Some Home Truths about shampoo and conditioner
Do you use more lotions, potions and powders than your salon?
I remember being in college, and some of the "faux pas" I'd heard of were terrible! From people buying shampoo because they like the fragrance, to even buying it because the bottle matches the bathrooms colour scheme. My personal favourite was when I was told by one lady, quite proudly that she's bought some shampoo from a certain store popular with WAGS (Wives and Girlfriends of footballers for those of you who didn't know), and then proceeded to refill the bottle with value shampoo! Needless to say, her colours didn't stay looking as they should for long!
Here's a quick test for you, go into your bathroom, and look around. Do you use more products on your hair than your salon does? Do you have enough shampoo, conditioner, stylers and treatments to open your own salon? If you answer yes to either of these, I can tell you in an instant that these products, despite what they say on the label, are more than likely not professional, and although clinically and scientifically they do have some benefits, they aren't that great. Sorry to break it to you, but that £100 worth of product is pretty much useless and not cost effective to you.
The reasons that store bought products are cheap, is because unfortunately, the lower the price, the lower the quality of ingredients. So bear in mind, next time you think a stylist is pushing a product on you, they're not trying to make an extra buck, our handiwork, time and expertise has gone into your hair, and we will do anything to ensure that what you need is readily available. If you've just spent £90 on your colour, that extra £10 on some decent product will pay in dividends as your colour will last longer, your hair will be protected from the environmental nasty’s, and even better, in the long run your investment will save you money!
Here's a quick test for you, go into your bathroom, and look around. Do you use more products on your hair than your salon does? Do you have enough shampoo, conditioner, stylers and treatments to open your own salon? If you answer yes to either of these, I can tell you in an instant that these products, despite what they say on the label, are more than likely not professional, and although clinically and scientifically they do have some benefits, they aren't that great. Sorry to break it to you, but that £100 worth of product is pretty much useless and not cost effective to you.
The reasons that store bought products are cheap, is because unfortunately, the lower the price, the lower the quality of ingredients. So bear in mind, next time you think a stylist is pushing a product on you, they're not trying to make an extra buck, our handiwork, time and expertise has gone into your hair, and we will do anything to ensure that what you need is readily available. If you've just spent £90 on your colour, that extra £10 on some decent product will pay in dividends as your colour will last longer, your hair will be protected from the environmental nasty’s, and even better, in the long run your investment will save you money!
How Shampoo Works
A Moisturising Shampoo for the Guys
The top and bottom line about any shampoo, is it cleans. For this cleansing action to occur, all shampoos must contain agents called Surfactants. These are essentially tiny detergent molecules, which have water attracting "heads" and oil attracting "Tails".
As we all know, when shampoo and water come into contact with each other you will get a foam or lather. This happens when the Sodium Laureth Sulfate (the actual cleansing agent) is drawn towards the water, while the other side, or the "Tail" so to speak is drawn towards the scalp where the oil is, along with the various other bits and pieces like dirt, left over hair spray, dead skin etc.
When washing your hair, you create a "push-pull" effect, which lifts the grease, oil and the other nasties up and off the hair. Hair that is naturally greasy is due to the body producing too much of the naturally occurring oil, Sebum. Although this oil is an essential part of the hair (it protects each strand), sometimes it just isn't needed in the quantity its coming at! Also when the shampoo is working, it attracts any leftover products, flakes, dirt and dead skin, leaving your hair clean.
Finding the right product to suit you is generally an easy task. Look at your hair normally, and think of the ideal end result. Shampoo, although there are loads of them out there, generally fall into a few set Categories:
So if you've got Dry hair, you would go for a Moisturising shampoo, as a shampoo for greasy hair would dry it out even further. Same with greasy hair, you wouldn't go for a moisturising product, because it will just weigh your hair down even further.
As we all know, when shampoo and water come into contact with each other you will get a foam or lather. This happens when the Sodium Laureth Sulfate (the actual cleansing agent) is drawn towards the water, while the other side, or the "Tail" so to speak is drawn towards the scalp where the oil is, along with the various other bits and pieces like dirt, left over hair spray, dead skin etc.
When washing your hair, you create a "push-pull" effect, which lifts the grease, oil and the other nasties up and off the hair. Hair that is naturally greasy is due to the body producing too much of the naturally occurring oil, Sebum. Although this oil is an essential part of the hair (it protects each strand), sometimes it just isn't needed in the quantity its coming at! Also when the shampoo is working, it attracts any leftover products, flakes, dirt and dead skin, leaving your hair clean.
Finding the right product to suit you is generally an easy task. Look at your hair normally, and think of the ideal end result. Shampoo, although there are loads of them out there, generally fall into a few set Categories:
- Moisture
- Greasy
- Colour Protection
- Extra Body
- Smoothing/Anti Frizz
- Repairing
So if you've got Dry hair, you would go for a Moisturising shampoo, as a shampoo for greasy hair would dry it out even further. Same with greasy hair, you wouldn't go for a moisturising product, because it will just weigh your hair down even further.
How Conditioner Works
The Original Paul Mitchell Conditioner
Conditioner comes in two varieties, Surface and Penetrating. A surface conditioner essentially only works on the surface of the hair, replacing the Sebum which is lost through the shampooing process with active ingredients for your hair. So the same rules apply as for shampoo, buy the products suited to your hair, not the ones that go with the bathroom's colour scheme! The chemical reason that a conditioner works is thank to the little ingredient Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, which is found in pretty much all conditioners. The way in which this ingredient works, is it smooth’s the outer layer (the cuticle) after shampooing, giving a soft, smooth touch and a healthy shine. Of course, not all surface conditioners contain this protein for the simple fact, it is a heavy protein, so conditioner for kids, fine or limp hair and ageing hair, may have a much lower concentrate of it, if any at all.
The other variety, Penetrating conditioner, is more of a treatment, designed for hair problems ranging from damage control to colour enhancement. These products all contain different active ingredients, dependent on the desired result. So in the case of the Paul Mitchell Colour Protect Treatment, it is infused with the active ingredients of Sunflower Seeds, and can keep your reds and gold’s vibrant and shiny for up to 78% longer! Or if its moisture you're in desperate need of, Paul Mitchell's Super Charged Moisture is the perfect hair drink, providing that much needed moisture without it weighing the hair down.
It should be noted however, that penetrating conditioners, despite the name, are actually treatments, and as such, should always be followed by a surface conditioner.
The other variety, Penetrating conditioner, is more of a treatment, designed for hair problems ranging from damage control to colour enhancement. These products all contain different active ingredients, dependent on the desired result. So in the case of the Paul Mitchell Colour Protect Treatment, it is infused with the active ingredients of Sunflower Seeds, and can keep your reds and gold’s vibrant and shiny for up to 78% longer! Or if its moisture you're in desperate need of, Paul Mitchell's Super Charged Moisture is the perfect hair drink, providing that much needed moisture without it weighing the hair down.
It should be noted however, that penetrating conditioners, despite the name, are actually treatments, and as such, should always be followed by a surface conditioner.