Mona mutters…I’ve heard a rumour that cutting hair with heated scissors is better than with regular hair scissors (for example, the Jaguar TC Theracut). I’ve been able to find ladies journal articles recommending sealing split ends with a flame from a hundred years ago, but I can’t figure out how either method is particularly beneficial. Is it beauty science or BS?
The Left Brain’s heated reply:
Mona, this is one of the most intriguing questions I’ve seen in months. Somehow I missed the whole “hot scissors” trend and my jaw dropped when I saw Jaguar’s claims and the associated pictures on their website. In a nutshell, they claim that if you cut hair with heated scissors (or a razor), the ends are essentially cauterized so they are left with a glass like smoothness.
Split ends heat sealer?
I have to admit that the Jaguar Theracut website looks very convincing. It explains how the process works works, how it’s different than conventional hair cutting, and what the overall benefits are. You can see what I mean from these pictures that I borrowed from their website. (If Jaguar complains I’ll gladly take them down.) Here are the “with” and “without” pictures:
These images are amazing. So amazing, in fact, that they trigger my Skeptic-Sense. One of the credos of the skeptic is “extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.” And these photos are extraordinary because they contradict our understanding of basic hair biology.
Extraordinary claims
Why? Because they show that hair fibers can be “melted” to form a smooth surface when cut. This is very unlikely given that hair is not a polymer that can be “melted” like plastic. The claim is so extraordinary that a single data point (this website) is not sufficient to convince me that it’s real. If all they claimed was that their treatment made the cuticle smoother, a simple electron micrograph would be enough to be convincing. But when they’re claiming to do something to hair that seems contrary to our general body of knowledge, my BS alarm goes off. After all, anything can be Photoshopped these days. As a good skeptic, I can’t totally dismiss this data I’d expect to find some kind of corroborative data from other legitimate sources like the Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists or the Textile Research Institute. To date, I have been unable to find any other studies that confirm this “melting” phenomena.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
If this product really does cut hair as it claims, it should provide a significant reduction in split ends. But I’m still skeptical on Jaguar’s claims until I see more data from the scientific literature that backs up these claims. If anyone know of any, please let me know and I’ll be glad to reconsider my position. In the meantime, I’m calling BS on this one.
Have YOU ever had your hair cut with hot scissors? Did you notice a difference? Leave a comment and share your experience with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.