What you need to know if you use "cones" (silicones) on your hair

Do you use "cones" (silicones) to get your hair more shiny and less frizzy?

Silicones come in a variety of forms, you may know them best as those droppers full of clear viscous liquid that you rub a few drops between your palms and smooth over your hair. But even if you're not using cones in this form, it's likely you're getting them in your conditioners or styling products (particularly any hair straightening balms) because they've become so popular.

Silicones are amazing - at first - because they make hair calm down and look/feel a lot less pouffy. Problem is, most silicones (especially the ones that work best) are not water soluble. So what happens is as you use them is that they build up in your hair. Over time, this means your hair actually gets dull and less manageable (and then you likely apply MORE cones to counter the effect!)

Now lots of people advocate getting rid of silicones altogether and I've taken that radical path before... but I missed my cones!! So here's a solution: periodically clarify your hair.

How to clarify? Here are a few options that I advocate (I only clarify about once a month or two, some people do it more often, but I find it unnecessary):

1. Use a homemade recipe: mix a couple teaspons of baking soda with an SLS-free shampoo (sodium laurel/laureth sulfate). [You shouldn't be using SLS on your hair anyways, I have a whole post on the evils of shampoo, read it to understand why]. Note, your hair will feel really dry after you do this, so be sure to do an extra-especially intense conditioning treatment.

2. Use an SLS-free clarifying shampoo (you can find these at a Beauty Supply Store, probably not at the pharmacy or supermarket). I get mine at GBS in Miami.

3. If you've already drunk the kool-aid and are no-longer using shampoo or SLS's, then you can probably just use a regular cheap shampoo to clarify, especially if you're not using a lot of cones.

By the way, here is a list of ingredients that are "code" for silicones:

Amodimethicone- Trimethylsilylamodimethicone-
Amodimethicone (&) C11-15 Pareth-7 (&) Laureth-9 (&) Glycerin (&) Trideceth-12
Amodimethicone (&) Trideceth-12 (&) Cetrimonium Chloride
Behenoxy Dimethicone
Bisamino PEG/PPG-41/3 Aminoethyl PG-Propyl Dimethicone
Bis-Phenylpropyl Dimethicone
C30-45 Alkyl Dimethicone
Cetearyl Methicone
Cetyl Dimethicone
Cetyl PEG/PPG-15/15 Butyl Ether Dimethicone
Cyclomethicone (&) PEG/PPG-20/15 Dimethicone
Cyclopentasiloxane- Cyclomethicone D5
Cyclopentasiloxane (&) C30-45 Alkyl Cetearyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Cyclopentasiloxane (&) Cyclohexasiloxane
Cyclopentasiloxane (&) Dimethicone
Cyclopentasiloxane (&) Dimethicone/Vinyldimethicone Crosspolymer
Cyclopentasiloxane (&) Dimethiconol
Cyclopentasiloxane (&) Trimethylsiloxysilicate
Cyclotetrasiloxane- Cyclomethicone D4
DEA PG-Propyl PEG/PPG-18/21 Dimethicone
Diisostearoyl Trimethylolpropane Siloxy Silicate
Dimethicone Copolyol
Dimethicone (&) Laureth-4 (&) Laureth-23
Dimethicone (&) Trimethylsiloxysilicate
Dimethicone (from 1 to 1,000,000 cs)
Dimethiconol (&) Sodium Dodecylbenzenesulphonate
Diphenyl Dimethicone
Disiloxane
Hydrolyzed wheat protein/hydroxypropyl polysiloxane & cystine/silicone co-polymers
Lauryl Methicone Copolyol
PCA Dimethicone
PEG/PPG-20/15 Dimethicone
PEG-12 Dimethicone
Phenyl Trimethicone
Polysilicone-18 Cetyl Phosphate
Silicone Resin Spheres (2, 5 & 6 micron)
Simethicone
Stearoxy Dimethicone
Stearyl Dimethicone
Trimethylsiloxysilicate
Trisiloxane

Question from a Reader...

I received this question this evening:

hey michelle, im 15 years old and i need help! My hair is very thick, rough, and long. When i wash it and leave it air dry its a frizz ball and i spent a lot of time trying to find products that will make my hair look like selena gomez hair or vanessa hudgens hair but it doesn't work im just spending my time and money. Straightening it just makes it dull and look greasy and not shiny. My hair is dark brown and i love it being that color but do NOT love the frizz and it being poofy. I want wavy soft shiny hair. But idk how to get it please send me some tips on how to get it.
From a teenage girl who wants awesome hair

Dear teenage girl who wants awesome hair... I need to know more! 95% of the time, frizzy hair is the result of damage. Very few people actually have naturally frizzy hair. If you're hair is frizzy because it is damaged, there is much you can do to mask the damage and start to get back to a healthy head of hair, but that takes time. Are you patient? Dedicated? If so, then start with these tips:

1. Stop using blow dryers, irons and brushes
2. Stop using shampoo - read my 10 tips (you'll need to register at http://www.frizzytofabulous.com)
3. Stop coloring/straightening your hair
4. Start washing your hair less often and use "bunning" as a drying technique (I'm writing an article on bunning, but in the meantime, look it up at the long hair forum)
5. Start oiling your hair and massaging your scalp

Finally, send me a picture, or post one here (if you can) so I can see better what we're dealing with! You might be a good candidate for Brazilian Keratin Treatment, though I am hesitant to recommend that without knowing more about what your hair is like...

Good luck...

Mivi

It's been a bad hair month... I'm sorry

I just haven't been feeling like posting. Why? Because I have 2 inch roots and am paralyzed by fear. I lost my colorist and now I don't know what to do. I'm sooooooooooo picky about how my color is done, and I can't find anyone I trust.

So instead, I do nothing... And the roots (and the grays) just keep getting worse, and worse, and worse. I KNOW that in the grand scheme of things, this just isn't that important. Yet, somehow, it is. A great hair day is a GREAT DAY. Period.

Help!! Any great colorists out there?

Ciao for now,

Michelle

Synonyms for Formaldehyde in Brazilian Keratin Treatments

By the way, here are some substitutes for formaldehyde that are really the same thing:

Formalin
Formic Aldehyde
Paraform
Formol
Formalin (Methanol-free)
Fyde
Formalith
Methanal
Methyl Aldehyde
Methylene Glycol
Methylene Oxide
Tetraoxymethalene
Oxomethane
Oxymethylene

The Truth About Brazilian Keratin...

I've spent almost 2 years researching "Brazilian keratin treatments" in hopes of formulating what I thought would be the "Holy Grail of Hair”: a Brazilian keratin treatment that was safe enough to be applied by consumers at home but effective enough to compete with the other treatments out there.

Two years and many research dollars later, it hasn't happened and I don’t believe it ever will. But I don’t want all of that knowledge and research to go to waste, so I’m going to give you the inside scoop on Brazilian keratin treatments. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.

1. The Promise
2. The Problem
3. The Verdict

***

1. The Promise

“Do you want shiny, straight, healthy, gorgeous hair? Hair that you can run your fingers through and that men will long to touch?”

This was the intro for the marketing piece that I came up with for the products I would offer to the market. It sums up my hair fantasy - and if you're reading this, probably yours too.

We could spend hours examining why, but for whatever reason, millions of women want long, gorgeous movie-star hair. Instead they have coarse, frizzy, unruly hair. And there has never been an easy way to turn frizzy and fried hair to flow-y and fabulous hair without severe damage.

Traditional straightening methods, like the reverse perm and Japanese thermal reconditioning, destroy hair, especially over time. But Brazilian keratin promised to turn back the clock, to repair, and to actually make hair better, not just straighter.

No wonder I got hooked.


2. The Problem

Unfortunately, there’s a catch: Formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde is often used as a preservative. It’s found in lots of household products (like glue and nail polish). Intense exposure can be irritating and cause severe reactions (especially in the mucus membranes and respiratory system: eyes, nose, mouth & lungs). It’s also a carcinogen, though some challenge that assertion.

In Brazilian keratin treatments, the formaldehyde is the active ingredient that straightens the hair. Supposedly it is also what binds the keratin to the hair to make it feel thicker and healthier. I’ve had Brazilian keratin done, and it is true that my hair was both straighter and it felt healthier and stronger and thicker.

Problem is, the amount of formaldehyde that’s effective is a lot higher than the amount of formaldehyde that is considered safe. Though there is debate about what “safe” is.

Let’s back up a minute. The problem is that there is little or no regulation about the amount of formaldehyde in Brazilian keratin treatments. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel, an industry group, says that the maximum allowable concentration of formaldehyde for products that touch the skin is .2% (that's point-two-percent, not two percent, big difference by an order of 10). At .2%, formaldehyde is not effective as a straightener, effectiveness really starts at around 2%.

The convenient confusion between .2% and 2% has had at least some impact on the popularity of Brazilian keratin treatments. I know because I’ve seen it firsthand – in fact the woman who applied it on me assured me (before I knew better) that 2% was the allowable amount “by the FDA” so I shouldn’t worry about applying it...



And this is where it gets tricky – perhaps with proper precautions (fumes extractor and no skin contact), it really is possible to safely go higher than .2% concentration. Problem is, since the process is completely unregulated, there is just no way to guarantee this. I'd venture to say it's nearly impossible to apply Brazilian keratin and not touch the skin at least a little. Don’t forget that breathing in the fumes is dangerous as well.

Furthermore, the higher you go with formaldehyde, the more effective the treatment. So there is a real incentive to use higher concentrations. In fact, Brazilian keratin treatments go as high as 5%, 6% or even 8% (and that's when things get scary).

Some other interesting tidbits:

Formaldehyde substitutes: Manufacturers and distributors are getting smarter and using formaldehyde substitutes (like Urea) that are no safer or better, but that don’t have the stigma of the name.

Labeling: As long as a hair product is labeled “for Professional Use,” manufacturers are not required to list the ingredients.

Distributor tampering: Even if the product comes from Brazil without formaldehyde, I discovered – from a manufacturer that I was negotiating with – that many distributors receive shipment (i.e., get through customs and inspections) and then ADD formaldehyde HERE.

To “seal” the Brazilian keratin treatment, you’re supposed to use a 450-degree ceramic flat iron. That is ridiculously hot!!


All that said, Brazilian keratin is still booming because it works. Maybe we'll find out in 20 years that it was a terribly risk to take, but most women know it's risky, and do it anyways.

Why? Because the results are phenomenal. My hair looked great. I have no idea how much formaldehyde was in what she put on my hair (by the way, this was before I knew what I know now). My eyes did water and I did cough a lot, but when I walked out, my hair looked spectacular.


3. The Verdict

I gave up on trying to create the perfect product, but never on improving my hair. I’ve instead turned to understanding and educating about how to go "From Frizzy to Fabulous" safely, using regular products and by taking care of your hair and styling it differently. It IS possible. I'm doing it.

See, most frizz (about 80%) is NOT natural - it’s the result of damage and abuse from blow-dryers (“blow-fryers”), flatirons, chemical processing, UV exposure, improper handling, and more. Furthermore, there are ways of styling hair beautifully withOUT damaging it.

For example, do you know why your hair gets "pouffy" in humidity? What happens is that the damaged and dried out hair tries to grab needed moisture from the environment and swells up, looking frizzy. If we can get hair filled up and healthy, then it won't try to pull moisture from the air. That's just one way that we can combat frizzy hair... without putting dangerous chemicals in it.

By treating the hair differently and styling it properly, you can mask the frizz in the short-term while getting hair healthy and strong in the long-run.

And it's fun!

To learn more, sign up for my newsletter with valuable tips, tricks and information that you'll get periodically.


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Have a Dream Hair Day!
Michelle

Why Shampoo is the Enemy!

Shampoo is just one of the many ways we women abuse our hair. It's the enemy because it's undercover – most of us think it's actually GOOD for our hair. We may be aware that blowdrying, dying, teasing and perming our hair is bad, but how many of us could have thought that SHAMPOO was the enemy? I didn't, not for most of my life anyways.

But now I do. Watch this video, which I think explains it better (and funnier) than I could. The video was created by Lorraine Massey (author of Curly Girl) and is targeted to curly-haired women, but the lessons about shampoo apply to ALL of us.

PS - I am NOT endorsing the products that are advertised at the end, I just like the video.

If you want to learn how to stop using shampoo but do not want to spend a fortune on sulfate-free products... sign up for my mailing list and stay tuned. I'll be sending out a Special Report on ALTERNATIVES TO SHAMPOO.

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Humans & Hair - A Brief History

“…Why does the human female grow such ridiculously long tresses? In an ancient, tribal world, such an exaggerated, swishing cape of hair would prove to be a serious encumbrance, reminiscent of a peacock’s tail. What was the evolutionary advantage of such an excessive development?”
- Desmond Morris, Human Behaviorist

Excessive, indeed. While Desmond Morris offers no definitive answers as to why we humans evolved long hair on our heads, the most likely explanation is that it acts as a “species flag,” or a way to distinguish humans from other species.

Humans’ distinct hair pattern makes sense when you consider that human beings tend to be highly visual and there was a need, early on in the evolutionary process, to distinguish humans from other (long gone) “close relatives.”

On top of that, within the human race hair serves as a differentiator between men and women. Men have dark facial hair while women do not. Why? Most likely because human females evolved to physically look more childlike, and children do not have dark facial hair.

This concept of “neoteny” (possessing childlike characteristics) may also explain the fascination with blonde hair. Blonde hair is naturally much more common in children than in adults, thus, having blonde hair tends to connote youth.

For almost as long as we know, lightening hair has been a major industry. So much so that at times the bleaching of hair has become associated with exaggerated displays of femininity – in ancient Rome, for example, prostitutes were required by law to wear blond hair!

Blonde hair is not the only hair that has been regulated by law. Whether consciously or subconsciously, hair is a powerful sexual signal and exhibiting it has often been prohibited or regulated. From mild social conventions, like hat-wearing in church, all the way to extreme ones like strict laws requiring women to hide their hair under head coverings (or even shave it!), hair concealment has a long history.

And so does hair decoration, styling and ornamentation. For as long as we know, hair has been bound, braided, brushed and styled. Even Stone Age carvings show distinct hairstyles.

Hair invites more experimentation than any other part of the human body precisely because it can be altered so easily and to such extreme effect. Hair can be enlarged (teasing, perming, moussing, and wearing wigs) or it can be minimized (braiding, binding, and cutting) to achieve completely different looks.

And these different looks can project different images. Long, loose, flowing hair can connote freedom, sexuality and femininity, while short, close-cropped hair can signal restraint, control or masculinity. Of course these stereotypes are not universal, but most would agree that they have a basis in reality.

So what do you want your hair say about you?

Bad Hair Day Updos - The "Holly" Step-By-Step

The fact is, having a great hair day can mean having a great day, period. It's amazing how different my mood is when my hair looks great.

Luckily, thanks to my "hair transformation," I don't have many bad hair days anymore, but when I do, I find that wearing my hair up is the answer. I've discovered and adapted so many great, easy updos that I actually wear it up on good days too!

One of my favorite updos is one I call "The Holly" (because it reminds me of Audrey Hepburn's Holly Golightly in "Breakfast at Tiffany's"). I wore for the first time in a while this week, and almost every woman I came across wanted to know how I did it. They were worried that it was really hard but it's actually easy – and once you've got the hang of it, you can even do it without a mirror.

Below are step-by-step instructions (text, pics and video) so you can do it yourself.

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The Holly:
For long hair (at least shoulder-length). Video instructions at the end.








What you need:

• An elastic band, the kind with no metal parts and that doesn't damage your hair
• A comb fastener, like one of these below. If there's a detail or decoration on the top, even better as it will show.

Step one (see below): Gather your hair into a high ponytail - but on the very last loop (usually of two or three), don't pull your hair all the way through. Instead, pull partway through, enough so that a "roll" is created, and the ends of your ponytail are sticking out of the bottom. You want the roll itself to be neat and smooth, don't worry about the ends yet. Pull the sides a little to tighten, if necessary.





Step two (below): Take those ends that are sticking out, and tuck them through the side of the roll, so that they are nesting inside. You might have to take start over at this point, once you realize how much hair you need to nest inside the roll (because I have layers, I leave about 1/3 of the hair hanging out the back to tuck into the roll).

















Step three (below): Now take your hair comb and insert it – upside down and back to front – into the top of the roll. Upside down so that the backside of the comb is facing the ceiling and the front side is towards the floor. When you insert the comb, be sure to insert the teeth of the comb above the elastic, not through it or underneath it. I usually have to stab a few times to get the right amount of hair and get the teeth in the right place before flipping (next step).

Step four (see right and below): Now, with the teeth of the comb in place, slowly rotate the comb over the top of the head, which will make the entire roll move up and forward and the teeth are now straight up and down. Then stick it in straight down, against your head. This might take some practice (I suggest watching the video). I often have to do this a few times to find the "sweet spot" for where to stick the comb into.





Step five: Adjust!! I usually have to reinsert the comb 2 or 3 times to get the right height and the right tightness. If I grab too much hair in the roll, then it hurts. Too little and it either doesn't hold the roll or looks messy.



Variations:

• Pulling more or less hair through the elastic when you create the roll will create a bigger or smaller hairdo.
• Instead of using the comb, take a pretty butterfly clip (I have some with crystals) and clip it onto the back/bottom of the hairdo to "push it up" and hold it in place.
• Try it with your hair slicked back and hairspray for a formal event
• Use tiny butterfly clips to decorate – they can also help if you have hair that falls down the back of the 'do.

Below is the video version:

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Let me know how it goes, and post pictures of your variations on The Holly if you like. If they're good, I might them in my upcoming book – with your permission and credit, of course!

Have a Dream Hair Day,

Michelle

From Frizzy to Fabulous - My Story

I'm obsessed with my hair.

Unfortunately, I was cursed with what kids in kindergarten not-so-affectionately referred to as “mop-head.” To make matters worse, in 2nd grade I got hold of my dad's hair dryer with brush attachment and after several weeks of unsupervised blow-frying (not a typo), burnt my hair to a crisp.

My mother had all of my long unruly hair chopped off (and didn't warn me when she took me to the hairdresser – a term I use loosely – but that's a whole other trauma altogether).

I looked like I was being shipped off to boot camp. That was the same year I first saw Blaire Warner and her glorious mane in "The Facts of Life." I'd found my Dream Hair.



I vowed that one day I would have Blair Warner hair.

In the 20 or so intervening years, I did get a handle on my hair. I learned to use a clever combination of products, tools and techniques to get gorgeous (though brown) Blair Warner hair.

Growing up for several years in the Dominican Republic, I learned about the "Dominican Blow-Out" (more on that in a later post) – which was a lifesaver for me. People stopped me to ask me about my hair. Senior Year in High School I was voted "Best Hair." The Glory Days of my hair lasted a good 10 years.

But a few years ago, another nightmare started. My hair started to turn prematurely grey (hey Dad thanks for those genes!!!). As I began to experiment with color, my hair got even drier and frizzier than ever before. Despite my best efforts, I could no longer get my Dream Hair, it just didn't look or feel the same.

I became desperate to turn my hair around and get my long, flowy Blair Warner hair back.

I'm happy to report that I have successfully accomplished my own hair transformation - in spite of continuous coloring and highlighting - and I've also been able to help my girlfriends take control of their own hair nightmares.

I have learned exactly what works and what doesn’t when it comes to attaining Dream Hair, because I've got mine. And now my friends affectionately refer to my hair as “porn star hair," a high compliment indeed (I think). To me it will always be Blair Warner hair.

And now I've decided that I want to spread the word and educate a wider audience of women. Whether your hair is naturally frizzy (as mine originally was) or fried from damage, you can turn it around. For some it happens faster than others - depending on the causes of the frizz. But in almost every case, you CAN get the long, flowing, fabulous hair you've dreamed about.

I'm now a firm believer that you can do almost anything with your hair, it's limited only by what your willing to spend in terms of time and effort (and sometimes money) to maintain it.

If you want more FREE info, sign up for my bi-weekly "free-zine" full of great tips and tricks. Every once in a while you'll also get access to a "Dream Hair Secret Special Report" – also free – like the one I'm working on now called: "How You Are Sabotaging Your Dream Hair: The Top 5 Things to Stop Doing IMMEDIATELY." If you sign up, you'll automatically have access to the Report when it's ready.

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My objective is to help you achieve and maintain long, gorgeous, healthy, Dream Hair.

Have a Dream Hair Day!

Michelle