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!?