Texture Manageability Systems?

These consist of a 2 or 3 step hair modification system that is used to straighten hair in a semi-permanent fashion. In essence, they are similar to Brazilian Keratin Treatments, BUT they don’t last as long. The systems usually include a dual chelating and clarifying shampoo and a treatment product. Some include a deep conditioner which is used before the treatment product.

Here’s a reminder of how Brazilian Keratin treatments work:

http://askthehairdoc.com/january-qom-is-brazilian-keratin-treatment-safe/

So how do they work?

The active ingredient in Texture Manageability Systems used to straighten the hair is glyoxyolol carbocysteine, also called oxoacetamide carbocysteine. This reacts with the side chains of the keratin molecule in a similar fashion to what formaldehyde does in Keratin Treatments.

Below is the molecular representation of the active ingredient:

1268868-51-4

It does produce some amount of formaldehyde but apparently at a much lower concentration than regular Brazilian Keratin Treatments. Of course, the levels of formaldehyde would be of importance considering the controversy of mislabeled “formaldehyde-free” Keratin Treatments were being found to actually have some other aldehyde at high concentrations. I was able to find one study that compared a typical Brazilian Keratin Treatment to a typical Texture Management System. The results showed that there was significantly lower amounts of formaldehyde and aldehyde released, which is great for both the hair stylist and the client. See the study here:

http://www.midwestscc.org/blog2/wp-content/uploads/presentations/Teamworks2012NonFormaldehydeSmoothing.pdf

What’s the Procedure?

hqdefault

The same thing is done as with the regular formaldehyde containing Brazilian Keratin Treatment:

Wash hair with stripping, chelating and clarifying shampoo.
Towel dry hair
Apply treatment product in small sections throughout the hair
Allow product to set in the hair for 20 minutes
Blow-dry hair, then flatiron at ~230 deg C
Maintain style using sulphate free products, usually included in the kit.

The Verdict?

There are many Texture Manageability Systems that are now available on the market. Most are marketed for at-home use. These include systems from African Pride, Dark & Lovely, Beautiful Textures and ORS. The only in-salon product I’ve come across is the Avlon Texture Release. There are lots of persons in hair forums and Youtube who have described their experiences with the system.

I, myself, have tried it. I didn’t necessarily want my hair to stay straight for weeks so I didn’t follow up with the maintenance products. I had however gone to a hairdresser, which in my opinion should be the best way to apply these products, as people can inadvertently damage their hair since it requires a lot of manipulation with the blow dryer and flatiron. I was quite pleased that my hair did not revert within 2 hours of straightening and it washed it out really well thereafter. This was my hair after the procedure:

1512479_10153014481911894_2761770197269915449_n

One positive is that it can be used on both natural as well as hair that is relaxed or transitioning. Another positive is that it can be done within a relatively short period of time compared to older Keratin Treatments. There is definitely no offensive formaldehyde smell when it is activated through heat, and I believe that it may very well be less of a problem than traditional Keratin Treatments.

It unfortunately needs to be maintained like a relaxer in the sense that you have to re-do it every 6-8 weeks. Most are sold as kits, and so if you don’t know that there are other sulphate free shampoos and conditioners that you can use to help maintain the style, you will end up buying several kits to get the maintenance products. This is a serious disadvantage if you have long hair like mine. Just like the Keratin Treatments, your hair should not be dyed on the same day you do the original treatment.

Here’s another blogger’s perspective:

http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2014/06/beautiful-textures-texture-manageablity.html

Have you tried it as yet? What do you think about it?

ATHD Investigates Coconut Oil

CoconutOil

All things coconut have become the rage recently. In countries where this palm has been traditionally grown, the uses have been quite numerous. In the hair industry, coconut oil has become a superstar. But what makes it so useful to hair?

Preparation of Coconut oil

The oil is usually produced from the firm kernel (flesh or meat) found in the mature coconut. The kernel is dried using various methods and then pressed to release the oil. More traditional methods usually involve blending the kernel in water, making coconut milk, then boiling this down allowing the oil to separate and float to the top.

Properties of Coconut oil

Coconut oil contains several different length chain fatty acids. It is mostly composed of medium chain saturated fatty acids such as lauric, myristic and palmitic acids. It’s melting point is 24 deg C, which means that in certain climates it solidifies quite easily. So don’t be alarmed if it comes as a solid and not a liquid in colder countries.

So how does coconut oil help hair?

This is where the story behind coconut oil becomes quite interesting. Studies showed that coconut oil when applied to hair has protective properties. In one particular study, it was shown that it reduces the amount of protein lost from mechanical damage while combing the hair. The study was done on virgin, bleached and permed hair. In all instances, the damage was reduced.

In another study, it was found by way of mass spectrophtometry, that it penetrates the hair shaft better than mineral oil. This just confirmed what people already experience. So many persons use a lot of products containing mineral oil on their hair. They often describe that the hair feels oily but somehow dry at the same time. Seems paradoxical but I’ve experienced this first hand as well. The oil just sits on top of the hair and because there is no moisture (water), the hair just feels crunchy and dry.

And yet in another study, it was shown that although applying oils to the hair blocks penetration of atmospheric water, coconut oil allowed more water into the hair than mineral oil. This of course confirms why petroleum based products such as petrolatum or mineral oil have been used traditionally as pressing oils.

So how can you use coconut oil?

Coconut oil can be added to your hair care regimen in many ways:

1. Pre-shampoo Treatment

The most popular recipe on the internet is mixing equal amounts of coconut oil and honey. Or you could just use the plain oil itself. I must say that this recipe always melted away any tangles I had.

2. Hot oil Treatment

3. Carrier oil for essential oils

Remember essential oils are concentrated oils that should not be used without diluting. Coconut oil is one such oil that can be used.

4. Boost deep conditioner

Your deep conditioner not acting right? Add some coconut oil.

5. Daily sealing oil- Used as a last step it will help keep the moisturiser or leave-in-conditioner longer in the hair.

Scalp Massage and hair growth

There are a myriad of solutions, techniques, and machines that are advertised as the next best thing to regrow hair. Scalp massage is one of the methods promoted on the internet. The link between scalp massage and hair growth has been described in several articles on the internet. Is it really useful? Is it all “hocus pocus”?

Scalp Massage Benefits

Massage in general has been shown to increase blood and lymphatic flow to the skin. Therefore, scalp massage should also increase blood flow to the scalp. The increased blood flow results in increased availability of essential nutrients within the blood, thus bathing the dermal papillae of the hair follicle with nourishing molecules. The increased blood flow is also reported to be the method by which Minoxidil and caffeine help to increase hair growth.

Massaging the scalp has also been found to lift any skin cells clogging the hair follicles, thus allowing increased and deeper penetration of skin products through the hair follicle. This is important for persons who use hair growth products. Using products with small sized ingredients that can penetrate the hair follicle will be of even more benefit.

Scalp massage and Hair Growth

Unfortunately, not many studies have been done to examine the direct effects of scalp massage on hair growth. There was one done in Scotland in 1998, examining daily scalp massage with the use of topical essential oils. The group with the essential oils got more hair growth than those without. However, the study group involved patients with Alopecia areata, a rare auto-immune hair disorder that is significantly different from the commonplace Female and Male Pattern Hair Loss. Indeed, the study was more geared towards examining the effects of the essential oils and not the scalp massage. So the question remains, how beneficial is scalp massage for hair growth?

However, if you’re stumped for options, you may consider doing daily massage. Five minutes should suffice. Whatever you do, don’t use your fingernails. Only use the pads of your fingers or fingertips.

ATHD Investigates- Castor oil

Castor oil has long been touted in the West Indies as a miraculous natural hair restorative product. You will come across some woman in Jamaica or Haiti who has used this oil at least once in her lifetime. Reports of thicker and longer hair have been mostly anecdotal with no actual scientific data to back up claims. With so many persons claiming that it works, does it truly have the potential to actually grow hair? Let’s look into the properties of this oil.

How is castor oil made?

Castor oil is derived from roasting or cold pressing the castor bean. The colour of castor oil is actually pale to golden yellow. This is what you will find in products that are made from cold pressed oil. The traditional method of preparing the oil results in a much darker product. This arises because the beans are roasted then pounded before boiling. The ash produced in the process darkens the final product.

What are the properties of castor oil?

Castor oil is comprised of the fatty acids ricinoleic acid (~97%), with linoleic acid and oleic acid. Ricinoleic acid has several properties with the most notorious one being a laxative. Countless Jamaican children can attest to “de-worming” with this oil. It stimulates the E2 and the E3 prostaglandin* receptors**. The latter are in the intestines and the uterus. It therefore increases the motility of these organs. This is why pregnant women are not recommended to ingest or use the oil as it reportedly can induce labour. Studies done haven’t definitively proven this, however, it is used by many for this purpose around the world.

So, can castor oil really grow hair?

The E2 prostaglandin receptors are present in several areas of the body, including the hair follicle. Could this be the reason for castor oil’s reputed effects on hair growth? This has never been extensively studied by scientists. Prostamide, (prostaglandin-ethanolamide) receptor stimulants, like bitmatoprost (Latisse) and lantanoprost- used for glaucoma, have been found to grow hair as a side effect. Could castor oil have some cross effect on these prostamide receptors as well? After all, the prostaglandin and prostamide receptors are somewhat similar in shape. Their activity on these newly discovered receptors has never been determined.

Castor oil has reportedly been reported to not only grow hair but also to thicken the hair strand. This is not impossible since Minoxidil has also been found to thicken vellus (thin baby-like hair) to thicker terminal hairs; however, the actual Mechanism of Action of Minoxidil is still not known. So are those “before and after” pictures really true? Considering that the actual hair counts and hair fibre determinations have not been done, then from a scientific point of view, it could be pure coincidence. After all, lots of persons experiencing hair loss also take vitamins and utilise many different methods which may rectify their hair loss WITHOUT the help of the castor oil.

Is castor oil all hype?

There is absolutely no way to tell from the available information if it is truly all hype. The placebo effect is a real phenomenon. There are persons who will experience positive effects even though the entity they are using actually isn’t doing anything to help their ailment. However, so many persons have given such glowing reports on the effects of castor oil, that you do have to wonder that it really does what people say. In any case, it doesn’t hurt to use castor oil as it is a really great emollient and has significant cosmetic effects on the hair. Here are some easy ways you can add it to your routine:

Add it to your deep conditioner
Make a pre-shampoo treatment mixing it half and half with honey
Use it daily as a sealing oil on top of your regular leave-in-conditioner
Hot oil treatment

*prostaglandins are locally produced hormones in the body, i.e. they are not influenced by the hypothalamus in the brain. They are mostly responsible for setting up the body’s response to external injuries. Read up on prostaglandins here: http://www.yourhormones.info/hormones/prostaglandins.aspx

**receptors are complex structures present on the cell membranes, (the wall which holds in the contents of all cells). When stimulated by certain hormones, they can increase or decrease specific activities in the cells.

ATHD Investigates: Biotin

Biotin is the most talked about hair growth related vitamin on the internet. It has received so much hype that you have to ask yourself, is it really worth it? Especially for what some brands are asking you to pay for it!

biotin

Biotin is a member of the B Vitamins. It is a coenzyme i.e. it is needed for the functioning of several enzymes in the body and in general it helps maintain healthy skin, nerves and just the operation of cells in the body*. Biotin was found to be necessary for the development of a good fur or hair coat for animals. Its deficiency in humans is extremely rare and results in a characteristic syndrome of:

1. Hair loss

2. Skin rash (namely around eyes, mouth and genitals)

3. Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet

4. Depression

It is abundantly available to humans in several ways. It is readily available in plenty of foods we eat. Foods with high sources of biotin include nuts (peanut and almond), wheat germ, whole-grain cereals, whole wheat bread, poultry, eggs, dairy products and salmon. Biotin that is absorbed into the body is actually recycled several times before it is expelled through urine or faeces. Lastly, gut bacteria actually produce a lot of biotin. So with all these sources, it is pretty hard to be biotin deficient unless you consume a lot of raw egg whites which contains a protein that binds readily to biotin thus depleting it from the body.

There are persons who may need vitamin supplementation. These include pregnant and breastfeeding women and athletes. Supplementation has been touted to be useful in persons who smoke, have diabetes or have some other nerve disorder. Biotin is useful in persons with nail diseases that make their nails quite brittle. Supplements have also been found to help strengthen hair not necessarily make it grow faster. It is worth taking if you find that your nails and hair break or split very easily. It, however, cannot make persons with Male or Female Pattern Hair Loss regrow hair as their hair loss is from something totally different. It is also least likely to be culprit for Telogen Effluvium (excessive hair shedding). The most common cause for Telogen Effluvium in women is Iron deficiency.

Typical recommended doses for supplementation are 30-35 mcg for women. This is far lower than the mega doses seen in some of the hair vitamins on the market. Though higher doses are not necessarily bad, the exact toxic dose is not known. And yes there are times when too much of a vitamin is not a good thing.

So is it worth taking? Yes, only if you want stronger hair which will make it easier for you to retain length.

*An enzyme is a protein responsible for speeding up reactions in the body