Ask the Beauty Brains - Beauty Questions Answered

Anyone else hate Lush?

rozy — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 23:03:02 -0500

I hate how their products are so offensively strong smelling that you can smell it from other parts of the mall, I hate how overpriced their products are, the poor performance, the "slackivism" of having people believe buying their stuff will change the world and most of all I hate their sexist publicity stunt where they compared animal testing to torturing women. After that I was so offended I am never going to buy one of their products ever. It is also annoying I have not gotten full use out of a lot of their products because they are not preserved properly. They capitalize off well meaning people who want "cruelty free" and natural etc... rubs me the wrong way. There is nothing progressive about them, they are just another company who wants to make money.

(lush's campaign that turned me off them forever) http://msmagazine.com/blog/2012/04/27/no-comment-lush-protests-torture-of-animals-with-simulated-torture-of-women/comment-page-1/#comment-102639

BB Creams

ranabow — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 12:43:00 -0500

To me this just sounds like a marketing fad, like mineral powder was a few years ago. The idea that a product can do everything in one step sounds nice in theory, but probably isn't realistic in practice. For one thing, I do not wear the same amount of makeup as I do sunscreen or moisturizer. So if I'm only putting on enough to even out my skin, I won't be putting on enough to moisturize or protect my skin. But if I apply more, it would look and feel way too heavy. This is just a supposition, but I'm guessing these products are, at best, able to do one or two things well. Unfortunately my go-to product has been discontinued and replaced with a BB cream. I hoped it was just their old stuff repackaged, but it comes in fewer shades and the coverage and staying power isn't as good. It just seems to try and do too many things and fails at all of them. So what's the consensus? Here's the ingredient list for the BB cream that replaced my beloved tinted moisturizer:

Active Ingredients: 5% Titanium Dioxide , 5% zinc oxide.

Other Ingredients: Aqua, cyclopentasiloxane, PEG/PPG-18/18 dimethicone, octyldodecyl neopentanoate, glycerin, dimethicone, aluminum hydroxide, stearic acid, triethoxycaprylylsilane, calcium sodium phosphosilicate, saccharum offcinarum (sugar cane) extract, pyrus malus (apple) fruit extract, citrus medica limonum (lemon) fruit extract, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) fruit extract, camellia oleifera leaf extract, panax ginseng root extract, ginkgo biloba root extract, anthemis nobilis leaf extract, kaolin, phytantriol, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, retinyl palmitate, tocopheryl acetate, tocopherol, tretrahexyldecyl ascorbate, boron nitride, palmitic acid, dextrin palmitate, sodium hyaluronate, sodium chloride, sodium dehydroacetate, phenoxyethanol, caprylyl glycol, hexylene glycol. (+/-): Iron oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), mica.

I'm 52. Now what?

ktward — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 13:11:36 -0500

Quick recap of my facial skincare history:

- I've never been a Sun Goddess. This is due to equal parts of A) fair skin which, even with sunscreen, burns before it tans and I seriously hated the ugly burn phase, and B) just too dang busy.

- Starting mid-30's, once daily AHA use. (Longtime Alpha Hydrox user.)

- Starting early-40's, AHA in the a.m. and Retinol in the p.m. (Retinol: Roc and Neutrogena at first, but back to Alpha Hydrox the last handful of years. I love that little CO-based company.)

I can't include a photo here, though I'm happy to send one- you have but to ask. But any folks who don't know me who, for one reason or another, manage to learn my age express surprise. They think I'm in my 30's. My 21yo daughter and I are regularly mistaken for sisters. (Granted, these are folks who see my skin only from the chest up. One glance at my saggy knees and the gig is totally up.)

Anyhoo, it's been a very long while since I did my last lit review when it comes to [ageing] skin care, but near as I can tell AHA and Retinol are still the anti-wrinkle standards. However, I'm seeing a lot of talk about peptides. And don't get me wrong, I love love love Diane Keaton, but I don't see any legit lit on whatever is the topical calcium she's peddling.

Like I said, I'm 52. Now what?

Should I also be incorporating some kind of peptide thing into my daily regimen? (Copper peptide looked promising, but Neutrogena has since discontinued that line so I guess it proved to be a dud - ?)

I need some BB input; as a former marketing/advertising professional, I'm altogether predisposed to ignoring the stuff peddled on TeeVee, I need a science-based fix.

What effects does oversleeping have on skin

rozy — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:44:57 -0500

Hello I see a lot of articles of the effecting of under sleeping on the skin as this is understandably more common, but I have hypersomia which is basically the opposite of insomnia so I often sleep for 20 hrs straight no lie and still feel completely weak and exhausted when I wake up. I have noticed bruise like bags under my eyes but what are the effects on skin & beauty in general

UD Beauty Balm question

starchild — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 05:37:50 -0500

The new UD Beauty Balm claims that it "diffuses light with high-tech pigments" http://www.urbandecay.com/Naked-skin-beauty-balm-by-urban-decay/358,default,pd.html
Looking up the ingrediants to see if the claims were true I found mention that the ingredient-

ADIPIC ACID/NEOPENTYL GLYCOL CROSSPOLYMER gives it these qualities. Is that true?

Do these powder do what they claim?

rozy — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 18:44:31 -0500

There is this product called Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light that claims to... "capture, diffuse, and soften the way light reflects on your skin",
"illuminating particles are one of the first ever to exhibit both
photoluminescence and color-correcting capabilities", "photoluminescent technology" etc. I dont see how its different than other shimmery powder products.

A collagen drink?

AngelaS — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 11:18:42 -0500

I recently read on a website about a collagen drink that's supposed to make your skin look fabulous. The claim, at least according to one reviewer, for the product called "Gold Collagen" was that it erased her forehead wrinkles completely in 2 weeks. Now, judging from the photos on this reviewer's website, I have to wonder if she had any true "wrinkles" to begin with, so I am incredibly skeptical about the product. Any thoughts from the Brains?

How is this cheek stain preserved?

rozy — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 00:21:43 -0500

I see no parabens listed in the ingredients of Tarte cheek stain, so I was wondering how it is preserved and if these chemicals are as effective as parabens. If they are not as effective does that mean this product has a shorter shelf life than products with parabens?
http://www.sephora.com/cheek-stain-P38468?skuId=937912

PS- Is there anything so special about this that makes it worth 30 bucks?

Is it normal for sebum to burn..

RizosMios — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 11:01:37 -0500

the heck out of my eyes? I wash my face twice a day and my morning wash goes normally for the most part, but my nightly wash burns my eyes and leaves me looking high afterward, they are so red. Is it normal for sebum to affect one this way? Could it be something else that I'm not considering?

I do think I excrete an excess of oil, by the way.

Oils in Cleansing Products?

neroli77 — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:06:05 -0500

I just noticed that both my body wash and shampoo have oils included, right after I thought I'd figured out that cleansing products don't need emulsification.

It doesn't look like an advertising gimmick with these products, just like they wanted to include them. I guess that might be nice, for a body wash, as a conditioning/refatting idea, and if a shampoo stays on your hair long enough, with an oil that can be absorbed or at least form a film. But does adding oils in cleansing products really provide benefits, and if so, what do they do?

How important is pH in skin care and hair care products?

TheBeautyCat — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 20:54:56 -0500

I was reading a blog post on here where someone asked you if toner was important and you mentioned that it's not important in terms of returning the skin back to a healthy pH because the skin will naturally restore its pH after a few hours. So I'm wondering how important is the level of pH of shampoo, conditioner, face wash, moisturizer, etc? Does shampoo, conditioner, face wash even matter if we're rinsing it all off anyway? I've heard that the perfect pH for hair, skin and nails is 4.5-5.5 but on your blog you stated the skin will naturally restore to 4-4.5. Does that 1.5 difference even matter? I've been testing the pH of all my products and I'm finding that every shampoo/conditioner is not below 5.5 but not higher than 7-7.5. Is it okay to use these even though it's not in the 4-5.5 range? I would assume using a product with a pH of 14 would not be wise, but is it advised to use a product with a pH anywhere from 0-7? 8? How important is this pH business? Thanks so much, Beauty Brains! Your answers are always appreciated!!!

Best routine

Lisamueller — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 21:17:23 -0500

I use Retin a each evening. I use DIY vitamin c each morning. Love this combo, but want to beef it up with an AHA moisturizer. When do I do this? Can I use it with the vitamin c?

Ear Candling?

klennerable — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:53:46 -0500

Hi there Beauty Brains!

I have a question concerning ear candling.. The procedure is to melt a special candle into your ear and it will clean out your ear. It claims that it will relieve you of excess ear wax and any allergies you have that pertain to sinus pressure. Can this be true? Thanks Beauty brains for all your hard work!

"Toxic" cosmetics being framed as a women's rights and race issue? Is this problematic?

rozy — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 23:52:49 -0500

As a feminist and also someone who respects science I was very disappointed to find an article on a site I normally enjoy called Everyday Feminism linking to CFSC and using fear mongering tactics seen often in the mass media. I find this worse because turning this into a race and feminist issues is taking away from all the social issues feminists should be putting energy into in my opinion. I find it extremely problematic but honestly I have come to expect little from popculture feminism which is a slightly more tolerable regurgitation of mainstream media and with a sickening fascination with celebrities and Hollywood. Anyways here's the article: http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/02/health-impact-of-toxic-chemicals-in-communities-of-color/
and here is something from the CFSC that talks specifically about black women and how the cosmetic industry is trying to harm them the most: http://www.bwwla.com/images/publications/NaturallyHealthyHair.pdf

*long sigh* I expect much more...

Denaturated alcohol for thickening aging hair?

Verina — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:24:09 -0500

Pantene's new product line from the Expert collection, Age Defy, promises to make aging, thin hair appear thicker (they wisely do not promise the growth of new hair). The" Advanced Thickening Treatment" product from this line should be applied daily , and left on the hair, with results appearing within 14 days (thin hair appearing thicker). Its first ingredients, in order, are: DENATURATED ALCOHOL, water, Niacinamide, PEG/PPG-20/23 dimethicone, etc.

My question: wouldn't the denaturated alcohol damage hair, and only make it appear thicker because of the damage? I lighten my very fine, aging hair, and am afraid this product would further damage it, causing breakage.

What are your thoughts, Beauty Brains?

Thank you for your daily bits of wisdom!

essential oils

uma — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 02:05:18 -0500

Hi,

This is a question regarding essential oils. Are there studies that actually show that essential oils do what they are claimed to do by the aromatherapists.

Also are they effective if we can just add a drop or two and use them for the purpose they are meant to be used. For example, it could be skin care or simple problems like nausea etc. Just want to know if there is science behind these oils.

Thanks,

Uma

Best dark spot whitening treatment?

Ally E. — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 13:35:50 -0500

I'm looking at Kiehl's Dark Spot corrector, La Roche-Posay pigment control, Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Whitening Recovery Complex and maybe something from SkinCeuticals? I'm not sure what to look for as I have used a serum with high l-arbutin concentration with very small results and I want something better. I'm 25 with religious use of spf50 pa+++ for 5 years and I have difficulties with fading acne scars and just general freckles (definitely sun damage and not natural freckles that other people get). I have fair skin, something in between mac 15 and 20. Is kojic acid something I should make sure in included or maybe there's other ingredients?

cream deconstruction

uma — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 00:26:53 -0500

Hi,

I have this face cream and it works really great and is very cost effective.I am worried about the ingredients of this product and why this works so well. Can you please help. These are the ingredients :

Ingredients: Purified Water, Sunflower Oil, Cetosearyl Alcohol, Capric Caprylic Triglyceride, Glycerine, GMS, Emulsifying Wax, Propylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Fragrance, Kokum Butter, Dimethicone, Cyclo- methicone, Almond Oil, Silk Protein, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium PCA, Imid Urea, Carbopol 2020, Olive Oil, Vitamin E, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate.

http://www.fabindia.com/personal-care/silk-protein-range/silk-protein-nourishing-cream-50-gm.html

Is it full of chemicals?

Thanks so much.

Uma

Facial Oils - what's the deal with them?

anacba — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 10:52:04 -0500

Hey everyone!

I just bought The Body Shop Vitamin E Facial Oil and there are two things that are confusing me.

First of all, here is the ingredient list for said oil:

Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Corylus Avellana Nut Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Boswellia Carterii Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Linalool, Citronellol, Limonene, Geraniol, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Extract, Citral.

So here goes question 1: it claims to be a pre-moisturizing treatment. From what I've learned, oils create a thin layer that prevents water from the formulation and from your skin to escape, making it easier for your skin to maintain the hydration level and to absorb water from the formula. So... how is this supposed to work? Shouldn't this be an after-moisturizer treatment?

Question 2 is about comedogenic/non-comedogenic. It claims to be a non-comedogenic treatment, but the first ingredient is wheat germ oil, which, along coconut oil, is the most comedonenic oil (it rates 5 out of 5). Actually I've been reading some reviews and no one seems to have had any trouble with it, but it astonishes me. Is there any reason why this oil wouldn't have a comedogenic effect in this formulation?

Smoothing Systems

TheBeautyCat — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:30:30 -0500

I was looking at the ingredients in the CHI Enviro American Smoothing System and I'm not understanding how it smooths the hair since it says that no bonds are being broken. It says it's "formulated with amino acids, proteins, silk and pearl. The combining of cysteine can synergize with hair's natural cysteine, thus rearranging cysteine proteins in the hair's natural fiber. There is no bond breaking with this invention, only rearranging." What do they mean by "rearranging"? Is this even possible? And if so, are the ingredients in there to do that? And what is "cysteine"?

All I found in the ingredients were silicones and keratin (and silk and pearl but I assume those aren't really doing anything). It comes with a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner and a serum that the client is supposed to use and it says that "the new protein rearrangement can be cured to last for up to 4 months by using the CHI Ceramic Hairstyling Iron set at 410 degrees. Thus sealing and bonding hair to produce smooth, silky, strong and shiny hair."

So my other question is, how does this keep hair smooth for "up to 4 months" if there aren't any bonds broken? My assumption is that this smoothing system, and probably the rest of them that say they don't break bonds, are just coating the hair with a ton of silicone and it's never being washed off because sulfate-free shampoos won't rid the hair of silicone, right? So, after the 4 month mark, enough hair has grown out that it needs to have silicone coated on it for it to be smooth? Also, the keratin I saw in there is doing what? Smoothing the cuticle down?

l'oreal

Chi9ja — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 06:20:58 -0500

hello,

just saw the new l'oreal paris advanced hair care line of products touting Arginine-K Complex as its key ingredient, is this any better or different than what we have seen before.

thanks

Is crystal deodorant based on Ammonium Alum beneficial?

Ole4ka — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 04:31:41 -0500

Dear Beauty Brains,

I was wondering is the Ammonium Alum based crystal deodorant better than other alternatives based on aluminium chlorohydrate or others.

Thank you for your amazing blog!

Olga

Facial Soap vs. Cleansers: Is One Better Than The Other?

NoahJenda — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 02:22:47 -0500

I'm reading a lot of conflicting information about what is kinder to my face: cleaners or facial soaps.

I understand that facial cleansers are detergents and contain ingredients like Disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, Cocamidopropyl betaine and Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate.

Soaps, particularly the artisan soaps I've been considering, often appear to be a blend of various oils such as avocado or olive oil, as well as moisturizers like cocoa butter and shea butter. Some also contain saponified tallow or lanolin.

Do mild facial cleaners really strip out too much of my skin's natural oils, as some soap makers claim? Can facial soaps be more drying to the skin, as the makers of some facial cleansers claim? Is there any advantage to using one type of product or the other?

Can fat be beautiful?

rozy — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 00:02:56 -0400

I am very interested on the fat acceptance movement and I want to know if you people associate fatness with unattractive and why. I hope the beauty brains will blog about the fat acceptance movement.
http://lovelivegrow.com/2012/10/21-things-to-stop-saying-unless-you-hate-fat-people/
http://www.haescommunity.org/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22830096

The Beauty Aisle Insider ebook?

Donina — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 19:24:07 -0500

Hi, I'm trying to find this as an ebook; I have a kindle but am in Australia and Amazon doesn't seem to want to sell me an ebook. Is there a PDF version or another place I can buy it as an ebook?

MTIA.

What do you think of the EU's ban on animal testing?

rozy — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 21:58:25 -0500

http://jezebel.com/5980582/european-union-bans-all-animal-testing-of-cosmetics?post=56873455
I think it shows how ignorant people are of basic science tbh I guess people think there are robot overlords too

How does an ion cleanser e.g. Hitachi Hada Crie work?

12490 — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 07:54:27 -0500

Hi Beautybrain,

Recently, ion cleansers (Hitachi Hada Crie specifically) claim to cleanse and allow moisturisers and serum to penetrate your skin better. I've tried to read up on it by googling it but nowhere does it tell me how the ion cleansers actually work? Can you please help with this?

Here is a link to a site that sells it http://www.cosme-de.com/en/product/product_page.html?pdid=6383

Does "Silver/Purple" shampoo or conditioner really help cancel the brassiness out of hair?

makeupatmidnight — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:14:50 -0500

Ever since I've been dying my hair blonde, I've been told by many people to treat my hair with a "purple/silver" toning shampoo or conditioner every few days to help prevent my hair from getting a brassy tone to it. Supposedly, this works by 'color theory' in the way that the purple toner in the shampoo is able to cancel out the brassy yellow colors in the hair. An example of such a product is the AG Sterling Silver line, one that I've been using myself (although I'm still skeptical). My question is, does these types of products actually work to keep brassy colored hair at bay?

Teen acne treatments

joanv — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 03:17:07 -0500

You were so helpful with my last question, that I figured I'd ask another!

My poor teenage son has disaster skin. Like clogged pores on his cheeks, not just in the T-Zone. He doesn't get it from us. I re-gifted him the Clarisonic brush I got him for Xmas last year, we've used a lot of products, cheap to expensive (most I found out recently are Paula-approved in the excellent category), and nothing is helping. I just got more over the counter stuff that Paula recommends - SA and BP treatments, good cleanser, etc. I read somewhere a mention of buying stronger concentrations of salicylic acid off Amazon and looked it up. But I would be scared using a 20% or 30% solution on my son's face. Any tips? Should I just spring for a facial or bring him to the dermatologist? (We went about 10 times to the dermatologist for an unrelated itchy rash and only on the last time - paying a more expensive copay each time for the specialist - did he give us an effective cream. So I'm not super excited to go this route.)

Thanks!

Sulfates and Silicone in a Shampoo...

TheBeautyCat — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 02:15:34 -0500

Why is there silicone in shampoo? I noticed that one of my bottles lists two different sulfates and two different silicones. This seems counterproductive to me. Another bottle lists two different sulfates and only one silicone and I feel this product cleanses better. Is this just in my head or could it be that the shampoo with less silicone cleanses better?