March 12, 2010
Posted by Shyema
Free & Clear ($9.99) touts itself as an anti-dandruff shampoo without the chemical irritants, formulated for even sensitive skin. We looked into the ingredients to see how it might fare.
The interesting thing about Free & Clear shampoo is that it’s made up of very common ingredients, which are basically suds-producing agents. These days, even the most humble shampoo will boast at least one botanical ingredient, but not this one. We just couldn’t figure out what’s so special about this shampoo.
The first main ingredient is disodium cocoamphodiacetate – a moisturizing foaming agent highly regarded for cleansing skin and hair without stripping it of its oils. Next up is disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, another ingredient thrown into almost any cleaning agent that foams. Said to be low irritation, some sources still claim that it is carcinogenic in higher doses. But for low doses as with in beauty products, it probably has a low risk or cause for concern. Read more...
March 1, 2010
Posted by Reader
Reviewed by RileyGirl
I have been using Kerastase Age Premium products (Bain Substantif $34, and Masque Substantif, $63.99) exclusively for about 2 months now. I love them! My hair is very full and healthy looking after both the shampoo and the masque. They leave my hair soft and shiny.
The best part of both of these products is that my normally very itchy scalp has not itched at all since I started using the Kerastase Age Premium. I have tried tons of shampoos and conditioners, and the very next day after I shampoo my hair, my scalp will be so itchy. This has not been the case with the Age Premium.
The only con I have is that the masque tends to be a bit heavy and no matter how little of it I use, I have to wash my hair more frequently, as this seems to make my hair oily on the 2nd day after shampooing, where I normally can go 2-3 days in between a shampoo. Read more...
February 3, 2010
Posted by copley
Beer is no longer just a frosty beverage for relaxing and refreshing the body. Cleansing with beer can actually add body to your hair. As we’ve seen in the many ways it is believed beer can help your hair, there are special components within beer- including B vitamins, wheat proteins, and maltose sugars- that make drinking a bottle less useful than pouring it on your head. The complex carbohydrates in beer have a hydrating effect, while proteins coat each strand, giving them more strength and elasticity. Not only does hair appear shinier in the short term, but it also becomes stronger to avoid long-term breakage.
Throughout awards season, the glitz and glamor of Hollywood is nearly inescapable. So it is refreshing to know that some stars forego the hair and makeup chair in favor of natural beauty treatments. Catherine Zeta-Jones counts washing her hair in beer among her favorite homegrown beauty secrets, even if it leaves her smelling like the bottom of a beer barrel for days. Coming from the woman who has been crowned celebrity with the “best dressed” hair, a beer shampoo seems like a promising hair savior. Read more...
January 31, 2010
Posted by marta
We had such good hair care finds last year (Osmotics FNS, Aubrey Organics and Nutra-Lift to name but a few) that I shouldn’t be surprised that the hair gods seem to have forsaken us. After foraging for many weeks now, there has been very little that was noteworthy. Then, when I found Sea-Chi, a natural range of hair care products, I thought my fortunes may be changing.
Sea-Chi majors on something called kombucha. This is tea that has been fermented with a culture that is often referred to as ‘mushroom’, although it isn’t a fungi at all but a colony of bacteria plus some yeast. Kombucha is one of those things that is attributed with almost supernatural health-giving powers, from boosting eyesight to increased energy, to curing gout and gall stones and, of course, boosting hair growth. Read more...
January 14, 2010
Posted by marta
On my desk I have a duo from the new Kerastase Age Premium range designed for aging, thinning hair. Someone went to a lot of trouble to hand deliver the shampoo (Bain Substantif) and conditioner (Masque Substantif) in a pretty package. So I apologize for what is about to come next. I won’t be using the new Kerastase Age Premium range and here is why not.
I admit to being a bit picky about my beauty products, even rinse off ones. Still, I’ve been known (and admonished by some readers for it) to overlook the odd paraben and even phenoxyethanol if the good significantly outweighs the bad. With these Kerastase Age Premium products, I find it difficult to make allowances for a big bunch of chemicals on the basis of what amounts to two rather puny actives. Read more...
