Amy Hardin a.hardin.biz@gmail.com
Hello loyal Libby followers! Let me start by saying thank you very much to our gracious cyber hostess for giving me this opportunity to flex my literary muscle and be a guest writer on Libby Hosler Design Studio.
My name is Amy Hardin and Libby and I go WAY back. The year: 1988. The place: the Tri Sigma house at Southeast Missouri State University… Actually, that’s a whole other blog. To be continued… I am a licensed cosmetologist and have been practicing in the St. Louis area for over twelve years. While in cosmetology school, I earned an Advanced Diploma in skin care and make up. (I know what you’re thinking: “Wow, Amy, your knowledge of all things beauty astounds us!”)
Anyway… I also have a Bachelor’s degree in Communications with a minor in English. Having tooted my own horn, now, let me say this: I believe in what I do and what I tell my clients. I research and test, if I can, any products or methods I pass along to my clients. That’s why, when a client brought a recent issue of O the Oprah Magazine along to her appointment and shared with me the article, “The Five Biggest Hair Myths…” My blood boiled… just a little. The “myths” outlined were myths only in the way they were reported.
While most of the information was correct, some of it was incomplete and out of context. If you haven’t read the article, please do. It is one in a group of articles under the title “How to Get Happier Hair” and, overall, there is a lot of really good information. You can find it in the January 2012 issue with the Devine Ms. O and Dr. Oz on the cover. I want to take a little time to expand on and, (gasp!) correct some of the information presented in the piece. Myth #1 “Frequent trims make your hair grow faster”I agree with the information they provide with this one. Their expert, Paradi Mirmirani, MD, states that “Cutting the ends of your hair doesn’t affect the follicles in your scalp, which determine how fast and how much your hair grows.” True. Trims help your hair grow stronger, not any faster. Keeping split ends at bay allows for stronger length, overall. NEXT!
Myth #2 “If you always use the same shampoo, eventually it will stop working.”Of course your shampoo won’t stop working. However, depending on its ingredients, it can stop performing at its best. Shampoos with shine enhancers, moisturizers and protein can eventually build up on the hair and cause it to appear slightly dull. In the case of protein additives, which can be beneficial if your hair has sustained significant damage, using these shampoos for too long without a break can cause hair to look and feel brittle and dry. Taking a break from these specialty shampoos can be a nice vacation for your hair. I stick by the old “change your shampoo every fourteen days” guideline. Switch it up every couple weeks for a couple days and your favorite shampoo will continue to give you its best.
Myth #3 “A cold-water rinse makes your hair shinier”(Take a DEEP breath, Amy!) This one really got my back up! The expert, cosmetic chemist Mort Westman, states that hair “contains no living cells – it doesn’t react to cold (or hot) water.” Hmmm… True, hair does not contain living cells. However, the outer layer, or cuticle, of each strand of hair looks like shingles on a roof: tiny panels layering over each other the length of the strand. Heat WILL cause the cuticle to lift slightly (think of the perm process: the cuticle of the hair has to be lifted chemically or with the heat of a processing apparatus/dryer for the perm solution to penetrate into the shaft of the hair.) So, the reverse is true. An application of cool water (or by pressing the “cool shot” button on your blow dryer) will cause the cuticle to lie closer to the shaft. I’m not suggesting you stand under an icy blast of cold water for 15 minutes. But, turning the handle slightly closer to the blue side will help seal in your conditioner, make your hair easier to comb and, yes, may also make your hair look shinier.
Myth #4 “For healthy hair, brush 100 strokes a day.”Yeah, I agree with them. This statement is pretty much BS. Brush your hair before you shampoo to loosen up dirt, oil and knots and you’re good to go. Myth #5 “If you shampoo less often, your scalp will gradually produce less oil.”I’m waiting on some information from my expert. I’ll throw this data in with another blog about skin care. Stay tuned…
Now to address the “one thing we wish was a myth but isn’t” presented in the article: “Men prefer longer hair.”After polling my friends on Facebook (because, if you can’t use a social network for research, what good is it!) I found that 81% of responders voted like the national average: longer is more desirable. But, Short and Sassy Girls take heart! Nineteen percent of my friends revealed a love of shorter locks. Curtis of Colorado said, “Short bobbed hair is sexy. I really like to see a woman’s neck.” However, he also agrees with Keath of St. Louis who stated that it “depends entirely on the woman. Keeping it longer has a lot more options.” Mark, also of St. Louis, voted for longer lengths but added that, “there are some very attractive [women] with shorter hair.” Ultimately I think it boils down to a quote from Sophia Loren paraphrased so well by my friend Bob: If a woman believes she is beautiful, she is beautiful. Until next time…
Thanks amy! You rock!
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