Mid Brain reports:

It turns out, more is not always better, at least not when it comes to laser hair removal.

In an article published in the Archives of Dermatology, scientists report that a treatment with a single type of laser was more effective than one with two kinds of lasers.  Twenty individuals were treated in various spots with a Nd:YAG laser, an alexandrite laser, or a combination of those.  They found that the most effective, least painful treatment was the alexandrite laser.  It had an 84.3% reduction in hair versus a 73.6% reduction of the combined laser.  The combination treatment also caused more burning (an unfortunate side effect of this procedure).

Does laser hair removal work?

According to this research, laser hair removal does work. It is believed to work by destroying the hair follicles. The other finding was that this treatment lasts.   After an 18-month follow-up, the hair removal treatment was still effective.  So, if you can get past the pain of the procedure, it does work.  And it’s certainly longer lasting than both shaving or waxing.

Have you had a hair removal laser treatment?  Did it work for you?  Leave a comment and let the rest of the Beauty Brains community know.

This month Mid Brain reports on new cosmetic science stories while the Left and Right Brains take time off to work on the new Beauty Brains book.

Mid Brain reports:

It sounds sketchy to me, but here’s a new hair care product designed to prevent acne: Kairos Anti-acne Hair Care Treatment.

The active ingredient is Salicylic acid, a legitimate anti-acne ingredient (that has anti-dandruff properties as well.) But I don’t get it. It’s a shampoo so I see how it could help control acne on your scalp. But is scalp acne really a big problem? I usually don’t get zits on the top of my head. Or, are you supposed to wash your face with it while you wash your hair so it’s a kind of two in one product? Sounds more like a marketing gimmick than a product breakthrough to me.

What do YOU think? Would you use an anti-acne shampoo? Leave a comment and share your pimply prose with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Cindy’s sassy about Sebastian…What’s up with Sebastian Shaper Hairspray? Everyone I know who uses it just freaks out about this stuff but I can’t even find it because it’s always out of stock. Is there something really better or different about this hairspray compared to other brands?

The Right Brain responds:

Actually, Cindy, there is a simple answer to your question. Many hairsprays are formulated with a chemical that is TERRIBLE for your hair style. This chemical causes your hair to droop and lose its style almost the instant it is applied. Sebastian wisely chooses to NOT use this chemical in their aerosol hairspray and that’s one of the primary reasons their product is so good.

Sebastian Shaper’s secret

The secret to Sebastian’s formula is: WATER. That’s right. simple H20. Many companies use water in their aerosol hairsprays because it’s much cheaper. But when water contacts the hair, it loosens some of the internal bonds and causes the hair to lose its style. If you can avoid water in your hairspray you’ll get a much better style. (Of course there are other ingredients in the formula that control how well the hairspray holds. You can read our series on Adorable Aerosols if you want to learn more.)

Hairsprays that are “all wet”

If you like the way Sebastian makes your hair feel, you’ll want to avoid these brands that formulate their hairsprays with water:

• Pantene Pro-V Texturize
• Suave Max Hold
• Herbal Essences Body Envy Volumizing
• Got 2b Styltini
• Garnier Fructis Style Volumizing Anti-Humidity
• Dove Hairspray, Extra Hold
• Rusk W8less Plus Shaping and Control
• Aussie Instant Freeze

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Water is bad for your hairstyle but if you can’t afford Sebastian shop around for other hairsprays that don’t use water. How can you tell? Turn the can over and read the ingredient list!

What’s YOUR favorite hairspray? Leave a comment for the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Sidney says… Can your please review the product Curlaway Curl Relaxer by Xenna? It claims to use acetic acid to temporarily relax the hair. Is there truth to this product?

The Left Brain responds:

Right Brain has blogged before about the chemistry of hair relaxers. In short, here is how they work:  Hair has two kinds of chemical bonds that keep its shape. The first type, hydrogen bonds, weakly bind protein chains together. These bonds are easily broken by wetting the hair with water. (This is what causes “bed head” in the morning.) The second type, disulfide bonds, are very strong and the primary reason kinky hair is so hard to straighten. Chemical relaxers work by breaking these disulfide bonds with alkaline chemicals; this allows the hair to be straightened. The bonds are then reformed in the straight configuration to lock in the hair’s new shape.

Cautious about Curlaway

Curlaway claims to relax hair “using very gentle, natural ingredients that are low in pH, not high in pH like alkalines.”  Their website says that “Curlaway Curl Relaxer breaks hydrogen bonds in the keratin protein of your hair, not S-S bonds like conventional, high-pH relaxers.” While it is true that Curlaway doesn’t contain any high pH relaxing ingredients it it is true that this product will break hydrogen bonds, it’s wrong to imply it can be as effective as an alkaline relaxer.  Just breaking hydrogen bonds will not straighten tightly curled hair. Curlaway may be a perfectly fine straightening lotion to use with a flat iron but it’s not chemically capable of permanently straightening hair.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Curlaway Curl Relaxer is a non-reactive treatment that can help straighten hair when used with heat styling tools. But this acetic acid based product is not a magic replacement for alkaline relaxers.

Have you tried Curlaway? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Gina just wants to know…I’ve been reading rave reviews of this Mixed Chicks product. Can you tell me how it’s different from Cantu Shea Butter, the leave in I use now?

The Right Brain replies:

For those of you not familiar with Mixed Chicks, it’s a line of hair care products designed for hair of biracial origin. Their website explains that the line is a “curl-defining system designed for “us” whether you’re black, white, asian, latin, mediterranean, or any glorious combination of the above.”

The Leave-in you asked about is described as a “patented formula penetrates the hair shaft, conditioning as it smoothes the follicle.” I hate to be nit-picky on this point, but the follicle is the tiny tube beneath your scalp that the hair grows from. You can’t “smooth” the follicle but you can smooth the cuticle which is the shingle-like outer most layer of hair. We don’t expect Mixed Chicks to be scientific experts but they should understand basic hair biology so they can explain how their products really work.

Mixed Chicks Leave in Conditioner Ingredients

How does Mixed Chicks compare to Cantu? Let’s take a look at the ingredients for these two products. First the Mixed Chicks leave in and then Cantu. To make it easier to read, we’re leaving out preservatives, colors and fragrance:

Water, Glycerin, Amodimethicone, Emulsifying Wax, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein/pvp Crosspolymer, Stearalkonium Chloride, Methylguceth-20, Hydroxypopul Timonium Chloride, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Jojoba Oil, Safflower Oil, Primrose Oil, Wheat Amino Acid, Crosilk, Hydrolyzed Collagen (Marine)

(Note: this ingredient list came from Amazon.com and has several typos.)

Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Glycine Soja Oil (Soybean), Propylene Glycol, Polyquaternium 37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, PPG 1 Trideceth 6, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Stearalkonium Chloride, Trimethylsilylamodimethicone, Panthenol, PPG 1 PEG 9 Lauryl Glycol Ether, Lanolin Oil, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Acrylamidopropyltrimonium Chloride/Acrylamide Copolymer, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein

Both are mixtures of water with oils and conditioning polymers. The big difference is that Cantu is based on shea butter and soybean oil while Mixed Chicks is high in glycerin and amodimethicone. Amodimethicone is an excellent conditioner and is one of the primary ingredients in Infusium 23, one of the classic leave in conditioners.   Both products should provide a high level of conditioning. We’d expect that Mixed Chicks would provide less greasy curl definition based on the lower concentration of  oily materials.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Both Mixed Chicks and Cantu appear to be highly moisturizing leave in conditioners but it’s impossible for us to say which one is better for you without knowing your hair type.  If you decide to try both, write back and let us know which one you liked best!

Does anyone in the Beauty Brains community have any curly conditioning tips for Gina? Leave a comment!