The PRODUCT Blog - Pure Ingredients for Gorgeous Hair

Innovating Responsibility

Some people enjoy a challenge.  Increasingly, makers of all types of daily use products must consider the complete life cycle of each, including packaging, through use and beyond.  As populations grow overall, and urban areas become more dense, what people dispose of has become a more pressing topic.  As the costs of energy and materials increase, conservation becomes a goal.  These are positive social developments, but meeting the goals and addressing the issues effectively with smart, attractive packaging is a challenge.

The beauty & grooming sector is making an effort to stylishly innovate environmentally responsible packaging, and the April issue of Beauty Packaging Magazine explores just what is - and is not -  "environmentally responsible." 

Environmental Packaging International (EPI) president, Victor Bell, writes in this issue that regulation requirements are crucial to the effort to manage the complete cycle of commonly and/or heavily used products.  Closed loop consumption, or Cradle-to-Cradle certification, is ideal.  But recyclable, reusable and biodegradable packaging, as well as packaging that conserves energy or other resources in its production or transport, is more achievable than ever.

 

 

Bell writes that materials matter.  Some common features of cosmetics packaging, such as glosses and metallic hot stamps, decrease the recyclability of the paper they're applied to.  He asserts 95% fiber content is the best choice. For plastic, clear, green or very light blue PET or unpigmented HDPE are the most easily recyclable.

The recyclable symbol, three chasing arrows, indicates that packaging is recyclable in a "substantial majority" of areas.

Many urban areas have developed robust recycling programs, able to accept a variety of materials.  Additionally, a growing number of beauty companies have begun their own recycling programs, offering to accept empty containers from their products, in store and by mail, just in case the packaging materials are not recyclable in all areas.  At this rate, and with all parties working in conjunction, just like those chasing arrows, environmentally responsible packaging in the beauty & grooming sector will be ubiquitous in years to come.

 

 

 

Cleanse & Condition Evolves

Hair care is changing, right on top of our heads.  One example is the shampoo & condition ritual. 

Coming Clean

For thousands of years of human history, soap was the main detergent available for cleaning hair, though, as you might imagine, it was by no means a satisfactory option.   The word 'shampoo' is derived from the Hindi word champo, which means head massage.  Sake Dean Mohamed offered champi, or scalp massage using cleansing oils, in London in the early 19th century.  Shampoo, distinct from soap, emerged when chemist Hans Schwarzkopf developed the first water-soluble hair cleansing powder, around the turn of the 20th century.  By the 1930's, Dr. John Breck - he of 'Breck girl' fame - was developing the first pH-balanced shampoos, and as shampooing became easier, it moved from the hair salon to the bath and shower. 

These days, though, women are as likely to go to a blow dry bar, and wear the results for a week or so, as they are to shampoo at home.  Or to skip water altogether and use a dry shampoo product.  To save time, and to avoid surfactants, women have been making their shampoos fewer and further between.

So, where does that leave conditioning?

Taking Care

Conditioning may take place less frequently, but that does not diminish its importance.  How you condition your hair depends largely on your hair texture.  Deep conditioning masks and hair oils are some current variations on the standard, and many styling products now contain ingredients that condition as well.  It's important to remember that after shampooing, hair is in its weakest state - wet.  A conditioner formulated to meet your hair's needs, evenly distributed, makes detangling less damaging, not to mention less painful, and smoothes out any rough spots.   

What's your cleanse & condition preference? 

User Friendly

PRODUCT pomade is so user-friendly, we sometimes are surprised when people are stymied about how to use it with their hair - but since the most successful results come from specific techniques, we wanted to share some of our suggestions for how to best apply PRODUCT to your hair. Combine your hair TYPE and LENGTH, and give it a try ...

First, general instructions: 

pea-sized piece / liquefy between palms / apply lightly

TYPE:

thick  your hair will tolerate more PRODUCT, possibly even more than one application per day.  be sure the PRODUCT is well-liquefied and evenly distributed on your hands, to ensure even, all-over application. 

fine  fine hair can benefit from some PRODUCT at the tips or ends, to give it texture and capture flyaways. go lightly!

curly  applied with a light touch, PRODUCT helps to shape waves and curls.  be sure it's well-liquefied and evenly distributed in your hands, which you can then run through your curls, using your fingers to shape and arrange hair.  or, for overall taming, apply to damp hair before drying.

straight  the ends of your hair will love PRODUCT, and you can also use a little to smooth down the flyaways and short hairs that appear along your part.

processed  your hair will enjoy the moisturizing properties of PRODUCT, and you can apply it either while hair is dry or still damp.  applying PRODUCT prior to heat styling offers protection, and the heat encourages absorption of beneficial ingredients.

LENGTH:

short  depending on your style, you can either run your PRODUCT-covered hands through your hair, or focus application on the areas you wish to smooth and control.

above the shoulder  once you have PRODUCT on your hands, start touching your hair wherever you'd like to smooth it, change its direction, add some texture.  voila.

shoulder-length to long  use your PRODUCT-covered hands to gather your hair into a ponytail, then gently twist.  using both hands, twist strands through your fingers.  you'll get a nice, light application.  also - while your hands still have PRODUCT on them, you can use your fingers to detangle.

The Grand Finale:  Once your hair is coiffed, rub your hands together and PRODUCT will absorb into your skin.  You're ready to go!  It's as simple as that. 

E is Everywhere

Look at the label of any personal care product, and you will almost certainly see Vitamin E among the ingredients.  Sometimes listed as Tocopherol, its INCI name, Vitamin E is ubiquitous in the beauty and grooming market.  It's in soaps, moisturizers, hair pomades, conditioners and shampoos, and more ... 

Image:  University of Illinois at Chicago/uic.edu

Vitamin E is also in a cornucopia of foods: nuts, egg yolk, dairy products, leafy green vegetables. The US FDA suggests that a healthy diet would include 15mg of Vitamin E per day. 

So how does Vitamin E find its way from nuts and leafy greens into lipstick and hand lotion?  And what is it doing in there?

In personal care formulations, like eye creams and body butters, Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant.  Fat-soluble Tocopherols get their antioxidant function from their phenolic hydrogen atom, which reacts with oxygen to protect unsaturated fatty acids.  Capture of that free radical interrupts chemical chain reactions that occur with exposure to oxygen.  Breaking the chain prevents deterioration, extending the life and effectiveness of the product. 

Tocopherol, and each member of its family of closely related compounds, also conditions and softens hair and skin.  Applied topically, Vitamin E is easily absorbed, quenching dryness and smoothing the surface. 

It's clear that not only is 'E' Everywhere, it's also Essential.

California Dreaming

Congratulations to PRODUCT friend, BISOUS magazine, on its fourth issue.  One full year of quarterly editions is a milestone for editors Shelli Wright and Christopher Bredesen, as well as for beauty editor extraordinaire Annah Yevelenko.

This spring issue of BISOUS celebrates all things Southern California.  From the first story - PS I Love You, on page 19 - which highlights swimming pools, architecture and cactii, it's a fiesta of homages.  Also making cameo appearances:  bathing suits, beaches, glamorous platinum blondes and solar panels.  Ah, the Golden State.

 

Merci, BISOUS, for this tribute to the Southland, and we can't wait to see what sharp, luscious and invigorating images & styling you bring us in year two ...

 

Once, Always

With spring comes the precursor to 'wedding season' - wedding planning season.  Kicking things off right here in Los Angeles next week is the 

Imagine an emporium filled with top-notch vendors and providers, all eager and talented enough to make your wedding vision a reality.  The Wedding Salon is a one-day event that is structured to feel like a luxurious wedding.  Sophisticated couples mingle amongst caterers, photo booths, florists, bakers, hair and makeup artists and more, sampling work and gathering ideas and inspiration as well as valuable planning contacts. 

The setting for the LA Wedding Salon event is the "ultra modern and classically elegant" SLS hotel in Beverly Hills, and it's happening this coming Monday, March 25.  100 lucky brides & grooms who attend will find PRODUCT pomade in their take-home swag bags.  Here's to happily ever after ...

That's Entertainment

Hosting a convivial gathering with scrumptious eats and a sweet take-away is not as easy as Taylor Lucas makes it look.  However, it can be done - as evidenced by these photos, from Sous Style, of Taylor's Lonely Hearts Edition Family Style Dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

The site of the festivities was Taylor's hair salon, Lucas, located in the historic Old Town Waterfront District of Portland.  Exposed brick walls, lofty ceilings and plenty of space make the salon a perfect setting for events and socializing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Essential Ingredient #1:  Friends.  Taylor collaborated with foodie chums to put together the menu, and a design buddy created the invites. 

 

Special Effects:  Fresh squeezed blood orange juice for cocktails, homemade tassels & simple flowers for "low-profile" decoration, and a "Morning After" granola.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to see the Sous Style feature and get even more inspiration for an entertaining spring ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

City Girl Goes Green

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." - Leo Tolstoy

Well, Mr. Tolstoy, tell that to Ilana.  A big-city dweller (Chicago, NYC) and makeup & beauty enthusiast (her word:  "junkie") from a young age, Ilana decided last year that she was going to clean up her routine.  One Product at a Time is a chronicle of her efforts.

Concerned with how many chemicals and synthetics she was exposing herself to with daily ablutions and grooming, Ilana decided to count the number of products she used in a typical week.  Her total:  38.  She writes, "It was then, sitting in full view of the dozens of potentially toxic beauty products I own, that I knew the green beauty movement was not marketing efforts so much as it was a call to change the way we approach beauty. I was convinced I needed to change it up for real this time."

In her quest for transformation, Ilana discovered PRODUCT pomade, and this week gave it a shout-out on OPAAT for its simplicity, versatility and effectiveness.  Here, an excerpt: 

"My hair holds its wavy-ness, it's not frizzy, looks way healthier than it actually is and has a subtle shine that says I take vitamins. It's basically awesome. Bonus:  you can use it as a lip balm, too. And when you're done putting it on your hair you can rub the remainder into your hands for a super luxe hand cream."

 

Root Cause

Hair care can seem complicated, what with the innumerable serums oils, treatments and balms on the market.  But if you're struggling with bad hair days, or looking bedraggled, try revisiting these three basics of hair care and tinkering a bit with each.

• The Shampoo:  This is an opportunity to give yourself a thorough scalp massage.  You'll stimulate your follicles and increase circulation as you cleanse.  Choose a gentle shampoo and don't overdo it; try to wash a few times per week at most.

• Fortify - from within and without:  First, high stress can have a negative impact on hair growth, so a healthy mental state is important.  Then, a nutritious diet obviously supports your entire body, hair included.  Finally, you can target your hair's particular issues by doing texture-specific deep conditioning treatments on a regular basis.

• TLC:  Be a friend to your hair, and treat it well, with wide-toothed combs and natural-bristle brushes, minimal pulling, twisting, teasing and stretching, low heat settings, microfiber towels and snag-free elastics.

 

Image: ByeByeBeehive.com

 

Looking Sharp

Welcome, step inside - Lucas Echo Park's lounging area got a makeover...

... and it looks sharper than a pair of scissors! 

Venture upstairs, where a full menu of facials awaits...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or hang out downstairs and peruse the shelves for something special...

 

 

 

Curious about services and pricing? Visit the Lucas web site & FB Page.