Understanding Shampoo - through the pH scale

pH of shampoo - magical-simple-solution to ongoing problem

Shampoo is the number 1 Searched for hair product on Google's big board of HAIR search "tags" and lately "sulfate-free shampoo" has been bumped up to number 2 if you can believe that - - - makes me proud. Which means it comes from you, I like knowing what you want to know more about so I am going to stick with the Big G for reference. This will be a gentle description of the term pH, which is so important when "shine" "health" and "color-lasting" are your goals with your hair. Shampoo is that product that is on your hair more than any single other product, some of you use it every single day. With that being the case I feel I need to teach you all I can about it, which is a new concept for me. When I discovered how important it was on Google's scale of what 'you' look for under hair, I started to re-think my former stance on it. See, I can change - I love technology ever since I started this Blog it has become a new passion of mine. What a lot I have to learn though.
I 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 . I never know where to start  on this - -  again its the whole "chicken and egg" predicament, lets see how I do.

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 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 post-shampooing is: improper pH of the shampoo, which is such a simple thing to fix. Certain manufacturers totally understand it, like Kera Care, he has all of his shampoos at the exact proper pH, BUT... the owner is Old School and is just now starting to understand that sulfates are bad, so until he gets rid of SLS I simply do not and cannot in good mind, recommend it. I've written him numerous notes and others have has well, I'm very hopeful he has a SLS-FREE shampoo coming out very soon -- which would be the answer to everyone's question: what's the very best shampoo to use. Again, tossing to the fact that I feel the 2 most important factors are the surfactant used and the pH when the formula is complete. They are also reasonably priced, so - -  cross your fingers and write the owner a note,  http://www.avlon.com/contact%20us.html  if you're as gun-ho as some of my followers !

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 at a later date and subject.
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 hundred-fold 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 printed on them instead of all the other words and BS I will never know, this is one of the key measures  of knowing if the shampoo is going to work correctly (of course there are others).
• Ultimate pH for a shampoo you purchase?  5.0 - 6.0

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 de-ionized ( 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, so it basically self-governed and you can imagine how successful and correct that maneuver is.

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. On a previous post I listed 12 or surfactants that are considered safe, I have worked with each one and to be perfectly honest, shampoo's are not my forte...but wanted to just see - feel - smell and observe the materials with hair under the scope - for my own security - in  recommending them.  I know that probably sounds super UN-scientific, but I feel that is what these super cosmetic chemists - miss. Just plain common sense issues, like the scent of a particular ingredient being so caustic, how could it possibly be gentle enough for hair. Or the texture of this is so rough and the scent so strong, there just has to be a better choice. That is what began my suspicions with Sodium Lauryl Sulfates 7 years ago.  When I opened the jar and seriously, could not take a breath of air it was honestly that burning to the skin in my nostrils, . . . that alone was a huge red 'common sense' - flag. Why no one but me - started talking about it, I will never know .
Yes, later there have come many "Safe Cosmetics" organizations ... but they don't do it right either - They go the complete opposite direction and think everything is bad, and that's not at all how it works, either.  Not everything is bad or unsafe. . .that is as bad of a generalization as the other groups missing the dangers of SLS - it truly is. You can't 'ban' everything, that is the way politicians work...we have no room for that in cosmetics.  I just want to begin explaining this to you, its a big concept but many of you seem eager to learn it, I thought it would bore you all so earlier I decided not to open the bag, besides its bad for business . . . all the big companies won't advertise on my site because I say Boxed hair color kits are horrific - but look at me will ya ? ?  I can't keep my mouth shut!  It would make my life a whole lot easier, if I just conformed and didn't talk about them - I would be making a lot better income off of advertising on this site. This has now become a very well known hair web site, I get lots and lots of traffic everyday without the big boys advertising on my site - but I am trying to break into the next level and get some big advertisers on my site, it won't happen as long as I leave the info up about how bad boxed hair color kits are. But If I don't tell you the truth, you will never get it, and that really is pointless to me.  So . . .  there is the truth. I need your support and I need to know you all want to know the truth in this info - so I know I am doing it for you and you care.
There are many "natural" ingredients that are very harsh as well, that just should not be what you look for.  "Natural" and "organic" are the most fought about topics / the most argued over words in the cosmetics business right now. Every single month in my trade magazines will be another view on what one more group thinks the word "natural" and "organic" means - - please take that into consideration. Those words will never be the answer to the problem, so drop that theory.
Technically as I've said before . . . water is not really 'technically' natural - as funny as that sounds ... it does not come from nature - - it comes from the heavens. With scientists you should hear them fight over the word, it will simply - - - NEVER BE SOLVED  - - ever. I feel both sides have valid points, so its simply time to move on from it.
Remember that there are also harsh and incompatible ingredients in nature for your hair, its needs to be a very simple study and honest reviewed by a competent cosmetic chemist that is not funded by any of the big corporate manufacturers, that is hard to find.
Begin and never stop reading the ingredients on the label, you must -  you must - you must. I fully realize they seem intimidating, BUT that is how I started and a very famous cosmetic chemist told me when I began, just start reading and saying them - over & over & over, they begin to sink in eventually. . .
. I never took chemistry in school I was terrified of the "word'', but you know what? He was 100% correct. I couldn't pronounce Sodium Lauryl Sulfates,  and now I now the names of about 15 by memory... remember I was raised a jock not an academic - so there is no one this is more foreign to, than me. It will make you feel proud of yourself the first time you pipe off the name of one of these scientific names with confidence - and YOU WILL! Talk to your girlfriends about them, people want to know about this subject, you become the new expert in your group of friends . . . that's how we all get smarter and all start helping each other have better hair. Wouldn't you rather be "looking' at nice hair when standing in lines at the Grocery store?

I sure would - - it comes from proper education - that's the compliments I receive from 'you' - the readers - - all the time.

7 Not-So-Simple Steps to Shiny Healthy Gorgeous Hair

  10,000HEADS:Hair Strength System


Its a strange phenomenon,the most requested hair health issues, you - my friends want to know about?
Shiny hair!
I find that funny, because most of what people do 'to' their hair counteracts that exact thing and it is extremely difficult to get people to change their habits. Finding when they sat in my chair every 4-6 weeks I could keep better track of my clients hair, my advice worked well that way. Having developed a feel for hair,I could tell if people had changed their shampoo, gone in a pool, or had a stressful week all by just the touch of their hair, it used to blow people away.I receive dozens of emails from people turning over a new leaf and following my 10,000HEADS Regimen - I hope to hear from more of you that will discover the rules I dish out are all very effective and they come from working on over 10,000 Heads of hair. Flat irons - as much as some of you think a Flat Iron adds shine, you're 'flat' wrong, because you are simply looking at a magazine ad that uses Photo Shop to add that shine. HEAT destroys hairs' health, more than A N Y T H I N G - period. You also absolutely MUST use professional hair color, which you can now buy right here in the Killer Color Clinic underground store (you must join to enter) Killer Color Clinic - Google Group - you will never get shiny hair using inexpensive, lousy - drugstore hair color. I cannot stress that enough,it is like buying a BMW compared to a Hyundai -it is like buying a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes versus buying a pair of Target shoes - - there is no comparison in quality. None - Zip - Zero. The best part about the difference in hair color, all of you can afford the difference.
#1 Your SCALP Matters TOO! Having a healthy - scrubbed clean scalp is extremely important, the most common problem seen over the years is the improper manner in which most wash their hair. Its a matter of laziness, + not being aware that they are missing certain areas - I will see clean sides and clean lower back ....then on top of the scalp ( as in this photo) where most of you miss, is where the dandruff or flaky scalp will be. Try to think about your shampoo ...hang a sign in shower to remind you - right now. Tape a sign that reminds you to wash and scrub ALL sides of your head - spend a minute on the sides, a full minute on the "top" of the scalp, and another full minute for the surrounding edges. All Hair Stylists agree that most clients miss the top of their scalp, we call it the crown of the head and no one rinses long enough. Please rinse 2 minutes longer than you are used to...set a timer next to your shower if you need to. By missing scrubbing that part of the scalp, old shampoo builds up, combine with the unwashed scalp and not enough rinsing;it results in a dandruff-y type flaky scalp condition. Not very good for shiny hair, it actually makes for dull drab hair. What you want is : an evenly CLEAN scalp - for good decent healthy hair growth and shiny hair. Using Malibu 2000 UN DOO GOO once a week will get you there.
#2 What goes in your mouth shows up on your HEAD. Your Hair is an indication of your health, re-evaluate what you eat. A diet too low in healthy fats and protein can lead to dull hair. Long term use of low calorie diets can have a surprising impact on your hair. Incorporate unsaturated fats, nuts and oils such as sesame, sunflower, or olive oil in your diet. Same as I have been reviewing with you in regards to "oil-free". DO not seek out products that are oil-free, oils are wonderful for skin - hair and SHINE. Eating oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, and salmon is also excellent for boosting dull hair. Hair requires plenty of protein in the diet. Poultry, pulses such as peas, beans and lentils, red meat, and eggs, are all excellent sources of hair-friendly protein and will help to revive dull hair. Iron deficiency can cause dull hair and even hair loss, so be sure to have this checked - ASAP. With a regular intake of iron-rich foods - supplements should not be necessary. But if you are anemic then, as well as a regular intake of iron-rich foods, supplements could be necessary to treat the problem and help prevent a recurrence. Good sources of iron include green vegetables, such as spinach & broccoli, lentils and red meat.
Hair is made up of protein; protein is the best thing you can ingest to bring out the shininess in your hair.....along with all the fruits and vegetables you can handle. Fish & Chicken for your proteins are at the top of the charts as top foods for shine along with all types of nuts.
Your diet will always affect your hair, never forget that. On clients I know really well, I can tell if they have gone off their diet simply by the touch and feel of their hair... hair is extremely sensitive, it reacts to the smallest of changes.
- my specialized oil is ready for purchase.
A magnificent combination of 4 superb oils with a slight scent in 2 sizes. Real - earth grown oils are the most wonderful -effective ingredients to replace lost moisture and shine in hair. Lipids are fats or oils and that is what most of your hair is missing, lipids are what hot tools of all kinds take out of the hair and what you are looking for to replace. it is a huge mistake to stay away from oils, oils are more expensive and the manufacturers of course want you to seek out 'oil-free' substitutes because they are the manufacturers of the oil-free esters I have explained previously. Nothing can add shine like the use of honest to goodness oils...I hope you will never buy oil-free again. Remember what they use in place of "oil"...its not pretty.
I have combined 4 oils, chosen for their properties that can be used in a number of ways to help your hair. Real Glorious - - Earth Grown Oils that are the foremost method of GIVING back the lipids that are drained out by all the methods of heat, sun, shampoo, improper diet, alcohol use, pot smoking, unfiltered water and zillion other disasters we put it through. Natural Oils are what your hair is missing NOT fake Esters that Dow corning made up to put in breast implants. . . isn't that horrible sounding ? ? ? Its the truth . . . They made up a material to put in breast implants, then when the big request came from the public for OIL-FREE, the big giant DOW CHEMICAL - said "hey, we have something that could meet that requirement" - lets make-up a new category so that technically - legally it is not called an oil. I'm sure there are many of you with breast implants....would you consider what is in them - - - oil ? Probably not. So you see they actually did nothing wrong . . . you know what it leads me back to? BE CAREFUL of what you ask for!
#1 OIL PROTOCOL as a wonderful moisturizing prep for shampoo... 3-2-1 hours before you plan on showering - apply 1/2 teaspoon - 1 Tablespoon of GLEAM (depends on length/thickness of your hair - less is better - no glopping your hair with oil - a little goes a long long way) massaging in and combing thru. Shower and shampoo as normal being sure to shampoo evenly as I referred to above and rinsing 1-2 minutes longer than you normally do.

• Abysinnian Oil -Abyssinian Oil is a new, natural seed oil with an ultra light, non-greasy skin feel. It has a unique molecular structure not found in any other naturally occurring substance. It contains a high percentage of unsaturated C22 fatty acids, making it highly resistant to oxidation. Liquid at room temperature even though of a high molecular weight, it is most stable against heat breakdown. As a lipid seed oil, it is easily incorporated in any water-in-oil or oil-in-water formula via the oil phase. It offers easy spreadability with no tack. It is a non-GMO vegetable plant derived oil with a mild, pleasant odor.
• Rose Hips Oil - Rose Hip Seed Oil Organic is a healing oil with antiseptic properties. It contains high amounts of linoleic acid and Vitamin C, as well as smaller amounts of trans-retinoic acid. Found to be a tissue regenerator, it works on hair and skin the same way. Rose Hip Seed Oil also has a natural retinoic acid that helps to prevent premature aging of hair, and adds moisture and lipids to the cuticle layer of the hair strand. Rose Hip Seed Oil Organic is a locative oil with a high content of non-saturated fatty acids, such as oleic, linoleic and linoleic Acid. The presence of flavonoids, Vitamin C, a ketonic compound and trans-rhodanic acids have been detected, which contribute's to Rose Hip Seed Oil’s natural therapeutic properties.
  
  • Blocks 30 percent of the sun’s UV rays
  • Antioxidant
  • Regenerating agent
• Jojoba Oil - Highly regarded by Native Americans for its cosmetic properties, Jojoba Oil’s ability to heal the skin also created a belief that the oil had mystical properties. A naturally occurring ester, Jojoba oil is really a liquid wax. The oil is similar to our own sebum which is secreted by our sebaceous glands and helps to lubricate and protect your skin and hair. Jojoba oil provides excellent spread-a-bil-ity and lubricity adding to its ability to increase shine in hair. Jojoba Oil contains protein and minerals, as well as a waxy substance similar to collagen all 3 superb for contributing to hair's shine and health, Jojoba Oil is perfect for any hair type, especially those with a large molecular structure. Acts as a humectant by creating a protective film over hair shaft that seals in moisture, dissolves clogged pores ( which can prevent new hairs from growing in) and returns skin/hair to natural pH balance - and you all know my feelings on the pH balance of hair and how utterly important I feel it is. Penetrates pores and hair follicles rapidly to reduce water loss - water loss is how the hair becomes dry and dull. Feels non-greasy
• Argan Oil - the finest oil in all the land, Liquid Gold as they refer to it , I just did an entire post on this oil - please see Argan Oil Post - Killerstrands.blogspot.com

#2 OIL PROTOCOL = coat the hair with the oil - letting the oil soak on the hair overnight - one night per week - shampooing in the morning, the same as Thriven. I had one of my new online clients try a 1/2 teaspoon of GLEAM and then THRIVEN on top for an overnight application. She raved about the results > I have yet to give this method a go - myself. Wait till you see what the finest of oils does to your hair as opposed to all those OIL-FREE products they have been shoving on you with man-made esters {a very nice name for Silicones} made out of weird feeling - weird reacting - & with absolutely NO BENEFITS oil . What a huge difference your hair loves OIL more than any other ingredient. Don't worry if you have oily hair, I have a few clients with this problem still and I doubt I could talk them into the oil, although one of them really needs it. What you do is apply the oil 2-3 inches OFF THE ROOTS - where the damage is. The hair is never damaged at the roots , the rest of you could do this to save on the amount of product you use.
#3 OIL PROTOCOL Also apply GLEAM to the hair prior to coloring, this method works incredibly well. Use a small amount - 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon - apply to the hair and work thru . . . poor 1/4 teaspoon in your hair color once it is all mixed up - it can be added to bleach - to high-lift color and to any other type of professional hair color. I would NOT suggest this for any other types of hair color. Apply the hair color as normal . This is the one and only method the wonders of this oil can actually get inside the hair and do its magic. If you have dry - damaged hair and its blonde . . I would suggest using this method with a toner from Color Touch , I tried it on one of my models who does nothing but color and re-color her hair with FANTASTIC results.

There are 2 sizes of GLEAM - this week I have used it on every single client witht the most EXTRAORDINARY Results . . . ask your colorist to use it on your hair before she colors. You use it on your hair before you color. The most extraordinary thing it does ??? Apply it to your skin the minutes you get out of the shower. 
GLEAM on the Skin is MIRACULOUS
GLEAM on the Hair is LUSTROUS

2 ounce: $20.00




4 ounce: $35.00





Straight Argan Oil is $25-$30.00 per ounce - depending on where I can get it for the time being. . .its just crazy expensive.... I lightly scent it with an incredible Essential AMBER Oil, like nothing you have ever experienced - it's Deep-Warm-Asian and Luscious.


#3 Clarify once a week. Most of us use numerous products throughout the week that will simply build upon each other if this step is not taken. Set aside one day every single week to clarify your hair using Malibu 2000 shampoo: UN DOO GOO. Product build-up can "coat' the hair leaving it dull - limp - and unresponsive to your styling endeavors. While you may be using styling products to achieve a certain look or style, you may also be using styling products to increase volume and shine of dull hair or limp hair. Frequent use of styling products on hair shampooed in hard water can cause the resins from the styling products to attach to the mineral build-up on hair leading to even less shine and volume. This becomes a vicious cycle of using more and more styling products. Conversely, hair shampooed in soft or softened water can also appear limp and lack shine. The more you use styling products to achieve your desired style or to increase volume and shine, the more likely you are to experience product build-up.
This build up can cause hair to:

• Lack shine
• Be weighed down
• Feel rough or dry
• Be difficult to comb through
• Have a sticky feel
• Not properly process chemical services (color, and relaxers) as resin build-up can block chemicals

I have my clients use Sunday as Clarify day. Start the week out with lighter-than-a-feather Hair. . . apply UN DOO GOO to the hair liberally, scrubbing the top - sides - CROWN - front and back with fingers - - making sure to get all sides and all corners of the hair. After scrubbing leave shampoo on hair while you finish your shower - - for a minimum of 5 minutes. There are fruit acids in the product that actually lift all the product off of your hair. . . your hair will feel cleaner and lighter than it ever has using this method. I challenge all of YOU to purchase this shampoo (they made it SLS-FREE >years before it was cool to! ) and try this experiment. Come on - you all know me by now - - get in the habit of Clarifying once a week with UN DOO GOO, if you want to have Shiny Hair - its not just a useless exercise - it truly works > if done correctly.
#4 Brushing is not useless. Once you understand how the hair grows in the various stages - it makes sense that brushing can be to your advantage. Shedding is a normal part of a hair's life, there is the

• Growth Stage,
• Resting Stage and
• Shedding stage.

Every single hair will go thru every one of these stages, I'm under the opinion that if you brush the hair every day then the 150 hairs that are supposed to shed for THAT day, "will". If you keep from brushing the hair, the hairs that were going to shed, stay on the head . . delaying the inevitable.
Brushing helps hair stay healthy as it stimulates the supply of blood to the hair follicles which encourages healthy hair growth, the idea is to spread the natural oils. Remember, oils are lipids - Lipids are good for the hair and increase shine by leaps and bounds.
Therefore if active brushing occurs every single day, normal shedding can take place which opens up and makes way for all the new growth that stems from active shedding. Therefore,the old wives tales of brushing 100 strokes a day is a wise and current theory that I highly recommend, it opens up room for new growth and shiny hair.
#5 Condition - Condition - Condition. This is mandatory for shiny hair and THRIVEN is your Tool. Killer strands own Deep conditioner THRIVEN - works like no deep conditioner you have ever tried. After 5 months of distributing THRIVEN outside the LA area I have found comparable results with those here in sunny California. I was concerned at first that maybe the people here in LA are overly neurotic about their hair and looks and maybe others wouldn't have the same success rate.... which was 100% = WRONG. Everyone throughout the country has the same wonderful results.
Thriven comes with a Water Test Kit , 10 treatment caps and the name of the secret supplement that you will need to purchase and begin taking once a day every day and how to incorporate it into your life. The SS is a Pharmaceutical available worldwide and has given hundreds of people shiny- healthy - thicker hair. This is an OVERNIGHT treatment... and the 1 - 2 Punch of the Conditioner and the Secret Supplement. Shampooing the hair in the early evening, applying THRIVEN - combing thru... applying a few minutes of heat from hair dryer - apply the plastic treatment cap to generate heat while sleeping. In the morning you rinse thoroughly - 4-5 minutes longer than you planned - finish with a cool rinse.
#6 Go SHOPPING - Don't just use any shampoo that's in your shower. Make an effort to go shopping for the shampoo that will help turn your hair around. The new thing If you haven't read it here or somewhere else is sulfate-Free shampoos. Having run tests for you on the Sidebar and offering a complete Sulfate-free shampoo review... still everyone has their particulars. I may be the only one that says this but I feel Sulfate Shampoo is at the bottom of the huge hair loss and hair thinning in women so if you don't want that to be an issue, I suggest you walk into your bathroom right now take that shampoo that has Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in the ingredient list and toss it - out - NOW! I realize that is a very serious accusation, but I also feel it is the common denominator for all my clients that had the problem. As soon as I get new clients switched around to my rules and regulations a very serious solution to the new problem affecting 15 - 18 and 20 year old!

Don't treat shampoo like a bar of soap. Your hair is completely separate from your body and if you are looking for shiny healthy hair then the shampoo is the first product you will use to get that shine. Begin looking at ingredients in shampoos, there are good surfactants and poor ones I am going to give you a partial list of surfactants that I want you to print out and slip in your wallet, A surfactant is the "cleaning" portion of the formula. Here are 12 Surfactants that are OK, the top 3 are the ones I'm fond of, although I am a Hair conditioner specialist, I worked on shampoos many years ago and have not studied them intensely in the past 2 years, with my illness I now have a very hard time working with my chemistry formula's, unfortunately it is now affecting my mind. Anyway . . . here are 12 good surfactants:

• Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
• Cocamidopropyl Betaine
• Sodium Caproyl Lactylate
• Decyl Glucoside
• Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
• Cocamide MIPA
• Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
• Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
• Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
• Disodium Coco-Glucoside Tartrate
• Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate
• Lauryl Glucoside

Visit Your Stylist. There is nothing like a great hair cut. Nothing. Book an appointment and be sure to have a thorough consultation with your Stylist - they'll take your hair type, face shape, and lifestyle into consideration - all of which will help them create the perfect cut for you. There is nothing like a great foundation...and a great cut is that. Do your research on finding your towns best cutter - every town has one GREAT cutter, even small towns. Working week long courses at Sassoon we would see hair stylists come from every small town in America - they would come in for a week to brush up their skills with our $5,000. Week long continuing Education courses - worth every penny - it kept them in the know. We had 3 day weekend courses, 1 Week courses - 2 week courses and 4 week courses. Each with 20 - 30 people in them ALL YEAR LONG - every year for the past 20 years. That is one helluva lot of people, it was such a lucrative field that every single hair company has copied Sassoon, Paul Mitchell has opened a School out here and stole 1/2 the people from Sassoon. TIGI has opened a couple schools, Aveda has opened one . . . so the amount of schools are rising faster than the volume in your hair! The training will never meet the level of Sassoon, but all those people are out there in all of YOUR towns . . . now go find them!
#7 Heat protection
Instead of try to ask for the impossible, which would be to ask you not to use hot tools. I will do the reverse and ask that you use heat protection spray and serum - always.
What is the single - worst thing you can do for the health (shine) of your hair?
HEAT
I would bet most of you have seen, smelled and watched a hair burn. . . . any questions?
Now we turn to what I have been turning you away from in the other step - USING Silicones! See how this works? The 3 main ingredients are cyclomethicone, dimethicone, and trimethicone and a number of derivatives off of those spellings that most of you can figure out.
Because they are such a weird substance - man-made and have absolutely no good advantages - - except for in this type of consistency as a spray or drops these odd and strange substances can protect your hair from heat. Now can you see how they are no advantage except for prevention from heat. That gives you some sort of perception of the type of substance it is, I hope.
How many things can resist heat ?
As a former stunt woman and one of the very first women to accomplish a full Fire Burn - I can also be an expert on this subject ....There is a fire suit made out of Nomax .... and then there is what we call Fire Gel . . and that is an ice cold Gel we put on our hands and face while we spray rubber cement all over our fire suit before we light ourselves on fire. That's it. So the fact that Silicone when used in this particular form can protect your hair from heat, is short of a miracle. You do not want to use real earth grown oils and heat - they will smoke and they could "burn"...so that is one BIG GIANT > NO.
My number 1 recommendation: Don't use any heat appliances.
No one will listen to that - so Plan B needs to be chosen
Use Silicone based serums with NO alcohol in them to prevent heat damage all the time. Nothing else works correctly, the chemical bases must be an ester of sorts in order for it to work correctly. it has to be this obnoxious substance in order to coat the hair in such a way that it actually covers & coats each hair strand including withstanding the ravages of heat being PRESSED tightly between the two plates. That is a tough job - my friends - think about that scenario. Serums with silicones/esters are the only material capable of doing this.
KeraCare Silken Seal Liquid Sheen is my favorite. It revitalizes hairs natural sheen, helps protect during thermal styling. Helps seal cuticles to prevent moisture loss. Remember moisture loss is your biggest enemy when looking for shine. Helps protect hair from ultraviolet damage. This and 6 others I have found with comparable ingredients are what you need to protect you strands from the worst application ever to fight healthy shiny hair >> HEAT.
The properly made serums then need to be washed out of the hair, because you do not want them in your hair all the time. See the rat race we cause ourselves? Its kind of an endless circle. BUT . . . the one saving grace I want to tell you about is. . . I find when I introduce this theory to people for the first-second or third time, what they do is cut down on their use of the heat tools, they wear their hair natural on off days when they are not around the BF or hubby . . . or whatever. They find the days they want their hair to look its best and they ration out their heat tools use. That alone changes their hair so dramatically they start to believe my theories, and then start listening to everything else.
THAT could happen for YOU. I know there are more of you out there, that need this kick-in-the-pants to get off your duff and start caring for that hair - wait till you see the difference. I get raves every single day in reference to how well the 10,000HEADS protocol is working from every corner of the world.

Labels, Tags and Killerstrands . . . Finally We Get Organized

Detour has been ever so kind ladies and gents to take the time to go over the entire Blogs posts and reorganize them with new Labels. Labels are the words you use to put in the SEARCH Box on the site to find what you are looking for.

We have had many requests, complaints and comments about this problem over the year and I realized it was a definite issue, but with my illness - organizational skills went out the window last year. . . I have lesions on my brain (too much info?) and it definetly affects this part of my skills. So Andre offered to do it for us all, we all need to be grateful - and bow our big teased hair to him.

Here are the new Categories:

• 10,000 Heads
• 12 Habits that destroy Your Hair
• Beauty Supply
• Black Hair
• Bleached Blonde
• Blonde
• Blow Drying
• Brunette
• Celeb Hair
• Color Correction
• Color Retouch
• Color Theory
• Corporate Hair Biz
• Crazy Color
• Crib Colorist
• Curly Hair
• Damaged hair
• Dark Hair
• De-colorize Hair
• Demi-permanent hair color
• Demo's - hair color
• Disasters - hair
• Double Process color
• Emo Hair
• Ethnic hair
• Eyebrows
• Female hair loss
• Flat Iron Abuse FIA
• Frizzy hair
• Hair
• Haircolor
• Hair color
• Hair color formulation
• Hair color removal
• Hair color techniques
• Hair conditioners
• Hair cuts
• Hair growth theory
• Hair loss
• Hair styles 2007
• Hair styles 2008
• Hair styling
• Healthy hair
• Highlights are history
• Home hair color
• Home hair colorist 101
• Home made products
• Killer strands policies
• Level system
• Levitation Oil bleach
• Long Hair
• Malibu 2000
• Mens hair
• Mid-length Hair
• Nutrition
• Oil-free
• Organic
• Parting
• Permanent haircolor
• Photos hair
• pH & hair
• Porosity
• Preservatives cosmetics
• Products - hair
• Redheads
• Relaxers
• Renbow haircolor
• Sectioning
• Semi-permanent hair color
• Shampoo
• Shampoo train
• SHOP KS store
• Short Hair
• Sulfate-free shampoo
• Summer hair
• Swimmers hair
• Sweeping fringe (bangs)
• Techniques - hair color (slices, ribbons, pirouette,paint drips,veil,undercolor)
• Texture
• Thinning hair
• THRIVEN
• Tint back
• Tones hair (Ash, matt, neutral, red, red-gold,gold-red,beige, nordic beige, gold..etc)
• Toners
• Tools - Hair
• VANISH hair color remover
• Volume
• Water-test kit
• Wella hair color

Hopefully you will be able to find whatever post you are looking for from this RE -
ORGANIZATION

Andre - did I get it right> ?

Enjoy

Terms Your Hair Stylist May Use

I have noticed over the years that clients get terms we use as Stylists mixed up, which is not the clients fault at all. Nor is it the Stylists fault.

(Please click directly on this article for an UP CLOSE view of what it says....thank you)




Instead of argue about who should know what - when - and "why" . . . how about I throw this very cool list out to you about Hair "cutting" terms - - - although I find it is missing the most misunderstood term of all.

Tapering.

Most clients think that when you cut the hair surrounding the face as in this photo, that it is called "layers"...at least that is what I get here on the WEST COAST of the USA. See how her hair is tapered around the shape of her face ?

Its called "tapering".

Layers are when you cut into the entire head of hair giving you multi-lengths - instead of one length. This model also has Layers - as well as Tapering.

I've often felt that layers were developed for clients that have long hair and they don't want to cut it, but they want a change.
I find most clients find "layers" a lot more work, than one length hair.

Gray Eyebrows: the Solution comes in a Killer Strands Kit

Brow Gray Hair / Color-less brows Now Have a Solution

Getting up in years truly brings out some of the weirdest phenomenon's I  have yet to become used to ... with gray hair popping out of every orifice - probably the most eery of them all.  But when those weird twinkle-y - wire-y - corkscrew-y gray buggers start piercing through my eyebrows, and making us look like a female version of Andy Rooney, that - is when the line is drawn !
Gray hair is determined in percentages ... (for ex.) 30% of the hair is gray . . and so on - do your best to ball park it. It takes quite a while to get all the way to a 100% gray eyebrow, so for the purpose of this post we will deal with those of you with partial gray brows and what to do about them. Yes, this is a mild take-off on my other post about eyebrows, although I didn't address the grays. Eyebrow hair is unlike any other hair on the body, have you noticed? Check out Andy's in the above photo    ! ! !
Gray hair in eyebrows are unflattering, horrific and if you have them, start thinking about getting rid of them - nobody likes to look at them I promise you. With the gray hair comes the inevitable resistant hair. What is resistant hair ? ?  Probably the opposite of what you think, in hair color it means:  it "RESISTS" absorbing color easily. The resistance is strong by this weird 'wirey' hair, -- to get new hair color in-SIDE the hair strand to cover up the gray, and is very difficult to eliminate. You will start to notice one gray and end up plucking it, then the 2nd one - with a another tug. There comes another slight problem that goes head-to-head with this one... the thinning of our hair, not only on the head but in the BROW (for those of you not there yet!) . Therefore,  plucking starts to become a problem, if you pluck all the grays there won't be any eyebrows left. . . . do I want Gray hair that is at least on my face ? ?  or no hairs in my brows and go for that whole  "hairless - eyebrow-less look as we see on our dear Madonna here" look that works on very few ?? The decision, as I have experienced and I would also recommend, should land in keeping the hairs intact and learning how to trim them properly - dealing with the twirls and tinting them the professional method.
Here is where we run into a huge problem. In all 50 states that I know of, (California is known for being the toughest of them all - so to go off of my own state, is the safest bet), tinting eyebrows is illegal !! I find that sentence hilarious, all the crap going on in the world and tinting gray eyebrows is illegal. Whatever, I know I've complained about "lack of regulation" in the Cosmetic Industry...now look at me. Guess that's what's so fun about being a critic, you can just tell people where to go and 'why'!  But seriously, I am not sure truly how this is taken care of, but my theory is . . . you are going to do it anyway - in the privacy of your bathrooms and homes throughout the land. I'm sure you all have been attempting it right along, but the results have been less than stellar. It happens all the time and I can guarantee you that Laura Bush gets her eyebrows tinted in the exact manner I am going to preach to you. You know why I know that?  NO....wrong answer - - -You don't want to know!
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The Disclaimer is here, in no way do I endorse the tinting of eyebrows as it is deemed dangerous in the state of California. So if you embark on tinting your own eyebrows you are doing it under your own, you are also completely responsible for the outcome, having absolutely nothing to do with the writer of this POST or Killer strands. Please leave this site immediately, if you think that you may come into any danger at all.
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If you are to order this kit you will be asked to sign a DISLCLAIMER, Lordie knows , but I want to look like the good citizen....just in case I happen to survive - you just never know these days.
So now....off to the point of all this.
I suppose there are many of you that have not gone through my lessons on hair color and all the theories - rules and regulations, so I don't think it's appropriate to review all of that now. There is lots of room in the COMMENTS section - ask away.
1st Basic Question: What is Gray hair? Its not gray hair at all, its truly 'white' hair that "appears gray". It is Pigment-free hair, that's it - as you & your hair aged, the pigment no longer wanted to make that journey up into the hair strand, it is tired. So much of life is just common sense, I love that about even science!
So if its hair with NO pigment, what must we give it, to make it appear back to normal?
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPigment                 Pigment = Color = Tint
What Pigment out of all the tones fills in the pigment-free hair  ? ?  There is ONLY ONE! ?!!!!?!?!?                                     "N" Series
2nd Basic question...What volume Developer is the one and only Volume that works to COVER GRAY HAIR ? ?
2222222222222220 VOLUME        (there is a new addition to this category - but lets KISS > Keep It Simple STUPID
What you will need is  2 tubes of professional hair color, the rinky-dink colors that pass for hair color in the beauty supplies will not tackle this strong "resistant" hair in the eyebrows - I promise you.
The rules, for COVERING GRAY HAIR ? ? 

• Use a percentage of "N" Series to cover Gray hair - depending on amount of gray - I will give percentages with order
• Then add a color/tone to make the Brow - your color...the exact amount comes with your kit-
• Use 20 volume developer
• let process full 55 minutes - Its Resistant remember?
• lay down when processing so - no DRIPS happen - here is where you can do one of your weekly De-Stress naps I speak of - while deep conditioning your hair.

For YOUR exact formula and kit please order here.

• 2 custom chosen pro hair colors- See charts in GROUP ( join the Group boys & girls)
• 20 volume Developer =  ( 1-2 year supply)
• short brush for application
• q-tips for shaping
• Gleam oil for eyebrow health
• brow trimming diagram - priceless - keep those twirlies in line!

Eyebrow Kit $31.00  + $9.00 shipping

I have drawn a  fantastic diagram with directions  on how exactly to trim the brow, for those of you that order the eyebrow tinting kit.
We will run into the same problem here - similar to the problem we run into about hair coloring and my helping my readers with the solutions...
EVERYONE is different, and we each have our own variables . . . such as:

• how much gray is in the brow?
• what level is the hair (not gray) in the brow ?
• do you have full brow or sporadic 1/2 ?
• what level is your hair presently ?
• have you ever tinted them previously ?
• do brows need trimming?

When placing order please note any of these points you think need to be taken into account. Its funny when most people remark about a Celebrities hair, half of what they love is their eyebrows. I used to treat the eyebrow as its own project using just as much care with the brow as I did with the hair. The eyebrow really sets off the face, and highlights the hair with the makeup - - please spend the time getting the eyebrow as perfect as you get the hair, I promise you the compliments will fly in.

There's No Crying In Hair Coloring

Just beautiful color and a beautiful style

Hair Color Whisperer - Release of Secret #104

Give your Regards to KAITLIN

For all of you that read my Blog . . .
None of what I write............ do I ever claim is 100% MY words...............I learn a lot from a lot of people and can never say where things may have stemmed from.

Read at your own risk.

In the past couple years I have gone on an oil-finding mission, comparing properties, comparing numbers and comparing real live human results. Not oil for your car, although I would love to solve that one as well! No this is oil for your skin and hair...once I learned that lipids which come from (real-natural) oils are what the skin, scalp & hair strands need for true health, I embarked on a mission to find the best ones for the proper application. Once again, I wanted to share what the wealthy, the brilliant, the cosmetics chemists of the world all are privileged to know -- with you and I hope you will all use it. No longer do I buy $100.00 face creams and the like, there simply is no need to. Studying over 25 oils quite intensively - I have favorites for face, for body and for hair. Its all technical and based on each ones properties, the last thing I want to do is bore you, Id rather cut-to-the-chase. Let me tell you about my newest find and guess what, it is the most exciting yet and it is for the hair (and skin) !

Your skin is the largest organ on your body and I think many of you disregard & disrespect its importance. Your skin and scalp absorb through its pores at very high percentages. That is one reason the medical industry is turning to "patches" to deliver their pharmacological ingredients. You are able to receive a slow-release of the medicine and avoid a trip to the hospital to use an I V. Don't you consider that remarkable and important? Don't forget how important that largest organ you have, on that precious body of yours -- IS - - -treat it with kindness.

Researching this oil -- to do some testing, I discovered it was so remarkably high in vitamin E and had these very interesting phyto-sterols, which are good for scar tissue and so many other things” — including, that hard-to-define problem of lackluster skin. It is certainly the richest oil I have felt ever - the weirdest part of that? It dries out completely on the skin, 'dry'! Its a DRY OIL! What a dream! My first thought was how I could turn this into a styling oil or add it to THRIVEN, or anything ... I was so excited - guess what the hold-up would end up being? The price. Its quite expensive - but I came up with Plan B. Thank the Lord for Plan B. This has been a thought of mine for years, I just never went to the effort of putting it together.

Meanwhile, more Western cosmetic companies are now starting to distribute this “liquid gold,” as it is often called. Liz Earle a European skin care queen developed a line based on the Liquid Gold that she is now selling on HSN. She has decided to mix it with other oils which is a brilliant idea but still she sells a night complex in a roller-ball container that holds 1/3 of an ounce of product for $33.00 - here's the link http://beauty.hsn.com/liz-earle-superskin-concentrate-night-treatment_

but to me that is too much $$ for not enough of the actual product. I just sold one FULL ounce of ARGAN OIL to one of our members for $20.00. so that would be quite the deal.

Prior to finding this wonder-oil I had drawn up a plan to begin adding a combo of oils I have developed into 1 powerhouse. I have Avocado oil + Wheat Germ oil + Sesame Oil + Rose Hips Oil, with a tad bit of essential oil combo I made up. The Oil is called : GLEAM : 4 ounces of that... should last you a year. The plan ? At every hair coloring you can use 1 of 2 methods:

#1.) Apply approx. 1 Tablespoon (depends on hair length, thickness, density & porosity) to entire hair lengths, massaging in & combing thru. Proceed to color hair - which would get the oil INSIDE the hair shaft.

#2) Add 1 Teaspoon of oil to the hair color AFTER it has been mixed up. It can be added to Bleach, High-lift Blondes, all of it. Apply color as normal. Again the oil will be deposited INSDE the hair strands - - exactly where it needs to be and the one and only way it will ever get there --when the cuticle is open.

Both excellent methods, simply a matter of choice. . . over the months I have tried both on any number of clients I don't see a lot of difference in each of the applications - - but I see a HUGE difference in the results. The hair is soooooooooo much softer and more luxurious - it is incredible, I will never color without using Argan oil again. . . that's how great the results are.

I have about 2 dozen remaining secrets I have not given away - this is one of them. Imagine using ARGAN oil on your hair in these 2 methods . . . simply delicious!

KC