Exposing Deception In Natural Hair Products

At first I would say that it is awesome that finally companies are taking notice to the “Natural Hair Trend” that has taken place in the last 20 years. But after realizing that most of these companies are just capitalizing on the influx of people embracing their natural coifs, ingredients are the least of their concerns. From bloggers that advertise national brand products, to packaging/displays utilizing celebrities, to advertisements strategically placed during your favorite television show. The reality is that many companies found in beauty supply stores and on aisles at the big box retailers truly don’t have natural hair in mind when formulating the actual product. 

So the next time you are in a beauty supply store or big box retailer, take a look at the many products that are marketed towards natural hair, turn it around and look at the ingredients. Now compare those ingredients used in products that are just labeled for black hair (specifically relaxed hair)… See any similarities. You do don’t you. Do feel some kind of way? You should, see what these national brands have realized is that taking a product and repackaging it to market towards the natural hair community is a multi billion-dollar market. So why actually try to change the formula of a product that is already doing well, instead they give it a spin off name, create a label and utilize key words found that naturalistas have concerns for. Grrrrreat Marketing, *gives round of  applause* Deceptive little ...*shut your mouth*

After being a part of many blogs and dialogue on social media as well as email/Skype, with other natural women and men, I have found that people like being blindsided. Why you ask? Tuh, most people don’t like spending money on their hair, for quality products or just have been burned by inexperienced stylist. With that being said, most will rather spend money on cheap products that claim to do something and in reality it doesn’t do anything it describes, yet it does cause a ton of other issues.  Combine that with the misuse of multiple products at once, lack of professional care and daily/weekly abuse that one may subject to their crowns to that equals a mess of a disaster.

The damage done has lead to a few of blogsites, magazines, Natural hair specialist and small business products dedicated to dispelling myths in the natural hair world.  Women and men alike are asking the same questions such as “why is my hair dry?”, “Why am I experiencing breakage?”, “How do I get rid of buildup?”, “How do I get my hair to look like the box or this picture?” and “How do I get my hair to hold a style?”

SMH, WELLLLLP… let me help you by answering all those questions with one answer. Try checking your ingredients on your products used in your coifs.

Be wary of products that say “No Wax”, “No Beeswax”, “Does Not Cause Buildup”, “Alcohol Free” and etc. Usually some of those products will contain an alternative to those ingredients. Think of it like reality television… It’s called reality but in most cases its scenes are a skewed reality that is situationally set up and fueled by liquor.  Labeling on national brand low quality products is to suggest the opposite of what it contains and what it does.

By investing in professional care from time to time and high quality products you can see and feel a difference with your crown. When speaking of professional expert care I mean someone that has a license and seeks education to keep abreast of trends and products. High quality products will have more natural ingredients that you can pronounce with in the first 5-10 ingredients. Don’t get sucked into a pretty label, celebrity endorsements or typical phrases that imply the opposite like the aforementioned and “For Natural Hair and Locs”.  It starts by knowing key ingredients and what they do and how to read in between the lines. It’s really simple to S.imply K.eep Y.our H.air H.ealthy

14

3 Common Misconceptions About Hair Loss

Hair loss is a very troubling condition for many who experience it.  For others, it can be seen as a normal sign of aging.  However, because the majority of both men and women will experience some form of hair loss by the age of 60, we all have our ideas and misconceptions about what causes it and how we can treat it.

1)       It’s your mom’s fault that you’re balding.

The most common type of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia, otherwise known as male or female patterned hair loss.  In men, if often starts with progressive hairline recession and often thinning at the crown.  In women, their part may simply appear wider over time with an increased ‘see-through’ nature of the scalp.  We now know that at the cellular level, androgenetic alopecia is caused by the developmental failure of hair-making cells, termed dermal papillae cells.  We also know that this failure is influenced by dihydrotestosterone.  However, contrary to the popular belief that balding is passed down the maternal lineage; an individual's likelihood of balding is a combination of genetic, environmental, and systemic factors.  This fact can be illustrated in twins.  We would expect that if one twin is balding, then the other should be as well.  This is termed the twin concordance rate.  Some studies have shown that balding happens in both twins only about 88% of the time.

2)      Rogaine and Propecia do not work.

Rogaine and Propecia are the only FDA approved medications for the treatment of male and female pattern hair loss.  Rogaine is a topical medication applied to the scalp.  It is unclear how Rogaine works, but it may act on prostaglandin synthesis.  Studies have shown that it can slow down the rate of hair loss and rethicken hair in 85-90% of users.  Propecia is an oral medication that works by blocking the formation of dihydrotestosteone.  It can slow down hair loss in 88-92% of users.  Used in conjunction, Rogaine and Propecia act synergistically and increase the efficacy than using either medicines alone.  Both medications take at least 6-9 months to start working.  Therefore, those who quit using them before 6-9 months may feel not have seen the full effects yet.  In addition, many will not experience regrowth or rethickening of hair; they may simply see the rate of hair loss decrease. 

3)      Your hair sheds more than normal.

Hair grows in three phases: 1) Anagen (growing) 2) Catagen (resting) 3) Telogen (shedding).  

The majority (85-88%) is in the growing phase and about 10-15% of hairs is in the shedding phase.  Therefore, we should expect that we are going to lose at least 100-150 hairs daily.  Sometimes stressors can cause the hair to shed more.  This is called telogen effluvium.  Instead of 10-15% of hairs shedding daily it increases to 20-40% of hairs shedding.  The most common causes for telogen effluvium are post-pregnancy, change in hormones, thyroid disease, iron deficiency, change in medication, or serious illness or hospitalization.  There is good news! Telogen effluvium is typically temporary.  Most individuals will experience less shedding within 6-12 months.

These are just three of the many misconceptions that we have about our hair and hair loss.  As a dermatologist who specializes in medical and surgical treatments for hair loss, I have heard it all! Hopefully this article helps to clear up some of the more common myths that I hear.

Reblogged with permission from: 
Dr. Meena Singh, MD
www.drmeenasiggh.blogspot.com