If you decide that you want to make your hair less frizzy or straighter, you may choose to go to a professional stylist at a hair salon for a hair straightening or smoothing service. Most hair smoothing or straightening products release formaldehyde gas, a known human carcinogen as classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, into the air during the hair straightening or smoothing process. Formaldehyde exposure can cause both short- and long-term effects that may impact your health.

What Happens During the Hair Smoothing Process? 

Your stylist usually applies a hair straightening or smoothing solution to your hair and follows it with a heat processing step—typically performed with a flat iron device that seals the solution into the strands of the hair. When the solution is heated, the formaldehyde in the product is released into the air as a gas. If the salon is not properly ventilated, you, your stylist, and others in the salon are at risk of inhaling the released formaldehyde.

Why Exposure to Formaldehyde is Dangerous

When formaldehyde is released into the air and is present in the air at levels exceeding 0.1 ppm, it can cause serious irritation of your eyes, nose, and lungs. It can also cause skin sensitivity or allergic dermatitis.

Formaldehyde Exposure: Potential Short-and Long-Term Effects

The greater the exposure to products that contain formaldehyde in terms of both length of time and concentration, the higher the potential health risks. Individuals who have experienced formaldehyde exposure have described reactions such as eye problems or irritation, nervous system problems (for example, headaches and dizziness), respiratory tract problems (sore or scratchy throat, cough, wheezing), nausea, chest pain, vomiting, and rashes. Chronic effects associated with formaldehyde can include an increased prevalence of headaches, asthma, contact dermatitis (a red, itchy rash caused by direct contact with a substance or an allergic reaction to it as a result of sensitization) and possibly cancer.

It’s important to note that some people are very sensitive to formaldehyde, whereas others have no reaction to the same level of exposure. If you are sensitive to formaldehyde, you should not use this type of product.

Steps to Take If You’re Thinking of Using Hair Smoothing Products 

1. Don’t do it yourself. Don’t apply them yourself at home. Go to a licensed hair professional in a salon. Hair professionals should be trained to take precautions such as wearing gloves and safety glasses, as well as making sure that there is proper ventilation when applying hair smoothing products. For more information, please visit OSHA Hair Salons: Facts about Formaldehyde in Hair Products.
2. Read the list of ingredients. While the FDA discourages consumers from buying these products for home use, if you are considering purchasing a product from a store or online to apply yourself, read the required list of ingredients. If there isn’t one, don’t buy the product. If the hair smoothing product lists one of these ingredient names on the packaging or company website: formaldehyde, formalin, or methylene glycol, then it means the product contains formaldehyde or will release formaldehyde. Of note, not all hair smoothing products contain formaldehyde, which is why you need to read the label to see what is in the product. 
3. You may also want to ask your salon professional these questions: Does the product contain formaldehyde? Is there an ingredient list available for this product that I could read? Would it be possible for me to review the Safety Data Sheet for this product?  Have you been trained to apply this product, and do you know the necessary safeguards to minimize exposure to formaldehyde? May I see your training certificate from the manufacturer and the directions for product use? Does the salon have proper ventilation? Do you periodically test the air for adherence to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s limits for formaldehyde? Do you have an alternative hair smoothing product that does not release formaldehyde when heated?
4. Report bad reactions. If you experience a bad reaction to a hair smoothing product, stop using the product and report your symptoms to your health care provider. You can also report your symptom to the FDA by contacting the Consumer Complaint Coordinator in your area or by  reporting them online at MedWatch, the FDA’s safety information and adverse reporting program. You also may call MedWatch at 1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form by mail.

​See a fact sheet and an infographic for more information about hair smoothing products and formaldehyde.

Is your hair dry and brittle, or maybe you struggle to detangle your locks and tame the frizz? Deep conditioners come to the rescue.

Implementing these treatments in your regular hair care routine will take it to a whole new level. All you need to do is find the right products to suit your hair type and deep condition your hair regularly. Let’s explore the variety of deep conditioners and find out which will work for you best.

Benefits of Deep Conditioning

Would you agree that a proper skincare regimen can’t consist of only a moisturizer, right? Equally, shampoo and conditioner are only the bare basics for your hair care routine, deep conditioner being an important product to add to it.

Deep conditioning masks are applied for a certain amount of time to deeply penetrate the hair shaft and nourish and moisturize your strands. Deep conditioners have a thicker and more concentrated formula that contains hydrating and nourishing ingredients to prevent breakage, make hair softer, less tangled, and easier to style.

If the hair is lightened and faces frequent heat styling, you should never skip a deep conditioner. If you do, fixing brassy hair or going lighter without going through intensive deep conditioning to restore the health of the locks first may completely ruin your hairstyle and bring you even further away from your hair color goals.

To build your winning haircare routine, you need to figure out what are your main struggles: whether it’s high porosity, dull look, or split ends – you need to face the problem to tackle it. A deep conditioner can help with all of these challenges, but hair types matter a lot here, too, as fine, frizzy, or coarse hair would require a different approach.

How to Deep Condition Your Hair

Our team has researched and picked the best ways to deep condition hair, from the top-rated salon procedures to DIY recipes you can do at home. We hope you can choose some that will work best for your locks.

#1: Store-Bought Deep Conditioning Masks
If you need to deep condition your hair, a hair mask might be the easiest and the most common solution. The difference between a deep conditioner and a regular conditioner is that it has a more reach and concentrated formula. Here are some of our favorite deep conditioning masks:

Normally, you’ll need to use a deep conditioner once or twice a week. Using deep conditioning more often can cause a buildup in your hair, which consequently will cause more harm than benefit.
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Here are the steps to apply your deep conditioner:

• After you wash your hair, remove the excess water and apply the product mid-lengths to the ends and comb through.
• Let the hair mask stay in your hair for at least the time recommended by the manufacturer (at least 30 minutes or longer), as it needs time to penetrate the cuticle and process. We don’t recommend leaving any deep conditioning treatments overnight, as sleeping with wet hair can result in physical damage to hair.
• If you have low porosity hair and struggle with product absorption, cover your hair with a plastic cap to let the natural heat from your head help open the cuticles or use a hooded steamer or a blow dryer to steam your locks.
• Rinse with cool water, shampoo and condition your strands as usual.

#2: Olaplex

​An absolute hair hero of the last few years, Olaplex, has indeed seriously changed the game for many of us. Its patented formula can noticeably repair even severely damaged hair, reduces breakage, and protects hair structure.
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Most of the reputable hair salons offer professional Olaplex deep conditioning as well as Olaplex additives that can be used during any coloring process. Also, their No3 Hair Perfector is a product designed to be used at home and is one of the best intensive hair treatments to date.

Here is how to deep condition with Olaplex at home:
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• Apply it on damp hair from root to tips and leave for as long as possible (at least 10 minutes).
• Rinse with cool water, shampoo, and use your everyday conditioner.
• Use it once a week or more often for very dry, damaged hair.

#3: Coconut Oil

​We totally swear by coconut oil as the best natural ingredient for hair care. It contains fatty acids and Vitamin E – ingredients that moisturize and hydrate hair as well as reduce its damage. Eventually, it facilitates length retention, as it helps you maintain the health of your hair for a longer time and you need a haircut less often.

Here is how to use the natural oil as a DIY deep conditioner:
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• Buy extra virgin coconut oil – the one that hasn’t been chemically processed and still contains its most valuable ingredients.
• Melt and apply it from the mid-length to the ends and leave for 30-60 minutes.
• You can also put on a shower cap and cover your hair with a warm towel to increase the effect. This step is essential for those with coarse, low porosity hair, as heat promotes product penetration.
• Follow with shampoo and conditioner.

#4: DIY Deep Conditioning Mask

While there’s a vast variety of ready-to-use deep conditioners from high street to luxury products, making your own product feels like a very special self-care ritual.

Here is the recipe:

• ½ cup of shea butter
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons of castor oil

Enriched with vitamins A and E, shea butter has excellent emollient qualities. Castor oil strengthens the hair follicles and facilitates hair growth. Both these ingredients, alongside the benefits of coconut oil, make your hair shiny and strong, prevent sun and pollution damage.

Here are the steps to prepare and apply apple natural oils deep conditioning:

• Whip shea butter, melt coconut oil, and mix all the ingredients.
• Apply on dry hair from the roots to the tips. You can also massage the treatment into your scalp.
• Leave it for 45 minutes. Ideally, wear a plastic cap and wrap your hair in a warm towel to facilitate the processing of the treatment.
• Rinse thoroughly using shampoo and follow with a conditioner.

This DIY conditioning treatment is good for any hair type, especially if your hair needs a shield to prevent losing hair’s moisture. However, if you have the oily scalp of very fine hair, it might feel too heavy for you.

Of course, there are more homemade hair mask recipes that often include ripe avocados, honey, castor and olive oil. These will be a good addition to your healthy hair journey, but they will unlikely work as a deep conditioner substitute, as many ingredients do not have fatty acids needed to penetrate the hair shaft.
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We hope you found some useful information in this article. As we all know, the key to success is consistency: use a deep conditioner once a week and you will soon see a noticeable difference in your hair. Not only will it get shiny, less tangled and more manageable, but you will also be able to grow your locks longer.

Hair plays an important role in our physical appearance. It ranks highest among the possible ways for women to express themselves, even found to be more important than smiling, clothes, complexion and makeup. It is also one of the few areas where women have some level of control by altering the length, style and color. By doing so, they can change the perception of themselves and ultimately showcase confidence and express their personality. Additionally, hair alters how women are perceived by others, their competency, individuality and character.

Hair health plays a large part in this created confidence and competency either from self-assessment or by others. These findings have been confirmed in research. For example, one study demonstrated that images of undamaged hair shown to 50 men and 50 women were perceived as younger, healthier and more attractive than images of damaged hair.1 There are many research articles and reviews that consider hair changes as a function of age, such as graying, diameter and density changes, but these articles do not link biology changes to hair, habit changes or even cultural environment associated with age and beauty.2 Thus, the objective of this article is to explore in more detail how perceptions of healthy hair vary as women age; what the contributing factors are, both culturally and biologically; and how this leads to different hair damage issues women face, as well as product solutions. The underlying premise is that perceptions of healthy hair and the product choices made are determined both by the cultural environment and the changing biology of hair.

Hair Damage Assessment

The first question is whether a women’s perception of their hair health changes as they age. A U.S. study of more than 500 women aged between 18-75 asked the women to assess their amount of damage on a five-point scale from no damage to severe damage. The percentage of women who answered "moderate to severe damage" was 20-25% for all age groups; the percentage decreased at ages 60-65, with 15% claiming "moderate or severe damage." In addition, 50% of this older group claimed to have no damage at all. Therefore, from 60-65 years, it appears women experience less damage but at all other ages, the level of perceived damage is consistent.

A related question was how concerned users were with hair damage and not unexpectedly, the older group was significantly less concerned about damage than all other ages. Most concerned were those in the 18-35 age group followed by the 35-60 age group. The younger age group also felt they had to work harder to get the style they wanted, indicating a generally higher dissatisfaction with their hair.
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Read more in the February 2022 digital edition >>>

A recent headline featured in The Daily Mail proves once again how impactful fearmongering is on unknowing consumers. "How your shampoo bottle could be making you FAT: Scientists discover 11 chemicals in common plastics that contribute to weigh gain," it reads. Throw another pick on the junk science pile; or at least, it's portrayal.

According to the story, scientists examined 34 different plastic products and identified 11 chemicals commonly present that can affect human metabolism and contribute to weight gain. The products included beverage bottles, kitchen sponges, yogurt containers and hair conditioners. Martin Wagner, a co-author and associate professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, said their experiments show that "ordinary plastic products contain a mix of substances that can be a relevant and underestimated factor behind [being] overweight, and obesity."

The study itself, published in Environmental Science & Technology, describes how the authors characterized the chemicals and analyzed their joint adipogenic activities. Among some 629 unique compounds, 11 known metabolism-disrupting compounds (MDCs) were identified; including four phthalates and six organophosphates. Importantly, according the the article abstract, the chemicals extracted from one-third of the products caused murine 3T3-L1 preadipocytes to proliferate and differentiate into adipocytes, which were larger and contained more triglycerides than those treated with a reference compound, rosiglitazone.

The Daily Mail reported that while some plastic products contained known metabolism-disrupting substances, or obesogens, others did not but still induced the development of fat cells. "It's very likely that it is not the usual suspects, such as bisphenol A, causing these metabolic disturbances," said Johannes Völker, one of the study's authors. "This means that other plastic chemicals than the ones we already know could be contributing to overweight and obesity."

Caroline Rainsford, head of scientific services at the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA), quickly jumped on this study and misleading headline. In a blog post, she wrote "It’s certainly true that the study’s authors looked at packaging samples and found some of these samples contained chemicals they suspect to have metabolism-disrupting effects....just not the shampoo bottles! In contrast to what the striking headline suggests." 

In her blog, she worked her way through the paper, critiquing the study design and describing, for consumers, how to "interrogate" media articles such as these to come to their own conclusions. For example, she questioned how relevant it is to real life exposure to extract chemicals from plastics, concentrate them in a solvent and test them on fat cells grown in a lab.

"The results from the study certainly give us a fascinating insight into the behavior of fat cells in the presence of certain chemicals," she wrote. "Although we do have to consider what might happen outside of a lab... Are we exposed to the same amount of chemicals from plastic packaging when using everyday products? How will the chemicals get into our bodies?"

Rainsford further explained how solvents are used to extract chemicals to get enough of a material to perform the tests but the reality is, products such as shampoos and beverages are much less effective at dissolving those chemicals; not to mention the fact that laws covering cosmetics, foods and other products already take into account the potential migration of chemicals from packaging into products.

Furthermore, by adding these chemicals directly to fat cells, the researchers have taken a "short cut" to how they would be processed through the body. And, personal care products in particular are applied to skin or hair, which makes it more difficult for chemicals to enter the body.

Notably, in the paper's conclusion, the authors also highlighted, "Given that we aimed at investigating whether MDCs are present in plastic products, we used methanol to extract the samples. This simulates a worst-case scenario. Thus, even though we demonstrated that potent (mixtures of) MDCs are present in consumer products, it remains to be investigated whether these will migrate under more realistic conditions into air, water, or food, or can be taken up dermally." 
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"It’s always exciting to see new scientific research, especially that which relates to the cosmetics and personal care industry—which has science at its foundation," Rainsford wrote. "... But this headline-grabbing story is a reminder that in every case, it is helpful to approach new science with a critical eye, an open mind… and to draw your own conclusions."

from Cosmetic and Toiletries

Should you shampoo before you come have your hair colored? Almost daily, someone will ask if they should wash their hair before tinting or highlighting.

The idea of not washing before a color service goes back to the old days, when color products were very harsh compared to the gentle colors we have today. A bit of natural oil on the scalp kept the tingling and staining to a minimum. This was especially important with bleaching services, which could be quite irritating to the scalp.

Fast forward to now, and many clients have been led to believe that the dirtier the hair, the better the color.

​Here are some guidelines to prep your hair for a perfect color service.
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1. Wash your hair 12 to 24 hours before your color. This will assure the hair is clean, but allow the oil in your scalp to create a protective barrier against irritation and staining.
2. Wash the hair, but don’t aggressively scratch the scalp. broken skin or scratches will definitely burn or tingle with color or bleach.
3. If you work out hard before a color service, wash your hair. Excessively oily hair lifts poorly, processes slowly, and doesn’t color well.
4. Make sure any cover up products you use to disguise your roots between services are out before you get to the salon, or arrange to come earlier to have it pre-shampooed. Otherwise you may not get coverage where you want it most.
5. Ditto for dry shampoo. It can create a barrier that color doesn’t penetrate well.
6. Shampoo especially well if you use oil in your hair such as coconut oil or olive oil. Heavy oil products make the color ineffective, and make highlights bleed all over the place.
7. Styling products are generally OK, unless you use loads of them. Hairspray can be brushed out before the service, and most non oily products are fine.
8. Come with dry hair, or arrive early to have it dried under a dryer, While color takes fine on damp hair, damp hair pulls a lot when your sectioning and you will be much more comfortable starting with a dry head of hair.

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