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7/29/2019 A Brief History of the Unbreakable CombThey were important in the evolution of both plastic and rubber, among other things.  Unbreakable combs can be traced back to 19th-century developments in plastic and rubber. Modern hair combs are unusually simple tools—perhaps our simplest. Their single row of bristles, usually black, are designed to do one thing—separate and organize your hair follicles into a more attractive format. They do this effectively, without the need of any electricity. And they’re cheap, too—you never have one when you need one, but you can buy a pack of 72 of them for eight bucks, or 11 cents each. But even these simple devices carry an air of mystery. Specifically: Why does my comb need to announce itself as “unbreakable?” Does it matter these days? And, of course, has anyone successfully broken one? The answer, it turns out, lies in the past, as it was the inventiveness of Charles Goodyear proved a turning point in American history, not just for combs, but for manufacturing. His 1843 discovery of the vulcanization process, which cured and toughened rubber in ways that made it a more useful material, was not an easy one to get to. His early efforts, according to Rubber: An American Industrial History, earned respect from major politicians like Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay, but his products struggled on the market and he at one point faced bankruptcy. But once he figured out his vulcanization process, Goodyear was in a position to reinvent numerous industries, with combs being near the top of the list.  An ivory comb, c1400. (If you’re curious: Goodyear died nearly 40 years before the tire manufacturer named for him was created. And while there was also an industrialist named Charles W. Goodyear who came to prominence in the late 19th century, the vulcanized rubber inventor was unrelated.) At the time, combs tended to be made using fragile materials like bone, wood, and ivory, which, when dropped, could easily break. But Goodyear’s combs were different: Rubber wasn’t a shatter risk, of course, and it was also firm enough to be used while offering a degree of flexibility. The combs, at first, were not cheap, but according to Chauncey Depew’s 1895 book 1795-1895: One Hundred Years of American Commerce, Volume 2, they soon reinvented the market
Goodyear, who died in 1860, left behind a growing comb market, with two companies allowed to sell the devices under his patent—the India Rubber Comb Company and the American Hard Rubber Company. Eventually, though, Goodyear’s patent expired, and competition started to build up in the comb space, leading to more aggressive advertising in newspapers and trade publications. One of the common phrases that gained currency in the late 19th century was “unbreakable,” something highlighted by the Hercules Combs sold by the Butler Hard Rubber Company.  Ab advertisement for “Hercules Combs”, 1891 “Various kinds of so-called unbreakable combs have been offered to the public at different times, and the trade is cautioned against accepting any not bearing the gold stamp ‘Hercules,’ Warranted Unbreakable, on the one side, and The Butler Hard Rubber Co. in black on the other,” an ad for the device in American Druggist said in 1891. It wouldn’t last, thanks to the eventual use in plastic, but there was a time when people thought of the word “Goodyear” and combs came to mind—rather than tires. Eventually, though, the inevitability that was plastic came, and from the moment that John Wesley Hyatt, came up with one of the first usable plastics, celluloid, it was obvious where things were going. Hyatt was inspired by an 1863 contest that offered a $10,000 prize for anyone who could come up with a billiard ball that wasn’t made of ivory. Hyatt never came up with the billiard ball, but he soon was producing combs. In 1878, he was awarded a patent—one of many he would receive in his life—for “improvement in the manufacture of combs from celluloid.” It makes sense that plastic combs quickly found a home on the market. The use case was perfectly matched for the type of material, for one thing, but it was also an object that was very easy to make and mold into a specific shape. When new types of plastic, such as nylon, appeared, combs often used the materials first. They also became more utilitarian, and less elaborate than the bone, wood, or ivory combs that had come before. “With the rise of mass-production plastics, the fanciful decorative combs and faux ivory dresser sets so popular in the celluloid era gradually disappeared,” the author Susan Freinkel noted in a book excerpt on Scientific American. “Combs were now stripped to the most essential elements—teeth and handle—in service of their most basic function.”  A rubber comb from an 1893 catalogue And after World War II, a truly “unbreakable” material—polypropylene, a flexible plastic invented by two European scientists in the 1950s--quickly became the high watermark for plastics, and, ultimately, redefined the comb yet again. A 1975 Philadelphia Daily News article, colorfully, highlights the way that combs became a difficult business to stick with. Clement A. Belusar, the marketing director of the then-recently shuttered Ajax Comb Company, broke down how the move to an “unbreakable” plastic permanently did in the company. “Then came polypropylene and the unbreakable comb. Our downfall,” he explained. “The only time you had to replace a comb was when you lost it. And when you lost it, somebody else could find it and he wouldn’t have to buy one. We’re out of the business …” I lose combs pretty often, so I assume that they should’ve just waited for me to be born. “Oh wow, maybe it really is unbreakable.” Of the many unusual activities that can be found on YouTube, one of the weirdest involves a subsection of kids who feel compelled to test the claims of unbreakability parlayed by cheap modern combs picked up at such fine establishments as Sport Clips. Some were successful, even unexpectedly so. Others weren’t so lucky.
(Fun discovery when watching some of these clips: In at least one instance, I ran into a pre-roll ad for Red Lobster highlighting its Crabfest—before, you know, watching someone bending a comb in a very similar way. They know.) Of course, the truth of the matter is that combs were aiming for a very specific kind of unbreakability—the phrase refers to the fact that the teeth aren’t designed to fall out if you drop the device on the ground, not the idea that an 11-cent device would survive an endurance test. We’re not talking Unbreakable in the M. Night Shyamalan sense here. Cheap combs don’t possess superpowers. What they do possess, however, is the ability to reliably comb your hair. This history lesson is from Atlas Obscura  With summer around the corner (hopefully), hats will once again be in season.
But some people may avoid covering their head if they believe that wearing a hat can lead to baldness — something experts want to debunk. According to Dr. Shilpi Khetarpal, a dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic, wearing a hat does not cause hair loss. “It’s a total myth,” Khetarpal told Global News. “Wearing a hat for a few hours — as long as it’s not tight enough to give someone a headache — is not going to cause hair loss.” Some people who experience hair loss feel comfortable wearing hats, which may be why folks associate them with balding, Khetarpal says. And while casual hat wearing isn’t a major concern, Khetarpal says that sweat trapped under hats can affect hair. “In the hot summer months, wearing a hat is going to make you sweat [in] it. And when you sweat more, you can get more dandruff and overgrowth of yeast and bacteria, which can cause some shedding,” she said. “That’s not going to happen unless you’re wearing a hat all day, every day, throughout the hot months.” Khetarpal highlights that this type of shedding is reversible and will resolve on its own. It’s not the same as male and female pattern hair loss, she adds. Causes of hair loss If hats aren’t a culprit, what causes hair loss? Genetics are one of the key determining factors. A 2017 study out of the University of Edinburgh found more than 200 genetic regions tied to male baldness. Researchers found that many of these genes came from the X chromosome, which men inherit from their mother. If you inherit hair loss genes from one or both of your parents, there’s a higher chance you may experience balding or hair thinning, Khetarpal says. “Women are typically protected from hair loss until after menopause… but with men, it can start as early as their teens,” Khetarpal said. “Genetics play the biggest role of when it starts and how rapidly it progresses.” Apart from genetics, lifestyle factors can contribute to hair loss. Khetarpal says that smoking is associated with hair thinning as is a protein-deficient diet. She also says that infants and people who are bedridden may experience hair loss around the back of their head. “When they’re on their back and there’s a lot of pressure on an area of the scalp, that could restrict some blood flow and can cause some thinning in that area,” she explained. Types of hair loss and things to remember Khetarpal says medical experts typically divide hair loss into two main categories: scarring hair loss, also known as cicatricial alopecia, and non-scarring alopecia. She says about 90 per cent of hair loss falls into the non-scarring category. “And then, within that non-scarring realm, the most common type of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia, also known as male or female pattern hair loss,” she said. “What that typically looks like with men is they lose hair at the top of the scalp — they get some recession along the hairline and then in the crown — and hair also starts to thin on top. Women actually maintain their frontal hairline, but their part gets wider.” While Khetarpal says hair loss is very common, it still carries stigma. It can be hard for men and women when their hair starts to thin or fall out. “Because of the social stigma … the cultural kind attitude towards hair loss, I do notice a lot of my male patients especially wear a hat,” she said. “Recent statistics show that 50 per cent of men, by the age of 50, have signs of androgenetic alopecia. For women, by the age of 70, around 40 per cent have clinical signs of hair loss.” This story first appeared on Global News Canada  Like your clothes, haircuts aren’t one-size-fits-all. But unlike your clothes, you can’t take a crap haircut off after a day of fielding abuse from your colleagues. Which is why – before going under the barber’s scissors – it’s worth knowing which styles best suit your face shape. After all, an extra inch here or a smattering of facial hair there can make all the difference. What Face Shape Am I? But how can you actually determine what shape your face is? It’s simple. First, arm yourself with a flexible tape measure. Then, take the following measurements, recording each as you go.
Once you’ve taken these measurements, note which is the largest of the four, and then compare this to the seven main profiles to find out where your face falls.
How To Choose The Right Haircut For Your Face Shape Haircuts For Oval Faces  Seen as the genetic jackpot for women, an oval may not be the most alpha of face shapes for men, but it’s a good canvas for experimentation. Symmetrical and well-proportioned, an oval face shape does pretty much any hairstyle justice, so – you lucky boy – the choice is very much yours. That said, there are a couple of minor caveats to ensure you optimise your ovalness. “The trick with an oval face shape is to wear your hair off the forehead to create some volume and angles on top,” says Aveda master barber Stelios Nicolaou. “The most suitable style is a classic short back and sides and slightly longer on the top, with a side-swept parting.” You’ll also want to avoid a forward fringe. “Too much heaviness on the forehead softens features and increases roundness of the face,” says celebrity hairstylist Jamie Stevens. And feel free to ditch the beard, says Ruffians creative director Denis Robinson. “You don’t need facial hair to fill out any disproportionate gaps in this case, so feel free to go clean-shaven.” Haircuts For Square Faces  Considered the masculine ideal, a square face shape is characterised by a razor sharp jawline, even proportions and an overall chiselled appearance. Grrr. Like the oval, it’s a great foundation for most styles and is versatile enough to work with both extremely short and longer hairstyles – from buzz cuts to French crops to quiffs. Just bear in mind that the shorter you go, the more you look like you’ve just been conscripted (enlisted). Not that that won’t serve you well. “Classic, neat haircuts complement a square shape best – think close fades, side partings and short layers,” says Stevens. Some light stubble also gives the sharpness of your jawline a little welcome texture without blurring its line. Haircuts For Rectangle Faces  The longest of the face shapes, a rectangular face falls somewhere between an oval and a square, but requires a subtly tweaked hairstyle to ensure the face doesn’t appear even longer than it is. “Because a rectangular face looks longer, it’s important to avoid taking the sides too short if keeping length on the top, as this would only accentuate the length of the face,” explains Nicolaou. “Try a well-proportioned style that doesn’t take the sides too short or leave too much length on top.” Taking that advice, try a style that lets the hair fall to the sides and/or across the forehead to add width and ensure your face doesn’t appear narrower than it is. Finally, never pair with a Duck Dynasty a beard, says Robinson. “A full beard only elongates the face, so instead try facial hair that ranges in length from stubble to a short beard to fill out any gaps.” Haircuts For Round Faces  Circular with a rounded chin and no obvious lines or angles, a round face shape benefits from a haircut that lends it some definition. “If you’ve got a round face shape, think square,” says Stevens. “Since round faces have little in the way of natural angles, you need to create the illusion of structure with your hair. A style with height on the top that’s taken tight at the sides such as a pompadour or a flat top works well to add structure, as do front fringes.” “Square corners in the high recession area of your hair will sharpen up any soft edges,” adds Robinson. “A full square beard will also help thin the chin area, giving the appearance of a more chiselled jaw.” Haircuts For Diamond Faces  Narrow in the chin and brow, with width in the cheeks, the diamond is one of the rarer face shapes. Because of that, it has some specialist requirements to ensure it looks its namesake. “Hairstyles that add width at the forehead and chin area are your best bet,” says Stevens. “Fringes work well to add texture to the forehead, while longer styles that can be tucked behind the ears are great for accentuating a diamond shape’s bone structure.” Don’t, however, take the sides too short – given the width of the cheekbones, a hairstyle that’s particularly short at the sides will only make your ears look bigger. Softer lines and layers are better for this face shape, working to soften its natural angles. Try a side sweep or deep side-parting, and consider growing a 5 o’clock shadow if you want to add some size to a narrower chin. Haircuts For Heart-Shaped Faces  Wide at the temples and hairline, gradually narrowing to a point at the chin, the (fairly rare) heart face shape benefits from a few optical illusions to make it appear better proportioned. “Avoid cuts that are very tight, as these will accentuate the narrowness of the chin and the width of the forehead,” says Stevens. “A medium-length swept look is the safest bet.” Mid-length and long hairstyles that are kept reasonably thin and light soften the heart shape’s strong forehead. Facial hair is also key in this case, adding some much-needed bulk to a narrow chin and jawline, says Robinson. “As with the diamond face shape, a beard helps a heart shape gain fullness in the lower, narrower half of the head.” Haircuts For Triangle Faces  Due to its narrow forehead and wide jawline, a triangular face requires the opposite treatment of a heart shape.
“A style with volume is king with this one,” says Stevens. “Opt for longer, nose-length haircuts with fuller sides, which work to add depth.” As for the beard, the most you’ll look good with is some light stubble. But really, given the prominence of the jawline in this case, it’s best to steer clean-shaven. Grab the razor, fellas. 7/17/2019 You want cool-girl waves, right? You want the hair you're seeing on Instagram and those inspirational pics of cool-girl waves, right? Well, that's why I'm sharing this article from one of my professional sites so you can achieve these waves at home. According to BTC Team Member Chris Jones (@chrisjones_hair): By empowering clients (that's you) with basic tips and usable tools, you will make their dream hair an everyday reality and score better selfies for social media! So, here you go... 3 Flat Iron Tips For Teaching Client-Friendly Waves 1. Waving 101: Break Down The Basics Don’t let clients leave the salon without these waving basics below! “If we can teach our clients how to properly use the tools, which direction to curl their hair, then we can empower them to feel beautiful everyday, not just leaving the salon,” shares Chris. Get The Basics Below:
2. Choose The Right Tools Let’s be real. You’re probably not going to send a client home with a Marcel iron. Chris recommends whatever tool matches the client’s skill level at home for best results which is typically a flat iron or wand. What’s the most “usable” at-home tool according to Chris? He recommends clients invest in the Revolutionary 1.25″ Ionic Salon Flat Iron by Hot Tools. “Much like running scissors over a ribbon, just smooth over once, turn either half or a full rotation then glide the iron over the section,” shares Chris. Keep scrolling for the video how-to! 3. Client Waving Demo: Watch This @chrisjones_hair video below Chris went on Instagram to demo how he uses his favorite client-friendly tool, the Revolutionary 1.25″ Ionic Salon Flat Iron, for the ultimate cool-girl texture. “The most expensive haircut in the world isn’t worth anything if the clients cant replicate it at home,” shares Chris. Watch The Technique!  7/15/2019 0 Comments Researchers from Columbia University use 3D printing to grow human hair follicles Columbia University researchers from the Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUMC), have established a method of growing human hair in a dish using 3D printing in a new study. It is reportedly the first time in which human hair follicles have been artificially generated in a dish, without the need for implantation into human skin. The breakthrough, enabled by a 3D printed mold, could potentially open avenues for hair restoration surgery to more people, as well as improving upon the current procedures that pharmaceutical companies use to search for hair growth drugs. The study, titled “Tissue engineering of human hair follicles using a biomimetic developmental approach,” was published in Nature Communications. Erbil Abaci, PhD, first author of this study, explains the significance of using 3D printing in their research: “Previous fabrication techniques have been unable to create such thin projections, so this work was greatly facilitated by innovations in 3D printing technology.” The limits of growing human hair Although the possibility of artificially growing hairs in the lab has been established for a number of years, it has been limited to the growth of mouse and rat hairs. Scientists would generate the hair by culturing cells taken from the base of the rodent’s follicles, however, human cells did not behave in the same manner: “Cells from rats and mice grow beautiful hairs,” Dr. Christiano explains, a specialist in regenerative therapies for skin and hair disorders and author on the paper. “But for reasons we don’t totally understand, human cells are resistant.” In order to counter the resistance of human hair cells, Dr. Christiano has been attempting to replicate the 3D environment normally inhabited by them. The first attempt in developing these conditions involved the creation of ‘cell spheres’ inside hanging drops of liquid. However, when the scientists implanted these spheres of human cells inside the mice, the results were not concrete, as some people’s cells created new hair whereas others didn’t. Using 3D printing to prevent hair loss The new study demonstrates a method that utilized the intricate capabilities of 3D printing to help create a more natural microenvironment for human hair follicle growth, allowing it to be grown in a dish. Specifically, the team of CUMC researchers used 3D printing to create plastic molds with long, thin extensions only half a millimeter wide: “We exploit the unique capability of 3D-printing technology to create structures with high aspect ratios (length to width ratio: ~100 for human HFs13),” as described in the paper. These ratios were previously not possible with other fabrication methods, like soft lithography. The team engineered human skin to grow around the mold, after which human hair follicle cells were implanted within the wells, and topped by keratin-producing cells (the main structural constituent of hair). Furthermore, the cells were injected with ingredients to help stimulate hair growth, and after a period of three weeks, human hair follicles appeared, and began to create hair. Further optimization and refinement is required for the method, however, the researchers claim that, by using 3D printing, it could lead to an unlimited source of new hair follicles for patients undergoing robotic hair restoration surgery. “What we’ve shown is that we can basically create a hair farm: a grid of hairs that are patterned correctly and engineered so they can be transplanted back into that same patient’s scalp,” Dr. Christiano explains.  Hair restoration surgery often requires relocating transferring 2,000 hair follicles from the back of the head to the front and top. This is mostly reserved for male patients with stabilized hair loss on the back and sides, with enough hair to donate. Most women have the ‘diffuse’ type of hair loss, which represents an overall thinning in all areas of the head, including the sides and back where hair is required for donation. However, the study provides a route to overcome the limited availability of hair restoration surgery for women: “That expands the availability of hair restoration to all patients–including the 30 million women in the United States who experience hair thinning and young men whose hairlines are still receding. Hair restoration surgery would no longer be limited by the number of donor hairs,” added Dr. Christiano. Other potential uses for the engineered hair follicle using 3D printing includes the screening for new hair growth drugs, which is hampered by inability to grow human hair follicles in a lab dish. In the pharmaceutical industry, no drugs have been found so far through screening, however the team hopes that its cultured hair farms will enable high throughput drug screens to identify new pathways that influence hair growth. Continuous research into the capabilities of 3D printing at Columbia University With this new study, scientists from Columbia University have demonstrated a continuous drive towards pushing the capabilities of 3D printing through a variety of research and experiments. Most recently in April 2019, Columbia University scientists developed a new method to 3D print cooked food, with the intention of overcoming the limitations of current 3D food printers (3DFPs).  Furthermore, researchers from the university have also shown a method to replicate the external and internal structure of wood using a 3D printer. With the help of imaging, color and voxel mapping techniques, Columbia University engineers were able to mimic the unique texture of olive wood. Finally, in 2017, a team from the university also developed a liquid-based mechanical system made from a 3D printed hydrogel that can be implanted in the body and controlled to release medication at will.
This news brought to you from 3DPrintingIndustry I also found this news here at DocWireNews. |
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