sade087

I'll make this a fairly frequent entry. The true "keepers" will be in the "Recipes and Projects" page. I have a preoccupation (note I did not say obsession) with making homemade hair products. Shampoo and detergent-free hair wash, conditioner, treatments, and of course, hair gel! Sometimes these are made with easy-to-find items, sometimes not. I'll post 'em and you can try them out if you like. And of course, please share your results so we can get a little dose of happy. Here is an all-natural hair gel which is a work in progress. I'm looking for the right mix of curl enhancement, hold, shine, and softness because I hate crunchy, tangly hair. Metric conversion: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 1/2 teaspoons = 7 ml, 1 tablespoon = 15 ml The Base: ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 Boil in 1 1/4 cups water (almost 300 ml) for about 5 minutes (if it is thick now, it won't strain, boil only until thin threads* hang from the fork you're stirring with: 2-3 (30-45 ml) ...

The Good, The Bad, The Weird (And the extremely long-winded post) Here I’m referring to 2 classes of chemicals: quaternary cationic surfactants and cationic polymers. First off, cationic means something has a (net) positive charge (+). Hair has a net negative charge at the pH environment in which it usually exists (somewhere between pH 4.5 and 5 is average). This charge is mostly because of it’s composition, although damaged hair has more potential bonding sites (negative charges) than less-damaged hair. I fear I’m about to give the impression that these ingredients are bad for your hair. They are not, in fact, they are responsible for silky, smooth, lustrous hair that holds a style. They help define waves and curls and protect damaged hair/protect hair from damage. They can prevent flyaway hair and the high fluff/frizz factor that comes with wavy and curly hair. What? You have straight hair that frizzes? Then no, you don’t have completely straight hair – you have some waves. These in...

Silicone, it's in shampoo, conditioner, hair styling products, skin lotion and creams. Lately it has come into vogue to eschew silicones completely. Think that one through first, because you might be needlessly limiting yourself. Silicone myths: "It suffocates your hair." "Silicones prevent water from getting into your hair, so it gets dehydrated." To which I say: A) Hair doesn't breathe, suffocation is not an issue. B) Silicones do keep water out, but they also keep water in.  ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 Commonly you'll be looking at some form of dimethicone or "silicone oil." Other common silicones are "silicone polymers" or ("siloxanes"). If you pour dimethicone, it is thick, clear, somewhere between "tacky" and "slimy" feeling. It does not rinse off surfaces easily. When wet, it can be wiped off a nonporous surface with some force, but when dry a detergent and scrubbing is required. Silicone ingredients...

I thought it might be fun to start up a blog as a dumping ground for all the curiosity I have about hair care, hair science, allergies, recipes for hair care products and skin and such. I'm a scientist, although not in the cosmetics field, similar concepts do apply! Fire away if you have any questions you want answered and I'll do my best to answer them and refer you to a good source if I can.