Nicola needs to know…Is it true that rendering plants sell animal by-products for use in cosmetics?

Left Brain Illuminates:
It has always amused me that people will gleefully eat steak, lobster, and fried chicken, but are appalled to imagine animal ingredients would be used in their cosmetics. What do they think should happen to the inedible parts that come from food production? Just be deposited in landfills and allowed to rot?  I’m sincerely curious.

Animal Ingredients in Cosmetics

But enough of that.  To answer your question, YES, it is true that there are still some animal ingredients used in cosmetics. Their use is not nearly as prevalent as fringe cosmetic companies like Arbonne would suggest, but they are still in there.

For a big list of possible animal ingredients used in cosmetics, see this one put together by PETA. We’re not endorsing this list as gospel, but a brief review found it covered most ingredients you’d likely find. Of course, in true fashion of a fearmongering group, it also includes sketchy information including ingredients you won’t find anymore. Also, it lists animal-derived ingredients like Honey, Milk, and Lanolin without mentioning that these materials are gotten without harming animals.

Major Cosmetic Animal Ingredients

The truth is that most companies now go out of their way to avoid using animal ingredients.  Any minor cost savings achieved by using animal based ingredients is vastly off-set by the PR nightmare generated by groups like PETA and EWG. Also, real governmental regulations about Mad Cow Disease (BSE) have prompted companies to mostly use alternatives. But you’ll still find some animal ingredients.  The following are the most common.

Collagen

What is it? Collagen is a protein and the main component of connective tissue. This includes connective tissue in both humans and animals. It is also chemically modified to produce gelatin.

Why is it in my cosmetic? Collagen is primarily used in skin wrinkle creams. The collagen in your skin is naturally degraded over time due to environmental factors. Add to that your body’s own tendency to slow collagen production as you get older and you start to getting sagging, wrinkly skin. The idea behind including collagen in your skin products is that by replacing damaged collagen you can firm up your skin and reduce wrinkles.

Does it work? Collagen won’t much permanent effect on your wrinkles. At best, it will provide a temporary tightening of your skin. The idea of arbitrarily plopping collagen on your skin to fix wrinkles is like trying to fix a hole in your Lucky Jeans by dumping a pile of denim on it. It doesn’t work. See this article for what really works on wrinkles.

Alternatives - Just because a product says it has collagen in it doesn’t mean that it is using animal derived collagen. There are plant derived alternatives. They are equally as ineffective.

Elastin

What is it? Elastin is another protein important in the proper functioning of your connective tissue. It is like a rubber band that allows skin, cartilage, tendons, etc. to snap back after being stretched. As you get older it gets diminished and your skin starts to sag.

Why is it in my cosmetic? Elastin is used in skin products for the same reason as collagen. Cosmetic companies figure that if it’s in your skin naturally adding more must be good.

Does it work? Topical elastin has never been shown in a peer reviewed study to have any long-term effect on wrinkles. It suffers from the same problems as collagen. When produced inside your body by your cells, it reduces wrinkles.  When applied topically, it has minimal effect.  It’s not only the ingredient that matters but how the ingredient is applied.

Alternatives – Raw material suppliers have developed synthetic and non-animal versions of elastin.

Keratin

What is it? Keratin is another structural protein found in mammals. This is the stuff of hair, nails and horns.

Why is it in my cosmetic? Human hair is composed of keratin. When you lose keratin protein your hair is damaged. Cosmetic companies figure if you can replace that keratin with more protein, then you’ll fix your hair problems.

Does it work? While protein in general has been shown to provide some benefit when applied to hair, keratin protein in particular is not more effective than some other protein source. Applying protein to hair also suffers from the same like-on-like fallacy as collagen and elastin. More effective hair conditioning ingredients include quaternized surfactants and silicones.

Alternatives – There are non-animal derived Kertain alternatives.

Tallow

What is it? Tallow is animal fat. It contains mostly longer chain fatty acids.

Why is it in my cosmetic? Fatty acids and oils make excellent conditioning ingredients for both hair and skin products. They improve the feel and look of these surfaces.

Does it work? Yes. Tallow derived ingredients actually will make your skin and hair feel better. But you can get these same fatty acids from plant oils like sunflower, soybean, etc. The animal derived ingredients don’t provide much added benefit.

Alternatives - Soybean oil and other plant derived oils.

Beauty Brains bottom line

While there are ingredients used in cosmetics that come from animals, the industry has mostly moved to using suitable alternatives. There are few, if any, animal derived ingredients that don’t have some suitable, plant or synthetic replacement.   Just looking at the ingredient list to determine if it has an animal ingredient is not going to tell you much.  Synthetic collagen is not labeled any differently than animal-derived collagen.

Do animal derived ingredients in your cosmetics bother you? What do you think should be done with the stuff left over from the food processing industry? Leave a comment and let the rest of the Beauty Brains community know.

Jansen Needs Justification:
Hi to both Left and Right Brains, I am currently using a eau de parfum called Allure Homme Sport by Chanel, and it is the MOST long-lasting fragrance ever. (And Yes, I am a bloke ). One of my chemist friends told me that this is to do with the exclusive alcohol that Chanel uses in their perfumes, as it probably has a low boiling point and so the fragrances are more volatile. I wonder how true this statement is? Thanks in advanced!

The Left Brain is Left Justified:
Thanks for the question Jansen, it’s always a special treat when we hear from our male readers! But while we chemists usually stick together, we have to disagree with your friend’s assessment of why Allure lasts so long. To explain why, we have to give you a quick lesson on fragrance chemistry:

Fragrance are complex mixtures of natural and synthetic chemicals designed to create a specific scent. The fragrance ingredients are mixed with alcohol (specifically ethanol) to dilute them to a usable level. Ethanol is used because its safe, it’s a good solvent and it evaporates quickly. In fact, the alcohol is the FIRST thing that evaporates. That’s why when you first spray on perfume you want to wait a few seconds before smelling it. Otherwise you get a nose full of sharp alcohol odor. As the alcohol flashes off, the other ingredients in the fragrance are more noticeable; these ingredients are loosely grouped into 3 categories depending on how fast they evaporate.

• Discount Perfume
• Jennifer Lopez Perfume
• DKNY Perfume
• Versace Perfume
• Men`s Cologne
• Fendi Cologne

Composition of Fragrance

Top notes evaporate quickly so you smell them first. These tend to be lighter in nature - think citrus type scents. They are also the first notes to wear out over the course of the day.

Middle notes evaporate a bit slower and create the body of the fragrance, these are usually a combination of floral and/or fruity notes.

Bottom notes are the heavier longer lasting fragrance components. Perfumers describe these notes with terms like woody, balsamic, smoky, or musky. These notes are the “anchors” that help the fragrance last longer. Bingo!

The Brains‘ Bottom Line:

Allure lasts longer because of the bottom notes in the fragrance not because of the alcohol. And speaking of alcohol, tell your chemist friend he or she should buy you a cocktail to make up for the bad advice!

Sarah Bellum Says:

As faithful lovers of the Beauty Brains know, we’re not just about busting beauty myths. We also try to show how important science and math are to our daily lives. We really believe that’s important for women in general to know and it’s super-important for young women. Science and math shouldn’t be looked at as “scarey” subjects.

So when I stumbled across Danica McKellar’s book “Math Doesn’t Suck” I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to promote math to our younger readers. Since I can’t technically be considered a teen ager anymore (*sigh*), I asked my geeky, but lovable, 13 year old niece to write the review. So here it is, our first ever book review by Teen Brain:

“Math Doesn’t Suck” by Teen Brain

The first thing that came out of my mouth when I was asked to read Math Doesn’t Suck was, “But I love math!”

And I do. I did, I still do, and I think I always will. I’m a logic fanatic. I love numbers. I love how math always has an answer, it always makes sense, I always get it. But I also know that tons of other girls, my age and every age, hate it. Looking at numbers makes them feel sick, math tests keep them up at night. They’re not self-confident, and they suffer every time math class rolls around.

Danica McKellar, author of Math Doesn’t Suck and renowned actress and mathematician, is out to prove that girls don’t have to feel like that. Her book is extremely sympathetic, easy to understand, and well-written. The magazine-like format and quizzes inside make reading the book exciting-once you plow through a chapter, you find that you can read your math horoscope or take a quiz as a reward!

McKellar is like your encouraging best friend, sitting next to you and saying, “You can do this!” as you complete your homework. She has practice problems whenever she covers new material, and she puts things in an easy-to-understand format. She writes things about boys, lipstick, clothes shopping, pizza-everything! It’s easier to get when you read it that way. And she has tons of real-life stories, both from herself and other women. Quotes from girls of every age between twelve and twenty are scattered throughout the book as yet more encouragement. And one thing I love about the book: It’s not just about math. It goes beyond that-it studies self-confidence.

Many of the success stories tell of a struggling math student who had no faith in herself. And then something changed her mind-a better teacher, a good class, change in behavior, etc.-and suddenly she believed in herself. Who knew that math and self-help were so related?
The book is excellent. It explains everything in detail, and there wasn’t one bit of it that was hard to understand or unclear.

That said, I did have a few problems. For one, I felt that the book covered things I’d already learned. Mind, I’m studying 9th grade math right now, and the book is targeted for middle-schoolers. But I feel like McKellar could have included challenge problems or acted as though there were some more advanced readers. I understand that the book is directly for girls really struggling, but I think she could have engaged a wider range of readers.

Secondly, I think she could have made it more interesting. Math is hard to make very exciting, but at times I was just so bored. She could have made the book more humorous, or maybe made it story-like. For example, she could have introduced a character at the beginning and had her struggling through math, and also life itself. If it had more of a plot, it might have been more fun to read.

Also, I felt a bit patronized. McKellar sometimes acted like she was the teenager right along with you, but sometimes she was The Grown-Up. Preachy, adult, looking down on you. She never made me feel dumb, of course, just young. I loved when she acted as though she was my own age. Everything felt so much more personal!

Math Doesn’t Suck: Surviving Middle School without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail was, in all, a great book. Definitely worth reading, and very helpful. I’d give it four out of five stars, and I’m glad I was convinced to read it!

Lisette’s Looking For Longer Locks:
I’m looking for a good deep conditioning hair treatment because I’m growing my hair long and I want it to be healthy, so I came across REDKEN EXTREME DEEP FUEL from Redken, and this is what it claims:

“Want to know how Gwen Stefani (No Doubt) and Julia Roberts get such great looking hair. They use Deep Fuel. This durable strengthening treatment helps restore your hair back to its natural, healthy state. It provides long-term conditioning and repair that last up to 8 shampoos. After 5 single treatments your hair will be up to 3 times stronger. The unique 3D repair complex, has a combination of proteins for internal strength, ceramides for cuticle reinforcement and lipids for protective resurfacing.”

Is it possible that the repair lasts ‘up to 8 shampoos’? How does that work and what does it really do to hair?

The Right Brain Lets Lisette Learn:

The answer to your question is partly about about science and partly about marketing. First the marketing part:

Cosmetic Marketing Trick

There are many fine companies in this industry selling many, many excellent products. And these companies are constantly trying to attract the attention of consumers like you so you’ll buy their products. One way they can attract your attention is by making unique functional claims. You’ve seen these claims before: Fructis claims to make your hair 5 times stronger. Pantene says it undoes 2 years of damage in just one month. And Redken says their Deep Fuel conditioner lasts through 5 to 8 shampoos.

Are these claims true? Certainly. Any respectable company should be able to produce test data to back up their claims.  But do their claims really mean that the product is better for you? Maybe, but not necessarily.

True but not True Trick

That’s where the “trick” comes in. They have to say something to get your attention, but they can’t (or at least they shouldn’t) say anything that’s not true.   So, they develop scientific claims that are true but not necessarily perceptible.

The 5 times stronger claim is a good example. You may use Fructis and love the way it makes your hair feel. But how in the world would you know if it’s making your hair 2 times, 5 times, or 30 times stronger? You can’t really tell that kind of difference. And maybe you don’t really care, as long as you like the product once you’ve tried it.

Redken Extreme

Now, let’s take a look at the science behind the Redken conditioner claim that you asked about.

For conditioners to be effective they need to leave a lubricating film on the hair.  This film smoothes the cuticle and prevents further damage.  You feel that effect every time you use a conditioner - your hair feels silkier and smoother. But the next time you shampoo your hair feels squeaky clean again. That’s because all, or almost all, of the conditioner film is removed every time you wash it. We’ve never seen a conditioner formula capable of providing SIGNIFICANT conditioning that’s lasts through multiple washings. The key word here is SIGNIFICANT. Conditioners can leave a slight residual deposit on the hair that doesn’t wash out completely, but this small amount of residue is not enough to provide as much conditioning as your hair typically needs.

Does that mean Redken’s claim isn’t true? Not at all. They claim that Deep Fuel lasts through 8 shampoos. They don’t say that it continues to give the hair as much conditioning on the 8th shampoo as it does on the first. So all they have to prove is that some of the conditioner is still on your hair after 8 washes, they don’t have to prove that it’s effective for that long. That’s a big difference!

Substantive Substantiation

So how can they prove it’s still on your hair?  They could demonstrate it directly through a chemical analysis of hair that’s been treated with the product. If they show that even a few formula molecules can still be found on the hair after 8 shampoos, they’ve supported their claim.  Similarly, they could measure some property of the hair that the product improves (like smoothness) and show that there is still a slight effect after multiple shampoos. The improvement can be very very small, it just has to be greater than using nothing at all.  The bottom line is that with some clever testing it is possible to prove this product remains on your hair after 5 to 8 shampoos.  That doesn’t mean you’ll be able to tell any difference.

Beauty Brains Bottom Line

Does that make this a bad product?  No, not at all. It’s a perfectly good conditioner and if you’ve used Redken Extreme Deep Fuel and you like it, that’s fine. Use it as often as you feel is appropriate for your hair. But don’t buy it because you think it’s providing longer lasting protection than other conditioners.

Finally, as we’ve pointed out in the past, we don’t believe there’s anything wrong with creative claims of this type or that of Ojon.  The companies aren’t lying to you; they’re just trying to get you to try their products. As long as you understand what these claims really mean and what these products really can and can’t do, you’ll be a much more satisfied customer.

Once again we present headlines from our favorite beauty and fashion blogs. It’s hard to believe that there’s no extra charge for all this infotainment! (And for those of you who miss your daily dose of beauty science, why don’t you click on our Random Beauty Knowledge link on the right side bar for blast from the Beauty Brains past. )

On the hunt for the perfect boot? StyleBakery found the best styles for skinny and wide calves.

Traveling to San Francisco soon? Smarter Fashion shows us how to dress to fit in with the laid back San Francisco style.

SheFinds shows you how to dress like a moose huntin’ maverick for Halloween (a.k.a. Sarah Palin).

Girlawhirl shares her favorite looks from the spring 2009 runway collections.

The Beauty Brains count off the top 10 weird hair stories of the year.

Left Brain Instructs…

According to this report, natural brand Organic Essence has create a completely biodegradable cosmetic package.  The jar, designed to hold their Organic Essence Shea Butter cream, is made of paper and is said to be suitable for planting in your garden.

This reminds me of the PlantLove Lipstick product we wrote about last year.  That package had seeds in it that you could put in the ground and grow flowers when you were done with the lipstick.  I’m not sure how Organic Essence can claim theirs is the first, but they’re from the UK.  Perhaps they aren’t aware of the PlantLove product.

Biodegradable Cosmetic Packaging

One thing you might wonder is why don’t all cosmetic companies make completely biodegradable packaging?  Organic Essence is certainly telling other companies to do it.

Unfortunately, it’s not so simple.  The reason lipsticks and shea butter creams can be put into biodegradable package is because they don’t contain water.  Oil will not degrade paper packaging.  But water will.  Since water is the most abundant ingredient in the majority of personal care products biodegradable packaging like this won’t work.  Overtime, the products will leak and breakdown.  Organic Essence realizes this because other products like their Lotion to Go and Pure Organic Soap are in standard plastic packaging.

Beauty Brains bottom line

Biodegradable packaging is a laudable goal, but don’t expect the cosmetic industry to move to it any time soon. Biodegradable materials depend on water to help break them down and this won’t work with products that are primarily water.

Andrea Asks Our Opinion: I was wondering what’s your opinion on Neutrogena’s HealthySkin® Face Lotion SPF 15 and Neutrogena Healthy Skin® Eye Cream. A friend of mine recommended it, but I wanted to hear your opinion about it first… is the eye cream really effective? I’m thinking about using it because it moisturizes eye skin but I have no wrinkles, would it be harmful for my skin then?  And what about the face lotion - will it make my skin sun sensitive?

The Right Beauty Brain Is Neutral On Neutrogena:
The Neutrogena products you ask about are pretty basic.  The eye cream is fairly typical.  The Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream SPF 15 appears to be a decent moisturizer, but it can only protect you from UVB rays, not UVA, because it doesn’t contain any Mexoryl, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or avobenzone. So, the bad news is that it won’t offer broad spectrum sun protection. The good news is that won’t make your face more sun sensitive, as you asked.  Still, for $11.99, you might want more than that.

Beauty Brains bottom line

To answer your question, YES, you can use it even if you don’t have wrinkles. This product is just formulated to be a light moisturizer for use around the eye - it won’t cause wrinkles.  If you don’t have any, you’ll just get nicely moisturized skin.

(Wouldn’t that be weird - if wrinkle creams caused wrinkles? It’s like that old joke - if you plant grass seed to grow grass, what do you grow when you plant bird seed?)

Ouch, that’s a bad joke! Why did I just type that? It sounds more like the Left Brain’s sense of humor!

Midbrain says…After the last poll, I wanted to be sure to create a tough one and it looks like that happened.  Only 5% of you were able to find the FAKE headline in poll #31.  Read below for the real (and fake) stories.

1. Marijuana cream could help with skin allergies - [TRUE]

20% of you thought this was the fake headline but you were wrong.  According to articles published in both Nature and Science magazine, cannabinoids derived from marijuana were shown to reduce allergic reactions in mice that had contact dermatitis. They conclude that

development of cannabinoid compounds based on elements produced from the cannabis plant could enhance therapeutic treatment for humans.

Certainly this one will face some opposition from the anti-drug crowd.

2. Hair can develop blisters [TRUE]

67% of you were certain that this was the bogus headline but it is, in fact, TRUE.  “Bubble hair” as it’s called, is a type of hair damage caused by exposure to excessive heat.  Under an electron microscope they look like little hair blisters.  That’s what can happen when you use a curling iron, flat iron, or blow drier.  See the picture in this post.

3. Binge drinking while pregnant harms fetus [FALSE]

Only 5% of you were able to sniff out this FAKE headline.  It seems obviously true, but according to a review of published research from the last 35 years, authors were unable to find any evidence that binge drinking causes significant harm to the fetus.  Consistent, heavy drinking was linked to problems, just not binge drinking.  The scientists say more research is needed so despite these findings, they continue to recommend pregnant women avoid binge drinking.

4. Smoking increases risk for hair loss. [TRUE]

9% of the Beauty Brainiacs out there thought this was fake but it’s not.  According to a report in Archives of Dermatology, smoking may increase hair loss risk.  Researchers suggest various mechanisms by which smoking causes hair risk loss such as destroying hair follicles, damaging the papilla that circulate blood and messing up the hormone system.

So how did you do? Did you get the right answer? Leave a comment and tell the rest of the Beauty Brains what you think.

Cheong Asks: Do oral skin supplements like Imedeen really work?? I do believe that you are what you eat, and a healthy diet does help your skin, but can taking things like collagen or bird’s nest soup or ginseng really give you better skin??

The Left Brain Begets:
Thanks for a great question. We get these kind all the time asking if various food supplements are going to help skin, hair, weight loss, and even longevity.  There have even been some recent stories in which flax and borage oil boost skin health.

Supplements are unregulated…that’s bad

The claims on some of these things are so wild, it seems that just popping a pill everyday should fix every problem you’ve got. Of course, this is nonsense. Remember, food and health supplements are NOT REGULATED. They can say ANYTHING they want, even if it is a LIE, and no one will likely do anything about it. So, when it comes to supplements the first reaction for every Beauty Brainiac should be one of skepticism.

The Imedeen story

So, what about Imedeen?  Imedeen is basically a skincare supplement that includes proteins, polysaccharides, vitamin C and other “free radical scavengers”. According to the company…

Imedeen Time Perfection is state-of-the-art skincare based on natural ingredients that are scientifically documented to visibly reduce signs of aging from within and to help defend against new signs of aging from forming.

And after just 2 to 3 months of use, you are supposed to SEE results. Hope in a bottle is finally here! Yeah, right. Although, in the event that you don’t notice anything after a month of use, they include this disclaimer…

As with any nutritional supplement, the response will vary from person to person, and depends on skin condition, general health, diet, environment and other factors.

Which basically means if it doesn’t work for you, then there must be something wrong with YOU.

First, the notion that what you eat affects the condition of your skin may make sense but few, if any studies have shown any link between diet and skin conditions. Unless you are malnourished, there will not be any noticeable difference in your skin. It’s highly unlikely that using this supplement will have any noticeable effect.

Imedeen makes strong claims with weak data

Next, let’s look at some of their specific claims for this supplement.

1. Instantly begins to neutralise the skin-degrading processes
2. Significantly improves the skin’s moisture balance
3. Visibly reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
4. Diminishes visibility of dilated capillaries and age spots
5. Leaves the skin with a brighter, more youthful and even complexion
6. Helps shield and defend the vital structural elements of the skin against future degradation

What do these claims really mean? 1. This doesn’t mean anything. “Instantly begins?” Why doesn’t it “Instantly neutralise”? And notice how they don’t spell out what the “skin-degrading processes” are? What could they possibly mean? They are hoping you’ll make up something that you believe is “skin-degrading” and believe that this stuff stops it.

2. This doesn’t mean anything either. What is the “skin’s moisture balance”? The only factors that can affect this are the environmental temperature and humidity, and your own level of hydration.

3, 4, and 5. Reduce fine lines and wrinkles?  These claims come from their scientific data. But a study that they reference as proof clearly concludes that after 3 months there are “NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS detected.” It is only after 9 MORE MONTHS of an uncontrolled study that the Imedeen shows any effect. Unfortunately, with an uncontrolled study there is no way to tell what caused the positive results they saw. This is extremely weak data!

6. Again, this doesn’t mean anything.  How do you prove that you “shield and defend” against future skin damage? You can’t! What a bunch of marketing gobbly gook.

The most outrageous part of this supplement is how much it costs. According to our friends at beauty.com, a box of Imedeen contains 60 tablets (1 month of treatment) that cost $70. So , you’ll have to buy $210 worth of supplements to see any effect, if there is any effect. In fact, since their own study says it’ll take 9 months to see a benefit, that will set you back a whopping $630! Is that worth it to you?

The Beauty Brain’s bottom line

Imedeen has some slick marketing and even a couple of “studies” to back up what they say. But with the prices they charge, the weakness of their data and the fact that you’ll still have to apply sunscreens and moisturizers, this doesn’t seem like a smart purchase at all.   You’d be better off saving up your money for plastic surgery.

Or even better, eat a balanced diet filled with fruits & vegetables.  You’ll get all the unprocessed vitamins & minerals your skin needs.

And as far as collagen, bird’s nest soup or ginseng giving you better skin…I don’t think so.

Update:  See this post for more research about Imedeen.

Midbrain Meanders…

While the rest of the Beauty Brains take the day off to run errands and even marathons, it’s up to me to put up today’s post.  To shake things up, I thought I’d skip the usual sciency stuff and give you some light-hearted stories about hair that I’ve collected over the year.  I call it the

10 Weird Hair Stories

1. Judge throws out hair dye lawsuit. This girl claimed her life was ruined when her blonde L’Oreal hair dye mistakenly left her hair brown. Apparently, she really believes blondes have more fun. The judge however, did not.

2.  Teen’s bad hair dye job causes trouble.  School officials at this Texas school may suspend the girl just because her hair color doesn’t look natural enough.  That’s harsh.  She just like wanted like red hair like, ya know.

3.  Men with body hair more attractive to older women.  According to this story, the older women get the better men with hairy chests and backs start to look.  Guess the 40-year-old virgin should’ve skipped the wax job.

4.  Study of Napoleon’s hair proves arsenic didn’t kill him.  By injecting Napoleon’s hair into a nuclear reactor they were able to determine he didn’t die of arsenic poisoning.  No word on whether the hair turns into a ravaging green monster when agitated.

5.  Hair gel saves taxi driver’s life.  A passenger grabbed his hair and started cutting him in the neck.  But he was wearing so much hair gel, the attacker lost her grip and the cabbie got away.  The name of the hair gel brand was not released.

6.  Man breaks world record for longest ear hair.  Yuck!!  The hairs are nearly 10 inches long and could be put into pony tails.   My favorite part is that he uses a special shampoo.  I wonder what’s in it.

7.  Donald Trump clings to the claim his hair is real.  Let me get this straight, real hair and no gel?  He needs a better stylist.

8.  Actress upset about criminal grandfather she stops washing her hair.  Wow, this happened back in August.  I hope she’s started washing her hair again.  Or at least is using some of these dry shampoo alternatives.

9.  Blonde dye job helps wins mayoral race.  They may not like his politics but his hair color was enough to get him the votes he needed.  This does not bode well for the balding McCain.

10.  Hair ties made of condoms.  They seem to hold your hair style pretty well but I hope they are only factory rejects.  You never know about stuff produced in China.

There you have it.  Have you heard any weird stories about cosmetics in the news?  Leave a link and a comment below.