Monica questions:  What causes more hair loss straightening you hair with a flat iron or doing a relaxer at a salon?

Left Brain straighteners her out:

Great question Monica.  A quick answer is that Relaxers lead to more hair loss than Flat Irons.  Read on for why.  If you want some additional options to flat irons and relaxers take a look at this post we did on 7 ways to straighten hair.

How Hair Straightening Processes Work

While relaxers and flat irons can give you similar styles, they work in completely different ways.  To understand how they work, you first must know that hair is made up of proteins.  Within these proteins are chemical bonds responsible for hair strength & hair shape.  The two most important types include Hydrogen bonds and Disulfide bonds.  (There are others but Sarah’s eyes are starting to glaze over so I’ll stop there.)

Hydrogen bonds are weaker, temporary and dependent on the amount of water in your hair.  When you flat iron your hair, you remove curls/frizz by first mechanically forcing hair straight and then removing the water with heat.  It works just like an iron on clothes.  This locks hair into whatever shape it currently is in.  It works great as long as your hair stays dry.  But once hair picks up moisture from the air, it will start to revert to its more natural shape.

Hair’s natural shape is controlled more by the Disulfide bonds.  These permanent bonds don’t depend on how much water is in hair.  With relaxers, hair’s disulfide bonds get broken down making your hair permanently straighter.  At least permanent until new hair grows back.

Both relaxing and flat ironing damage hair but relaxing is much worse because it actually degrades hair proteins.

3 Kinds of Hair Loss

When you ask about hair loss you could be talking about 3 different kinds; breakage, natural, and permanent.  Since I’m not sure which you’ve asked about, we’ll look at all three.

1. Breakage:  Everyone’s hair breaks to some extent, but damaged hair breaks more.  Relaxing causes much more damage thus leading to more hair loss via breakage than flat irons.
2. Natural:  People shed just like dogs & cats.  Your hair has a natural cycle where you lose about 100 hairs naturally each day.  Neither relaxing or flat irons will affect this hair loss.  You might notice more hair loss while flat ironing but that just because you pull out hairs that would have fallen out on their own.
3. Permanent:  In this type, hair stops growing at the roots & there is not much you can do to get it to come back.  It’s unlikely that flat ironing will cause this but it is possible relaxing hair can.  If your scalp is exposed to the chemicals in relaxers for too long, it can burn you and cause permanent hair loss.  This isn’t a problem when relaxing is done by a top notch, professional stylist but if you have an amateur, look out!

For more, see this information from the FDA about hair relaxer safety.

Should You Relax?

Despite the safety concerns and extra damage, there are some significant advantages of relaxing over flat iron straightening.  These include

• More permanent
• Easier to do (if you have a stylist)
• More consistent results
• Less prone to negative humidity effects

On the other had, being more permanent might be a negative to some.

The Beauty Brains Bottom line:

Both relaxing and flat ironing damage hair, but relaxing is much worse.  However, it does give some added benefits so you might decide hair relaxing is worth extra damage.  If you don’t want to lose or damage hair, the best thing you can do is shampoo infrequently, condition each time, and don’t comb or style it much.  Of course, that severely limits the type of looks you can get so these aren’t options for most people.

What do YOU think?  Would you rather have hair relaxed or do daily flat ironing?  Leave a comment below.

Lejla must know mousse: I have fine hair and have been using the Sebastian Body Double Thickify Styler which is a volume mousse. I like the way it makes my hair feel more stiff and sturdy. But why does it say I need to blow dry my hair for it to work? Isn’t that damaging? I’ve also used the more affordable Tresemme “Volume & Lift” mousse, but I just don’t seem to get the same effect. Why not?

The Right Brain replies:
Lejla, good questions. Hopefully the following mousse manifesto will provide some helpful answers.

History of mousse

Like Champagne, mousse is an invention of the French. The fluffy foam was introduced in Europe (by L’Oreal) in the early 1980s and brought to the US a few years later by Tresemme. Over the last 20 years, mousse has grown to be one of the top styling forms along side hairspray and gel.

Types of mousse

There are many kinds of mousse but they all have one thing in common: foam. They may be formulated to provide hold or conditioning and they can be packaged in aerosol or nonaerosol containers. Traditionally, true mousses are aerosols while the nonaerosol type may go by other names like “foam stylers.” Mousses are used to give hair volume and they’re generally combined with some kind of finishing spray to lock the hair into place.

Ingredients

Solvents

Water and alcohol are used to disperse the other ingredients in the formula. (Many mousses are now alcohol free.)

Propellant

The gaseous stuff that pushes the product out of the can. This gas is also what causes the liquid mousse to turn all foamy. Only in aerosol mousses, like the Tresemme product you asked about have propellant. The Body Double product is a non-aerosol mousse that uses a pump to create foam instead of aerosol propellant. There’s no propellant to worry about but the foam is not as rich.

Hold and conditioning agents

These ingredients have the most effect on your hair. They’re a combination of hairspray-like polymers, oils, and other smoothing agents that coat the hair shaft.

For example, Sebastian’s Body Double uses VP/VA copolymer, cetrimonium chloride, polyquaternium-10, polyquaternium-37, and amodimethicone. On the other hand Tresemmé “Volume & Lift” uses these:
acrylates copolymer, VP/VA copolymer, polyquaternium-4, peg-12 dimethicone, amodimethicone, peg-40 hydrogenated castor oil, and cetrimonium chloride.

Control agents

Sets the pH, helps with product stability, and preserves against microbial bugs.

Fragrance

Pretty much what you’d expect - smells pretty.

How Mousse works

Mousse is usually worked through damp hair. As it dries, the polymers and other coating agents set up a film on your hair strands. Unlike hairsprays that “glue” different hair fibers together, mousse is meant to coat each fiber to give it some stiffness. As the film dries, each hair pushes out against the hair next to it so overall your hair is left with more volume. Depending on the type of mousse, your hair can feel very conditioned or stiff and crunchy. (That’s the kind of difference you see between Sebastian and Tresemme.)

Depending on the formula and the amount of hair you have, blow drying may be necessary to get the style that you like. And yes, blow drying can be damaging. It’s a sacrifice you may have to make to get your hair to look like you want it to.

In previous posts we’ve explained that, contrary to what some people still think, modern hairsprays do not damage the ozone layer. But here’s a new hairspray danger to worry about: bacterial contamination.

Contaminated hairspray

The March issue of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Biology (which is second only to Cosmo on the Left Brain’s “must read” list) reveals a new species of bacteria that can live in hairspray. This is unusual given that hairsprays tend to be high alcohol systems that don’t support microbial growth. Of course, as cosmetic scientists we wish the researchers were more specific in their reference to hairsprays: did they mean water containing hairsprays as well as water-free hairsprays? There’s a big difference!

New germ

The bacteria, Microbacterium hatanonis, was named in honor of Dr Kazunori Hatano, one of the key researchers of this organism. While there’s no immediate need for concern if you’re using hairspray, similar bacteria have been shown to infect humans. Further research is needed to determine if this new species presents any unusual danger.

5 Scary Hairsprays

So if there’s no known danger associated with this bacteria why did I bother writing this story? Because I was looking for an excuse to put together a list of hairsprays where the names sound like they should have been part of some 1960’s horror film. Can you see through the clever wordplay and guess the real name of the product behind each scary title?

1. Fekkai’s Scare Hold

2. Big Scary Hair

3. Satan Hair Spray

4. Circle of Fiends

5. Tigi Severed Head
–Mid Brain

So how did you do in our horrible hairspray quiz? Give your self a point for each hairspray name you guessed. And two points if you leave a comment with the name of your favorite hairspray right now.

Straight hair is in. And people with curly or wavy hair will pull, blow, iron, treat or do practically anything else to get straight hair. That can’t be good for your hair health, right? Some treatments aren’t even good for your personal health as Del over at Are You A Beauty recently reported in her piece about the Brazilian hair straightening system.

We here at the Beauty Brains thought it would be helpful for you to know the 7 most common ways to straighten your hair and the pros and cons of each.

Seven Ways to Straight Hair

1. Hairdressings & Silicone Creams. This is a classic hair product based on oily materials like petrolatum, mineral oil, and lanolin. Silicone creams work the same way but contain materials like dimethicone or cyclomethicone. Apply the product all over your damp hair and comb straight. The oils coat your hairs preventing them from curling up when they dry. The most famous of these types of products is VO5 Hairdressing.

Evaluation: Incredibly effective on all types of hair. Non-damaging and relatively inexpensive. The downside is that your hair will feel greasy, get dirtier faster, and can look weighed down. The effect will last until you wash out the product.

2. Brushing and blow drying. As hair dries, it tends to curl up. This is a direct result of the water content and the chemical bonds existing in the hair fiber proteins. If you can hold your hair straight with a comb and blow dry it, it will hold that position. It’s a bit like using an iron to straighten the wrinkles in clothes.

Evaluation: This method is simple, moderately effective but depends heavily on the skill of the person doing it. It’s much easier for a stylist to do than for you to do it on your own hair. It is slightly damaging, will not work on extremely curly hair, and frizzes out in humid weather. It will leave your hair feeling more natural than hairdressings or styling products. So, if you don’t want to spend much money, get a good hair dryer and trying combing out those curls. It may take some time but it should work.

3. Flat Iron. If you have really curly hair and the blow-drying + combing method doesn’t work, try using a flat iron. After washing your hair, you comb it and use a flat iron to get it dry and straight. It uses the same principle to get your hair straight but it is more intense and effective on nearly all hair types. Here’s a short video showing how to straighten hair with a flat iron.

Evaluation: Flat irons will work with almost any hair type. If you know what you’re doing it can be done relatively quickly. Unfortunately, it is more damaging to your hair than a blow dryer and will frizz out when humidity is high. Once you’ve bought your flat iron it’s a relatively inexpensive way to get a straight hair style.

4. Styling products. If you don’t like the greasy feeling of hairdressings and don’t want to take the time required for flat ironing, then styling product straightening might be for you. These products coat the hair with polymers that rigidly hold the hair straight. Things like hairsprays, gels, mousses, and putties can all be used.

Evaluation: Styling products are effective but require some skill in applying and shaping your hair. They will hold the hair straight better than the blow drying or flat iron methods. The effect will last only until the products are washed out. The primary downside is that your hair may not look and feel natural.

5. Brazilian Hair straightening. This method is the hottest new hair styling treatment in salons. It even made it into a story in the New York Times. Your stylist applies a keratin protein formula and uses a flat iron to get your hair straight. Theoretically, the protein will crystalize on your hair and keep it in a straightened state. You are then encouraged not to wash your hair as frequently because you’ll reverse the effect.

Evaluation: This procedure works but at $150 it hardly seems worth it. If you wash your hair a few times the protein will come right off and your hair will return to it’s natural, curly state. There’s also the issue of a significant amount of Formaldehyde being included in the formula. It shouldn’t be a problem for you but I certainly wouldn’t want to be the stylist who gets exposed many times a day. This procedure works but you can get the same effect using a flat iron, styling products and less frequent hair washing.

6. Japanese straightening system. This is a more permanent way to remove the curls from your hair. At >$500 per treatment, it is the most expensive of all the methods outlined here. For the Japanese straightening system the stylist applies a special formula all over the hair. Then they use a flat iron and neutralizing solution to get the hair straight. With proper care the effect should last for 6 months.

Evaluation: The high price of this procedure has kept most people away from repeat procedures. While we haven’t been able to see the exact formula the description of how it’s applied sounds suspiciously like a hair relaxer. The fact that a neutralizing solution has to be used suggests a bond-breaking, chemical reaction. Kudos to the inventor for convincing people to spend that much money on a less harsh version of a hair relaxer. This procedure will permanently get rid of those curls but it’s expensive and incredibly damaging to your hair.

7. Relaxer. If you want straight hair there is no more effective method than getting your hair relaxed. In this procedure a caustic chemical is applied to your hair and a chemical reaction occurs. The hair is then physically straightened and a neutralizing formula is used to reform the chemical bonds in the new straight shape. You can even do this to your own hair at home using a product like Affirm relaxer. Careful because the chemicals in these formulas can be dangerous.

Evaluation:  There’s no doubt about it that this method will permanently take the curls out of your hair.  It will also be more effective and cheaper than either the Brazilian or the Japanese systems.  However, it will also be the most damaging treatment you can do to your hair.  Your hair will break more easily and will feel dry.  Eventually, your curly hair will grow back so you’ll need to continue to relax hair if you want it straight.

We get so many questions here at the Beauty Brains demonstrating that everyone wants what they don’t have.  People with straight hair want curly hair, those with curly hair want it straight.  Fortunately, clever cosmetic chemists have come up with ways to give people whatever they want.

Amy asks: I am wondering if you know of somewhere to find an ingredients list for Yves Rocher products or if you know what else is in their stuff. They boast 150 botanical ingredients but do not provide a list of their other ingredients.

The Right Brain responds on Rocher:
Yves Rocher makes me want to vomit. Scientifically speaking, of course.

Rocher, in case you didn’t know, is the self proclaimed leader in botanical beauty care. (At least according to his website.) His claim to fame is the 150 different botanicals used in his formulations.

I took a peek at his website and couldn’t find any active ingredients listed but he is, as Amy points out, very quick to mention the key botanicals in his formulas. The first product I looked at was his Phytum Extra-Volume Long Lasting Hair Spray. The only ingredients I can find mentioned for this product are Chamomile, Corn Protein, Wheat Protein, Soy Protein.

Now look, Rocher: there’s nothing wrong with adding vegetable and grain proteins to your formulas. In fact, at a decent concentration, proteins can be effective film forming agents that can contribute to hair (and skin) moisturization. But there is NO way that these botanicals are really doing anything in a hair spray. Why not provide us with some USEFUL information? For example, here are three things a cosmetic company SHOULD tell us about their hairspray:

1. Does it contain water?

For aerosol hairsprays, it’s critical that you know whether or not the product contains water. Water is bad because it increases drying time and causes your style to droop. Why would a company add water to hairspray? Because (in the US) there are legal limits on how much of certain ingredients (known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs) that can be be used in hair sprays. VOCs include propellants and solvents like alcohol. We don’t want to bore you with all the technicalities (we’ll leave that to the Left Brain), so all you have to know right now is that some companies have chosen to add water to their hair sprays to meet these VOC regulations. Other companies have decided to add more expensive chemicals in place of water. These product cost more, but they make the hairspray work much better. So, the bottom line is, you should be looking for aerosol hair sprays without water. (To be fair, this point doesn’t really apply to the Yves Rocher product because it’s a non-aerosol and all non-aerosol hairsprays contain water. But in general, this is an important point to understand.)

2. Type of hold

Hairspray formulas contain different holding agents (known as resins or polymers). Depending on the type of holding agent used, the product can give a very rigid, crispy hold, or it can provide a very flexible, soft, brushable hold. The type of resin also determines how water proof it will be.

3. Level of hold.

The hold level of a hair spray is not only determined by the type of resin, but how much of the resin is in the formula. Mega hold, or freeze hold formulas generally require more resin, which can increase the cost. You should know what the product is supposed to do so you can make an intelligent decision about buying it.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Note to Yves Rocher: instead of hiding behind a façade of botanical ingredients, why not share some meaningful information with your consumers?

What do YOU think? Are you generally satisfied with the product information that cosmetic companies give you or would you like to see more? Share your comments with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Charlotte’s coiff question: I like to wear my hair straight but I’m afraid of chemically damaging it. I want to try Frederic Fekkai’s new Coiff Controle, an ironless straightening balm that has a non-chemical formula to help hair go straight while drying. But if it’s free of chemicals, how does it work? The Left Brain’s fickle for Fekkai:

Is Fekkai’s Controle really chemical free?

Charlotte, honey, NO hair care product is “chemical free.” You have to understand that non-chemical and chemical free don’t mean the same thing in this case. The formula certainly is not chemical free; it contains at least 3 silicones (cyclopentasiloxane, phenyl trimethicone, and dimethicone) as well as hydroxyethyl acrylate/sodium acryloyldimethyl taurate copolymer, and polyurethane-14. (Every hair care ingredient is SOME kind of chemical.)

How do chemical hair straighteners work?

When Fekkai says this product has a non-chemical formula, what he really means is that it’s free of chemicals that react with the hair to straighten it. Chemical straighteners, like relaxers and permanent waves, break down and then reform the protein bonds in the hair. While they do permanently change the shape of hair they are also very damaging.

How is Fekkai’s Controle different?

Controle works a completely different way. It uses silicones and styling resins to coat the surface of the hair and seal out moisture. I’ve seen these types of products give amazing straightening results when applied properly. (You need to use a blow dryer and a round brush.) But washing your hair will remove the product and your hair will become frizzy again.

Is Controle worth a try?

At $25.00 for 3.40 fl. oz it’s expensive, but if you’re looking for a temporary, non-damaging effect and if don’t mind spending that kind of money it could be worth a try. You can get some right through this Fekkai Controle link.

Of course, you could also look for a drug store or supermarket straightening product that has cyclopentasiloxane and dimethicone listed at the beginning of the ingredients.

Leska Longs To Learn: How do you clean hairspray build up off of a curling iron? The Right Brain replies:

How hairspray works

Hairsprays (like Sebastian Shaper, Tresemme Tres II, Bumble and Bumble Does It All Styling Spray, and Charles Worthington Big Hair to name a few) work by sticking hair shafts together with tiny droplets of chemical glue, or resins. These resins are polymers that form hard films that weld the hairs together. They’re designed to be water resistant so your hairstyle won’t droop when it’s exposed to high humidity. Unfortunately, that water resistance means that hairspray won’t wash off with water alone.

Usually a good shampoo is enough to wash hairspray off your hair. But when you’ve got a LOT of it built up on a styling tool (like your curling iron) or on your bathroom counter, soap and water might not do the trick. When that happens you might have to go for the strong stuff.

How to clean hairspray off hard surfaces

Since resins are primarily soluble in solvents like alcohol or acetone a little rubbing alcohol (aka isopropyl alcohol) will work pretty well. Or, if you can get ethanol, that will work too. You could also try nail polish remover (which contains solvents like acetone or ethyl acetate) but those are a bit more aggressive.

(Which reminds me - before using a solvent on your curling iron, you should check the manufacturers’ directions, because there is a chance the solvent could damage the paint.)

How to not blow yourself up

Of course, make sure the device is unplugged when you clean it AND that you dry it completely before plugging it back in. High temperatures + electricity + flammable liquid = trouble. (Sometime ask the Left Brain to tell you the story about having a quick cigarette while using hairspray. Trust me, it wasn’t pretty!)

Got all that? Good! Now, if you promise not to sue us when your curling iron explodes, we’ll tell you how aerosol hairsprays are made.

Kara’s Question:
Hi, I`m in the market for a high-end straightening iron, and I feel completely overwhelmed by all the product choices out there! The major differences I see for most irons are the types of plates used, which include tourmaline/ceramic mix, ceramic, and metal plates. While I`m presuming it`s the high heat (some heat up to 450F) that helps straighten the hair shaft, how do these different plates benefit the hair? Are these newer kinds of straighteners with the tourmaline and ceramic healthier for your hair? I`m looking for an iron that works well, but doesn`t completely wreck and fry my hair shaft.
Thanks so much for your time! I just added the RSS feed to my homepage, and I am absolutely loving it! Thanks again!

The Left Brain’s Answer:
I agree, the number of choices for hair appliances is paralyzing! If it’s any consolation, you don’t have to pay too much attention to all the hype about the different types of ironing plates. While it’s true that more expensive irons can be made from higher quality materials, that really just means that the heating element is more rugged and the plates are built to take wear and tear. Cheaper flat irons may have inferior plates that can’t handle the heat and may snag your hair.

But whether it’s tourmaline or ceramic, there’s nothing about the composition of the plate material that makes it intrinsically healthier for your hair. And don’t believe ANY of that crap about ionic straighteners. That’s pure marketing hype without a shred of scientific validation.

The Brains Bottom Line: You’ll need to pay a bit more for high quality construction but you don’t need to pay extra for bogus scientific claims.

Nanda Has Curly Curiosity:
Hi there! Thanks for your great work on your blog. I have thick curly hair, and it seems the only thing that reliably defines my frizzy curls is a little known product called Dudley`s Fantastic Body Texturizing Setting Lotion. It`s fairly inexpensive, since my hairdresser has me mix it with water before spraying it on my head. It`s water-based, and so unlike gels and creams, it doesn`t build up at all. Also, I keep hearing raves about another product that sounds very similar, called Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper. Could you help me determine if they`re as similar as they sound?

The Left Brain Chemically Corresponds:
Nanda, the products that you’re considering are quite different considering the ingredient lists. Let’s take a look:

Dudley`s Fantastic Body Setting Lotion:
Deionized Water, Polyquaternium-11, PEG-75, Lanolin, Polysorbate-60, Diazolidinyl Urea (and) Iodopropynl Butylcarbamate, Fragrance, FD & C Blue No.1.

Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper:
Deionized Water, PVP/VA Copolymer, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Laureth 23, Glycerin, DMDM Hydantoin, Fragrance, Polyquaternium 10.

The key active ingredient in Dudley’s is Polyquaternium-11. A conditioning ingredrient used in many mousses. It will make your hair soft and help defrizz curls.

Curly Hair Solutions, on the other hand, contains PVP/VA copolymer which is a pretty powerful film former. This product also has the ability to shape your curls but it will leave a crispy feeling styling crust, more like a gel or hairspray.

Both products could keep your curls controlled; it depends on the type of feel you like. If you like a very soft feel, stick with Dudley’s. If you want a firmer feel, go for Curly. But in neither case should you be diluting them with water. By adding water you could inactivate the antimicrobial control agents in the fomula leaving the product open to bacteria growth which is not a good thing. If you’re on budget shop around for the least expensive product, but you really shouldn’t take cut corners by taking chances with bacterial contamination.

And thanks to Beth Robinson at Strangedolls.net for the image. We LOVE her creepy custom made dolls!

Silvia’s Question:
I want to know what is the active ingredient in a hair conditioner that helps to straight the hair and the opposite, hair conditioner that helps to get curly my hair. Excuse me for my bad english, I´m live in Buenos Aires.

The Right Brain’s Answer:
Hola, Sylvia, it’s always nice to get questions from our international readers! Your question is easy to answer because in reality, hair conditioners can NOT make hair either curly or straight.

There are only two basic ways to control the shape of hair:
One is to work from the outside and lock the hair in a new shape by applying a styling product like a gel or hairspray. The other is to work from the inside and change the protein structure with a relaxer or permanent waving product. Conditioners (and shampoos too, for that matter) may say that they are designed for use on straight or curly hair but they can’t actually MAKE your hair that shape.