Oh, the elusive "good hair day."
We strive to attain it, curse the "bad" days, and wonder when (or if) we will solve the mystery of how to get "good" hair every day.
NPR recently ran a series of pieces exploring "best practices" for achieving a manageable mane, and also delving into the biological reasons for hair's seemingly capricious behavior.
The first piece got to the root of common hair health and appearance issues with explanations of hair's natural self-defense mechanisms (sebaceous glands), and shampoo's effect on our protective lipid layers. The article then helpfully breaks down the common active ingredients in shampoo, describing how they work and what to pay attention to when selecting your cleanser - a choice that hinges on the strength of your personal lipid layer, which you can test by sprinkling drops of water on your hair. If they rest on the surface like dewdrops, your lipid shield is intact; if your hair absorbs the water, your barrier is compromised (and your hair more vulnerable to potentially irritating or damaging detergents like sodium laureth sulfate). The proper balance of detergents and conditioning agents is of utmost importance, and is highly individual. This explains how we can try so many varieties of shampoo and still not find the "perfect" one.
And then, to complicate matters, if we do find our shampoo soul mate, our hair can (and inevitably does) change! An audio segment describes how it's completely normal for hair to go from straight to curly (or vice-versa), and for it to change texture over time. Apparently it's the hair follicle that takes us for this roller coaster ride by changing its shape - in response to what, though, no one seems to know...
The NPR series culminated in a general recommendation to shampoo less. They even mention the eco-minded "no-poo" movement, which is especially popular among curly-haired individuals. In this audio segment, there are some amusing excerpts from shampoo commercials of the 1970's, when a barrage of advertising campaigns inculcated Americans to the practice of daily hair washing. Now dermatologists and hair care professionals are pretty much across the board advocating less frequent shampooing. An added benefit, besides improvement in your hair's condition, is that it saves shower time and, thus, water. Great for your schedule and for resource conservation!
Speaking of conservation, tomorrow - March 28th - is World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour. Power down for one hour tomorrow night "to make a
global statement
of concern about climate change and to
demonstrate commitment to finding solutions." Light some candles, get romantic, sip some wine - all in the service of stopping global warming ...
Recent Comments