Read More at Fight Aging! Dysfunction in hair follicles and loss of the capacity for hair growth is a perhaps surprisingly complex aspect of aging and disease. For all the the basic mechanisms of hair growth are well-investigated, the hair follicle is a complex structure, and hair growth involves the collaboration of many cell types, activities, and signaling that shifts over time as the follicle progresses through the stages of growth. It has proven to be hard to pin down any one specific mechanism as vital, and it may turn out to be the case that no one specific mechanism is the key to preventing loss of hair with advancing age and other circumstances. Nonetheless, researchers continue to search for that one specific mechanism that may reverse age-related loss of hair follicle function and hair growth. In today’s open access…
Whether Our Hair is Relaxed or Not, Beauty Products Put Black Women at Risk
Read More at Well+Good Ask any Black woman about that study that dropped last month and she’ll likely know what you’re talking about. On October 17, new research from the National Institute of Health (NIH) came out linking hair relaxer use to increased rates of uterine cancer. The report followed 33,497 diverse women in the U.S. aged 35 to 74 for nearly 11 years and found that women who “frequently” use hair straightening products (defined as more than four times a year) were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer. Approximately 60 percent of the participants who reported using straighteners self-identified as Black women, and “although the study did not find that the relationship between straightener use and uterine cancer incidence was different by race, the adverse health effects may be greater for Black women due to higher…
Better Hair, Reduced Hair Loss: Why You Should Care About Your Scalp Health
Read More at Expert Male Grooming Tips For Modern Men In the past, it’s fair to say we’ve viewed our scalp like a self-cleaning oven. Unless your head is really itchy or shedding its flaky distress onto the shoulder region, it’s a hands-off approach. Whether covered with a lustrous thatch or starting to thin, it’s easy to overlook the skin above and behind our ears. Until that day when you discover, like any ‘self-cleaning’ oven, your scalp is actually encrusted with gunk. This was our experience on a recent trip to expert trichologists, Philip Kingsley. As we plonked nonchalantly in front of the mirror, our therapist, Sidney, took one look at our crown and diagnosed eczema. We were oblivious to this state of affairs, but from her bird’s eye view she could see large dry, red patches obscured by the…
Stylists and Dermatologists Agree: These Are the Best—and Worst—Ingredients for Aging Hair
Read More at Well+Good Hair health, just like skin health, declines as we get older. Over time, our scalps are exposed to environmental factors that cause oxidative stress, which causes visible signs of aging in our strands. So as we age, a mane that was once thick and shiny can become thin, dry, rough, dull, stiff, and brittle—and that’s not to mention the decrease in pigment that causes it to go gray. We all know that there are certain actives you can add to your facial-care routine to combat signs of aging (like retinoids, peptides, and vitamin C), but according to stylists, the same goes for your hair. Keep reading for their recommendations. To reduce dryness and breakage As we age, our scalps produce less natural oils and our strands get thinner and weaker, which makes hair more prone to…
Hair Colorists and Stylists Are Begging You To Use These Conditioners if You Have Gray Hair
Read More at Well+Good In The Devil Wears Prada, Miranda Priestley sports a stunning silver hairstyle. Allegedly the producers were hesitant about it at first, but Meryl Streep was able to convince them. Good thing she did, because Priestley’s gray hair was an integral part of her look. It also looked immensely healthy and nourished. She must have had a really good gray hair conditioner in her arsenal! Best gray hair conditioners, at a glance: Best overall: Moroccanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Conditioner, $26 Best for frizzy gray hair: Pureology Hydrate Soft Softening Treatment, $41 Best for natural gray hair: Pattern Lightweight Conditioner, $25 Best for short gray hair: Kérastase Blond Absolu Strengthening Conditioner, $44 Best for dull gray hair: #mydentity #MyRefresh Silver Pearl Conditioner, $24 Best for long gray hair: Joico Color Balance Purple Conditioner, $24 Best for curly gray hair: All…
An Integrative Medicine Doctor Says Supplements Won’t Reverse Hair Loss—Here’s What They *Can* Actually Do
Read More at Well+Good I knew hair wellness supplements were having a major moment when my 70-year-old father texted me to ask my thoughts on Nutrafol. After an uptick in hair loss caused by COVID-19 stress, more and more people want to figure out how to get their hair back to looking its best—which explains why ads for “miracle-working” ingestibles may be clogging your social feeds of late. But according to Jessica Cho, MD, an integrative medicine doctor and hair restoration specialist, if you need to regrow hair from the follicle, pills, powders, and gummies aren’t going to cut it. “Hair vitamins are going to address the hair shaft problems like the hair texture, brittleness, and dryness—they can actually make the hair enriched and shinier,” says Dr. Cho. But if you’re experiencing hair loss at the follicle and need to…
4 Rules a Hairstylist Is Begging You To Follow To Keep Your Hair Healthy Between Salon Visits
Read More at Well+Good Going to the salon is the hair-care equivalent of a teeth cleaning. Just as you would see a dentist twice a year to make sure your mouth is in good shape and give you a deep clean, you should also be regularly seeing a stylist who can assess your scalp and strands and treat them to some pro-grade TLC. But while you’ve probably committed to brushing your teeth twice a day between dental visits, you’re probably not doing everything you should be to keep your hair healthy between salon appointments. “It’s important to keep your hair routine in check between salon visits because your hair color and hair health depend on it—when you don’t care for your hair at home you’re jeopardizing its health, luster, and overall texture,” says Devin Graciano, hair stylist and head of product…