The Beauty Brains

1) The step-by-step picture diagram showing you how to comb your hair (in case you don’t have a mirror, I guess).

2) The fact that the product is in a GLASS bottle. (Wet shower + slippery foam + breakable glass bottle = trip to emergency room.)

3) The way they make such a big deal about the shampoo NOW! being available in a liquid, lotion form. What were they using before? Powdered shampoo?? Bar soap?? (Yeah, maybe they were, this ad is pretty old!)

On second thought, it’s funny how times change. Now we have Lush Cosmetics Solid shampoo bars!

What do YOU think? Do you experiment with different forms of shampoo? Do you like other weird ways to wash your hair? Leave a comment and come clean with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

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The Right Brain Rants:

We recently stumbled across this posting from 100777.com which suggests that there’s a Great Shampoo Scandal and that shampoo and other hair products are actually bad for your hair. While we here at The Beauty Brains love to expose cosmetic marketing cons, we don’t like to see legitimately useful products bashed by people claiming to be in the know. So even though this link is few years old, we thought we’d look at some of the things claimed about hair products and whether there’s any truth behind this so called scandal. (BTW, credit for the photo goes to 100777.com. Even though we disagree with the article we did laugh at the picture!)

The Great Shampoo Scandal

The primary message from the Scandal is that shampoo is bad for your hair and you should really be using soap. This is just plain WRONG! Soap is not a good thing to use on your hair. Why? While some of the details are inaccurate, they correctly point out in the article that soap reacts with something in the water (Calcium & Magnesium ions actually) and forms an insoluble scum. The insoluble scum is really a salt that does not dissolve in water. When you use soap to wash your hair, the insoluble scum is invariably left behind making your hair feel nasty and unclean. The detergents in shampoos do not react with the ions in the water like soap does, so this problem is solved.

Savage shampoo

The Scandal also explains that shampoo is very harsh and damages your hair permanently. This is overstated but there is some truth in it. Shampoos can be considered harsh in the sense that they remove oils from your hair and scalp. So in that way they are more harsh than things like water or vegetable oil. But compared to other things like alcohol or acids, shampoos are very mild. And depending on which detergents you’re talking about, shampoo can be much milder than soap! Almost any physical activity can be damaging to your hair, even just exposing it water can swell the hair shaft causing some damage. And of course there are many process much more severe than water and shampoo exposure: styling processes like combing, drying, curling, and flat ironing as well as chemical processes like perms and color treatments. That’s why you should be using a conditioner. Conditioners provide some protection against all of the damaging things you do to your hair. They actually work!

The Beauty Brains bottom line

There is no Great Shampoo Scandal. Companies are not making shampoo that are knowingly bad for your hair just to make a buck. Instead, they are challenging their cosmetic chemists to make products that work better and provide a better consumer experience to give them an edge over their competitors. The shampoos on the market today are far superior to soap for washing your hair. But many products and process can be damaging, so you should use a conditioner to provide at least some protection.

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EF asks: “Can coconut oil remove silicones from hair? I use ˜cone-free shampoos and conditioners, but my detangler does have ˜cones so I’m worried about buildup. I don’t want to use a clarifying shampoo (like Frederic Fekkai’s Apple Cider Shampoo) because it’s too harsh. Can I use coconut oil to get rid of the ˜cones instead?”

The Right Brain Responds:

Coconut oil is a good moisturizer for hair (it’s one of the few oils that have shown to penetrate into the cortex. What, you didn’t know that? Then you should have read our previous coconut oil post!)

However, natural oils are NOT good solvents for silicone. That’s because plant and mineral oils are based on carbon while silicone is based on the element Silicon. Just like oil and water, oil and silicone don’t mix. So, you’ll still need to use some kind of shampoo to wash those ‘cones out. The good news is, most light detanglers don’t use the high molecular weight silicones that give you the buildup. A regular shampoo should be fine for you. If your current detangler is too heavy, change to one that doesn’t have dimethicone.

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Mid Brain muses

Here’s an interesting product – Frederic Fekkai’s Wash & Wear spray shampoo. You can simply spray this in your hair to keep it clean in between shampoos.

Powder shampoo

“What a novel, breakthough idea!” you must be saying to yourself.

“Why has no one else in the history of hair care EVER thought of a spray on shampoo that doesn’t have to be rinsed off?” you’re probably pondering as you read this.

“Only the advanced science of the new millennium could have possibly created a spray on product to keep your hair clean between shampoos,” you’re thinking.

Is that what you’re thinking?

If it is, you’re WRONG!

It’s time you learned that, with the possible exception of the Internet, everything that’s worth inventing was created in the 70’s.

Case in point, check out this ad from the Beauty Brains ad vault for Psssst! Shampoo. Possibly the only cosmetic product ever to include a punction mark in it’s name.

Psssst! is also famous for being the first spray on, no rinse dry shampoo. It was essentially a powder that you sprayed in your hair to absorb oil, then you brushed it out. It didn’t work very well and it was kind of messy, but it did prevent hundreds of thousands of women from wearing a bag over their head between shampoos.

So in your FACE , Frederic Fekkai!

More dry shampoos

Intrigued? In addition to Fekkai and Psssst! here are a few other dry powder shampoos you might want to check out:

Algemarin Shampoo “Dry-Powder Spray”

Batiste Dry Shampoo

TIGI – Rockaholic – Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo

Klorane Shampoo Dry

Samy Shampoo Dry Spray

Rene Furterer Naturia Dry Shampoo

Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo Spray

Finley Hair Powder Brown

Have YOU tried a dry shampoo? Leave a comment and share your experiences with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

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Rouge Design’s doggy style question…I am new here and have really enjoyed all the great info on products for myself. Then I got to thinking about my baby boy. That is, my Mini Schnauzer. I’m wondering if you know anything about dog shampoo ingredients and what would be safe for their skin?

The Right Brain’s response:

Hi Rouge, and welcome to the Beauty Brains! We specialize in beauty science, not puppy pulchritude, but we’ll do our best to answer your question. We looked at dog shampoos and one of the first things we found out surprised us: Several salon hair care brands now make pet products!

Designer dog shampoos

That’s right. We found 3 different designer hair care companies who are now catering to pets. Who knows how many more are lurking in the wings? Here are some examples:

Kiehls Cuddly Coat Grooming Shampoo

Yes that’s right. Kiehls is not just for people anymore! They have a line of pet products including this shampoo. And according to their website, here are the ingredients:

Water, Disodium cocodiamphoacetate, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauramidopropyl Betaine, Bishydroxyethyl Dihydroxypropyl Stearamonium chloride, Cocamide MIPA, Glycerine, Fragrance, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Chamoomile Extract

John Paul Pet Super Bright Shampoo

Not to be outdone by Kiehls, stylist Paul Mitchell enters the fray with his John Paul Pet line. These products don’t list any ingredients, but they do proudly proclaim that they’re “tested on humans first.” First? And then what happens?

Pet Head Dirty Talk Deodorizing Shampoo

Bed Head has always been an edgy brand and they’ve carried that playful tone into their new Pet Head line. Sure, Pet Head is a is a clever play on words but what’s up with the saucy “Dirty Talk” name? Is this a dog shampoo or date night for Sarah Bellum? (Again, no mention of ingredients.)

Sulfate free dog shampoos

Despite their designer origins, none of these brands appear to be sulfate free. So let’s get back to Rouge’s original question about ingredients. As she pointed out in our Forum, you should only bathe your dog every month (or less) so you don’t dry out their skin. We’ve blogged before that sulfates are cheap, effective cleansing ingredients but they can be too drying for some skin types. In low concentrations, with infrequent usage, it’s unlikely that they would cause any problem for your pet. But, if you’re worried about using sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) shampoos on your pet’s delicate skin, then you need to find products that list the ingredients so you can look for non-sulfate formulas. You should look for the same kinds of ingredients used in baby shampoos like decyl glucoside. Here are a few examples of sulfate free dog shampoos you might want to consider.

Not Soap, Radio Say It With Suds You’re the Best Dog Herbal Shampoo

Ingredients: Aqua (distilled water), Sodium Olefin Sulfonate (plant source), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Cocamidoproply Betaine (plant source), Sodium Chloride Sea Salt, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Apple (Pyrus Malus) cider vinegar, Potassium Sorbate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Neem (melia azadirachta) leaf extract, Tocopherol (*Vitamin E), Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Sodium Bicarbionate (Baking Soda), Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender Extract) Oil, Cedrus Atlantica (Cedarwood) Bark Oil, Eucalyptus Globulous Leaf Oil, Cymbopogon Nadus (citonella) oil, Citric Acid (natural pH Adjuster)

The olefin sulfonate will not be as mild as regular baby shampoo.

Cloud Star Buddy Wash Pet Shampoo, Lavender & Mint

Ingredients: Coconut shampoo base, aloe vera gel, essence of lavender, essence of mint, chamomile extract, sage extract, nettles extract, rosemary extract, wheat protein extract (natural deodorizing agent), tea tree oil, vitamin E, vitamin C

We’re not sure about this one since it’s hard to tell what the heck coconut shampoo base includes. Since SLES can be made from coconut oil it could be “hidden” in the blend.

Nature’s Dog By Canus Fresh Goat’s Milk All Natural Shampoo Bar

Ingredients: Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernealate, Aqua, Glycerin, Caprae Lac (Fresh Goat’s Milk), Parfum, Melia Azadirachta (Neem) Leaf Extract, Juniperus Communis Fruit Extract, Malaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Extract, Sodium Chloride, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Tetra Sodium Edta.

While it’s sulfate free, this soap based cleanser may not be very mild.

Four Paws Magic Coat Tearless Shampoo for Dogs and Puppies with Sensitive Skin

Ingredients: Water, Triethanolamine, Coamide DEA, PEG-40 Lanolin, Perfume, Quaternium 15, EDTA, Sodium Chloride, FD&C Yellow #5.

Ok, this one we’re suspicious of because of misspellings in the ingredient list we found online. Our guess is that it really contains Triethanolamine Lauryl Sulfate which is milder than most sulfates but it still is a sulfate.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Unlike people products, pet shampoos don’t have to list ingredients so it’s tricky to tell what each product contains. But based on our experience with people, occasionally using a shampoo that contains SLES is probably not really a problem. Still, if you are concerned, look for dog shampoos that list the ingredients on the label and avoid “sulfates.” Or, you could also use a regular baby shampoo. Or if you have an extra $6000 to spend, you could get the latest gadget for your pet: a shampoo-free automatic dog washer.

What do YOU think? Do you have a favorite pet shampoo? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

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Noumenon needs to know…How exactly do clarifying shampoos work? Some say that the extra-harsh Lauryl surfactants are what strips the hair of all the build-up, and they are safe to use once in a while for clarifying purposes. However, others say that it has nothing to do with the strength of the surfactant and even Sodium Laureth Sulfate can be used in a clarifying shampoo on it’s own. These people tend to claim that it’s something like lemon peel or an acidifier like citric acid that helps to strip the build-up. Could you please help to “clarify” the situation for us all? What exactly is the specific ingredient(s) that removes build-up beyond my gentle Sodium Laureth Sulfate based shampoo? Or is the whole clarifying thing a myth and you can really use any shampoo you want to remove build-up equally?

The Right Brain clears up clarifying:

There seems to be a popular misconception that clarifying shampoos work by using acid to remove hard water scale – kind of like “Lime-Away.” WiseGeek and About.com both claim that acetic acid should be a major component in a clarifying shampoo but the Beauty Brains have never seen a shampoo actually formulated that way.

Acid washed

I can see how this idea got started because it goes along with the notion that using vinegar to rinse your hair closes the cuticle and makes hair shinier. Unfortunately  hair biology is not that simple. It’s true that very high pH chemical treatments (like relaxers) swell the hair shaft and lift the cuticle.When you relax your hair, you do need to neutralize the high pH so in that case acid treatment makes sense. But the same principle doesn’t really apply to hair that hasn’t been freshly relaxed or permed.

Real cause of build up

Hard water residue is not even the most common cause of build up. It’s more likely to be a result of not properly removing styling products. And if that’s the cause, then you certainly don’t want to use a product that contains more acid.  That’s because the styling resins used in hairsprays, mousses, and gels become more water soluble when the pH is raised. So to help get rid of styling resin buildup you want to use a product that with a higher pH not lower which us what acid would do. Another possibility is that build up is caused by high molecular weight silicones and other water insoluble oils that deposit on your hair form conditioners or treatments. Neither acid or base will get rid of those bad boys.

The real clarifier

So what ingredients are really responsible for clarifying? Our old friends surfactants! A lot of people won’t want to hear this, but the lauryl sulfate type of surfactants are among the safest most powerful cleansers you can buy.  As we explained in The Danger of Clarifying Shampoos, some people do complain of dry itchy scalp after using sulfate shampoos especially in dry climates. But most people have no problem, especially if they use them infequently. 

 A typical sulfate shampoo: Tresemme Deep Cleansing Shampoo

If sulfates just aren’t your cup of tea, there are plenty of other surfactants to choose from. Non-sulfate anionic cleansers include Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauryl.  These tend to be less stripping so you may find they don’t clarify as well. 

Nonsulfate anionic shampoo: Pureology Serious Colour Care Pure Volume Shampoo

Finally you can use an amphoteric shampoo, like a baby shampoo, which primarily contain milder amphoteric surfactants like PEG 80 Sorbitan Laurate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Lauroamphoglycinate. Those generally provide the least cleansing.

Amphoteric shampoo: Johnson’s Baby Shampoo

Clarifier can’t condition

In addition to choosing the correct type of cleansing ingredients it’s very important to choose a clarifying shampoo that doesn’t contain any conditioning agents. You want to make sure that you’re removing gunk from your hair, not depositing more stuff. So avoid any “”cones” like dimethicone, cyclomethicone, or amodimethicone and any conditioning polymers like guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride and Polyquaternium 7 and 10. 

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Clarifying shampoos work by washing away the gunk that’s built up on your hair. You don’t need any fancy product to do that – a simple, non-conditioning shampoo will do just fine for most people. 

 What do YOU think? Do you have a favorite deep cleaning shampoo? Leave a clarifying comment for the rest of the Beauty Brains community. 

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Stephanie Seeks Clarification: Is there a scientific reason why shampoos are usually clear or close to clear and conditioners usually are not?

The Right Brain Clears Things Up:

Great question!  Shampoos are composed mainly of water and surfactants. (If surfactants sounds to technical, you can call them detergents. If detergents reminds you too much of laundry, you can call them foaming thingies. Whatever.)

Anyway the foaming thingies, uh I mean the surfactants, are soluble in water so the shampoo is clear. It’s like putting salt into water – all the salt dissolves and you can still see through the water.

Clarifying conditioner

Conditioners on the other hand are composed mainly of water and conditioning agents. Most conditioning agents are not compatible with water (they won’t dissolve in it). So, to make a conditioner you have to create a special type of mixture called an emulsion. Emulsions are just small particles of oils suspended in water. (Think about the kind of 2-layer oil and vinegar salad dressing that you have to shake before using. That’s a simple emulsion.) In an emulsion, the light passing through the product is scattered when it hits all those tiny suspended oil particles. That light scattering makes the conditioner look opaque.

By the way, you can make a clear conditioner by using water soluble conditioners or a special type of emulsion known as a microemulsion. But there’s never been a successful one on the market because people don’t believe they work! (Does anyone remember the original Clean and Clear from the late 80s? They had a clear hair conditioner. Ahh, sweet memories.)

The Beauty Brains bottom line

The bottom line is, shampoos are as clear like shoes. Ok, I know that doesn’t make sense, but I found this cool picture of a clear shoe and I needed an excuse to use it. (Mid Brain isn’t the only one who gets to have fun with the pics we use in our posts!) Still want to know more? Go read about the 4 different kinds of shampoos.

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Violet’s Very Important Question…I take the beta blocker Coreg (carvedilol) and have been warned to avoid drinking grapefruit juice as it can interact dangerously with the Coreg. Does grapefruit oil/extract in a shampoo have the same potentially dangerous effect, when absorbed through the scalp? (The shampoo in question is Burt’s Bees Super Shiny Grapefruit & Sugar Beet Shampoo, which lists grapefruit oil about tenth down the list of ingredients.) Thanks for your help!

The Left Brain Attempts An Important Answer:

I think the chances of the grapefruit ingredients in your shampoo being absorbed into your bloodstream and interacting with your beta blocker the same way as ingested grapefruite juice would is extremely unlikley. However, we’re cosmetic scientists, not doctors, so we really can’t give you medical advice. You’d better check with your physician just to be safe.

PS. Tell your doctor to read our blog.

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Alice Asks…I notice that one of the ingredients in my Tigi Bed Head shampoo is coumarin. As far as I’m aware, this is an anti-coagulant drug derived from fermented sweet clover, and it’s a major ingredient in warfarin, and a basis for some rat poisons. What the hell is it doing in my shampoo? I mean, it’s fourth to last on the ingredients list, so I don’t think it’s going to make my scalp hemorrhage, but why is it THERE?

The Left Brain Answers:
You are correct, Alice, coumarin does have some very nasty properties. In fact, one of our favorite websites (Molecule of the Day) describes it as a “vanilla-flavored liver damaging fabric brightener.” But there is a reason it’s in your shampoo, although it’s not a very GOOD reason. Let me explain:

One of the properties of coumarin is its ability to absorb light of one color and release it as light of another color. That property makes it useful as an optical brightener – a class of chemicals typically used on fabrics to make whites look whiter. Some companies use chemicals like this in hair care products, especially products for blonde or silver hair, to reduce brassy off-tones. But the reality is that in rinse-off hair care products it really doesn’t do much. So even though technically there’s a reason for it to be in Bed Head shampoo, you won’t be able to tell much difference.

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The Cynical One Says: I want to know what you think about getting a “Malibu Treatment” to remove the chemical residue from well water? Does well water effect blonde hair? What does a Malibu treatment actually do? Can I do this at home? Is this even worth my time, or can I just use a claryifying shampoo from time to time?

The Right Brain Responds:
There are two main problems that COULD be caused by using well water. The first is hard water residue which is formed when soap comes in contact with “hard” metal ions such as calcium and magnesium. The soap interacts with the metal ions forming an insoluble “gunk” that sticks to the sides of the tub.

Well water woes

Is this a serious problem? We doubt it because modern shampoos use cleansers known as surfactants that don’t interact with the metal ions so you shouldn’t really be getting much water residue on your hair. In other words, a bar of soap might cause this to happen, but shampoo and body washes would not.

The second problem is rust deposition which occurs when there’s a high concentation of iron in the water. Rusty well water CAN stain light colored hair an orangish-yellow color, but we doubt that this is a serious problem for most people either. If your water is that bad, you’re probably using a water softener anyway!

IF you did get hard water deposits on your hair what should you do? A quick web search shows a lot of homemade remedies recommending vinegar and lemon juice, which are mildy acidic. In reality, an alkaline cleanser remove hard water deposits better, NOT an acidic one. So much for believing everything you read on the web…

Kick it with a chelator

But the best thing would be to use a chemical agent called a “chelator” that ties up the metal ions and makes the residue easier to use. It just so happens that the Malibu 2000 Well Water Action Shampoo and the Malibu 2000 Quickin Demineralizing treament DO contain an effective chelating agent known as EDTA. Without testing, we can’t be sure these products really work because the pH of the product and the concentration of EDTA are important. BUT, at least they look promising. If you do decide to try them, you’ll have to disregard all the claims Malibu makes about the hard water deposits clogging your pores and stopping hair growth. There’s no data to show that hard water causes hair loss!

The Brain’s Bottom Line:

Given the prevalence of soft water we think that, unlikely, but not impossible for you to experience significant problems. Hard water and iron deposits are probably more of a made up marketing need than a serious hair care problem. But, if you have experience with either problem we love to hear about it and what you did to fix it.

What do YOU think? Are hard water deposits a problem for YOUR hair? Leave a comment and share your rust stained thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

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