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8/15/2023 Why does your hair curl in the summer? A chemist explains the science behind hair structure The three layers of hair If you have curly hair, you know that every day is a new adventure. What will my hair do today? Why does it curl better on some days than others? And even those without naturally curly hair might notice their hair curling—or, let's be honest, frizzing—a bit on humid summer days. As a person with curly hair, I'm always looking for the best way to care for and understand my hair. As a chemist, I'm interested in the science behind how my hair behaves at the molecular level. There are different hair types, from straight to curly, and they behave differently depending on their structure. But what hairs are made up of at the molecular level is the same. Hair structure Hair begins growing under the skin's surface, but it's what happens after it pokes through the skin that determines whether you have a good hair day or a bad one. Each hair can have three layers—the medulla, the cortex and the cuticle. You can think of each hair like a tiny tree trunk. The innermost, or core layer, is the medulla. This layer holds moisture, much like the pith in the center of a tree trunk. This layer is also very fragile, but only thick or coarse hairs contain this part—so those with thin or blond hair typically don't have the medulla layer in their hairs. Next is the cortex, which makes up most of a hair and is analogous to the wood of a tree. The cortex is made up of spring-shaped protein molecules that lie in parallel rows in a cylindrical bundle. The exact shape of that bundle is determined by the hair follicle, which is a pore on the skin from where the hair grows. How the hair grows out of the follicle influences the distribution of its proteins. So a straight follicle produces straight hair and a curved follicle produces curly hair. The less evenly distributed the squiggly proteins are, the curlier the hair. Your genetic code also plays a role in the shape of the cortex and, therefore, the shape and thickness of your hair.  A hair’s cuticle under a microscope. Lastly, the outermost layer of a hair is called the cuticle. The cuticle is like the bark of a tree—and it even looks like bark under a microscope. It's the cuticle's job to protect the cortex, but the cuticle is very easily damaged. Imagine lifting or removing the bark from a tree. Doing so would leave the wood inside susceptible to moisture loss, exposure to the environment and damage. The same is true for each hair. When the cuticle is damaged from brushing, chemicals, wind or heat, the proteins of the cortex have a much more difficult time lying smoothly together. This means they can lose moisture, gain moisture, fray like a rope—this causes split ends—and even break. All these factors can influence how your hair looks at any given moment. Hair in the summer So what does all of this have to do with humidity? Well, hair proteins contain many permanent chemical bonds. Only chemical treatments like perms or straightening can change these bonds. But there's another natural phenomenon that keeps the protein molecules in the cortex in line—something called hydrogen bonding. The long, stringy protein molecules in the cortex contain tiny positive and negative charges throughout their structure. Because opposite charges attract each other, entire rows of proteins can be attracted to each other like tiny, weak magnets. Heating or wetting your hair breaks the magnetlike attraction between these rows of proteins. So, heat and water can rearrange the proteins in your hair by breaking the hydrogen bonds that keep their structure together. Water is one of the best molecules at hydrogen bonding. So when a molecule of water has the opportunity to hydrogen bond with something, it will. In your hair, water can form hydrogen bonds between the rows of proteins in your hair's cortex. It is the extent to which this happens that determines your hair's fate. When just a little water enters the hair, like it might in lower humidity conditions or when the cuticle is healthy and able to keep too much water out of the cortex, your hair may curl. When humidity is high, or the cuticle is damaged, more water enters the hair. Too much water can swell and crack the cuticle, making hair look frizzy. Many people consider high humidity to be the problem behind frizzy hair, but styling your hair under high humidity and then entering a less humid environment can also be an issue. Water molecules leaving the hair's cortex can also lead to a change in hair behavior. Treating summer hair A damaged cuticle layer leaves the cortex more susceptible to water molecules creeping in or out and wreaking havoc on your hair. Anytime water molecules travel in or out, your hair's structure suffers and your hairstyle may be ruined. When the cuticle is healthy, it can protect the cortex, making your hair less susceptible to changes in the weather or environment. The bottom line is that a healthy hair cuticle helps keep proper moisture in the cortex. Heat from styling tools is the most common culprit behind damaged cuticles, but chemical treatments, brushing, sun and wind can also cause damage. Avoiding these activities can help, but some things, such as exposure to the sun, can't be avoided. You can also take care of your scalp—a clean, healthy scalp leads to healthy hair cuticles. Using moisturizing products on your hair can help maintain cuticle health as well. Oils and moisturizing treatments can even restore damaged cuticles. The good news is that by understanding your hair and treating it well, you can help prevent the undesired effects of humidity. from PHYS.org
7/29/2023 Argan oil can cost as much as $300 per liter, making it the world’s most expensive edible oil.Argan oil can cost as much as $300 per liter, making it the world’s most expensive edible oil. Just 20 years ago, however, the production of argan oil was isolated to villagers in Morocco, who sold it locally for as little at $3 per liter. But since then, the formation of women-run cooperatives has transformed the production into a billion-dollar industry. With the help of the cooperatives, the traditional skills held by the Amazigh women has created some financial independence in a male-dominated society However, the women normally make less than $220 a month — below Morocco's recommended national minimum wage. So why has argan oil suddenly gained such popularity? And what makes it so expensive? Celebrity hairstylist Jay Small shares the simple ways men can bulk up thin strands and hide hair loss  If you're losing your hair, going in for a haircut might feel like the last thing you want to do. But a smart, stylish cut can make thinning hair appear fuller, according to celebrity hairstylist Jay Small. Small has two decades of experience that includes work with celebrities like Matt Damon, Luke Grimes, and Noah Centineo. He also cofounded Arey, a dietary supplement and hair serum brand for aging and graying hair. The stylist told Insider that "hair thinning and hair loss for men, specifically," is the most common issue he encounters at the salon. Here are his top tips for making thinning, aging hair appear fuller and healthier. A comb-over can look chic if done properly Don't dismiss the comb-over, Small said, especially one done at the hands of a skilled stylist. "I know it's a cliché to talk about a comb-over," he said, but "there are ways in which you can leave a little bit of hair and not have it be very obvious." He recommends a comb-over to some clients who are losing a significant amount of hair on the crown of their head. But maintaining a chic comb-over requires more frequent visits to the salon, to make sure the combing isn't too obvious. A man with thinning hair who chooses to rock a comb-over might need to visit their stylist every four to six weeks to ensure the remaining hair remains neat and not overgrown. Small also recommends using a powdered dry shampoo to minimize greasiness, which can make hair lie flat on the scalp. Keeping hair dry can add volume, making your hair look fuller. He says look for a dry shampoo that is not aerosolized — those spray cans can be loaded with up to 95% propellants like benzene, which isn't actually helping absorb any oil; it's just pushing the spray out of the can. Also avoid dry shampoos with alcohol in them, which can dry out your scalp. Instead, find a small bottle of dry shampoo powder, ideally one where 100% of the ingredients target oil absorption. Consider changing your part or chopping off some length to help your hair look fuller  If you're noticing a visible bald spot on your head, you might want to change up your part so more hair covers the exposed thinning area, Small said. Though the change might feel "awkward" at first, the stylist recommends trying out a new part with wet hair and blow-drying your hair in the direction of the part. Changing your part later on, once hair is dry, might make the hair "stick up" unnaturally, Small said. If you happen to have a longer hairstyle, chopping off some of that length can also help make hair look fuller. "The longer your hair is, the finer your hair will look," he said. Finally, don't let your hair loss deter you from keeping your scalp healthy and clean. If you wash your hair frequently, find a gentle shampoo that won't over-cleanse. You may also want to consider a weekly scrub, like an acid-based exfoliating treatment that can help "balance the bacteria" on your scalp, Small said. Above all, be open with your hair stylist Small says he understands it can be hard for clients to bring up new hair loss issues with their stylist. "A lot of times people aren't really willing to talk about it," he said. He tries to find "tasteful" ways to broach issues or changes he's seeing on a particular client's scalp. "Our job is to have a conversation that a wife or a friend might not have," he said. from Business Insider
7/15/2023 BARBERING AND TATTOOS? If you, dear reader, were to take a quick look through a few barbers Instagram pages (other social media sites are available) you may notice that a lot of them have a tattoo or two, probably quite a few more. Yet somehow this adult male in his mid twenties (dear writer) has never really thought beyond “that looks pretty cool”, when on the surface of it, there is no real reason for the two to be linked… is there? Before we voyage (hint hint) into the great unknown, maybe the quickest of recaps is required: barbering – very old, tattooing – old but not as old. Hope that clears things up… Seriously though, as you may know from posts such as History of the Barber Pole, barbering is an ancient profession, the first implements that we are pretty certain are barber tools is a barber razor that is over 20,000 years old! And since then the base profession of cutting men’s hair hasn’t changed, hair will continue to grow and laser epilation was a bit less precise in ye olden times, and sadly the Dark Stag Premium Straight Razor just wasn’t available. Of course such minor things as becoming surgeons, bloodletting and leeching, fire cupping, performing enemas, and a toe curling idea of pre-anaesthesia tooth extraction became part and parcel of the role really. But what else would you expect of your local barber? 19,900 years after it’s rather grim conception, and a colossal business boom with the invention of mass production, the business took a hit. Barbering fell out of popularity. Possibly thanks to the invention of the safety razor in 1880 (a.d. now, obviously), but even more likely was the invention and business model created by King Camp Gillette, keep the hissing to a minimum please. As you may be familiar with his work, all I need to say is he invented the idea of disposable razors and the ‘razor and blades business model’, both of which have been made wildly popular, and which led to the decrease in popularity of barbers and their profession. The art had a pretty grim outlook with unisex hairdressers becoming trendy. Fortunately, with indie culture growing more fashionable, and men’s grooming with it, the barbershop is being restored to its pre-Gillette glory. And we here at Dark Stag are thankful for it!  So with that covered, what about the other half of this article, tattoos? Tattoos also have a rich and varied history, with pretty much every culture having a punky rebel stage at some point. The UK has been lucky enough to have 3, the woad phase (ancient Britons), the naval exploration (read: colonialism) phase, and the modern resurgence. I won’t go over the ancient stuff, it’s kind of irrelevant to modern barbering, so let’s jump right in to the rise in popularity in the 19th century. The British navy has quite the reputation for landing in foreign countries, usually conquering and claiming it for itself, leading to that well known phrase: ‘The sun never sets on the British empire’. Fortunately for modern day tattooists, this colonial expansion led to the sailors being exposed to a lot of different cultures from around the world, and a lot of these cultures (looking at you New Zealand, Japan and Samoa) had a deeply ingrained tattoo culture. Which the sailors quite fancied for themselves. This was the birth of the stereotype and image of the grizzled tattooed sailor, and these men brought the images back home where they gained popularity in a major way, even kings and princes got inked (Edward VII and his sons). So you can see exactly how this led to a hugely popular tattoo culture within the UK, and other nations of course. After the world wars, and a number of other events, tattoos had a stigma attached to them, a cumulative effect rather than one defining event, which suppressed them and made them into a subculture of their own. But the fashionable force could not be contained, and the tattoo is now once again in the spotlight.  Now back to the meat of this: we’ve heard of mice and men, but what of barbers and tattoos? What’s the link? One pretty simple explanation could be that both require a clean, sterile environment, electrical tools that need to be handled with precision, and a rather cool old-school atmosphere that few other places can compete with. Dark Stag products are all designed with this classic aesthetic in mind, so they look right at home in your barber shop! Whilst this does logically explain the modern aspects, it really doesn’t cover the historical links. On the surface it appears to be that there is no causal link, that the pair have always been linked, pre-Gillette anyway. One answer that jumped out to me was that, historically, ships would have a barber on board, and as we know, in the olden times these guys would have to switch between straight razor and scalpel and just pray they didn’t get the order muddled up. And we also know that these ships were the first modern Europeans to encounter the cultures that were heavily tattooed.  Some would have been inked in these foreign lands, but I am willing to bet that some sailors would have liked the idea of getting them after seeing these examples, and who else is better to perform this art than the ships resident barber surgeon? From there the barbers leave the ships, set up a business and well there you have it, the barber-tattoo wombo combo that seems so familiar to us. There is one final interpretation however, and it really speaks to me. The subculture stems back to barber shop culture and its roots, as well as the seemingly permanent stigma regarding tattooed people. It’s easy to understand how comfortable a tatted professional or artist would feel working in an environment that supports how they like to express themselves, particularly one that is seen as so ‘alternative’. A mutual respect for each other on this basis would really encourage working together. And barber shops are the place to be to provide it. Men travel to barber shops and tattoo parlours to forge and expand their identities, and the venues have come to represent a distinct set of values that are… well, valued by their customers and the people working there. Going to a barber shop is no longer just about getting your hair cut, it’s also about finding a place where you can relax and be amongst like-minded people without feeling judged. And the same applies to tattoo shops, so it’s no wonder the two are so closely linked!  So there you have it! I’ve supplied the ideas and knowledge, it’s up to you to decide which fits in with your worldview. The question is, which answer do you choose?
Until next time Dark Stag Team Bryant estimated the cost of professional men’s hair coloring in Manhattan to be $50 to $100. For de Blasio, it was almost certainly a good deal less. Written by Frank Rojas  A change in hair color can be emblematic of a shift in someone’s personal life, a fresh start or an attempt to hit pause on the aging process. Depending on the person, it may be a significant change that lasts for a while — or just till the next haircut. For many men, it can feel like a chance to strut out a new look, or to signify that they are back on the market. That may have been a consideration for Bill de Blasio, the former New York City mayor: After 30 years of marriage, he and his wife, Chirlane McCray, revealed this week that they were separating. (The couple said they did not intend to divorce and would continue to live together for the time being.) One of the major takeaways for readers who remembered his grayer days in Gracie Mansion, however, was de Blasio’s considerably darker hair. “I never anticipated ever doing anything with hair color,” he said in the interview. “But I like feeling what I feel.” We spoke with hairstylist and colorists about what men should know before going under the dye bottle. First, be sure you want to ditch the gray. Garrett Bryant, founder of the Hawthorne hair salon in Manhattan, said he typically tried to talk his clients out of coloring their gray hair. “I will admit that I am a big opponent of gray coverage,” he said. “It’s not that I have a daddy complex or anything, I just think that gray hair can be beautiful.” Hair color for men can be tricky because their hair is often shorter than women’s, meaning less length in which a colorist can blend colors for a more natural look. You want to avoid any abrupt shifts in color. “If you go too dark to try to completely cover the gray, you’re going to get very flat results; it’s going look all completely one color,” Bryant said. “That’s when it’s going to not look natural on you.” Add a little pepper to your salt. For first timers, it’s best to start small by camouflaging gray hair, rather than completely covering it. Blending allows for a more subtle and natural look. Hannah Parsley, a men’s cut and color specialist at Takamichi Hair in lower Manhattan, said she preferred to start off as minimal as possible when coloring her clients’ hair to avoid that “line of demarcation when their hair grows out.” “You won’t get 100% coverage with blending,” she added, “but it’s a great way to kind of baby step into starting to color your hair and having it naturally get a little darker every time.” Don’t just Google, consult a professional. In the age of DIY, it may seem simple to do a quick Google search or open up TikTok for references. Resist the temptation: It’s usually worthwhile to seek out a professional. Garren, a hairstylist and co-founder of the hair-product line R+Co., recommends getting into specifics with your hair colorist before a single drop of dye is applied. “It’s about figuring out the hairstyle you’re going to wear with it,” he said. “Like, if you’re going to color your hair, what’s your haircut going to look like? What’s your style? You have to have a conversation with your hair cutter, your colorist, and come to some agreement on what you’re going to feel comfortable with in your own skin.” Bryant estimated the cost of professional men’s hair coloring in Manhattan to be $50 to $100. For de Blasio, it was almost certainly a good deal less. Alberto Amore of Astor Place Hairstylists has been the former mayor’s barber since de Blasio was a freshman at NYU, according to his bio. Although he declined to speak specifically about de Blasio as a customer, Amore said on Thursday that he typically charged $20 for a dye job. Be careful not to go too dark with box dye. Neutral and ash colors tend to be the best route when coloring your own hair. You should also not go strictly based on the shades advertised on the box. “The rule of thumb is that those colors tend to be one to two shades darker,” said Rita Hazan, the owner of a namesake salon on the Upper East Side. “So if you think your hair is dark brown, I would go with, like, medium brown. If you think your hair is medium brown, go to light brown.” Going too dark can give you a regrettable shoe-polish look. “I find that a lot of guys start doing it over the counter, and all of a sudden, they get themselves where it starts looking inky or too brassy,” Hazan said. “It overlays and absorbs and then it overlays and overlays to where it gets way too dark, and all of a sudden you see the roots growing out really quickly.” Keep up the upkeep. Maintenance is what will ultimately determine how long your hair color lasts. Bryant advises going to the salon every four to six weeks, but coloring can have a longer life if it’s well taken care of. Several hairstylists recommended Redken and Paul Mitchell products, adding that sulfate-free products could help avoid damaging hair color. from IndianExpress
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Hair by BrianMy name is Brian and I help people confidently take on the world. CategoriesAll Advice Announcement Awards Balayage Barbering Beach Waves Beauty News Book Now Brazilian Treatment Clients Cool Facts COVID 19 Health COVID 19 Update Curlies EGift Card Films Follically Challenged Gossip Grooming Hair Care Haircolor Haircut Hair Facts Hair History Hair Loss Hair Styling Hair Tips Hair Tools Health Health And Safety Healthy Hair Highlights Holidays Humor Mens Hair Men's Long Hair Newsletter Ombre Policies Procedures Press Release Previous Blog Privacy Policy Product Knowledge Product Reviews Promotions Read Your Labels Recommendations Reviews Scalp Health Science Services Smoothing Treatments Social Media Summer Hair Tips Textured Hair Thinning Hair Travel Tips Trending Wellness Womens Hair Archives
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