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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Brenda is bemused….Do products that claim to reduce shiny skin oiliness really work? I was thinking of buying Murad Oil Control but I don’t want to get scammed. Can the Beauty Brains please enlighten me?

The Right Brain replies:

We always encourage the Beauty Brains community to be on skeptical alert for products that sound too good to be true, so we’d be glad to try to shine some light on the shine control claims of Murad.

Oil Control Claims

This product is a lotion that claims to provide sun protection and oil control. The sun protection part is easy: it contains 3 different FDA approved sunscreens so there’s no issue there. Understanding oil control is a bit more slippery.

According to Murad’s website, Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15 “reduces shine on contact and keeps skin free of excess oil by up to 78% for 8 hours. Oil-Control Complex helps regulate oil production while preserving moisture to provide a long-lasting matte finish.”  That’s a pretty impressive claim, but is there any science behind this so called oil control complex?

Active ingredients

Three of the ingredients in Murad Oil Control (Argania Spinosa Kernel Extract, Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Extract), comprise a complex sold by the Centerchem company called “Regu-Seb.”  According to their website Regu-seb is made of  “polyphenolrich fractions from the fruits of the North American saw palmetto and South American sesame seeds in a Moroccan argan oil base. Its perfectly balanced polyphenol formula, consisting mostly of lignans and phytosterols, helps to control and reduce sebum production, especially in the T-zone area of the face.”  Centerchem cites  two research studies. The first is an in vitro study done on reconstructed epidermis that shows a dose-response-dependent inhibition of dihydrotestosteron (DHT) synthesis by Regu-Seb. Results showed that at 1% the complex could inhibit DHT synthesis 35% vs. control.  (DHT is a chemical that’s involved in oil production in skin.) The second study was done in vivo and showed that at 5% concentration, a cream with 5% of the complex reduced  the severity of seborrheic skin condition by 46% (after 30 and 90 days.) If this data is valid, there does appear to be some basis for this complex reducing oil production.

Does Murad Oil Control really work?

The fact that the supplier has data showing the complex has some effect between 1% and 5% is very encouraging but it isn’t conclusive proof of efficacy. We have no way of knowing the concentration of Regu-seb in the Murad product and we don’t know how the Murad base might effect the efficacy of the complex. But there does appear to be some science behind this proposition so we’d give Murad Oil Control a rating of:

3 Brains

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Unlike products that make “magic” claims like erasing deep wrinkles, Murad Oil Control Mattifier claims seem to have some basis in science considering the data we’ve been able to find. If you have an oily skin problem it may be worth a try.

The Beauty Brains Product Rating Scale

No Brainer
A dumb-ass ridiculous product making crazy claims without any scientific basis. Don’t waste your money.

1 Brain
We can’t find enough information from the company or in the scientific literature to indicate this product might be any better/different or not. Try at your own risk, and if you do happen to come across any legitimate technical data, let us know and we’ll blog about it.

2 Brains
A nice, basic product but with nothing to indicate it does anything special. If you can afford it, try it and you might like it. But don’t expect any extraordinary results.

3 Brains
A product making extraordinary claims which at least appear to be grounded in real science.  May be worth trying but make sure you don’t spend too much.

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DeAnn’s disinterested…I saw Ted Gibson Styling Hairsheets and figured it’s kind of worthless product. What do the Beauty Brains say: gimmick or goody?

The Right Brain responds:
Normally I wouldn’t give a “sheet” about a product like this, but after doing a little research I’m going to say that while hair sheets might be a gimmick, it’s not necessarily a bad one.

Ted Gibson Hair Sheets

For those of you who aren’t familiar with this product, it’s towelette designed to be used as “on the go” touch up conditioner. It consists of a non-woven fabric towelette saturated with a water based solution of the several conditioning ingredients including: Hydrolyzed Collagen, Cetrimonium Chloride, Amodimethicone/Cetrimoniumcholride, and Steartrimonium Chloride. It’s essentially like a dilute leave in conditioner.

Are they worth it?

At $25 for 10. it seems very steep. If you have the need for a travel product or like to touch up your fly aways during the day, then this product will certainly deliver this kind of functionality. Whether or not it’s worth the money is up to you to decide. We don’t mind paying more for products that really work and these Ted Gibson Styling Hairsheets certainly stand out in the market as a unique way to deliver conditioning.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

This product doesn’t claim to do anything that it can’t technically deliver. Maybe sometimes it’s worth paying more for a specialty product that offers an added benefit in the form of portability or convenience. We’d put Ted Gibson Hair sheets in that category. (But it’s still kind of pricey!)

What do YOU think? Do you need on the go conditioning and would you pay more to get it? Or do you have any DIY tricks to more your conditioner more portable? Leave a comment for the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

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It looks like most of you were able to pick out the fake Beauty Science from the stories in this week’s poll.  Over 50% of you figured out the story about the piercings was fake.  Here is a complete run down of the answers.

Woman holds the record for the most piercings with 60,050 – FALSE

Elaine Davidson from Brazil was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most piercings of anyone in the world.  But we added 10 times as many.  She actually has 6005 piercings.

Robot was a runway supermodel at the most recent Tokyo Fashion Week – TRUE

Only 10% of you thought this was fake so most of you got it right.  According to this news story, a robot made its catwalk debut at the latest fashion show.  Japan is one of the world leaders in robot technology.  Despite the success, it will be many years before we have robots who walk as elegantly as humans.

Bra saves woman’s life by stopping bullet – TRUE

14% of you were fooled by this story but it is real.  A woman was shot at when she saw some people robbing a store.  The bullet was deflected when it hit her bra’s underwire.  She was treated for minor injuries.  Sadly, the burglars got away.

Woman being sued to stop her from sending postcards with bits of her hair on them – TRUE

27% of you couldn’t believe this one but it is true.  A Croatian man has taken his ex to court to get her to stop sending him bizarre notes.  He adds “I have no idea why my ex is doing this but at the rate she is going she’s going to have no hair left soon.”

Did you get it right or were you fooled by the fake story?  Leave a comment below.  We’ll have another beauty science poll next week.

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There’s an interesting discussion started by JamiSings in the Beauty Brains forum about beauty products people wish existed but don’t. Do you have other ideas of products you wished existed? Leave a comment below. Here are a few examples of what forum members have come up with so far.

Beauty Products of the Future?

1. Permanent, targeted hair removal
2. Cheap lotion that gets rid of stretch marks
3. Tools you can use yourself to remove ‘bacne’
4. Vacuum to clean pores and remove ingrown hairs
5. Skin pills to treat skin conditions like eczema & rosacea
6. No more skin creams! Just cleaners and pills
7. Diet pill with no side effects
8. Sunscreen that didn’t have to be reapplied
9. Pill to stop hair from growing once it gets to the right length
10. Cream that stops kids fingernails from growing
11. Product that removes cowlicks
12. Pills that give a ‘fake tan’
13. Longer lasting, better mascara
14. Chip-proof nail polish
15. Home hair color that actually improves hair’s condition

We have a number of cosmetic chemists who read the Beauty Brains and this might inspire them to get started inventing one of these products. Leave a comment below and add your idea for a beauty product of the future.

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Mid Brain muses:

As if recession-induced stress acne wasn’t enough to worry about, here’s an article from Science Daily that describes how women are MORE likely to shop themselves happy during rough economic times. Some psychologists predict that the current global recession could increase women’s risk of mental illness if they don’t spend more money.

Spend yourself sane

This isn’t a joke according to Professor Karen Pine from the University of Hertfordshire and author of Sheconomics (ya gotta love that book title). Pine’s research shows that 79% of women cheer themselves up by going on spending sprees. She concludes that some women use shopping as an emotion regulator, a way of “anesthetizing themselves to negative feelings or dissatisfaction with life.”

This quote from Professor Pine pretty much sums it up: “If shopping is an emotional habit for women they may feel the need to keep spending despite the economic downturn…Or, perhaps worse still, if they can’t spend we might see an increase in mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.”

So there you have it ladies – you can go broke or go crazy. Nice choice, huh?

What do YOU think? Are you still using shopping as a pick-me-up even though the economy is a mess? Leave a comment for all the other poor, insane members of the Beauty Brains community.

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The Left Brain expands on ear candling:

I realized that in my answer to Rebecca’s question “Does ear candling really work?” I failed to give a thorough list of references. So here is list of additional sources that thoroughly debunk this pseudo science.

PubMed Central

Mayo Clinic

Skeptics Dictionary

Audiologyonline

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Here is just a final reminder that if you want your chance at a FREE Clarisonic Skin Care system you have to follow us on Twitter by the end of the day today.

We only have ONE Clarisonic Skin System ($195 value) and it is going to be given away to a Beauty Brains Twitter follower.

Here’s what you have to do…

If you are already following the Beauty Brains on Twitter, you don’t have to do anything.  You’re already in the contest.

If you are not following us on Twitter, get started today by doing the following.

Step 1 – Go to the Twitter website here.

Step 2 - Click on the big green button that says ‘Join Today’ (or login if you already use Twitter).

Step 3 - Fill in the application – Don’t worry, it’s FREE & FUN

Step 4 - If it doesn’t automatically start following the Beauty Brains, go to the Beauty Brains Twitter Page and click on the ‘Follow’ button.

Step 5 - That’s It! We will pick a winner at random from our *Twitter followers on MAY 29, 2009. We will contact you through Twitter to get your information to send you the prize.

*NOTE: This is a US & Canada contest only. The winner must live in one of these countries or be able to have it shipped to one of these countries.

Don’t know what the Clarisonic system is?  Go to this page to see our Clarisonic review.

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It amazes me that in the short time that we’ve been playing the “Guess Which Post This Picture Goes With” game, it has skyrocketed to one of the most popular feature on the Beauty Brains. Thanks to everyone for their support! And now the answer from last week’s post:

And the winner is…

Do you see the person in the hammock at the back of the picture? Well, if you look closely you’ll see a pair of stylish sunglasses peaking out from underneath the hat. So the correct answer is Focus on Styles Hottest Sunglasses post.

Just joking! That would be lame. The real answer is the Brazilian Blowout post because of the Brazilian flag on the flip flops. Congrats to Liz who was the first one to leave a comment with the right answer. Now on to this week’s game…

This week’s link list

As if Kate Moss would get cut-offs and heels wrong? But a whole lot of others do, so FocusOnStyle.com shares three ways to go wrong wearing shorts with heels and how to make it look right!

Graphic black and white printed dresses take Girlawhirl to the office – and beyond.

SheFinds helps you find the right shades for your face shape so people don’t refer to you as Bug Eyes behind your back.

Smarter Fashion shows us how to get celebrity inspired jumpsuit looks.

StyleBakery.com is giving away a gorgeous Kooba Blake bag worth $645, enter to win!

The Beauty Brains shine some light on whether or not sunscreens really help hair.

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Rae Requests…Could you please explain more about sunscreen not protecting hair? I’ve always heard that people with color-treated hair should use a product with sunscreen. Can hair products with sunscreen at least help protect the scalp?

The Right Brain Retorts:
Sunscreens in hair care products don’t really do very much. Read on and we’ll explain, question and answer style:

Does sunlight really damage your hair?

Yes, but not as much as everything else you do. Even if you protected your hair from 100% of the UV damage it sustains, you’d still have more serious damage from combing, brushing, coloring, and, heck, even washing!

Ok, but doesn’t sunscreen help a little?

Maybe, if it was applied perfectly. Sunscreens work best when they’re applied in a uniform film. When you put on sun tan lotion you smear a thick layer on and rub it in, right? If you didn’t put on a thick enough layer, or, if you missed some spots, you’d burn. So, unless you have even coverage, sunscreen doesn’t work. And hair is much harder to cover than your skin because you’ve got 100,000 fibers, or more, that need to be completely covered. Unless you totally soak your head in the product it won’t cover adequately.

But if I rub it in my hair really well will it work?

No, it won’t. Certainly not from a shampoo or conditioner! It’s almost impossible to deposit very much UV absorber from rinse out products. And while there are some sunscreens that are chemically modified so they’ll stick to the hair even after rinsing, not very MUCH sticks, so you’re still left with poor coverage. In theory, leave in products with UV absorbers have a little bit better chance of working.

Ok, but let’s say I AM willing to use a leave in product AND I promise to smooth it through my hair so it’s all covered. Then a hair care sunscreen would work, right?

Not really because no one makes a product that has enough sunscreen active in it to do the job. If you used sun block for skin and rubbed it into your hair, that might work. At least then you could protect your scalp.

Ok, I get the picture. But a sunscreen should give me color protection, right? Doesn’t UV cause fading?

Yes it does, but UV light doesn’t cause as much fading as washing does. If you protected your hair from ALL UV light, your hair would still fade about the same amount just from washing. We could talk about how to protect your hair color from washing, but that’s another post…

The Beauty Brain’s Bottom Line

UV radiation isn’t the worst problem your hair faces. Use a good conditioner before and after spending a lot of time in the sun. But don’t expect a hair sun screen to save you. If you’re really worried about sun damage on your hair, wear a hat.

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