Healthy Hair & Stress - 10,000HEADS Step 3

Step 3 of 10,000HEADS.   HAIR LOSS PROTOCOL Yoga and Hair Loss

Stress and relief of it, is a very individual subject. A lot depends on where your stress stems from, and as much as I would like to think very few of you have it, that simply is not the case with my clients that are experiencing Hair thinning & loss. It’s crazy that as a rule I am suggesting everyone has it. Do you? I am of the belief that everyone has it in one form or another. One person’s stress may be another’s relief, as is the case with children. Some clients will claim their children are the entire cause of their stress and others use ‘hanging with their children’ as a form of relief. So it’s an entirely individual subject and must be dealt with that way.

What I’d like you to do if you have a problem clearly defining where your stress comes from is to get a small notepad carry it in your purse/pocket for 1 week. Every time your blood starts racing, your anger level rises or you begin yelling at someone -jot it down. Becoming aware of your stress triggers can be a huge help if you don’t know what they are. Once you know what they are, begin the process of figuring out how to combat each one. My suggestion would be to log on to AMAZON.com and find a book dealing with your particular stress trigger. Amazon is great, with one of the most user friendly sites available – so much so, sometimes it scares me by suggesting books I might like…and I DO! Typing in “road rage” or “dealing with an overbearing mother” it will give you a list of the top sellers in that category. Buy one book for every stress factor in your life and read it cover to cover. It’s a lot cheaper than therapy and they are most likely written by the top professionals in the field you are looking in.

Now, I feel this is so important that if you can afford therapy, I would highly suggest it, if stress is a definite issue. The thing about your stress is that there is an underlying ‘cause’ of it and most of you I am referring to are ‘too busy’ to stop and figure out what it is (you know how I know this? I was there as well . . . it took my illness to make me stop and figure it out). Something needs to JOLT you into reflecting on your life…’how’ you are living it and ‘why’ and ‘what’ you are truly living it for.

There are 2 parts to this step & that is one.



Stress produces many types of mental and physical illness in our society. Some of the symptoms of prolonged exposure to stress are headache, brain tissue damage, high blood pressure, weakening of the bones, depression, anger, fear, nervousness. The list of stress related ailments is truly staggering .The abuse of drugs or alcohol is used as common coping mechanisms with chronic stress. There are scientists out there that feel stress can even cause cancer and I happen to believe them – if you know anything at all about Eastern Medicine > which was a whole new world for me – they believe whole heartily in the mind-body-spirit connection.

One of the absolute necessities of this step is Yoga. Every client that wishes to have healthy hair is required to practice YOGA at least 3 times every week, I prefer 4, 3 will do. YOGA can have a profound effect on stress and on your hair. YOGA offers many techniques which are designed to release the tension of accumulated stress. The use of hatha YOGA postures, specific yogic stretches, as well as the breathing exercises can thoroughly wash away the symptoms of stress. YOGA also provides the psychological means for releasing your stress with the use of techniques such as Pranayama (breathing) and Meditation. Even more important to the cure of stress is the philosophy of YOGA. When YOGA is truly fathomed it can dramatically alter your view on life and the world thereby restoring your feelings of self -worth and personal meaning…which gives you a feeling of deep power and control.

According to the world expert on female hair loss, Elise Olsen MD, she has written that she is undecided about whether or not stress affects hair loss. I am not. She is a doctor and works in a Hospital & Lab, I admire a lot of her work and if it wasn’t for her there is a lot we would not know about hair loss, especially female hair loss…she just does not see the amount of hair clients that I do and in my opinion there is nothing that beats HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE…nothing. I certainly am not smart enough to acquire an MD certificate so I do admire most everything else about this woman. She has written the only HAIR LOSS TEXTBOOK in existence which I have a read twice and study all the time. To me its not the actual word ‘stress’ but as most of you know that have this, it’s the way that stress affects your entire life – if affects your entire health….and remember what affects your body or health AFFECTS YOUR HAIR. If I could talk to Ms. Olsen I think I could convince her of my theory.

When I give clients the 10,000HEADS Protocol I ask that they follow all 12 steps religiously. I even have them sign a “commitment paper” as a mini-ritual that hopefully gets them hyped up and committed. Being a little more than stupid, I know that everyone does not follow all 12 steps religiously…if they did they would be truly remarkable people, it is an extremely tough task…most follow 6-7 maybe 8 steps. For the 85% success rate I quote, an individual needs to follow all 10 religiously, here in Los Angeles and Malibu it is not hard to get people to sign up to the entire program and I know they will follow it. I can see that outside of LA the steps seem like a daunting task. After some Clinical Trials I ran out of my mini-Lab over the course of 6 months, I came up with the 85% rate…in truth it was higher.

3 weeks ago I had a long time client come in with a completely new head of hair and I was stunned. This is a 52 year old female, w/ a super high stress job, but with an otherwise very comfortable upper middle class life. She started the program because of the terrible hair ‘fall’ issues; she was losing hair in her brush, on her pillow and was freaking out about it, which would do the exact same thing to me, in our society hair is a pivotal part to looking ‘good’ .

“Appearance” is part of her very successful job. She was doing all the steps except Step 3 & 10…Stress & the Secret Weapon supplement and I knew it. Plenty of clients end up with Step 10 as the “one” that makes the most monumental changes; it deals with what the body is missing as far as vitamins & minerals. Step 10 is the one step that changes the most people’s hair. This is the first case I could pin the dramatic change to YOGA. I didn’t know it, but she began YOGA 3 months prior to her coming in, so it turned out STRESS was her trigger point {Trigger point is what has triggered your body into shedding hair}. If she had practiced all 10 steps right from the beginning, she would have had a full year of great hair, but there was no way of knowing that. She is on Cloud Nine now…she has better hair than she has had in over 30 years and I am thrilled for her. She also has said how wonderful YOGA has been for her overall general health, her marriage and her overall happiness and was very grateful for me continually bugging her to go to a class.

With YOGA you are empowered by a deeper self understanding and personal value with this new attitude you will find that you are able to cope with stress more effectively

.

Mental control, intellectual acuity, stress free psychological health, physical health, vitality, plus emotional healing and balance, area all the wonderful by-products of YOGA practice. Yoga should be the primary component in your stress management program.

If you do not have a yoga studio near you then head on over to www.yogajournal.com and look up what their recommendations are for a good DVD or VHS tape. My one suggestion would be the Ana Forrest YOGA – DVD. I found her style pleasant although am not sure if she has a beginning version or not. Everyone needs to get permission from their physician before beginning any type of physical activity. YOGA was my saving grace after radiation…I was super weak…and the best part was there was absolutely no pressure to be any better or to keep up with my neighbor…it is the only activity I have ever done that has not an ounce of competitiveness involved in it. You participate at your own level no matter what it is – for me and for a lot of you that is something we all need. Just to exercise to relax and meditate.

Added bonus: Within the practice of YOGA there are many positions where you are upside down they are called INVERSIONS. Being inverted for a few minutes at a time has the blood in your body rushing to your head, that blood in your head nourishes the hair follicles , which in turn after a month or two will begin to make a difference in your hair. I have a couple of Pro-surfers that see me for their hair loss issues….they both have been studying Yoga for over a year…it has improved their surfing more than any other activity ever has – alongside the hair thickness side effects. This program was totally designed for women, and the reason is, there is a fraction of the money and time put into women’s hair loss and hair thinning than men’s…it was time there was a protocol for women. The delights and treasures that YOGA bring to your life are vast….having yoga work on relieving your stress should be what you set your mind to.

Physiological advantages of YOGA

• Stable autonomic nervous system equilibrium, Pulse rate decreases

• Respiratory rate decreases

• Blood pressure decreases

• Galvanic skin response (GSR) increases

• EEG-alpha waves increase (theta, delta, and beta waves also increase during various stages of meditation)

• EMG activity decreases

• Cardiovascular efficiency increases

• Respiratory efficiency increases (vital capacity increases, breath-holding time increases)

• Gastrointestinal function normalizes

• Endocrine function normalizes

• Musculoskeletal flexibility and joint range of motion come back and stop hurting!

• Posture improves

• Strength and resiliency increase

• Endurance increases

• Energy level increases

• Weight normalizes

• Hair health improves

• Sleep improves

• Immunity increases

• Pain decreases

 I began Yoga and worked my way up to teaching in about 2 years, I was never in better shape and this was only 6 years ago. I had Thyroid problems for my entire life and was told I would have to take one pill for the rest of my days when I was 20. After 18 months of yoga I had my thyroid checked and was told I stop taking my pill that my thyroid was working completely normally. I kid you NOT! My doctor could NOT explain it (I could). My hips & knee that have always been a problem for me, the pain completely went away. So many of my aches and pains ALONG with all my stress just gradually and gently melted away, it was the most life-changing event I have ever taken part in. It changed my entire personality (for the better I hope!) – I have finally – F I N A L L Y learned how to slow down and listen to people – and pay attention to life. There is nothing more ground breaking for your life than YOGA and what it will do to your life, your hair, and your body – please I ask all of you to take a series of 10 classes at a YOGA studio (not a gym), the experience is totally different and the key is a great teacher as well – do a little bit of homework about teachers, if possible.

So with all of that being said my last suggestion to those of you looking for something that isn’t quite so pricey . . . my last suggestion, which I also tried is something that is totally FREE. Its totally Free and it works - - and works wonderfully. It’s a form of “group therapy”, which I was also turned onto by someone in Yoga classes - - it’s called Al Anon. Now, before you think I’m nuts, I learned this from someone else who couldn’t afford private therapy (which IS extremely expensive)- she had been going for 20 years, invited me and I loved it from Day 1. What it is supposed to be?. . is the friends and family of ANY type of ‘addict’. Its first cause was for friends & family of alcoholics . . . and as much as that ‘did’ work for me ( I divorced an addict so my kids father is one – which affects my girls tremendously). Thing is she didn’t know that when she invited me. She just told me it was a great Group Therapy and it was ‘free’, I had nothing to lose by trying it. Well, she was right - - it was a great group therapy and the topics that they spoke about were so helpful – it was such a tremendous help as well. I suggest you look it up in your city, they are listed both online & in phone books as Al-Anon. If you think this might help you, as much as it does me - - please give it 2-3 times to make your decision.

The”Stress Factor” is similar to the Nutrition Factor, its very influential & if you keep it up I promise you the RESULTS WILL COME, the problem being it takes a long time to see the actual results.. but once they come, they stay around.

So remember everything that comes to you that’s ‘worthwhile’ . . . comes slowly and lasts a long….long time. If you truly put your mind to this, it could change your life – it did mine and I will be forever grateful to the practice and art of YOGA for teaching me how to live life to the fullest.

THRIVEN - Killerstrands Own > Deep Conditioner

THRIVEN <> Overnight Hair Conditione

Thriven is Killerstrands Deep conditioner that I developed under the theory that your hair should be treated with as much care, concern and brains that we care for the "skin" with. There are thousands of fantastic skin care products, creams for your face, your eyes, your neck . . they all have very 'pricey' ingredients in them that repair and restore the skins appearance.

I felt the HAIR should have the same. Which is how I began the work into the development of THRIVEN.

Also, the timing. How could I expect a deep hair condtioner to work its magic in an hour or even less, when the great skin creams work they get the overnight timing of a minimum of 6-7-8 hours at night...That is how Thriven works....it must be applied and left on overnight...

So my theory was pretty much "common sense". Common Sense has helped me through life in so many wonderful ways . . .and again it has pulled a brilliant idea out of the air.
Enjoy

mI thank every single one of you, and if I didn't get a chance to shoot you a "thank you" I apologize - - the thing is ...

I've been busy thanks to all of you,

that is a good thing... a really really good thing.

Being so busy gave me a full week of health and smiles - so thanks all -

once again this site has been the most amazing experience for me.

Who would have thought, on the Internet -

I would have had such amazing experiences and relationship forming...

just blows me away !

Comments on THRIVEN by readers

....I have purchased and tried out Thriven and am absolutely delighted! My hair is, to put it mindly, beyond damaged, with the ends having gone through bleach highlights, overlapping lowlights, weekly flat ironing,
chlorine, SLS shampoo, and, last but certainly NOT least, Japanese hair straightening. To put it mildly, my hair has zero bounce, shine, or pliability. It hangs, with tons of breakage, split ends, and you name it. I purchased the Thriven from KC, and have only used it two times so far. My hair has much less frizz, is more flexible, and hangs much better. The hair that is not damaged and virgin (that I've been growing out and is about 8 inches at this point) is shiny, lustrous, and manageable. I wanted to share my experience with this wonderful conditioner, and this is without having used the supplement (no time) but I will incorporate this soon. All the knowledge and expertise that KC is so selfless to share with us is certainly reflected in her
product, and I am very grateful to have found this jem of a website. Thank you very much, Dakota! --June 9, 2008 -- Irina -- Forest Hills, NY

...There are no animal products in it as far as I can see. You will not be disappointed with Thriven. I'm on an intense hair treatment where i use Thriven every other night because my hair is super thrashed. I've been using Thriven for about 4 weeks now and the condition of my hair is LIGHT YEARS better than before I started on Thriven. Try it! - Kathryn S.-- North Hampton, New Hampshire

. . . .I have used Thriven twice now and I am so pleased. I am an African American woman with 4a curly hair that I can honestly say is thriving (pun intended). This is the first product that I've used that has given such great results in such a short time. My mane is smoother, has more body and just looks so alive. Last night I shared the product with my daughter who has 3a curly hair that is damaged and over processed with chemical relaxers. She went to bed with straw and after a thorough rinse in the morning had hair that was so smooth that she could comb it with a fine toothed comb without one snag. The comb glided through as smooth as silk. She couldn't believe it!! I expected to see a significant improvement in the texture of her hair, but even I was amazed at the magnitude of the change. Think we're not believers???!! Merle -- Baltimore, Maryland

. . . .If only everyone could be as thorough, focused, and ethical in their chosen profession as as Dakota the world would be a much better place.. Hands down,Thrivenis the best conditioner ever to grace MY spoiled goldilocks. My first reaction when I twisted off the cap and breathed in the fresh aroma ofThrivento the delicately clingly consistency was that it was "Alive". And sure enough, I swiped my fingers across the Cap ofThrivenand it covered all of my hair and made it instantly pliable. IMPRESSIVE! And it smells so great and it doesn't drip! Also, it feels great after rinsing it out not like other conditioners that feel great under the water in the shower and then leave hair totally dry after rinsing.
I laughed at all of my high-end conditioners that basically feel like clumps of lard being combed through my hair. Bottom line here is that NOTHING else has worked on my hair regardless of price. I have paid exorbitant amounts of money on my hair and it is broken in the back of my head from high end hairdressers frying it off. Which is precisely when I quit the salon except for haircuts and started doing my own hair which is on the road to recovery. Anyway, I forseeThriven saving me tons of money in conditioners because I will no longer purchase them and the amount of Thriven I need to use is so tiny in comparison to other products. I can't think of one product I have ever used that was a "dime size".
Oh yah, one last thing, my husband is Not allergic to it and he is highly allergic to fragrance
I think KC's name should be changed to KGC, Killer Genius Chemist Mrs. M -- Miami Beach, Florida

. . . .KC, I just want to let everyone on the blog site know what a wonderful product your THRIVEN is and how much I look forward to every Wednesday and Saturday nights to do my hair treatment with it. It massages beautifully into my scalp - soo soothing and creamy. Then I massage it through my hair, wrap it in cling wrap, put a woolen cap on and leave it overnight. I used it for a month twice a week before bleaching my hair with your oil bleach and I just couldn't believe the difference in my hair. It went from straw like which it was from the boxed color kits to feeling like virgin hair again. After bleaching my hair I continued with THRIVEN again for another month and my newly bleached blond hair really looks like virgin 'celebrity' hair. I have just placed another order with you. Thank you for sending it. Now I think I read on one of your blogs that I can use THRIVEN as a daily conditioner - can I use it as a leave in conditioner? Please advise otherwise thanks for a really great product. All Killerstrand clients

should really try it and see for yourselves the results. Anna - Zambia, Africa

. . . . Killer Chemist is out of the office right now, but will be returning later in the week.PS - I used a tad of Thriven as a leave in the other day - my hair usually falls flat under anything remotely conditioner like - not with this. Looked pretty, not greasy, all day. Just thought I'd drop a hint. I highly recommend ordering the Thriven - it has done amazing things for my hair as well : ) orders are submitted to KC via an email w/order in the subject line, she'll send you a pay pal request & the order will be out to you real quick. CRISP - San Diego, California

. . . . .Okay - I'll try to be articulate in my posting here. I have started using Thriven. You sleep in it. I have tried LOTS of expensive conditioners, mostly in vain. I leave it straight and make it blonde (with high lift so far, but may be changing that). I have regrettably had some very bad colorists - and paid a lot. But the last one over processed my hair. The previous ones, the hair went orange. The "good" one that specializes in color correction, got it
blonde, but it got thrashed in the process. She sold me "Deep" (about $24 for a toothpaste size tube) and I'd do that with EVERY shampoo, and still could not get my hair to quit looking like straw. I deep conditioned it with every shampoo, let it air dry, and it still was miserable. I had the bottom 3" cut off, and the end result was that the last two inches or so, it still looked like a splayed out, worn out toothbrush. It was so bad even my DH noticed. I got Thriven, and from the FIRST time I tried it, my hair was happier. Before, no matter what conditioner or leave-in I tried, my hair still looked and felt thirsty and dry. NOTHING helped. The Thriven has soothed it - I know that isn't a real "hair" word, but that's how I'd describe the change. The hairs don't splay out at the end (my cut actually looks better, since the hair hangs together). I was ready to have another 3" cut off - trying to rid myself of that old overprocessed hair... and now, I won't. The "healthy look" is back.
Not having to cut another 3" off my hair, is priceless. Regaining the healthy shine, is priceless.
Wanting to actually LOOK at my hair without flinching - is priceless. I haven't used it long enough (I'll need 90 days, I think) to see if I can help it get thicker. But I'm probably going to order some for my Mom, who has the old-lady pink scalp thing going and a bald spot at the top.... I'm that convinced.
I look around me at work, in stadiums, on the train... and at other women's hair now, and I just want to take them aside and give them KS blog info, and say, "You have got to try this... your hair looks so dry and it fixed mine...."
I'm trying to be too superlative, but finding the Holy Grail of hair conditioners after 30 years of trying, is wonderful.
Go for it! Nikki -- Oakland, California


. . . .Hey, I received my bottle of Thriven, and after only two treatments, my frizzy hair is gone, and it even has a shine to it, first time in about 5 yrs. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I will be ordering more when this bottle runs out. You didn't say how much to use, so, I have been using about 1/2 oz. or less. Love your product. Vickie --
February 20,2008


. . . .I started using Thriven overnight twice a week...it's been about 2 1/2 weeks maybe? It was shipped really fast. The thing with my hair is that it wasn't that damaged. I took a little breaking to mean it was destroyed...but I don't have the straw-like feel so many people mention. My hair doesn't look damaged to anyone else either. I'm
paranoid though and worried that the small amount of breakage meant I was in big trouble so I ordered. I'm glad I did though. The 1-2 punch in only 2 1/2 weeks or so has made my hair seem thicker. I have a TON of fine fine hair. Now even though it's fine I feel like I have this huge mane. In the files section you can see my hair- that's after I straightened it though, which I do VERY rarely. It looks a LOT thicker without the flat iron.
Anyhow, I think it's great stuff. I am also a student (non-traditional returning student) and I live extremely paycheck to paycheck. I saved up a bit and invested though and I think my hair is worth the price of Thriven :) - - - Jog/Jenna/Jen -- Saco, Maine


You did a great thing by purchasing Thriven for your hair. Good job! Did you use it yet? If so, you probably no longer need my testimonial. I have only minor damage in some areas. Although my hair always seems thirsty for moisture. I am thinning a little on top. So will have to use a while longer before I can tell any difference. I am however confident that this will eigther cure the thinning or help it considerably. Today started my 2nd week on Thriven. The best way I can describe the difference I feel and see is to say it was like given my hair a V8. You know how using regular conditioner seem to only soothe the hair so much acting more like a coating on the hair).Well I feel Thriven is truly penetrating into the hair shaft!! Feeding my hair from the inside out. It's amazing! You'll be so happy! I'll keep you posted on the thinning issue. . .Tamara - Coral Gables- Florida

I reccommend the 8 OZ. as you need this +

the secret supplement that comes with THRIVEN,

Interested in purchasing THRIVEN ?

http://killerstrands.myshopify.com/products/thriven

10,000HEADS - Step 2 - Nutrition - Eat Right For Hot Hair

Food & What Your Body Needs For Extraordinary Hair


The food you eat and what goes in your body is simply the most important factor in changing the health and thickness of your hair. It is important to understand 10,000 HEADS works its wonders synergistically, practicing all the steps in unison, will give you optimum results; we have had some absolutely amazing stories come back to us. I cannot stress it enough; Nutrition & Step 2 will always be the most important step and is the backbone of the program.

This is also the single most difficult step to get women to follow through on. When changing food intake, it can take weeks or months for results to be apparent, many give up feeling as though the change didn’t help; nothing could be further from the truth. As a scientist, both my assistants and I surveyed over 10,000 heads of hair, paying attention to patterns and forming hypothesis on ‘why’ a particular person had a good head of hair and how it got to be that way, we came up with 3 common denominators of most every person with enviable hair: 1) excellent nutrition/eating habits 2) no smoking, no drinking/drugs 3) no one was underweight . Yes, good hair can have a lot to do with heredity as well – but we were surveying the items we could actually, “see”.

This step does not restrict you from any foods; on the contrary, we ask that you follow a well balanced sensible diet that will contribute to the growth and health of the hair. Of course we do not encourage eating a lot of sugary, gooey, junk… try remembering this, “what goes in your mouth, shows up on your head” as a rule of thumb. Forensics can use a one strand hair analysis to disclose just about everything on a person and it is extremely accurate - your hair is a reflection of your health – period.

All food you eat is eventually converted to simple compounds that the body is able to utilize, glucose being the one that supplies the energy for all cellular reproduction – including the cells in the hair follicles (remember, follicle cell reproduction is one of the quickest in the body). So keeping the body nourished is imperative for healthy hair and for hair re growth.

The number 1 mistake that just about every person with hair problems makes is . . .lack of protein. Hair is made up protein and thrives on protein, listening to women over the years recite their diet choices, leaves me stunned with the same conclusion, their diets are what started their problems. Vegetarians have a very hard time having luxurious hair, they must put protein back in their daily diet , making sure to have it at breakfast, which is the most important meal of the day for your hair; do not skip it. Lunch is next in importance, again making sure that you include as much protein as you possibly can, strive for 50 grams of protein a day minimum.

We have found a terrific protein supplement online, it is the Lindora Clinc’s Protein bar, the taste even earns the “delicious’ award, if you can believe that – and you can get a whopping 15 grams of protein out of some of the flavors ( www.Lindora.com ). These bars have been the catalyst to a number of solutions to a particular clients hair loss issues. The energy to your hair follicles gets depleted when you have gone for more than 4 hours without eating or snacking, the ideal snacks for your hair health are fresh fruit, raw vegetables, nuts, protein, protein and more protein. There is nothing better (or more convenient) than a handful of almonds for the shine in your hair.

If you smoke - QUIT- if for no other reason than you are killing your hair. . . that sounds harsh, but in essence – you are. Smoking robs your body of oxygen which in turn robs your hair of oxygen filled blood… whose job it is to nourish the hair follicle. Look at this diagram of the skin, blood vessels and hair . . . . .

See the red blood vessels and how they go to the base of the one hair follicle, that is the bulb inside, where the cell regeneration happens and the new hair grows. You don’t need to be a chemist to see that blood feeds the follicle <> therefore what is IN the blood effects the hair. Likewise, for alcohol and drugs, if you drink too much – cut back or quit if it is a problem in your life – social drinking is fine. If you smoke too much dope, just remember why they call it dope, Pot is bad for hair, skin and nails, the sooner you quit the higher the likelihood of the good qualities returning. When you get older ( 50’s-60’s) you start to notice the people that did not do any of these things when they were younger, the difference in their hair, skin and nails is nothing short of amazing. Be smart, quit now, while you’re ahead!

If you crash diet or have any of the disruptive habits of an eating disorder, your hair unfortunately, will be the first casualty. We spent 4 years volunteering at an Anorexia/ Bulimia live-in center, when the girls had a good week, they were allowed to get their hair coloured. The hair on some of those girls was irreparable; they had robbed their bodies of nutrients for so long that many of them could not recover the health of their hair, once cured . . .it was terribly sad to watch as many were very young. The cure came too late and no one had told them anorexia/bulimia was hell on hair. We feel that one fact alone would help prevent some of this disease from happening . . . girls love their hair and hate to lose it.

Starving yourself, eliminating protein and certain food groups is not the way to a healthy head of hair. . . Plug protein into your diet, starting immediately if your hair is thinning or alopecia is your diagnosis. The change will not be apparent for a while but we assure you… it will come.

10,000HEADS - Step 1 > Shampoo - Importance of the Proper One

SUDS LAW

Step 1 of 10,000HEADS –

Shampoo

Shampoos are about as big a subject as there is in Hair Care, it is the single biggest hair care product for sale and it is the single most asked about hair care subject – so the importance is enormous. There are thousands of brands of shampoos ranging from special baby shampoos all the way to “Shimmer Lights” a shampoo made for the grey hair set and everything in between. They make them for dandruff and for redheads, for men and for blonde’s, for African Americans and Latina Americans . . . there simply is not a category shampoos are not made for. Daily hair care regimens were once as simple as: Wet hair, lather, rinse, repeat. Today, however, your choices extend way beyond traditional shampoos and conditioners. As far as being the #1 Step for 10,000 Heads – it is because the requests lately have skyrocketed. I have been squawking and hawking the benefits of Sulfate-free shampoos now for 5-6 years, finally the hype on the subject has caught up with me and my big mouth, which I thank the publicity machines for every single day.

The shampoos that stand out in your mind have the biggest and sexiest advertising campaigns. Its really quite funny but when working in the Salon if you survey men and their shampoo choices, I simply cannot help but laugh my ass off. Every single one of them professes to use Herbal Essence . . . you know why? Because the advertisement on the Television involves a girl having a sexual climax (that happens to me when I shampoo my hair, doesn’t it to you?). Absolutely, brilliant marketing, by my standards. It works – every single man on the planet heads for it at the store, and only because they get there -- see hundreds of bottles -- think “oh know – which one?” and then remember the TV commercial. But, there are some very specific chemistry facts that you must know before you buy one more bottle of shampoo. Its time every single person pays attention to the shampoo they use, by reading labels…from this day forward. It is imperative in today’s world; we pay attention to labels on the food we eat, why wouldn’t we do the same with cosmetics and beauty products that enter our body through our skin?

Do you realize that right here in America, there are no rules, no guidelines and no restrictions overseeing what ingredients are used in our cosmetics. Yes, I know the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is supposed to be watching, but as I have said before there are MILLIONS of products and there is no way possible to govern all those products and the manufacturers KNOW THAT. You people seem amazed at the fact that there is no one watching out over the products, as chemists we are supposed to be happy about the laxity in the governing of products but I am more concerned in what is happening to the hair on my clients’ heads than anything. Every decent hair stylist in the past 10 years knows the single biggest concern lately to us all . . . is the rise in hair loss and hair thinning and this is not just happening to men in their 50’s. Hair thinning is the most talked about subject in hair Salons here in California as it is on the rise most in women ages 18 to 50 and no one knows why. It is also happening super frequently to men ages 17 to 40, and again no one knows why. 15 years ago there was nowhere near the amount of people complaining about hair thinning and loss and in my mind it has become an epidemic. You have to realize when something like this happens in a town like Malibu, and to all of my friends and colleagues . . . I take it personally and have been on the warpath ever since – trying to figure out ‘why’- there “IS” a reason that things have changed, but as I see it the medical community doesn’t see something as trivial as hair thinning as something to worry about.

You do not “die” from hair loss and with the new look of a shiny shaved “Bruce Willis “bald head” as sort of “cool” now, they just don’t put any credence in the sudden and ongoing ‘rise’ of the amount of people it is affecting. Why in the world did hair thinning and hair loss go from affecting 20% of my client base to about 60-70% of my total client base including BOTH sexes ?

Every single hair stylist - if they want to be perfectly honest, has the same results with their clients, I cannot say I know what is going on in other states . . but why would there be any difference at all. Remember now, I have not been in a Salon for over 6 years and when I retired it was the single biggest problem all 20 of us in the Salon were having...we just didn't want to make a big deal out of it, because what would we do to solve it? and how would we deal with our hundreds of clients getting all frantic about the situation ? So, nothing was said as the problem remained the same and the issues were not addressed. When I retired and began working in a Lab as opposed to a Salon, I began trying to tackle the issue on my own. Being from "nutty California" I employ the idea of mind-body-spirit, in most things I do . . . I just truly believe in that theory and I truly believe that all 3 must be aligned in order for the body to become whole and healthy. I also bought every book I could find on hair and health and began reading on the subject, I had plenty of time to do so, so I decided to become an expert on how to have the healthiest hair possible which is where the 10 steps come from for 10,000HEADS.

To begin with, the problem of hair thinning was affecting both sexes, all ages and even youth. That is what startled me, people I had asked about their mothers/fathers hairloss, and none seemed to be ringing true to prior subjects, so the tide was changing. This new massive hair loss and hair thinning was for lack of a better word, heading towards "out-of-control"... that's not something I wanted to let out f the bag - it would create a type of panic and I knew that was not necessary nor would anyone really pay attention to it. Hair loss - AGAIN - was not a health issue, so there was no reason to act like it was.

What is the most common product used on hair?

Shampoo

What product does just about every person on the planet use?

Shampoo

I began by taking the ingredients in the top shampoos –and researching each one to see if any of them had any history of deteriorating the hair follicle, it didn’t take long for me to discover something very interesting back in 2003 even. There were a number of articles about the harshness of one of the main ingredients. . . . that was in almost ALL shampoos.

Yep, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate. SLS and ALS.

Then in 2003 I ordered the first large, thorough and complete textbook:

DISORDERS of HAIR GROWTH – Diagnosis and Treatment

by Elise Olsen

its one of those huge 500 page Medical textbooks,

which I proceeded to read from cover to cover.

Dr. Olsen is a Dermatologist (medical doctor ) that has pretty much dedicated her career to hair loss and the cause of hair thinning. In the United States she is probably the foremost expert in the subject as far as I can tell. As funny as it sounds the day I got this textbook, things changed for me as far as this subject. Having done some of my own tests and experiments with hair follicles, the microscope and SLS, reading what Dr. Olsen wrote on the subject, confirmed my own suspicions. I’m not a formerly trained scientist, {have been pretty much “self trained”} – now to watch what happens to the hair follicle under a microscope and by adding SLS & water to the hair, well it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that SLS was destructive to hair. You could see the follicle sizzle and curl up – almost disintegrate—not a good thing Ladies and Gents. Here is the paragraph I read that jolted me into a new person and started me on my:

Ban > SLS campaign for the next 7 years . .

This next paragraph is directly from the Textbook and Dr. Elise Olsen in 2003

DETERGENT shampoo

Since many people live in areas with hard water, new formulations of shampoo using sulfonated oil started to become popular in the 1960’s. These shampoos consist of 3 major components” (1) principal surfactants for detergency and foaming power (2) secondary surfactants to improve and condition the hair (3) additives that complete the formulation and add special effects. The surfactants or detergents act by removing the dirt from the hair with a lipophilic component and transferring it to the rinse water with a hydrophilic component.

The 3 types of surfactants or detergents found in shampoos are anionic, nonionic, and amphoteric.

The principal surfactants in detergent shampoos are the anionic substances. These are names for their negatively charged hydrophilic components and are made from alcohol obtained from the fatty acid of coconut and palm leaves. Sodium Lauryl sulfate and ammonium lauryl sulfate have the strongest cleaning and lathering qualities. However these occasionally can be too strong and irritating. This could either be because of the high pH or too much detergent action on the hair, which causes too much sebum to be removed. Clients with chemically damaged hair may wish to avoid swelling of a damaged cuticle by an alkaline shampoo by selecting one that is more pH balanced.

Also, the sulfo-succinates are strong degreasers but leave the hair in poor condition. It is reported that these are also highly allergic and that contact dermatitis to this product in a shampoo also occurs quite frequently. I realize that these are all long and confusing words . . . but its time they start to be introduced to your vocabulary. All of them are variations of SLS and sulfates that need to be eliminated from your shampoos. There are plenty of safe surfactants – I promise you – plenty. The thing is, they are more expensive and are harder to work with, but that’s OK, at least the hair on your head will remain there after using them.

There are many studies and research Trials going on right now on SLS and sulfates. Shampoo manufacturers are very powerful, as I’ve said before they are the Number 1 advertiser in the country – advertising “king” = “KING” period.

SLS has been shown to deteriorate the hair follicle, it retards the growth cycle of hair and increases the amount of time needed to re-grow hair from a normal of 3 months to up to 24 months. .which is prolonging the “sleeping stage” of hair growth and giving you the appearance of hair loss. So many chemicals and ingredients affect hair negatively, and they must be noted and watched out for from now on.

I believe that SLS ( sodium lauryl sulfate ) is responsible for all the remarkeable NEW hair loss and hair thinning rise in America, of course you will never get any of the big manufacturers or chemists to say this.. like anything, they can test SLS in their own manner and come out with OK results. But there are plenty of tests that show SLS as such a caustic cleaner it actually corrodes the hair follicle and impairs its ability to grow. SLS also causes a dramatic decline in the hair growth cycle and it prolongs the hair loss phase ( normally 3 months) by a factor of 8. Its funny, simply removing this darn ingredient and its corrosive irritating effects, begins to restore the natural healthy function of the hair follicle. Do you know how blown away I was when I realized that this information was in textbooks and research studies all over the country?

I truly honestly feel that SLS is at the bottom of the huge increase in hair thinning and hair loss in America, I know that is a big huge statement but I

truly

honestly

believe

it.

The timing of when it was introduced and how long it took to start to make such a huge difference in people's hair makes sense that it would be the culprit.

I just feel, no one will ever cop to it. Which I don't care about, I'm not into all that. All I want is for the problem to STOP and go AWAY - - - FAR AWAY.

So please . . even if you have tons of hair, and that is not your issue . . do not use shampoo with SLS, sodium Lauryl Sulfate, or ALS in it - for your own good. If you have children,or babies. . . be sure that ingredient is not in anyone's shampoo. Please.

_____________________________________

Lather it up - - the “numbers”

I know this is going to sound incredible to you but the shampoo industry is a $1.4 Billion dollar business.

Isn’t that incredible, that we spend that much on shampoo !

. .and in this lousy economy we have, the darn segment showed a 3% increase as well last year.

Check out this chart and the shampoos that are the biggest sellers.
Like I said they are the ones with biggest and flashiest advertising campaigns. . .

Stirring up rich, sudsy lather without sulfates – that’s how a growing number of consumers want their shampoo and conditioners to perform. Sulfates have been found to strip hair of essential moisture leaving it dull… if there is nothing else you look for when you purchase your shampoo > look at that ingredient list on the back and make sure there is nothing that looks like this ……. >>> Sodium Lauryl Sulfate ………Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate….. or I have seen some of them disguising it by noting it this way SLS – even. I believe these ingredients are causing hair loss, there is absolutely no reason for me to bring this up other than when I switched all 500 of my clients back in 2003 off of all shampoos with SLS in them {not an easy task back then}- - - added THRIVEN, the secret supplement and began everyone on the protocol I now call 10,000HEADS - I had an improvement in the 90% range. So as silly as it sounds, the results were there. I have terrific "common sense" and that is kind of what my entire protocol is based on, good common sense.

90-95% of the 500 clients showed improvement – remarkable improvement. I highly suggest you follow my clients lead.

Hair thinning is a problem I wouldn’t wish on anyone, no its not life threatening . . . but you know what it is?

It is depressing and it is a sad and discouraging problem, I know I had it for 2 years in 2000 and I thought I wasn't going to be able to solve my own issues - - back then as well.

The best aspect you can have in someone trying to solve a certain problem is for them to have the issues/problem - themself. Then you get dedication and direction.

So, not only cover all shampoos in your life, PLEASE - spread the word - its a simple solution and I have been told that even all the shampoo on this list below are in the process of switching their formula's to have no more SLS in their bottles. You know what that entails? Its not like changing the formula for a small shampoo, so it must mean they have also discovered what I have. . . if they are all changing their formulas as well.

Hmmmmmm isn't that interesting!?

The BIG Shampoo Review - - Understanding Shampoo -- pH scale

I never know where to start - - again its the whole "chicken and egg" predicament.

But am going to start on the pH scale as I feel it is so very important to understand in relation to shampoo and hair care products in general .

Potential Hydrogen (pH)

Understanding what pH is and how is affects the skin and hair is essential to understanding most of the services that you get in a Salon or that you perform on your own noggin. This will be a brief overview of pH and how it works so then I will go right into pH and shampoos. I'm using a couple textbooks to help me with this, as much as I understand it, I tried writing my own post on the subject and ended up trashing it, my version was so confusing, I gave it to my neighbor to read and he had the most confused look on his face. So we will go with this and see how it works. Its not necessary to fully understand pH, but I would like you to at least have an idea what it is for future reference.

Having the proper pH shampoo makes ALL the difference in the world, as far as tangling and the hairs condition at the end of the shampoo. Many of you have complained about a particular shampoo that is Sulfate-free - thinking the sulfate-free is the cause, which couldn't be farther from the truth. The cause of very tangle-y hair prior to shampooing is:............ improper pH ! the solution? A different shampoo, I'm afraid, is the only answer to that problem.

Water and pH

First we need to understand a bit about ions. An ion is an atom or molecule that carries an electrical charge. Ionization is the separating of a substance into ions. These ions have opposite electrical charges... An ion with a negative electrical charge is an anion and an ion with a positive electrical charge is a cation. Now Ions are at the base of that T3 Dryer that is such a big hit now which I will go into on a different post.

In pure water, some of the water molecules naturally ionize into hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions. The pH scale measures those ions. The hydrogen ion (H+) is acidic..the hydroxide ion (OH) is alkaline. pH is only possible because of this ionization of water. Only aqueous solutions have pH, Non-aqueous solutions (oil and alcohol) do not have pH . . . without water there is no pH.

In pure water, every water molecule that ionizes produces one hydrogen ion and one hydroxide ion. Pure water is neutral because it contains the same number of hydrogen ions as hydroxide ions, meaning it is neither acidic nor alkaline. Pure water is 50 percent acidic and 50 % alkaline.

The pH Scale

The terms "parts hydrogen" or "potential hydrogen" are used to describe pH. In fact, the term pH originates from the French term pouvoir hydrogene , or hydrogen power" and means the relative degree of acidity and alkalinity of a substance. Notice that pH is written with a small p and a capital H ( which represents the hydrogen ion, H+) the symbol pH represents the quantity of hydrogen ions.

The pH values are arranged on a scale ranging from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 indicates a neutral solution, a pH below 7 indicates an acidic solution and a pH above 7 indicates an alkaline solution.

The pH scale is a logarithmic scale. this means that in a pH scale, a change of one whole number represents a tenfold change in pH. A pH of 8 is 10 times more alkaline than a pH of 7...a change of 2 whole numbers indicates a change of 10 times 10 or a one hundredfold change. A pH of 9 is 100 times more alkaline than a pH of 7.

Pure water, with a pH of 7, is 100 times more alkaline than a pH of 5. Since the average pH of hair and skin is 5, pure water is 100 times more alkaline than your hair and skin, even though it has a neutral pH.

Pure water can cause the hair to swell by as much as 20 percent.

pH and Shampoo

Understanding pH levels will help you select the proper shampoo for yourself . Remember, the amount of hydrogen in a solution, determines whether it is more alkaline or acid, is measured on a pH scale that has a range from 0 to 14. A shampoo that is more acid can have a pH rating from 0 to 6.9 , , , a shampoo that is more alkaline can have a pH rating from 7.1 to 14. The higher the pH rating ( more alkaline), the stronger and harsher the shampoo is to the hair. A high pH shampoo can leave the hair dry and brittle. Now why shampoo's don't have pH ratings on them instead of all the other words and BS I will never know, this is the one true scientific - tried and true method of knowing if the shampoo is going to work correctly- there are also some others.

The Chemistry of Shampoos

To determine which shampoo will leave your hair in the best condition, I must explain some of the chemical ingredients regularly found in shampoos. Most shampoo's share many ingredients in common. It is often the small differences in formulation that make one shampoo better than another for a particular hair texture or condition.

Water is the main ingredient in all shampoos and commonly is added at the rate of 30-40% of the formula.

Generally it is not just plain water, but purified or deionized ( ions removed) water. Water is usually the first ingredient listed, which indicates that the shampoo contains more water than anything else. From there on, ingredients are listed in descending order, according to the percentage of each ingredient in the shampoo or formula. This is how it is 'supposed' to be done but I would guess 8 times out of 10 it is not. Regulating hundreds of thousands of beauty products would require every single agency of the government shutting down and helping the FDA, it is virtually impossible.

Surfactants

The second ingredient that most shampoos have in common is the primary surfactant or base detergent. These 2 terms, surfactant and detergent mean the same thing: cleansing or "surface active" agent.

A surfactant molecule has two ends" a hydrophilic or water-attracting "head" and a lipophilic or oil-attracting "tail". During the shampoo process, the hydrophilic head attracts water, and the lipophilic tail attracts OIL. this creates a push-pull process that causes the oils, dirt, and deposits to roll up into little balls that can be lifted off in the water and rinsed from the hair ( see the photos).

Other ingredients are added to the base surfactants to create a wide variety of shampoo formulas. Moisturizers, oils, proteins, preservatives, foam enhancer's and perfumes are all standard components of shampoos.