Everybody loves a soft, silky finish when we apply hair products. But what cost are you willing to incur in order to achieve that slippery finish? Did you know that companies add cheap, man-made plastics, aka silicones, to give your hair that fake feeling? Silicones in hair products can pose a major risk to your hair and health. Read on to figure out what ingredients you need to watch for in your hair products!

What Are Silicones?
Silicone is technically a mineral, but companies produce it on the cheap to achieve slip and shine in hair care products. Modern-day silicones are man-made plastics that make hair feel hydrated when its technically just covered in a slippery coating. Silicones in hair products are typically added to avoid spending on truly hydrating ingredients.

Why Are Silicones in Hair Products Bad for You?
Instead of actually repairing your hair, silicones fill in the uneven texture with cheap, man-made plastic. Silicones also interfere with cell renewal, they can trap debris in your hair shaft and can block other ingredients in your expensive products from penetrating creating a barrier. As if this wasn’t bad enough, silicones in hair conditioners are notoriously difficult to remove. Even if you rinse multiple times, the most common silicone, dimethicone, is insanely heavy (compared to its size) and leaves a thick coating.

How Can You Spot Bad Silicones on an Ingredients label?
You don’t have to have a Ph.D. to spot these devil compounds in your product labels. Look for words that end with this: -cones, -conols, -silanes, and -siloxanes. You need to be extra suspicious when buying hydrating shampoos and conditioners, leave-in and mask treatments as well as hair oils and styling creams. The above mentioned product categories typically run the highest risk for silicon additives.

This information is brought to you from Mane Addicts

Developed in India over 3,000 years ago, Ayurvedic medicine or Ayurveda for short, is one of the world's oldest holistic i.e. whole-body, healing systems. The foundation of Ayurveda is that health and wellness depend on the intricate balance between the spirit, mind, and body and its principal objective is to promote good health, not to fight disease. Ayurvedic medicine gives us a lot of great options for hair. Henna is perhaps the most well-known ayurvedic herb used in haircare but there are many others including amla, brahmin and turmeric — the benefits of which we will take a closer look at below.

What Is Turmeric?

As spices go, turmeric is one of the most important spices in Indian dishes. It is also one of the most studied herbs in science. Scientifically called Curcuma longa, turmeric is a root in the same plant family as ginger. The dried root of the turmeric plant is ground to produce the distinctive yellow turmeric powder.

The Benefits of Turmeric for Hair

The benefits of turmeric for hair come down to two things:

• Its ability to combat hair loss
• Its ability to promote hair growth

Turmeric’s ability to combat hair loss comes from curcumin, a natural compound that has been and continues to be widely studied. Curcumin is believed to be effective in halting to the overproduction of dihydrotestosterone most commonly known as DHT. DHT is a hormone responsible for hair loss in men and women by restricting hair growth from the follicles.

Turmeric’s ability to create a healthy environment for hair growth stems from its anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. Hair thrives when the scalp is healthy, and turmeric can help you achieve a healthy scalp by combating dandruff and dry, itchy scalp conditions. As Ayurveda expert Shadoh Punnapuzha says, “The antiseptic and anti-inflammatory qualities that it contains can help soothe the scalp and get rid of dandruff,”

How to Use Turmeric

You may choose to use turmeric topically or add the spice to your meals, smoothies, and teas. Mix equal parts turmeric and olive oil to eliminate dandruff and improve scalp health. Apply the mixture to your scalp and leave on for about 30 minutes. Cleanse and condition and style hair afterwards as normal. Light hair may be stained by turmeric but that should fade during the washing and conditioning process.

Turmeric Tea
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
4 cups of water
1 teaspoon of raw honey or fresh lemon juice or grated ginger

Turn on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Put the turmeric into the boiling water and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Take mixture off the heat and strain the liquid. Add honey or lemon juice or grated ginger before consumption.

Turmeric Smoothie

For the smoothie
1 large ripe banana, peeled and sliced
1 cup of fresh pineapple
½ tablespoon peeled fresh ginger
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ cup carrot juice (see below)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup of almond milk, unsweetened

For the carrot juice
2 cups of carrots
1 ½ cups of filtered water

Make the carrot juice by adding carrots and the filtered water to a high-speed blender. Keep blending until you get a pureed and smooth mixture. Add more water if required.

Strain and set aside the pulp for smoothies or baked goods. Transfer the carrot juice to a mason jar.

Add the smoothie ingredients to the blender and blend until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Add more carrot juice or almond milk if required. Scrape down the seeds as and when needed. Taste and adjust the flavors as required.

You can be creative with the use of turmeric in your meal preparations. So if you haven’t yet, why not give it a try?

This article is from Naturally Curly

It's September and you know what that means, don't you?   Our "Summer" is here.  It's been a pretty nice summer already, so I'm curious to find out what September brings. 

We can talk about a whole lot of things when you’re getting your hair done, but the only thing I know a little something about it what’s on the top of your head.  That is why you come to me, right.   I am always going to have hair related articles for you, but maintaining healthy hair (and scalp) also involves a healthy body, mind, and soul (or spirit).  From time to time I'm going to throw in an article or two with information on getting out & about and feeding your soul.  I've been adding many of these to my list of things to do.  I hope you will find them encouraging, too.

My goal is to continue keeping this newsletter interesting and something you’ll want to read through each month.  

That said…

Did you know Turmeric was good for your hair?    Not only is it a great spice, but it also helps to create a healthy environment for hair growth because of it’s anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.   The article I have for you has a few creative ways to include turmeric in your day.  

Bad haircuts happen.  I know I’ve fixed a few.  It might also be that a particular haircut isn't right for your face shape or hair texture (no matter how insistent you were on having it).  I may have even recommended a cut you weren’t happy with.  Sometimes I miss the mark.  The good news is that it’s fixable.  Not by you, though.  It’s fixable by you coming back and letting me know what didn’t (and did) work for you.   

Guys, I have a nice article for you with a few easy ways to have a good hair care routine.   Just changing a few habits can make sure your hair is not only looking healthy, but also neat, tidy and attractive.

Believe it or not, a fairly common concern or question is about thinning hair and hair loss.  I’m going to always include an article or two about either of those topics.   This month I have an article about visiting a trichologist (a subset of dermatology that focuses on scalp and hair health) if you want to get to the “root” of your thinning hair concerns and an article with recommendations (pros and cons) on great hair loss products.

Remember earlier I mentioned getting out and about?  Well, I have articles for you on “Micro-cations”, leaving no trace, and riding a bike.
​
That’s just some of what I have for you this month.
 
Enjoy!