You’ve likely long been touting the benefits of professional beauty products, due to their better ingredients and less harsh chemicals. But how much of that is truth versus marketing hype? One hairstylist, Jacqui Swanson (@jacqui.swan) of Jacqui Swan in Visalia, California, decided to put her hair on the line and test how much, if at all, her hair would be affected by drugstore shampoo. Well, the proof is in the pudding, as they say, and after a week of using the non-pro stuff, her hair color had dramatically faded and her hair felt brittle and way less healthy. We talked to her about why she wanted to do this challenge, and if she would ever try anything like this again. And be sure to check out the highlights section on Swanson’s Instagram page @jacqui.swan for the Shampoo Challenge for yourself and to share with your clients.

What motivated you to do the Seven Day Drugstore Shampoo Challenge?
There was a week in the salon where four new clients in a row showed me these beautiful photos of bright blondes and vibrant vivid tones with all the hopes and dreams of having that hair when they left the salon that day. Expectations were running high. After explaining what their hair would have to go through to achieve their dreams, they were all on board. But when I asked what shampoo they used at home, two said Pantene and the other two said Head & Shoulders. And one of those two didn’t even use conditioner because the bottle says 2-in-1! When I was trying to explain what it means to take care of their hair once they get home, it was like I could see their ears close. They were no longer listening. I was frustrated. While venting to a fellow stylist a few days later I said, “I know what I’ll do, I’ll use what they use and show them it’s wrong!”

What were the criteria for the Challenge?
Wash my hair hot water every day for seven days with drugstore shampoo and conditioner. Style it with non-professional products every day as well. I knew I was the perfect candidate because I have the same hair as most of my clients: a natural level 4 that’s lightened to a level 9.

What did you expect to happen to your hair after seven days? Why would you want to risk potential damage?
I expected it to feel like crap. Very dry and stiff. I knew that even though I was putting my hair at risk of feeling horrible, I also knew that any damage could be easily reversed with the right treatments. I was actually more excited to show how it would look after using great hair products.

How quickly did you notice a change in your hair? Did you notice your hair health or color change first?
I very quickly noticed a change in the quality. I normally can get away with blow drying it with my fingers and it looks nice. Not in this case. My ends looked frayed, as if I needed a haircut, but I had just got one two weeks before. It only got more tangly and more unmanageable with every wash. I noticed the hair health first, but the color was visibly different after one wash, and after two washes the vibrant pop of color was gone.

Which products did you use, and was any one better than the others?
I purchased Pantene Daily Moisture Renewal Shampoo and Conditioner, Head & Shoulders Green Apple Anti-Dandruff 2-in-1, Pantene Leave On Detangling Milk, Dove Dry Shampoo and a Garnier Fructis Damage Repairing Treat. Not “Treatment.” “Treat”—whatever that means.
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• The Fructis Mask was garbage; it didn’t do anything. But what do you expect for $3.00?
• The Pantene leave-in wasn’t the worst product I’ve ever tried, but knowing what a good leave-in conditioner will do, it doesn’t stack up.
• I hadn’t used Head & Shoulders in 12 years, and I have to say they have improved their formula. I used it two times and I didn’t get the buildup I remember (but I only used it twice), and I wasn’t nearly as itchy as I expected I would be (I have a horrible dandruff). But I also believe it isn’t an everyday shampoo. You should be switching between it and something else. And first and foremost it is NOT a conditioner! Two-in-one’s are junk.

The main thing I noticed about all of the products was the strong smell. They really get people with the smell. It makes them believe it’s working. But do you really want to wash your hair with perfume?

I can see in your before and after picture that your color definitely faded over the course of seven days. How much of that do you attribute to using these products vs. actually shampooing your hair every day? How often would you shampoo your hair regularly?
Water is the enemy. You want to keep water especially hot water away from your hair as much as possible. Pair that with basically washing with dish soap and say sayonara to your hair color. I am on the opposite side of the spectrum. I should wash my hair more. I say I wash my hair every three or four days, but it’s really like every five.

Do you think that this fade would have been just as prominent on someone who didn’t have a vibrant color, but more of a natural color?
Vibrant-toned hair definitely sees a more dramatic depletion in color, but any way you swing it hair color is going to fade, whether it’s natural or vivid. But when you’re investing a lot of money to get it done, take care of it. Would you put your designer bag in the washing machine?

How do you think stylists can best talk to their clients about the problems of using drugstore product? How do you educate vs. sell?
That’s exactly why I did this. I was struggling to find a way to get the point across. As stylists, we can give our clients all their hair dreams. But if they don’t maintain it properly at home, when they come back, they may complain that it didn’t last, like we did it to them. Many of my young clients come in every three months. That’s four days out of 365 that I’m taking care their hair. They are taking care of it the remaining 361 days. It truly isn’t about me making money off of you buying products or forcing you to spend a bunch of money. I don’t care where you go: Find professional hair brands you like, find good deals and use them!

The response from clients has been amazing! “You convinced me, I need to take better care of my hair!” many have said. Is the answer that every stylist needs to do this to show their clients? I don’t know, but this has been the biggest conversation starter for me to get clients to open their ears to what we’re saying.

What was your biggest takeaway from this experiment?
That people wanted to know how to take care of their hair without knowing they wanted to know. It’s all about getting the conversation started. The amount of messages from girls with questions about what they should use for their hair situation shows they just haven’t been taught how to care for their hair with the hair trends they want. Maybe messaging someone is easier than asking in salon.

Would you ever try anything like this again? (At-home hair color, for example?)
My hairstylist says no. [laughs] But really, that’s a tough one. As a working hairstylist I know if I colored it with at-home color how hard it would be to come back from that and my hair wouldn’t make it. And that’s damage only a haircut will help. But I am thinking of some ideas for future experiments. This was way fun!
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Have you ever been more reluctant to shampoo your hair than after this challenge?
I don’t think it’s possible for me to wash less than I already do. [laughs]  But no, it didn’t. It definitely made me appreciate professional styling products more than ever.


This article is from Beauty LAUNCHPAD

Six years ago, I was 30 and had a healthy, thick, wavy black mane.

Today I’m 36 and half my hair is gray and wiry.

My son, Gus, was looking at a picture of me from when I was 30 and asked: “Dad, how did you get so old, so fast?”

Great question, son.

Going gray didn’t happen overnight. I remember spotting a few gray strands in my late twenties. A few years later, I saw some more. Then one day I woke up, looked in the mirror, and saw as much salt as pepper.

I’ve never freaked out about going gray and have never thought about dyeing my hair back to its youthful color. Even in high school my friends described me as grandpa-like, and I actually always looked forward to getting older.

But while I’ve never worried about going gray, I have been curious about it.

What caused me to go gray at such a relatively young age? Was it stress? Genetics? A combination of both?

And now that I have gray hair, do I need to do anything different with my hair care and grooming to make it look its best?

To answer those questions, as well as get the scoop on dyeing your hair for those men who’ve considered it, I did some research and talked to Thad Forrester, owner of Hudson / Hawk Barber & Shop.

Why Does Hair Go Gray?

Each one of your hairs grows out of a hair follicle, and each follicle contains cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes produce two types of pigments, or colors: eumelanin, which is dark brown or black, and pheomelanin, which is reddish yellow. Eumelanin and pheomelanin blend together to give you your hair color. (Dermatologists will often refer to eumelanin and pheomelanin simply as “melanin.”)

When melanocytes in the hair follicle start to die, the strand of hair gets less melanin as it grows and takes on a more transparent color. Gray hair is hair that’s still getting a bit of melanin, but not enough to lend the hair its youthful hue. White hair is hair that’s not getting any melanin at all. Once a melanocyte cell dies, there’s no resurrecting it — it’s dead forever, and it will never produce melanin again. Barring some breakthrough in bioengineering (or dyeing your hair), once hair goes gray, it’s gray for good.

Besides giving hair its color, melanin also helps make hair smooth and lush. Consequently, gray, melanin-deprived hair often gets a wiry or coarse texture and it becomes increasingly difficult to style and manage.

So that’s the mechanism behind hair going gray — its pigment-producing cells die. But what causes those melanin cells to expire in the first place?

Scientists don’t really know.

Age certainly plays a factor and is of course why we associate going gray with getting old. As you get older, all of your body’s cells start to die and malfunction, including the cells that make hair color.

But some people go gray sooner and some people keep their color well into old age.

What gives?

There’s a popular theory that stress causes people to go gray. To bolster this argument, you’ll often see side-by-side pictures of American presidents the day they started their term and the day they ended their term. The President of the United States is arguably one of the most stressful jobs a person could have, so if a man grays considerably during his administration, we figure it was the stress that caused it, right?

Well, maybe. And maybe not. While there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence that stress causes people to go gray, scientific studies that have looked into the matter have been mixed. There’s some evidence to suggest that stress hormones could disrupt melanin being delivered to your hair strands, which would cause it to go gray, but again, it’s not conclusive. With the graying of presidents’ hair, it could just be a function of getting older; 8 years is a fairly long time, after all.

So stress may or may not play a role in when you go gray. The most significant factor, according to science, is likely your genetics. If your parents went gray at a young age, then the chances of you going gray young are increased.

So what do you do when you start going gray yourself? Should you dye your hair? If you don’t dye it, do you have to change anything with your hair care? Let’s explore those questions. 

Should You Dye Your Gray Hair?

To dye or not to dye. That is the question.

Graying hair is less disconcerting to men than losing hair, and unlike Western women, who are pressured to maintain their youthful looks, and hair color, for as long as possible, we males generally have the luxury of letting the aging process take its natural course. Gray hair is distinguished on a man. It makes him look wise, seasoned, and sometimes even sexy.  

But if you’re in your 20s and 30s, gray hair can feel like it’s prematurely taking the sheen off this last season of youthful virility. And an older man who works in a youth-driven industry, or is back on the dating scene after being divorced or widowed, may also feel pressure to look less stodgy. If you fall into these categories and/or simply feel the desire to dye your hair, keep the following considerations in mind:

If there are just a few spots of gray on your head — like at your temples — you might consider dyeing only those patches with something like Just for Men AutoStop. With this kind of product, you don’t have to dye all of your hair (though you can), just the parts that are going gray. It’s relatively easy to use (you just comb it in and let it sit for 10 minutes before you shower), and it lasts for up to 8 weeks.

If you’re already pretty salt and peppery and you want to color all of your hair, do so gradually. If you go from George Clooney to Keanu Reeves overnight, people are going to notice. To gradually color your hair back to a more youthful color, try something like Just for Men Control GX which is hair dye in a shampoo; as you use it over the course of a month, more and more of your gray is colored, and you can stop once you’ve achieved the desired effect.

A lot of men’s drugstore/DIY hair dyes don’t actually cover all of your gray, and that’s okay; it can look more natural to still have some showing.

The downside of off-the-shelf/DIY hair coloring products, especially if you’re dyeing all your hair and want close to 100% gray coverage, is that you’re limited in the colors you can choose from. As Thad explains, “Natural hair colors and tones are extremely varied, but [men’s] color dyeing products give you like four color options to choose from — black, dark brown, light brown, and blonde. If you color with a product like that, it’s not going to match your natural hair color and things are going to look off.” When your hair’s a monotone color, it looks flat and fake, like you rubbed your hair with shoe polish.

Thad says if you truly want a better-looking end result, you need to visit a professional who specializes in hair color: “The reason women look great when they color their hair and men typically look bad is because women pay a professional a lot of of money to make it look as natural as possible, while a man will typically opt for the DIY approach. Professional hair colorers can do a better job of matching natural hair color compared to what you can get out of a box.” Traditional barbers typically aren’t trained in hair coloring, so you’ll need to visit a salon.

But before you book an appointment with a hairdresser or pick up a box of Just for Men, consider the many downsides of coloring your hair (always thoroughly read through the Amazon reviews for dyes to understand what you’re getting yourself into):

1. You have to dye your hair every 3-8 weeks. Every month and half or so (depending on how fast your hair grows, how often you get your haircut, and how frequently a particular formula of dye is applied), you’re either going to have to visit a hairdresser to dye it, a process that can take up to an hour, or go through the rigmarole of dyeing your hair at home (which is considerable: you’ve got to apply vaseline around your hairline to keep it from staining your skin, clean up stains on your countertops and hands, and so on).

2. You have to keep dyeing it for-ev-ver (or until your age surpasses your vanity). To keep your hair colored, you’ll have to keep up the dye jobs indefinitely. Once you stop, your hair, especially if it’s gone predominantly gray, will look funny growing back. Before you start dyeing, imagine yourself signing a contract with Just for Men, agreeing to use their product until 2050. As that’s essentially what you’re doing, if you’re not comfortable with that commitment, think twice about starting to color your hair.

3. It costs $$$. Getting your hair colored at a salon can cost $25-$100. That’s really going to add up over time, which again, can be decades.

4. Dyes can be harsh on hair. Hair dye contains chemicals that can sometimes make your hair fall out. Gray hair ages you, but so does thin hair.

5. No matter how natural the hair color, dyed hair never looks completely natural on a man. No hair dye — even those created by a salon — completely matches your original hair color, and even when it’s close, it still doesn’t look quite right, at least on older guys: our brains are used to seeing older women with colored hair, but don’t expect to see older men with such, so when you see a guy with a 50-year-old face, but completely jet black hair, it just registers as being a little off. You realize he dyes his hair, calling attention to it, and his age, and making him seem a little vain and insecure — the very opposite effect from what he’s looking for!

For these reasons, Thad and most male barbers recommend that men who are starting to go gray just let the process take its course. “It’s just easier to manage than dyeing your hair, [and] it looks good, and shows a lot of confidence in a guy,” Thad said.

Embracing the Silver Fox: How to Take Care of Gray Hair

As mentioned above, gray hair is caused by a reduction in melanin. Besides causing your hair to turn gray, a decrease in melanin also makes your hair wiry and harder to manage. So if you decide to embrace your gray hair, there are some changes you’ll need to make to your grooming routine to ensure your new silver mane looks its best:

1. Opt for a shorter haircut. If your hair is still thick, despite the fact it’s going gray, Thad says you still have a lot of options on how to cut and style it. “There are a lot of men with longer gray hair that look good.” (Paging Sam Elliott.) If you’re going to go longer with your gray mane, ask for a cut with more texture. A textured cut involves the barber cutting your hair at an angle which gives it some volume and movement compared to cutting your hair straight across.

While it’s possible to go long with gray hair, Thad likes to steer men with graying locks to cuts that are short on the sides and a little longer on the top (think Clooney). “I like to use clippers on the sides and the back and use some textured cuts on the top,” he said. “A short haircut lets you hide or blend the gray more compared to longer haircuts. Short gray hair is also easier to manage and style than long gray hair. Also, there’s something about a short haircut that takes the years off of a man’s face, so if you’re worried about gray hair making you look old, a shorter haircut can counteract that.”

2. Use a product with a bit of shine. As gray hair loses its natural shine (thanks to the lack of melanin), Thad recommends avoiding completely matte hair products when styling: “Matte products make your hair look a bit dull which is something you don’t want to do when you have gray hair because gray hair is already dull.”
Thad likes semi-matte hair products for gray hair, which have some shine, but not so much that it looks unnatural. A couple specific recommendations from Thad were Cardinal Atlas texturing clay and Firsthand Supply texturing clay.

One product that I’ve had success with on my gray hair is Mitch Construction Paste. It holds my hair without getting crunchy, has a bit, but not too much, shine, and includes conditioning ingredients to reduce some of the wiry-ness of my grays.

3. Don’t shampoo your hair as frequently. Thad told me that most men, including men with no gray hair, shampoo their hair way more than they need to. But shampooing your hair less frequently is even more important when you have gray hair. “Every time you shampoo your hair, you’re washing away your hair’s natural oils. You only need to shampoo your hair a few times a week. This is especially true for men with gray hair since gray hair is already naturally drier,” he said.

Instead of shampooing every time you shower, do it every other day or so.

4. Consider a hair oil. To tame the wirey-ness of your gray hair, try a hair oil, which softens and moisturizes the hair. If you’re having trouble with the coarseness of your gray hair, Thad recommends rubbing in a few drops after you shower.

5. Consider using shampoo and conditioner made especially for gray hair.Once a week use what’s called a “purple shampoo.” It’s called a purple shampoo because it’s, well, purple. They’re designed to make your gray hair look bright and vibrant rather than dull and yellow. Thad recommends talking to someone who specializes in hair color before you start using a “purple shampoo,” though, because while “They can help remove brassy tones from your hair over time . . . it’s possible to overdo it with these shampoos.”

If you reduce how often you shampoo, and use the right hair product and perhaps a hair oil, your gray hair will be in good shape, and you can confidently step into your maturity and enjoy your status as a silver fox.


This article from the blog Art of Manliness
(Guys: you might want subscribe to this blog.  Their posts are full of great information.)

We don’t all have the same skincare routine, so it makes sense that we shouldn’t take the one-size-fits-all approach to our haircare regime, too. However, we have a hard enough time choosing a shampoo, do we really need to also decide on which way to wash our hair? Yes, actually.

Of all the different ways to wash your hair out there (and there’s far more than you’d think), choosing the right one for you could mean the difference between a frizzy ‘fro and defined, shiny curls. But to keep things nice and simple, we’ve narrowed the field down to conditioner-only washing and double cleansing (rinse and repeat), and asked the pros to weigh in on each side to give us their reasons for why you should go down the co-cleanse or double cleanse route…

Co-cleansing is great for: Coloured, curly or coarse hair types

The pro says: “Co-cleansing, or conditioner-only washing, is what everyone is talking about in the world of hair innovation, as more and more people are choosing to ditch the styling tools and opt for a natural finish. Although it works on all hair types, this formula is most suitable for coloured, curly and coarse hair types that are prone to frizz and dryness,” explains Sam Burnett, owner of London’s award-winning Hare & Bone and winner of 2017’s Most Wanted Hair Trend award. 

The biggest benefit of co-cleansing is that it doesn’t disturb or affect the placement and direction that the hair naturally falls. This is ideal for people wanting to achieve an undone finish with minimal-to-no styling. By gently cleansing the scalp, it creates less frizz overall, while thoroughly cleaning the hair follicles. Differing from traditional shampoos, co-cleansing shampoos, such as the KMS MoistRepair Cleansing Conditioner, do not disturb the cuticle as much, making it much smoother and softer. This particular formula has been created to ensure the hair is balanced and refreshed without stripping its natural oils and nutrients, which we need to keep hair looking shiny and strong. By minimising the detergent used (commonly found in traditional lathering shampoos), it keeps the hair more moisturised and conditioned.”

Double-cleansing is great for: Fine or weak hair and those worried about scalp health
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The pro says: “It’s an urban myth that we shouldn’t wash our hair every day. Our scalp is an extension of the skin on our face so we need to look after it similarly,” says Kay McIntyre, owner of the award-winning mcIntyres salons in Scotland.

“Double cleansing helps to promote scalp health, which means healthier, stronger hair. With the removal of all impurities on the scalp, the hair can easier penetrate the follicle so there’s no chance of weakening. In the salon, we always promote double cleansing for the most effective removal of residue on the scalp. The first wash removes the oils, letting the second cleanse deeply clean, unclogging the follicles. Many people believe that the sebum that builds up on the scalp (within only three hours of washing) helps to protect the skin. However, sebum provides no benefits. In fact, as the oily sebum creates a film over the scalp, it stops the promotion of healthy hair growth as each new strand must fight through a barrier, causing stress and weakening the hair. I’m an ambassador for Nioxin, which specialises in products for fuller-looking hair, so scalp and hair health is at the core of what I believe. This is why I promote double cleansing to anybody who wants stronger, thicker, fuller looking hair – and who doesn’t want that?”

This article appeared on Layered

Most of us are not only tied to our hair physically, but emotionally, too. It’s an extension of our identity—an important part of our physical appearance that gives us a keen type of confidence. That’s why it’s so common to feel incomplete after your hair starts thinning or falling out. While it’s perfectly normal to shed strands (in fact, most people lose 50 to 100 hairs per day on average), large clumps of hair should not be falling out and clogging the shower drain, explains celebrity hairstylist Andrew Fitzsimons

One of the biggest culprits that cause thinning hair is simply aging. “As women go through menopause, they create less estrogen and progesterone, which leaves their hair more susceptible to the effects of androgens (testosterone), hormones that thin the hair and slow down its growth,” says Erum Ilyas, MD, a dermatologist at Montgomery Dermatology in Pennsylvania. “Aside from aging, certain autoimmune conditions (frontal fibrosing alopecia and lichen planopilaris) can cause hair loss and result in inflammation at the base of the hair follicles, which can actually scar the hair follicle and has a risk of permanent hair loss.”

Other less severe factors may be to blame for thinning hair, too. “Crash dieting, surgeries, family stress, new jobs, having the flu, long distance travel, you name it—all can have a direct impact when it comes to shedding of the hair and its inability to grow faster,” says Dr. Ilyas. “When a major stress occurs, there is a shift in the hair cycle of growth and less hair follicles are stimulated to grow.”

Vitamin deficiencies caused by a poor diet, such as a lack of iron and vitamin B12 deficiency, have been linked to thinning hair as well. If you’re someone who hops on and off the latest diet bandwagon, especially if those diets are quite aggressive, your hair follicles can be impacted, causing aggressive fall out with no new regrowth.
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The good news: Although some hair shedding is inevitable, there are plenty of solutions and tricks of the trade to help you grow a fuller, thicker head of hair relatively fast (though patience is a must!). Here, hair and skin experts share their best kept secrets for healthier and longer hair.

​Forget retinol or hyaluronic acid for a second, because this year, one ingredient has outshone them all: CBD. Otherwise known as cannabidiol, the component, which is derived from the cannabis plant, has been spotted in facial oils, moisturisers and masks from big name brands like Herbivore, mgc derma and The INKEY List to name a few.
 
Said to be rich in omega fatty acids, which are essential for skin hydration (something we're all in need of right now, thanks to winter temperatures and central heating zapping water from our skin), CBD is now making its way into haircare, and one London salon in particular is pioneering the use of the ingredient in an exclusive scalp and hair treatment.

Hari's hairdressers in Fulham is famous for its lush botanical decor, so the treatment seems apt, but with a high-profile celebrity clientele that includes Princess Eugenie, it's also somewhat unexpected. So what does it entail? Salon founder Hari worked closely with the experts at CBD oil brand Spirit of Hemp to create a four-part experience which is entirely unique. The Life Force oil, used throughout the treatment, is made up of hemp flower extract and blended with hemp blossom terpenes. It combines raw CBD oil with CBDA oil – the latter is the plant-derived compound before it goes through decarboxylation, a chemical reaction that removes the acid (A). Essentially, before it is 'treated'.

What I thought would be a simple scalp massage and a speedy blow-dry turned out to be one of the most relaxing and beneficial salon treatments I've tried – and as a beauty editor, I've experienced my fair share. According to the salon, the all-natural, non-toxic, 100% organic remedy is meant to "breathe life into lacklustre hair", leaving lengths revived and the scalp balanced, which is exactly what I needed having upset my hair and scalp after experimenting with too many different products.

The treatment began with a few drops (optional) of CBD/CBDA oil under the tongue for 6o seconds. I often take my vitamin B12 supplement this way, as it's said to find its way into the bloodstream quicker – but apparently, there's a knack to it, and micro-doses are most beneficial. In fact, both Spirit of Hemp and my therapist (who revealed she starts her day with a swig) mentioned that larger doses can sometimes have an opposite effect or do nothing at all. It tasted like a very strong, bitter olive oil with an extra green kick – not bad, but not great. It only took 15 minutes for my legs to feel lighter. At first, I wasn't sure if it was all in my head, but paired with a cup of hemp flower tea (much more palatable and packed with flavonoids, proven to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties), I was entirely zen.
 
While the same oil, combined with coconut oil, was slathered onto my roots, brushed through my lengths and massaged firmly into my scalp, neck and temples, I was given a CBD oil hand massage and left to relax under heat for around 30 minutes so that the treatment could work its magic by penetrating my strands and scalp. A hair wash, condition and blow-dry completed the treatment, and it's safe to say my hair has never looked or felt better. Softer, shinier, no frizz or flyaways and a hell of a lot stronger, too. And no, my hair didn't reek of weed.
 
At £125, you'd expect more from the treatment than simply instant results, and it does deliver. I noticed fewer flakes, my scalp didn't feel as itchy and my ends weren't as parched despite the straightener abuse. I also found that I could skip a hair wash, and as Hari himself explained while I was sitting in the chair, CBD oil has the ability to stabilise sebum production. Just like most salon treatments, this is a pretty great way to practise self-care, but all the little elements, like the massage, supplement and the tea, combined with the salon's hospitality, gives it an edge over others. I'm a CBD convert.
 
This article is from Refinery29