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5/23/2023

5 amazing benefits of Niacinamide (vitamin B3) for hair health

Niacinamide, a type of Vitamin B3 is found in foods like meat, milk, fish, eggs, veggies and cereals.
Here's its benefits for hair health explained by a dermatologist.

Niacinamide is a water-soluble vitamin that can assist in healthy hair growth. (Freepik)

If you are suffering from hair fall, thinning of hair and a lot of hair damage, and tried almost all the hair growth products available on the shelves, it's time to go back to basics and fix your diet. Niacinamide, a type of Vitamin B3, can do wonders for your hair health by preventing inflammation in the scalp, enhancing blood circulation and aiding in production of keratin, an important protein for our hair health. Niacinamide should not to be confused with niacin which is another type of Vitamin B3. However, if you have excess niacin in your body, it gets converted into niacinamide by your body.

Niacinamide is found in foods like meat, milk, fish, eggs, green veggies and cereals. It is also found in various hair care products. One can either consume foods rich in this important vitamin or apply it externally.

"Vitamins play an important role in maintaining our hair health. Niacinamide aka Vitamin B3 is one such ingredient for hair health. Also known as nicotinamide, this vitamin is water soluble and aids in many functions of body such as reducing oxidative stress, metabolizing proteins, and lipids, improve cellular energy and synthesize the carbohydrate to be used by the body. It is also useful in regulating sebum production in the body," says Dr. Rinky Kapoor, Consultant Dermatologist, Cosmetic Dermatologist & Dermato-Surgeon, The Esthetic Clinics Mumbai, India.

"Niacinamide is a water-soluble vitamin that can assist in healthy hair growth. Its antioxidant properties can improve blood circulation, and bring oxygen to the hair follicles, resulting in good hair growth. It helps keep the hair lustrous by maintaining sheen and strength. It supports a healthy scalp by balancing moisture and creating a protective layer that enables healthy hair growth. It reduces scalp inflammation and promotes thicker hair growth and improved alopecia," says Dr Anup Dhir, senior consultant, Apollo Hospital and ex-president, Indian Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.

BENEFITS OF NIACINAMIDE
Dr Rinky Kapoor shares amazing benefits of using niacinamide for hair.

• It enhances blood circulation: Since Vitamin B3 is in charge of delivering energy, it promotes healthy blood circulation and delivery to oxygen and nutrient to the hair follicles. This improves healthy hair growth and gives the hair sheen and suppleness by improving hair textures. This vitamin also helps in bring health back to chemically damaged hair.

• Helps in Keratin synthesis and production: Keratin is a natural protein that is essential for hair as our hair is 90% keratin. Niacinamide increases protein production leading to high levels of keratin which in turn gives bouncy and healthy hair with less breakage and brittleness.

• Calms down scalp inflammation: Inflammation is one of the primary causes of hair fall in men and women. Niacinamide can reduce the redness and inflammation in the scalp and prevent hair fall from worsening. The hair become thicker and fuller.

• Promotes thicker hair growth: Since the follicular healthy improves with nicotinamide because of reduced oxidate stress, the hair does not go into the resting phase of the growth cycle early on. This improves the texture and thickness of the hair, and the overall look becomes voluminous.

• Protects hair from environmental damage: Niacinamide has excellent antioxidant properties that protect the hair from harmful effects of UV rays and also prevent the pollution, heat etc. from drying the hair. This fortifies the lipid barrier and if you are fond of using heating and styling tools, niacinamide can help protect it from the damage.

from Hindustan Times

5/22/2023

The Confess Project: A Barbershop Mental Health Movement

*Editor's Note: The article was originally published on May 3, 2022.

The Confess Project, founded in 2016 by Lorenzo Lewis, is America’s first barbershop mental health movement committed to building a culture of mental health for boys, men of color, and their families by training barbers to be mental health advocates.

Lewis was born in jail to an incarcerated mother, and he struggled with depression, anxiety and anger throughout his youth. He was determined to break the school-to-prison cycle and started his journey into mental wellness. Ten years of living a healthier life, and an advocate for therapy, he wanted to reach other men of color and confront the stigma of discussing mental health.

Lewis authored “Jumping Over Life’s Hurdles and Staying in the Race” about turning his pain into a purpose and spoke at churches, schools, and national conferences sharing his story. He wanted to advocate mental health to a larger audience. In Black communities, after churches, the barbershop is a popular place for congregations. Lewis wanted to create a positive network with a peer support model for barbers to help destigmatize discussing mental health and change the circumstances for future boys and men of color. He knew firsthand the impact beauty and barbershops make.

Lewis recalled his early childhood, from the ages of four to eleven, he would go to his aunt’s beauty shop every day. There he met Sylvester, a barber on staff who became his first male mentor. “Sly encouraged me whenever I was feeling down that there was more to life than what I was currently going through. He shared stories from his childhood.” Lewis also saw the community and camaraderie that happened daily in his aunt’s shop.

The Beyond the Shop program trains barbers to become mental health advocates and currently has more than 600 barbers in 35 cities and 14 states certified. Partnerships with Andis, Gilette and Toyota have helped fund the national grassroots outreach to barbershops.

The training is an elevated sense of customer service, as barbers get to know their clients’ families and life circumstances. Training is focused on 4 steps:

Active listening is building trust by giving the client your attention and affirmation of what they are saying by paraphrasing what was said, head nodding, showing concern and verbalizing indications of understanding.
Validation of the feelings that were just shared in a non-judgemental way.
Feedback should be positive and non-shaming. Communication is crucial to let them know they are not alone in their circumstance and suggest other help such as counseling or support groups.
Stigma reduction is normalizing the conversation via voice tones and gestures. It’s okay to not be okay. Follow up with the conversation on your clients’ next visit.

Barber ambassador Craig Charles, owner of Craig’s Crown Cutz in Johnson City, TN, tells of his experience with the Confess Project. “I just actively listen to some of the guys going through issues with their spouse or kids, I let them know, he’s not alone. I’ve been there. I’ve experienced the same issues myself and I’m a shoulder he can lean on. As a man, it’s okay to not be okay. I’ve had men come back to the shop to express their gratitude for the advice. Advocating mental health to clients is also a reminder for me to recognize when I need to take a step back from being overwhelmed and talk to a mentor.”

The Confess Project participated in a 2020 research study with Harvard University as part of the Barbers are Mental Health Gatekeepers Campaign. The study interviewed 32 barbers between September and December 2020 that consisted of open-ended questions that explored the barbers’ experiences and perspectives regarding mental health and community services. The results confirmed the vital role of Black barbers as change agents in Black communities. Barbers have the ability to create lasting racial change, help Black community members build trust with one another, and bridge the gap in Black communities between unmet mental health needs and mental health care.

Public Health data from the Centers on Disease Prevention Control (CDC) states that in Black men between the ages of 20-44, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death, and Black boys under the age of 20, suicide is the third leading cause. Systematic and institutional racism has created economic and social barriers for Black and Brown communities.

Headquartered in Little Rock, AR, the Confess Project is a liaison to therapists and public health experts, and also works with city governments, universities and organizations to highlight how mental health intersects with police brutality, LGBT issues, gender inequality and more. Satellite offices are located in Atlanta, GA, and Compton/Los Angeles, CA. To get involved and/or support Beyond the Shop, go to www.theconfessproject.com

from ModernSalon

5/22/2023

Therapist? We Prefer our Hair Stylist, Say 1 in 3

83 million Americans are more likely to discuss their worries with their stylist or barber than a professional therapist, reveals the poll. Photo: Istockphoto

One in three Americans (32%) are more likely to discuss their worries with the person who cuts their hair than with a professional therapist, according to a new poll from AQ, an anxiety management app that tracks anxiety in real-time. Women, younger adults, Midwesterners, and Hispanics are most likely of all to do so, according to the survey of 1,005 Americans by pollsters iPsos eNation, on behalf of AQ.

"Millions of Americans suffer anxiety, depression, and similar challenges but can’t afford to consult a professional therapist. Others might have the money but not the time — or the inclination to do so, sometimes due to a lingering sense of stigma. And even if they do have the time, money, and inclination, there just aren’t enough trained therapists to meet the overwhelming need."
— Dr. Shaun Nanavati, neuropsychologist and chief science officer of AQ

“AQ empowers you to become your own therapist,” added Dr. Nanavati. It tracks your anxiety levels and mental state in real-time and then gives you real-time measures to manage them better.

Hair stylists and barbers, meanwhile, seem to be helping bridge “the therapy gap” in a different, less data-driven way than AQ, by acting as America’s unofficial therapists.

“They are paid for their cutting and styling skills,” he said, “but our poll confirms that many also spend their days listening to the troubles of their clients and acting as what amounts to informal and untrained therapists or counsellors.

“Whether we like it or not, the folks cutting our hair are already in the front line of today’s mental health crisis. You might call them salon or barber-chair therapists.”

Stylists and barbers, of course, lack the training and qualifications to tackle many of the issues that trained therapists do, stresses Dr. Nanavati. “And yet some of their clients may feel more relaxed, trusting, and open with them than they would with a trained therapist.”

Other Findings

The 32% of respondents to AQ’s poll who agree with the statement that “I am more likely to discuss my worries with the person who cuts my hair than I am with a professional therapist” is the equivalent of 83 million adult Americans.
Women (35%) are more likely than men (29%) to prefer telling their worries to the person cutting their hair, while those aged 18-34 (37%) are more likely to do so than their elders.
Midwesterners (37%) are more likely to do so than those in any other region — and strikingly more likely so than Northeasterners (22%). “Could this be because there are more therapists to see in the North-East and maybe also less residual stigma about consulting one?”, asks Dr. Nanavati.
Hispanics (40%) are the ethnic group most likely to prefer sharing their problems with the person cutting their hair, while “White (non-Hispanic)” (29%) are least likely to do so.
Those with children at home are more likely than those without to prefer sharing their worries with their stylist or barber — by a margin of 37% to 30%.

from ModernSalon

1 in 3 Americans View Their Stylist as a Therapist

Research has shown that many Americans view their salon visits as a needed form of self-care. With many using this pampered downtime as a chance to confide in their stylists, clients tend to think of their beauty Pros as a kind of therapist, too.

But what makes a trip to the salon so therapeutic, and just how common is it for people to treat their stylists like therapists? To find out, StyleSeat surveyed 1,000 people about their experiences at salons, spas, and tattoo parlors to see what are the not-so-obvious reasons people get beauty treatments done.

Key Findings:

At 88%, a large majority view a trip to the salon as a therapeutic experience.
1 in 3 consider their stylist to be like a therapist.
55% report that their stylist provides emotional support during appointments.
A majority (52%) of Americans have discussed their family member or children's issues with their stylist.
37% are worried about the conversation or relationship becoming awkward if the topic is too deep.

For those seeking more than just a haircut or manicure, the salon can be a sanctuary. For many Americans, the salon is a place where we can discuss topics beyond just beauty and style tips — we can also share our thoughts and emotions. As we enter Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s important to recognize the value of these safe spaces and the comfort they provide to those seeking a deeper conversation.

from ModernSalon

Also check out:
The Confess Project: A Barbershop Mental Health Movement

5/20/2023

Stress hormone measured in hair predicts who is likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases

Study in over 6,300 individuals finds hair cortisone levels were the strongest
predictor of future cardiovascular disease in those aged 57 years or younger

New research being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Dublin, Ireland (17-20 May) suggests that glucocorticoid levels (a class of steroid hormones secreted as a response to stress) present in the hair of individuals may indicate which of them are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the future.

“There is a tremendous amount of evidence that chronic stress is a serious factor in determining overall health. Now our findings indicate that people with higher long-term hair glucocorticoid levels appear significantly more likely to develop heart and circulatory diseases in particular,” says lead author Dr Eline van der Valk from Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Long-term levels of scalp hair cortisol and its inactive form, hair cortisone, are increasingly used biomarkers that represent the cumulative exposure to glucocorticoids over the previous months.

There is a large body of evidence indicating that the stress hormones cortisol and cortisone affect the body’s metabolism and fat distribution. But data on these stress hormone levels and their effect on long-term CVD outcomes is scarce.

To find out more, researchers analysed cortisol and cortisone levels in 6,341 hair samples from adult men and women (aged 18 and older) enrolled in Lifelines—a multi-generational study including over 167,000 participants from the northern population of the Netherlands.

Study participants' hair was tested, and participants were followed for an average 5-7 years to assess the long-term relationship between cortisol and cortisone levels and incident CVD. During this time, there were 133 CVD events.

Researchers adjusted for factors known to be linked with increased risk of CVD including age, sex, waist circumference, smoking, blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.

The researchers found that people with higher long-term cortisone levels were twice as likely to experience a cardiovascular event like a stroke or heart attack, and this rose to over three times as likely in those aged 57 years or younger.

However, in the oldest half of CVD cases (aged 57 and older), hair cortisone and cortisol were not strongly linked to incident CVD.

“Our hope is that hair analysis may ultimately prove useful as a test that can help clinicians determine which individuals might be at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Then, perhaps in the future targeting the effects of stress hormones in the body could become a new treatment target,” says Professor Elisabeth van Rossum, the principal investigator of the study from Erasmus University Medical Center.

The authors acknowledge several limitations of the study, including that it is observational and does not prove that stress causes CVD but indicate that they are linked. They also note that most participants self-identified as white and were from one area of the Netherlands so the findings might not be generalisable to other populations. And although age, sex, waist circumference, smoking, blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes were adjusted for in the analysis, there may be other unmeasured factors that may have influenced the results.

For interviews with article author Eline van der Valk, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands please email e.vandervalk@erasmusmc.nl or contact the Erasmus MC press office at press@erasmusmc.nl T) +31 1070 33289

Alternative contact in the ECO Press Room: Tony Kirby T) + 44(0)7834 385827 E) tony@tonykirby.com

Notes to editors:
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by Elisabeth Foundation; Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research NWO.

This press release is based on oral abstract 14.06 at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO). All accepted abstracts have been extensively peer reviewed by the congress selection committee. There is no full paper at this stage, but the authors are happy to answer your questions. The research has not yet been submitted to a medical journal for publication.

from EurekAlert

5/9/2023

Hair Rules: The Controversial Give And Take Between Black Hair Stylists And Their Clients

Going to the salon used to be a fun Saturday excursion, but social media is now revealing that
the good can come with a bad or even ugly experience.

Caring for our natural crown can be liberating and a full-time job. We’ve all been there when our twist-outs, wash-and-go’s, and slick back buns just aren’t hitting like they used to. For some, hitting up their hairstylist is the equivalent of hitting up a friend to catch up; for others, seeking a new stylist requires a deep dive into social media.

These days, social media has become the medium for women of color to get an inside look at what a hairstylist's experience is sometimes like including expensive deposits, outrageous rules, and overall bad experiences. In return, unsatisfied clients are not shy about exposing the root of their tragic hair appointment.

The popularity of sharing salon experiences has taken social media by storm, especially on TikTok - a Google executive admitted that their studies showed 40% of young people took to TikTok or Instagram for discovery purposes.

We recently talked to TikTokers Domenica and Fellisia, who both felt that the trending social media topic had been a positive experience for consumers. Domenica says, “I think it’s more real than written reviews sometimes. You know it’s a real person actually saying it; people see the results, and sometimes even the process.”

The level of honesty about stylist experiences can be refreshing for consumers. Felicia adds, “There is a whole new level of transparency regarding the entire experience. You learn so much more about not only the service, but you can get a holistic understanding of the experience, which includes all facets of customer service.” However, how much transparency is too much transparency? For some, one bad social media post from an unsatisfied client can destroy a once thriving Black-owned business. The U.S. Census data shows 58% of Black owners described their businesses as “at risk” or in “distress.” At some point, we must think if the post is worth the potential damage it can have on a Black or Brown business owner.

There has been a wide conversation about Black business owners knowing their worth and value. These conversations have empowered Black business owners of all kinds, especially hairstylists, to “charge up,” for example. While this can be a liberating and life-changing experience for Black hairstylists, it can also be a very limiting experience for the communities that supported them. There’s an abundance of social media posts referring to the outrageous prices of Black hair stylists. In this Twitter thread, one user explained how one hairstylist charges $500 for a silk press.

As much as it pains us to lose our favorite hairstylist due to hefty pricing, stylists ultimately have the freedom to charge what they are worth. However, they must also recognize that clients have the freedom to be clients without any outrageous restrictions. According to hairstylist Karen Miller, charging your worth always comes at a price.

“There’s nothing wrong with charging your worth. You just have to hold yourself to the same standard or better that you’re charging. Always stay on your A game.”

When it comes to unsatisfied clients sharing their thoughts on social media, Karen isn’t trying to fight the social media reviews; she’s learned to embrace them. “That’s just the times we are in. There’s no way to protect yourself from bad clients. While I understand you can’t please everyone, this is also a way to hold stylists accountable on every level.”

Criticism, especially social media criticism, can intimidate any business owner. Although there is no way to avoid other people’s opinions in 2023, stylists can still take back their power by learning from it. Karen adds, “I believe we have true power over our businesses. Social media can either help you or hinder you, but ultimately it is the work you’re putting out there. I think people are just looking for an overall good experience.”

from Bet.com

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5 amazing benefits of Niacinamide (vitamin B3) for hair health

The Confess Project: A Barbershop Mental Health Movement

Therapist? We Prefer our Hair Stylist, Say 1 in 3

Stress hormone measured in hair predicts who is likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases

Hair Rules: The Controversial Give And Take Between Black Hair Stylists And Their Clients

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