ATHD Investigates Archives

ATHD investigates: Sunblock for hair?

Summer is upon us. It’s that time of year when the sun is blazing in all its glory and we’re tempted to spend hours by the pool or at the beach. For many, it is customary to slather on sunblock to protect against the damaging rays of the sun on the skin. However, most of us never consider using it on our hair. Is sunblock for hair actually necessary? Is this just all hocus pocus? Are cosmetic companies trying to suck even more money from us?

Sun damages hair

Hair becomes damaged by two main processes: trauma and weathering. Trauma results from simple combing, brushing and just regular manipulation of hair. Weathering processes include surprisingly sun damage. So how do the sun’s rays damage our hair?

UV light damages the bonds within the hair

Experiments have shown that prolonged exposure to UV light causes a reduction of integral hair lipid. It is worsened by the type of hair you have. The curlier your hair, the more likely your hair will be damaged by the sun exposure as it is naturally lower in integral hair lipid.

It also oxidises some of the proteins within the hair shaft itself particularly attacking the carbon in the amide bonds, and the sulphur molecules as well. The hair colour is affected resulting in a lightening of existing hair colour. UVA is responsible for the colour changes whilst UVB is responsible for protein loss.

Interestingly the pigments found in commercial hair dye has been somewhat useful in protecting the hair shaft itself from further damage from the sun. Yes hair dyes will cause damage to the hair’s cortex but the pigments themselves act to trap the sun’s rays. The downside is that the colour moiety itself can experience a colour shift. People often report that the colour of their semi and permanent dyed hair changing colour after prolonged exposure in the sun.

Hair Sunscreens

The main aim for sunblock for hair is to preserve the hair as a textile fibre. Since the sun’s rays help to decrease the overall tensile strength, colour and other such properties, traditional sunscreens would help to negate these deleterious effects. There are products currently available on the market as hair sunscreens. Most have a two-in-one purpose acting as a fixative spray, gel or mousse designed to be put on last. How well do they stand up to actual usage especially for those who end up at the beach all day? That you will have to test for yourself.

Want me to Investigate some hair care product or practice? Send in your topic to doc@askthehairdoc.com

About

Dr. Llorenia Muir-Green is a practising dermatologist in Jamaica. She has an avid interest in hair and scalp disorders. She is a member of the Medical Association of Jamaica, Dermatology Association of Jamaica and is an Associate Member of the Caribbean Dermatology Association. She was a recipient of the 2013 Fellowship in Hair and Scalp Disorders at the University of British Columbia.

ATHD Investigates Conditioner Washing

What is Conditioner Washing?

For the past few years, Conditioner Washing or Co-Washing has been the buzz term on the internet. Its popularity has garnered the development of professional products such as Wen and even more notable brands like Pantene Pro V and L’Oreal following suit.

The concept was popularised by curly expert Lorraine Massey of Devachan fame. She explains the concept quite well in her book “Curly Girl”. Basically, it uses regular rinse out conditioners to use as your cleanser instead of regular shampoo. The result is much more moisturised hair for persons with wavy/curly/coily/kinky hair.

Is there any science to this?

Surprisingly, there is a science to it, though cosmetic scientists may question its merit. Conditioners are filled with positively charged surfactants (compounds which allow oils and water to mix). Surfactants of a different category, namely anionic surfactants, are used in shampoos. Examples of anionic surfactants include Sodium Lauryl sulphate and Ammonium lauryl sulphate. These are very effective in attracting not only the unwanted dirt, grime, and sweat from your hair but necessary sebum as well. So after attaching to the dirt in your hair, they, along with the dirt, are easily rinsed away when you apply water to your hair. They are excellent degreasers but can cause already dry hair types such as wavy/curly/coily/kinky hair to become excessively dry. Sometimes this dryness is not rectified with the most potent of deep conditioning treatments, (as I’ve personally experienced). In fact detergents for wool, silk and other delicate fabrics are formulated with gentler anionic and cationic surfactants. Imagine that? You treat your silk better than your own hair!

So, instead of using these “harsher shampoos” Lorainne Massey suggested using the regular rinse out conditioners. The theory is that these conditioners would have enough surfactants to cleanse the hair but because of their conditioning nature they would not be terribly drying to the hair itself. There are many who have converted to this method of cleansing the hair.

A similar concept is practised in Dermatology with patients with Atopic eczema and other such conditions. Persons with this type of eczema do not have a normal skin barrier and require soap substitutes. The use of regular soaps and Sodium lauryl sulphate cleansers are not recommended because they will excessively dry out the skin worsening the condition significantly. I liken coily/kinky/curly hair to this type of skin. Due to the shape of the hair shaft itself, these hair types are drier by nature. So, using regular shampoos with Sodium Lauryl/Laureth sulphates have been found to give a similar drying effect as experienced on eczematous skin.

So is it worth a try?

It is definitely worth a try. These are the steps to a successful Co-Wash, modified from “Curly Girl”:

1. Choose a suitable rinse out conditioner or thin consistency leave- in conditioner or a commercially available Co-wash. You can do a search online for conditioners people recommend.

2. Just like using a shampoo, rinse your hair first with water, then apply a good amount of conditioner to your scalp. Massage well and rinse.

3. Now you will focus on your hair itself. If necessary, section your hair. Apply a ping pong or golf-sized ball amount of your conditioner to each section of your hair. Yes you will need a lot of conditioner. The tighter your curl pattern, the more you will need. Apply some amount of friction, massaging into the hair itself. If possible, milk the conditioner on the hair shaft in a downward direction. Ensure to use your fingers to help finger comb and take out any tangles whilst doing this.

4. Rinse your hair well again. You can then towel dry your hair and apply a deep conditioner (if necessary) or a leave-in conditioner.

5. Give yourself some time to get used to the concept. You may find over time that your hair will be less dry and much more manageable.

There you have it! You’ve done your first co-wash. Give it a few more tries and come up with a verdict.

Here is another scientist’s experience with co-wash:

http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2014/02/does-co-washing-really-clean-your-hair.html

About

ATHD Investigates – Organic and Natural products

Is your product truly organic? Lately the buzz words in the cosmetic field are “organic” and “natural”. The focus on such terms stem from the food industry. The discerning customer has become more insistent on the quality of the ingredients used in his/her hair products. The internet is inundated with articles discussing all things good, bad and terrible about particular ingredients such as mineral oil, sodium lauryl sulphate, formaldehyde and parabens. And judging from the mystery ingredients used in the food industry in certain countries, it is understandable why customers have become quite suspicious of the cosmetics they have been using.

So what does an organic or natural label mean? To be honest, not much. There is no formal definition of these terms in the cosmetic industry and little legal protection of the terms especially in the United States (except California). Europe has a slightly better track record with respect to standards set for these terms. Asia seems to follow the European standards. There is no worldwide consensus on what the actual definitions of these terms mean. There are however, private standards allowed but those vary widely.

Customers think they are getting the best but unless the company is truly committed to their beliefs, they may be purchasing mere gimmickry and no true substance. Indeed, some would be considered more “naturally inspired” and have lots of chemical modifications of natural ingredients. Are those products really worth the price that the company is asking for?

So what does that mean for you? You will probably have to rely on the track record of the company. However, standards are becoming more regulated, so hopefully in the near future when a company states that the product is “natural” or “organic”, it had met the minimum standard for which it can receive that label.