Not Hot Enough

Nothing came between Brooke and Calvin!

Remember when Levi's, Wranglers and Lee jeans were like khakis and corduroys? Boring. When designer jeans arrived on the fashion scene it was over. I even remember when the R&B funk group Cameo had a song, "Shake Your Pants." They had a verse dedicated to designer jeans letting you know that when you wore a pair, you were "dressed to kill." Jordache jeans were the "ish!" Then came Sassoon, then Gloria Vanderbilt and "Uh oh, Sergio's." But who can forget when Brooke Shields confessed to the world that nothing came between she and her Calvin Klein's? Along with looking nice in those designer jeans came the challenge of how to keep them looking like you just got them fresh off the rack. So the big question was, "to wash or not to wash?" Who can remember not wanting to ever wash your designer jeans because you did not want that rich indigo blue to fade on those stark white stitches" Sorry New Religion, but Calvin Klein ruled the scene way before you were a jean god. 

Whatchu know about dat...lol

In addition to questioning rather to wash them; you also questioned what kind of heat to use on them. You pondered, rather to put them in the washer or send them to cleaners? Hang dry or dryer? Steam or no steam? Starch or no starch? Niagara, Fautless or Stay Flo? For most, Niagara was always best. And if you were pressed for starch, your mom would teach you how to make some by using a lil flour and water...lol Now that's old school for you! The one thing you learned about designer jeans was that you had to have the right amount of heat to keep them soft, smooth and straight to preserve the fabric. And in determining that; it was unanimous that not enough heat, rather from the dryer or the iron proved disastrous!

Believe it or not, how to care for your denim (designer or not) is identical to the concept of hair care. Unlike blue jeans that all are cut from the same fabric, the same cannot be said for hair. Yet, you can apply the concept of fabric care to hair care. Provided you know what the fabric is FIRST and you follow the manufacturers instructions on the label; you can make it happen. Honestly, I see a lot of people putting cheap clothes and expensive garments in the cleaners that can easily be cared for AT HOME; like your hair. 

The trick to caring for your hair/fabric at home is to ask, "What is the most important part of caring for the fabric?" Is it the soap powder, the fabric softener, the bleach, the heat or the starch? Most come to the conclusion, if the fabric is not cleaned properly then there is no use in using any fabric softer, bleach, starch or heat. Again, the same can be asked of hair care and the response will pretty much be the same. If the hair is dirty; what's the point?

Hair like fabric, will not fit right or flow when it becomes soiled. Once the hair is clean and conditioned it will conduct heat safely. When straight and smooth is the goal, heat is the way to achieve it. Heat is responsible for how hair feels, looks and flows on your head just like heat affects how fabrics feel, look and flow on your body. Nothing, compromises the feel, look and flow of hair and fabric like not using enough heat. Both hair and fabrics will become damaged. If a cheap iron that leaks rust and sloughs off soot of some as it comes into contact with the hair or fabric. it too will compromise the health of the hair or fabric.

For mature audiences only.

Every time I hear someone say, "Heat is bad for hair." I immediately look at their clothes and go, "Oh. I see." Understand that if you have never had to do any laundry then understanding how hair is cleaned and cared for will be Greek to you. I am not only referring to the washing machine. I am making reference to having to wash your clothes by hand or on a scrub board or with rocks using the vary forms of soap. If you have never had to use any heat on clothes, then knowing and understanding how heat affects hair will be like Swahili to you. I am not referring to a Black and Decker iron heat . I am referring to the kinds of heat that can be used from irons you had to put on the gas stove, or a steamer, or hanging them in the sun to dry or even having to put your pants under the mattress (whatchu know about that)! Fabric care and the use of heat can be done using many forms. One thing's for certain and two things for sure; heat in some form is a absolute must when smooth and straight fabric is wanted. 

The thicker, the stronger, the more wrinkled the fabric; like hair the more heat is needed. In actuality, the less heat you use on hair that is textured or hair that is strong and thick; the more damage you will cause to your hair. Yep, I wrote it. Less heat is more damaging than too much heat. Again, most hair has 3 layers. The cuticle, cortex and medulla. Each strand of hair is mostly comprised cuticle scaly layers that look like shingles on a roof. The less heat you use to lay those shingles down; the more they will raise. The more they raise, the more the hair will not feel nice, look nice and flow nice. Instead, the hair will: frizz easily, feel gritty, revert quickly, appear dull, dusty, snap and rub out. Also it will not smooth and straighten evenly. 

Open cuticle-how ya hair looks when not enough heat is used.

Heat is your straight hair style's best friend . Like starch, there are a myriad of thermal and heat protectors to buff the cuticle layers from the heat, thus making it safe. There are also a myriad of thermal and heat protectors as well as heated styling tools (flat irons, curling irons, straightening combs, blow dryers, brushes) that makes hair conduct the heat more evenly and safe. Not using any form of heat protector is like not using starch or a fabric protector on those expensive blue jeans. The results are faded, dull jeans that tear very easily. 

Do you spend more money on fabrics
that are not on your head than the hair
fabric that grows from your scalp?

For life of me why people spend more money on fabrics of all kinds designed by the many talented clothing, shoe, wallet and purse designers than the hair that grows from their scalp; behooves me.  After all, clothes, shoes, wallets and purses are made of fabric too. People spend a lot of money to keep those designer/expensive clothes, shoe, wallets and purses looking new.  Your hair is attached to YOUR body. Those fabrics in their varying forms are not. Yet, many of people will go to that ECO friendly cleaners and buy that organic detergent. Yes, make no mistake they, too will put that bebe and Guess shirt in the cleaners, they will buy that UGG cleaner, that Coach bag cleaner and wipe that fabric down whenever salt or goo gets on them. Some will even make a special place in their closet and car for them. They will be sure to use heat or no heat at all if that is what the fabric calls for. Whatever the fabric requires; no amount of money is too much. After all, "You're worth it?" 

But when it comes to hair. I dunno? I see women spending any where from $50.00 to $400.00 on hair weave and then spend $4.99 on oil sheen to make it shine. "Houston, we have a problem." That makes no since. With the exception of those who can not grow hair or those who are pre-genetically determined to lose their hair, everyone has the ability to grow hair for FREE. I'm talking the kind of free hair that grows every single second of the day. And in that hair which is growing for free all day every day, there is some form of texture. There are many people with textured hair who actually like the option of being able to smooth and straighten it. Yet, there are these interesting "self taught, heat free movement people who do not know much about heat; let alone how to use it on hair" people who tell people that heat is bad for hair. Heat is not bad for hair. As a result of their messages about heat, many doubt the safety and purpose of heat on hair as it relates to a straightened hair style. 

Propaganda; A hustle?

Don't listen to those people. Do not make the mistake of trying to smooth out your textured hair, in any form, without enough heat. Damaged hair will be the result. Heat has been so safely used on hair, they even started schooling and businesses for it. It is called, Cosmetology. One, I am proud to represent professionally. I can tell you from personal and professional experience, hair remains on the heads of the many people world wide with all kinds of texture who use heat. Hair that is straightened converts back to its natural state of curly, wavy, kinky or Afro on the many many people who straighten it out. If they purposely or accidentally over process it while using heat; quality protein will revert damaged tresses in due time. All that talk about burning your hair, well;  If you accidentally scorch and burn a piece of hair here and there; don't fret. It will grow back. It's not that serious. 

This movement around: protective hair styles, heat free styles, natural hair styles, healthy hair, curly, hair, loc hair, braided hair, twisted hair, coiled hair, textured hair and any other kind of hair in between is propaganda in its purest form. It totes the line of sexism, racism and classism. It separates people. They mainly do things like show images of women with dark skin and woolen hair or use words like "women of color." Sometimes they single people out by using terms like "mixed, ethnic or bi-racial." These people are wrong. Perhaps they are in need money. They might need attention. Some may have a strong dislike for licensed hair stylists. Some may have had bad experiences with heat. Some don't want to sit through cosmetology school. I don't know, but they are out of line. It has been proven by many how race contributes to hair texture not determine. It also has been proven that heat smooths, not damage when used responsibly. This type of propaganda is nothing more than a hustle in every since of the swindling meaning. 

Keep it simple people. Do not make another click on YouTube about hair. You do not need to be a cosmetologist, hair stylist, trichologist, dermatologist, mom-ologist, YouTubeologist, loctician, natural hair guru or hair blogger or anybody in between to know that if it is not hot enough; blah is the result. Blah, damaged poof hair is the result to be exact. So if you want to straighten out your hair, do it. Just remember heat is safe and not enough heat is damaging.

The Heat is On

Yes heat is bad for your hair, if you burn it.

I remember when I was about eleven or twelve years old I use to read "Right On" magazine. Then one day while in the local pharmacy store with my mom, I decided to get "Teen" magazine instead. "Oh boy!" I thought to myself as I flipped through the pages, "Hmm, this is interesting." I compared how White teenagers had their teen star crushes to how Black teenagers had theirs. I noticed how their magazine had a lot more posters, fan club addresses. I also noticed how they provided profiles on the following page of the teen star after every poster. I also remembering discovering Leif Garret. Oooh he was cute! I actually liked that song, "I Was Made for Dancing." As I read his likes and dislikes, I came across a word, "pet peeve." While I do not remember what his pet peeves were, I do remember continuing to read to see if it was about some kind of animal. I picked up my "Right On" magazine and noticed that the Black teen stars in the magazine had no "pet peeves." But in the White "Teen" magazine,  the Black teen Stars had pet peeves. So I ran downstairs and asked my mom. "How come Black teen stars have pet peeves in White Teen magazine but none in Right On? Oh and what kind of pet is peeve?" My mom busted out laughing!

Fast forward to today and I have some peeves that still makes me wonder what kind of pet is that? As a cosmetologist there are not too many things that irks me about this industry. But the one that turned my human peeve into a pet peeve is hearing and reading about how heat is bad for your hair.

Steam, electrical, chemical and friction are forms
of HEAT.

I remain perplexed about heat being bad and damaging to hair. Heat can be used in the various forms of steam, electrical, friction and chemical to aid in the myriad of ways people manipulate hair. Heat used in those varying forms are actually good for hair by way of opening and smoothing the cuticle (the outer layer that looks like fish scales) to give us the ability to comb it, clean it, condition it, color it, relax it, treat it, loc it, make it more manageable and shine! Without heat in either of these forms, hair styling would be quite interesting to say the least.  If heat was truly damaging the hair care and hair styling world would cease to exist.

Heat gets a bad rap like liquor. Quite naturally everything is not for everybody.  Anything can be abused. And when in the hands of the wrong person or abused; damage of many kinds will be the result. All hair styles do not require heat in any form. And all people should not use heat as the cure all or the "go to" for every hair care and hair style option. However, it is there to use to do many creative and helpful things to hair. So whenever someone ask me to clarify if heat is bad for hair. I always respond, "Yep. If you burn it."

"Listen honey, listen!" Hair is an excellent conductor of heat. When used properly, all hair types and textures will respond to heat by softening, smoothing or curling accordingly. The key to using heat is to use it when the hair is clean. The second it to have it on the right heat setting. The third is to use the proper tool to soften, smooth, straighten or curl hair.

The "Huetiful Steamer" provides a safe
source of heat for stressed tresses!

Hair responds to heat safely when it is clean. Hair is relatively clean within the first 3 days of shampooing and conditioning it. Do not attempt to use heat in any form on any setting on hair that is not clean. If you do, you will damage or burn the hair along with what is soiled on it. The settings or temperature gauge is very important. Very high heat is not necessary for most textures, especially if you are going to steam treat your hair. In addition if you use a curling iron, flat iron or straightening comb to further style the hair after blow drying it or sitting under a hooded dryer; high temperatures are not necessary. Some heated styling tools have number settings or high, medium or low settings. I suggest buying heated tools that have temperature settings because you will get more use out of your styling tool. If your tool does not have a temperature gauge on it, please read the manufacturers on which temperature is best for your hair type and texture. 

Use heat responsible on CLEAN hair.

Lastly, use the proper tool to assist in getting your hair smoothed or straight. In getting your hair straight or straighter, there is a process to getting it there depending on how straight you would like it. If your hair texture (curly, kinky, wavy or Afro) a, you may need to blow dry your hair first on a high to medium heat setting followed by a flat iron, curling iron or straightening comb. If you are not sure about what kind of blow dryer, hooded dryer, flat iron, curling iron or straightening comb is best for your hair, schedule and appointment with a licensed cosmetologist to help you with you before you waste money buying the wrong or too expensive of a styling tool. Do not get on YOUTUBE watching those videos about "No Heat" styling, co-washing and all that jive. Keep in mind that most "how to" videos rarely depict what is on your head and what you need to do it to get the results you want. Please get a consultation in PERSON!

The argument of blow dryer versus hooded dryer need not be one. For they are designed to do different things with the hair. Neither are a cure all or is bad for the hair styles they were made to produce. The same can be said about the flat iron versus the straightening and curling iron. All three have versatility. In the hands of a trained and experienced person, 99.9% of the times when they use it to style hair, they do not burn it out nor are they damaging the hair to the point havoc.

Heat, Technique & The Right Tool
a.k.a
The Three Amigos!

Because no two heads of hair are alike, it is imperative that you personalize your hair care and hair styling regimen. Do not fall into cultural ruts of doing the same thing that society says do. For example, shampooing hair every two weeks or shampooing your hair daily. The heat is on, as it relates to how we should look and feel. Do not succumb to the pressure to NOT perform and take care of your hair yourself or even pay someone if you like. Do not allow haters of heat, lovers of smooth hair, advocates of texture and proponents of curls, spikes and flips tell you what to do YOUR hair. Within reason, when used on clean hair; heat is safe for hair. Do what you like and do what know is right. And if that person doesn't like it, tell them and to take their pet peeve and go walking with the other dawgs!

Don't Blame it on the Alcohol

Don't blame it on the alcohol!

One of the things I love as a cosmetologist are my "Bootleg" cosmetologists. "Bootleg" cosmetologists are the people who know everything about the nothings, the wrongs, the myths and the incorrects of hair care. Bootleg cosmetologist can tell you about hair color, relaxers, weave and growing hair. They can even tell you about hair care ingredients. They are experts at warning about the dangers of alcohol in hair care products. This is one of my favorite "shut 'em" topics. I recall a time, I sold a guest a moisturizing mousse for her curly tresses. Her bootleg cosmetologist daughter had her return it because it had alcohol in it. When I used my ingredient book to show the guest what alcohol meant in scientific terms and what the source of that particular alcohol was; she was shocked!

Caring for hair; be it textured, straight, chemically altered, locked, weaved and everything in between can be something of an enigma for many (rather you have your bootleg cosmetology license or not). If it is not the styling tool, then it is the hair itself. The enigma in hair care for many lies not only in what to put on it but what is IN what we put on our hair. So the point of the bootleg cosmetologist who warns that alcohol is bad for your hair, there are varying kinds of alcohol based on their molecular weight and the source of the alcohol that determines if it is bad or good.

Regardless the texture, hands down, the top two ingredients people hate in hair care products are oils and alcohols. Now hold on before you start rubber necking and nodding your head in agreement, I can explain again. Some consumers are more lenient and is more willing to try a product if it has some oil in it. But, now if it has alcohol in it, that is the determining factor to ditch the product.

Before you place the product back on the shelf, do a little Google search on your phone and look up the alcohol you are concerned about. In case you did not know alcohols come in two categories. The categories are of course in molecular weight and source. And the molecular weight is based on the way the company extracts the alcohol (ingredient) from it's source. The two categories are short chain alcohols and fatty alcohols.

Short Chain Alcohol

The first are the short chain alcohols have more of the water molecules left on them and they are used to kind of like soak up or/and break down the waxy film from other ingredients in the care products. That explains why alcohols such as SD Alcohol, SD Alcohol 40 and Denatured Alcohols makes the hair feel very dry.

The second category of fatty alcohols are pretty much derived from coconuts or feedstock (corn, palm seed and the likes). These carbons and molecules are larger thereby making the hair care product thicker or creamier; which translates to easier to apply and get through your hair. It could also mean a few extra bucks. If ingredients like Cetyl, Stearyl or Cetaryl to name a few reads familiar, do not panic; these are the good alcohols. These fatty alcohol are what gives your favorite moisturizing conditioner or styling agent slip, they smooth the cuticle (the outer layer of hair); thus making hair shine. Other fatty alcohols such as lauryl, myristyl or behenyl actually hydrate hair! 

Fatty Alcohols

 

So as you can see when it comes to alcohol there are some bad ones and some good ones. Do your own research. Do not allow people who know nothing of what they are talking about tell you different. Always follow the manufacturers instructions. Purchase your products from stores who will take returns (not exchanges). Try your product out by rubbing all over your hands like lotion versus sniffing and smelling. If you do not like the way a product feels on your hands, then you will not like the way it feels on your hair (unless you want it a lil tacky in the case of certain gels and mousses). If you do not like it, then do not buy it. If you try it and do not like it, then return it. But whatever you do; don't blame it on the a-a-a-a-alcohol!

That's Played Out! Part 2

Old School (larger molecules) and about 15
minutes under the dryer.

In my last week's blog, "That's Played Out" Part 1, I wrote about the antiquated process of sitting under a hooded dryer for deep conditioning services. To recap, my Blog Ndogo highlighted how sitting under a hooded dryer is a "played out" process due to the fact that older and cheaper products lack the technology that newer products have. In addition, I pointed out that older products contain by heavier ingredients that require heat to swell and soften the hair so the ingredients in the products can penetrate the hair and work. I also wrote, the draw back to that old way of doing things MAY result in coated, over processed hair, longer waiting time under a hot hooded dryer and more money.

In Part 2 of That's Played Out, I am highlighting the benefits of the latest technology in hair care by way of nano-technology. Nano technology is common when the term is paired in science or technology in the areas of computers and smart phones. Well believe it or not, nano technology is used in hair care as well. It has actually been in hair care for quite some time improving hair care in ways we could only dream of.

New school. USP ingredients,
nano technology and 3 minutes NO HEAT

For some reason in hair care everything old is new again. I am still at a lost at how people are falling for the hype of "natural" hair. Natural hair care is about as new as the comb and brush. So like in hair care, what's old is new, the same can be said in science. The truth is, nano technology has been around for quite some time as well. The challenge with this new old science called Nano technology is this new old word called organic. Nano technology gets a bad rap in hair care due to all this new old craze called natural hair. I do not know how these terms have gotten thrown out of text and reinvented, but it is my goal to briefly explain how they all compliment each other. I understand that having natural  hair, going natural, going through a natural hair care journey makes one feel at ease. While relaxers, perms, artificial hair color and anything synthetic or man made can make one feel uneasy. Rest assured that Nano technology has it's place in both the organic, natural and synthetic (man made) world . Nano technology or synthetic doe not necessarily translate into toxic avenger. 

Please be aware that certain people, professionals and hair care companies are using the "fear" of man made or anything synthesized is bad. Granted "man made" anything has its disadvantages, however, there are some men (and women) out here making some pretty good stuff.

A new twist on "Old School" still needs heat and
about 15-20 minutes.

Starting with my main man, Philip Pelusi. Philip Pelusi is a licensed cosmetologist in the city of Pittsburgh. He also formulates, manufacture and sell his own salon quality hair care products. To me hair care products are like cars. A Ford and and Aston Martin are both automobiles that will get you downtown. But, now how you want to arrive? Well that is another blog. When it comes to hair care, in my opinion, Philip Pelusi products are the Aston Martins of hair care products! He has two product lines P2 by Philip Pelusi and Tela Organics. His products have two fascinating details in hair care that will convert the biggest skeptic in the quality of hair care faster than moisture can convert straight hair frizzy! To simply put it, his products and others like his, have two important aspects where man made and organic meshed together can repair hair and honestly do what the bottle reads. Those two things are USP (United State Pharmacopia) and nano technology. USP simply guarantees that the quality of that ingredient is real and it does what it says. While other companies MARKET, PROMOTE or claim their hair care products can do something, USP assures consumers the ingredients work rather a hair care company markets it or not. The nano technology comes in properly breaking down the organic, natural or man made ingredient in the smallest safest way possible to improve the integrity of hair. All this is done to meet the demands of the time crunched and money conscious consumer. Bam!

Mr. Philip Pelusi, when it comes to hair,
"Everyone has their own unique fabric."

For the record, some organic ingredients have to be synthesized (broken down) so that the hair can readily absorb the varying essence of the source so that hair can actually benefit from it, make it more affordable or simply make it easier to use. It is also to my understanding that the fancy ingredient names can be intimidating to many. Rest assure, the fancy long words are just that. Scientific mumble jumble for the scientist, but to average consumer Tocopherol reads and sounds very toxic. Right? But in regular hair care product junkie language, we simply call it Vitamin E. The average hair care junky thinks Cetearyl Alcohol is like the drying, pungent and strong alcohol that stings very badly when it gets on a cut. Nope, it is actually the fats (that's right...oil) that are hydrogenated (or processed) from vegetable oil that keeps the oil in your hair care products from separating...lol! Ok, one more, Polyquaternium. Ooh, that sounds really toxic. Like it can seep into your skull and cause brain damage. Nope, polyquaternium will not seep into your skull. They are simply a combination of vary sizes of large molecules (hence the prefix poly) that help make your cuticles lie flat. In other words, this ingredient is what gets the tangles out of naps, kinks, knots, hooks, cookcabuds, kitchen and whatever other wretched word we can come up with to describe our tangled tresses! How am I doing, my fellow hair care product junkies?

Alterna's The Science of 10 Conditioner. A new twist on
nano technology that can be used with or with out heat, costs
a tad bit more. But works excellently.

When it comes to hair care, everything is not for everybody. Take advantage of the technology and use the hair care product for the RESULTS you want to see on YOUR unique hair fiber. Again, just because it's old school does not mean it is bad; it just means that it's old... you know; it's played out! A straightening comb is played out, but if you want to get that hair line smooth, I bet you will put that flat iron down and go for what you know!

Keep things simple when it comes to your hair. Stay within your budget, your time frame in which you want to spend on your hair and your ability to create or re-create the look!

How's that for being played out?