The Normal Hair Cycle

I have a few posts coming up that deal with the normal hair cycle, and I really need to have something to refer to. So, here it is, a looooong overdue post that just shows the normal hair cycle.

At any given time, each hair follicle is in a different part of the normal cycle of hair growth. Each follicle will cycle through these phases, though they can become "stuck" in a given phase depending on other factors in the body, such as pregnancy. Note that the hair follicles are not synchronized with each other, each follicle cycles on its own and at its own pace.

Anagen (Growth)
About 90% of hairs are in Anagen at a time. Typically this phase lasts years, up to 7 years in some people! The rate of growth of a hair follicle on your scalp can be 0.3 mm/day, but other areas of your body will grow much more slowly and their anagen phase can be much shorter. For example, eyebrows typically only stay in Anagen for a few months.

Catagen (Transformation)
This is when the hair follicle is starting to transform into the "rest" phase. The deep part of the hair follicle will slowly regress, pulling upwards toward the hair shaft and the surface of the skin. This takes a few weeks on your scalp, and about 1-2% of your hair is in catagen at a given time. The hair shaft is kind of sitting there in the hair follicle, no longer growing, so the base of the hair shaft (that dermal papilla) isn't really connected to the hair by the time you enter telogen.

Telogen (Rest)
Finally, the hair follicles are ready to rest! The hair follicle releases the hair shaft and it falls out, under normal circumstances you can lose 50-150 hairs/day from your head. Note that the hair can fall out on their own, or in some circumstances (like what is pictured in this image), the new hair as you start Anagen will actually be what pushes out the old hair.

The hair follicle can "rest" for up to 3 months before returning to Anagen phase. About 8-10% of your hair follicles are in telogen phase at a given time.



Everyone's hair has its own cycle of typical time in each phase of growth and its own growth rate. All the follicles on your body will do their own thing, and it changes depending upon where on the body the hair is. I certainly wouldn't want my eyebrows to behave like the hair on my scalp! I hope this helps some, and be on the look out for some upcoming posts that refer to the normal hair growth cycle!


Image: Alila at 123rf.com

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The Transition from Summer Hair to Winter Hair

Now that everyone's heat wave is finally resolving, this is the time to think about the transition from summer to winter hair. While I hope that some of us have already started to do this, I thought that a little input from our expert Dustin David would be very helpful! I asked Dustin some questions over e-mail a while ago (actually, it was an embarassing amount of time ago, I've got to get faster about putting these posts out!), and his advice was incredibly helpful and very specific!


Christine
What are the styles/colors that Dustin sees as "big" in the next 3-6 months, and how can we best transition our style for the change in weather?

Dustin
It’s all about warning it up! Richen up those brown tones by adding warmth. Take away that “over-lightened summer blonde” by adding depth, using “selective shading” or low-lights.

Having your salon professional use Goldwell Colorance to deepen your color and add shine to that faded summer hair is also great. Making sure that you are treating hair that may become dry from the process of blow drying, by using Kerastase Masquintense for Fine or Thick hair in salon or at home.

I completely agree with Dustin on this one. Every year I try to transition my hair color to a slightly darker, warmer tone for the fall and winter. Somehow it really does seem to go better with the weather, and it will help to keep your skin tone from looking washed out as you lose that summer glow. Here are some pics of my hair. The summer pic was taken back in August (I know it's ugly, but it really does hold my hair well and it's comfortable people!), and then a few days ago. If you look carefully at the color you will notice that I've increased the amount of lowlights and my color is much warmer than it was during the summer.


As well, I make a point of protecting my hair from the abuse I put it through with my dryer and straight iron. I use my Garnier Sleek & Shine Fortifying Deep Conditioner about once a week. However, I have been using this one for quite some time, and Dustin's recommendation makes me think I'll try out the Kerastase next. I recently tried out a new deep hair conditioner, watch for a review in the next 1-2 days (it was much better than the Garnier!)

Dustin
Transitioning hair between these seasons is such a fun time for hair. Shorter “bobs” are a great way to remove damaged hair from all that beach left over from the summer, and works great with those turtlenecks worn in the winter. Longer, “bigger hair” is also a fun way to balance out those big winter coats and blazers. Having longer hair is also great to give your stylist more options when having it styled for the upcoming holiday parties and events. It’s all about softness, fullness, and really using your hair to accessorize your winter outfits.


Once again, Dustin is right! Especially for those that have spent a lot of time this summer in the sun and water (at the pool or at the beach), their hair is likely to be dry and damaged with split ends and dullness which just can't be fixed with any number of deep conditioning treatments. Once you've hit that point, the only option really is to chop it off. Lucky for those that have no choice, the bob is back! While much has been made in recent months about Posh's haircut (and then Katie's cut, seen here), the trend really does seem to be taking off, especially here in So Cal. A bob like Katie's can get rid of damaged hair and add lots of style at once.

In addition, I have to point out that likely the poster child for the long hair that Dustin is discussing is Gisele. Her hair is long, thick and incredibly healthy. I love seeing pics of her as she walks down the street or around the airport with her waves just cascading over her shoulders- this is exactly the look that balances really well with fall's great coats.

Christine
What are the biggest mistakes you see in both hairstyle and color?

Dustin
You have to really make sure that your salon professional works with you on creating not just the style that you want, but one that will also work with your facial features, your lifestyle and hair color. The worst mistake is when you see women with hairstyles that may work for someone they saw in a magazine, but not necessarily for them. Another thing is that it’s so important to keep blondes not “too blonde” in the winter months; make sure that their color has added dimension and depth, and also compliments those darker colors worn this time of season.

Also, make sure you never attempt “at-home” hair color, highlighting, and those sometimes “self-inflicted” haircuts. Take the time to see your salon professional and make sure that your hair is taken care of by the “pros”. If your beauty budget is limited, this is a great opportunity to contact local cosmetology schools that offer model opportunities as well as local salons that offer internal training programs, such as the one I offer in my salon. The prices for hair services are much lower than in traditional salons, almost by half and many people take comfort in the fact that the service is done under the watchful eye of the educator!

Dustin David Salon

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The Hair: Damage and How to Prevent It

There are lots of ways that we damage our hair every day. Nearly anything that you do to style your hair can cause damage, and the key is finding the right balance to keep your hair looking healthy.

Things we all do every day:
• Shampooing
• Blowdrying
• Brushing and back-combing
• Curling or flat-ironing
• Exposing hair to humidity
• Altering structure or color of the hair through perms and coloring/bleaching
• Poor nutrition
• Sun and Chlorine exposure

Within the hair shaft itself, damage really affects the cuticle first. As the cuticle is damaged and pulls away from the other layers, the shaft breaks easily. The cuticle also won't lie flat, which creates hiding places for water (hair is harder to dry), and doesn't reflect light as well so you lose shine. In addition to the changes within the cuticle, the keratin throughout the hair shaft (which is also held together by many types of chemical and charge-based bonds) starts to pull apart as these bonds are broken.

Prevention
Now that we know how the hair is damaged, what can be done to prevent hair from being damaged?
• Avoid heat such as hair dryers, curling irons and such. If you must use them (like I do), then use the lowest heat setting that you can and use them as infrequently as you can. Is it really that important to have perfectly blown out hair while you work in the garden on Saturday morning?
• Avoid stretching the hair shaft by only using wide tooth combs on your wet hair
• Avoid chemically altering your hair through perms and coloring (though honestly, who can do that?)
• Avoid chemicals such as chlorine, salt water, etc.
• Use UV protection for prolonged sun exposure (My favorite product for the hair is by Frederic Fekkai and I reviewed it back in May
• Get regular trims. Cutting off those split ends will help to prevent them from splitting further up the hair shaft

Fixing it!
I'm not sure that anything truly "fixes" these trouble spots, short of cutting them off. While that isn't always possible, there are some temporary fixes such as those "deep" conditioners, look for ones with proteins (I describe this all in my description of shampoo and conditioner), as the proteins can fill in the gaps in the cuticle and improve the strength of the hair.

When all else fails, Fake it!
Faking healthy hair is incredibly easy! You can hide damaged hair with a hair style (a pony tail, updo, etc) or with product. A shine product, especially one with silicone will create the illusion of healthy, shiny hair. My favorite shine product is the Frederic Fekkai Glossing Sheer Shine Mist, because it is so incredibly easy to use. Simply spritz on this mist with a few pumps, run your hands over your hair and the application is perfect!

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The Hair: Structure and Function

Ok, I admit that the first time I wrote this I was lazy and not at all interested in the layers of the hair shaft, so I didn't really do the topic justice. I'm re-publishing this now with improved information!


Within your dermis, there's a very cool structure called the hair follicle which projects through your dermis and epidermis and creates your hair. The average human has 100,000 follicles on their head!

The follicle has many different components, all of which have their own function.
Dermal Papilla- This area is full of connective tissue and has a blood supply, but cell division does not take place here.
Matrix- Around the papilla there is the matrix, a collection of epithelial cells and melanocytes (pigmented cells). Cell division to form the hair shaft and follicle occurs here.
Root Sheath- There is a sheath that covers the root of the hair shaft, and there are multiple layers within this sheath, the inner layers are continuous with the hair shaft.
Bulge- I'm not sure that anyone truly knows exactly what this does, but there are some who believe it communicates with the Matrix, helping to control hair growth.
Sebaceous Gland- This tiny gland produces sebum (oil) which is excreted on to the skin.
Arrector Pili Muscle- It's not seen in this pic, but there is a little muscle that will contract when you're cold or afraid, which makes the hair stand up!


What is hair made of?
-80% protein, primarily keratin
-10-15% water
-5-10% pigments, minerals and lipids

The hair itself has a lot of different layers, most of which don't really matter to us in the long run, truthfully. There really are 3 main layers to the hair shaft once outside of the skin. All three of these layers emerge from the matrix, where the cells are dividing rapidly. As the cells are pushed up (and out) they dehydrate and die, forming the layers of the hair as the remaining pieces of the cells keratinize, becoming harder. The layers of the shaft are:
• Inside (medulla)
• Middle (cortex)
• Outside (cuticle): The outer layer consists primarily of keratin and really does look like shingles on a roof like you see in all of those conditioner commercials! This layer really determines how shiny your hair is. If the shingles are laying down well, your hair is shiny due to light reflection. The cuticle also holds the inner layers together, so if it is damaged (eg- a split end) the hair shaft is dramatically weaker.


I found a website that listed the "Optimal" daily nutrition for great hair. Here's what they recommended, recommended daily intake, and what's in Centrum:

Vitamin	Foods	"Hair Recommendation"	RDI	Centrum
Vitamin C	Oranges or Boiled Broccoli	75 mg	60 mg	90 mg
Biotin	Eggs, Yeast, Peanuts, Cauliflower	100 mcg	3 mg	30 mcg (10% RDI)
Iron	Red Meats, Cereals	15 mg	18 mg	18 mg
Zinc	Red Meats, Poultry, Chickpeas	15 mg	15 mg	11 mg
Folic Acid	Yeast, Liver, Lentils, Asparagus, Oranges, Lemons	300 mcg	400 mcg	500 mcg

You can see that it's pretty easy to maintain good hair growth with a good diet, and if necessary with supplementation with pretty much any over the counter supplement.

Hair Follicle Image
Layers of Hair Image

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The Hair

It's that time again.... Time to start another series here on 15 Minute Beauty! This is where we take advantage of the fact that my parents paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to make me highly educated with undergrad and med school, all so I could be a beauty blogger!

This series will focus on the hair. Truthfully, I won't have too much to explain with this series, the hair is much less confusing in its structure and function than the skin is. However, hair care is definitely even more confusing than skin care! Lucky us, we have an expert that has agreed to answer my questions and his advice was phenomenal!

Some topics to look forward to in this series:
-The hair's structure and function
-Haircoloring
-How to transition from "summer hair" to "winter hair"
-Dry and Frizzy Hair
-New forms of hair removal that are hitting the market



Dustin David
Dustin David, co-owner, artistic director, and head of education at Dustin David Salon, has surpassed all expectations and implemented great ideas and approach to his teachings towards hair, mentoring and guiding his employees to build a strong and fulfilling career in this industry. Utilizing creative passion and expertise, Dustin is known for his amazing transformations, turning the casual into glamour, allowing his clients to experience renewed confidence and rejuvenation in themselves and their look.

Dustin has studied worldwide, at various schools located in Spain , Italy , Germany , England , NY, LA, as well as SF to such schools as Vidal Sassoon and Bumble and Bumble University . As director of education at Dustin David Salon, he is a strong advocate for continued education and believes that it is what makes a strong hairdresser. Dustin’s unique, creative expertise has brought him to showcase his talents at local fashion shows, charity events, as well as hosting makeovers on NBC11 News. His goal is to bring the luxury of elegance and fun to the city of Los Gatos , and provide excellent customer service to all who come to share in the experience of Dustin David.
Dustin David Salon


Image- Schwarzkopf

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The Hair, Shampoo and Conditioner

In many ways, shampoo is simply a body wash, with slight modifications to improve it's performance for your hair. The same basic principles that applied to soap apply to shampoo. The basic cleanser in shampoo is the same surfactant that is used in soap. Lathering agents, thickeners and other additives to adjust pH and add moisture and fragrance are added, but the basic shampoo is very similar to a body wash.

How to read an Ingredients list at The Beauty Brains

Purpose	Ingredient
Detergents	Lauryl sulfates- the main surfactant in most shampoos since a great lather is made, works in hard and soft water. Rinseable, but hard on hair.	sodium lauryl sulfate triethanolamine lauryl sulfate ammonium lauryl sulfate
	Laureth sulfates- Good lather, clean well and leave hair in better condition	sodium laureth sulfate triethanolamine laureth sulfate ammonium laureth sulfate
	Sarcosines- Great conditioners, but poor cleansers, usually used jointly with another detergent	lauryl sarcosine sodium lauryl sarcosinate
	Sulfosuccinates- Great at removing oil, often found in oily hair shampoos	disodium oleamine sulfosuccinate sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate
	Amphoteric- can change their behavior based upon pH of the environment, often they are very gentle on the hair and eyes, making them good options for baby shampoos as well as for those with chemically treated or fine hair	betaines derivatives (cocamidopropyl betaine) sultaines derivatives imidazolinium derivatives Sodium lauraminopropionate
Foaming Agents	Introduce gas bubbles, creating foam. Lather is pleasant (I love it!) but doesn't say anything about cleaning power. Oil decreases lather, so you'll see less lather with dirtier hair.
Thickeners	It should be obvious what these do
Opacifiers	These make your shampoo look "pearly"
Conditioners	Again, obvious what these are. Likely to be found in more varieties and higher amounts in shampoos for dry hair	fatty alcohols fatty esters vegetable oils mineral oils humectants (look at the cleanser post for a good list) hydrolyzed animal protein glycerin dimethicone simethicone polyvinylpyrrolidone propylene glycol stearalkonium chloride
Sequestering agents	These keep minerals and hard metals dissolved in the water. Without doing this, they would form a film on the hair.
pH adjusters	Most shampoos are more basic (higher pH) which can damage hair by causing the hair shaft to swell and break. Some shampoos have adjusted the pH to more neutral, which is better for the hair.

Conditioners
Washing your hair too often can strip it of oils, leaving it dry and difficult to manage. As a result, conditioners were invented to help replace those oils, improving the hair's condition leaving it silky and shiny. Back in the day, conditioners were made of things like wax and egg whites, today most conditioners are silicone. The amount of silicone in the conditioner and the amount left behind after rinsing will determine whether the formula is intended for those with fine limp hair (less silicone is left) or curly hair (more silicone is left).

Honestly, conditioners are just not as fun to write about as shampoos. We all know that conditioners will increase shine and flexibility, make our hair more manageable and help us with split ends. It turns out that it really does do all of this by smoothing down the hair's cuticle (remember all of those Alberto VO5 ads?), and that by doing so a good conditioner can literally HEAL a split end! Well, a mild one, but still! It can happen!

There are a few specialized ingredients that you should know about, otherwise the composition of a conditioner is quite a bit like that of a shampoo, from what I can tell with my reading.

Purpose	Ingredient
Film Coating Agents	You want your conditioner to leave a film on your hair, really! They smooth down the cuticle and help to fill in gaps beween the cuticle scales. This also helps to dramatically improve shine.	polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)
Protein Conditioning Agents	Again, think of those Pantene and VO5 ads. Where the scale is missing, the cutex of the hair is exposed below. There is damage there, and the hair is very vulnerable to breakage. These proteins are broken up enough that they really can penetrate into the damaged areas and strengthen them. More penetrates as you leave on the conditioner longer. A 10% increase in strength can be seen (which means a lot of breakage can be prevented), but all benefits are washed away by your next shampoo!	Keratin Placenta (really)
Silicones	Creates a thin film similar to other ingredients, holding down the scale of the cuticle. However, silicones create a thinner film, and are less prone to creating limp hair.	dimethyl silicone

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