Hair Care Tips
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Use of Folligen Shampoo and Conditioner
The Folligen products are designed to be similar to the
specialized shampoos and conditioners used by
Long Hair Clinics to growth very long hair on people.
Our manufacturer said these shampoos and conditioners
were the most expensive shampoos and conditions that
they had ever produced because of the high levels of
premium quality hair protective ingredients.
Excessive shampooing is the main cause of damage to
the hair shafts. The Folligen Shampoo is formulated
at a relatively low pH of 5.8. These permits good
cleaning but avoids the harsh alkaline pHs of most
cosmetic shampoos.
The shampoo is designed to biochemically protect
the hair proteins which have a high sulfur content
from the amino acid cysteine and which can easily
form cross-links to other cystines in the hair molecule.
These bonds are responsible for the hair's toughness
and abrasion resistance and the cross-links hold the
hair fibers together. As long as this organization is
not disrupted, the fiber is strong and appears "healthy".
Shampoos of higher pH (more alkaline than
Folligen Shampoo) work better to clean the hair
and scalp but the more alkaline shampoos strip away
too many natural scalp oils and extract the "glues"
that help hold the hair shafts together.
Experts say that these high pH alkaline shampoos
make your hair look great for a few weeks but then
cause the hair to become dry and brittle which and
increases breakage of your hair. Also, baby shampoos
which are formulated for gentleness if they get in to
the eyes but dry out the hair.
Folligen Shampoo contains no "flash-foamers"
which are foaming chemicals that add lather
(which does nothing for the hair) and damages
the hair shafts and the scalp.
Be careful of "clarifying shampoos".
They are rather harsh and intended to remove
materials that build up on hair such as mousses
and sprays but they also can remove color and perms.
Some hair experts recommend avoiding such shampoos
and instead just mix, in your hand, plain
baking soda from your kitchen with your normal
shampoo and apply this to your hair to remove build up.
When finished, the shampoo should be completely
rinsed from the hair to help bring the pH back down
to its natural level. Also, the detergents in shampoos
are very irritating to the scalp and must be completely
removed. Most experts recommend using a shower for the
most complete removal of the shampoo.
Some shampoo manufacturers recommend that you comb
through your wet hair to distribute the shampoo evenly
into the hair. But wet hair is more easily broken way
and you will only end up with worse hair.
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Shampooing Dry Hair and Oily Hair
Dry hair lacks enough natural oils. To shampoo, use
a minimum amount of shampoo and try to skip days between
shampooing. If your hair is very dry, only shampoo
every two to three days. Our ancestors went months
between hair washing and had healthy hair.
Oily hair is more difficult to manage and
shampoo. Oily hair looks moist, dull and is often
difficult to comb. The fatty substance that covers
oily hair called sebum is over produced by the
sebaceous glands of the hair follicle. Sebum is
rapidly is restored after washing the hair.
More frequent washing with stronger,
more soapy shampoos helps remove oil but damages
the hair. Retinoic acid may be used to reduce oil
production. Retinoic acid also stimulates hair growth
and increases follicle health. But do not overuse the
retinoic acid since this can result in scalp irritation.
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Folligen Therapy Conditioner and Conditioning
The Conditioner is formulated at pH of 4.8 to
re-acidfy your hair after shampooing. restoring
this natural acid environment to the hair and scalp
helps keep the hair proteins hard and prevents the growth of foreign bacteria. It contains the highest quality of amino acids and pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5) to re-seal the hair cuticles after shampooing. It is designed to help de-tangle hair and add a lustrous shine. amino acids.
The conditioner is designed to harden the hair's
keratin after shampooing. Keratin is the major hair
proteins which forms the biologic filaments into hard,
tough, insoluble, hair shafts. Three layers of keratin
form every hair. The outer sheath of cuticle forms
overlapping scales.
Copper-peptides are added to help enhance to
health and vitality of your hair, scalp, and hair
follicles.
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How the Folligen Conditioner re-tightens hair
cuticles
The outer layer of hair forms cuticles somewhat
like fish scales. A healthy strand of hair has an outer layer of
scales that are laying close above each other.
If scales are laying flat, the hair will
look shiny, and a comb or brush will glide
smoothly. The cuticles are held down flat by
mixtures of polypeptides - similar to the yellow
liquid collagen glues used by schoolchildren such
as LePage's Glue. Shampoos remove some of the the
bonding-peptides and loosen the cuticle.
Folligen Therapy Conditioner add these small
peptides back into the cuticle to hold it into
place again. A small amount of pantothenic acid
(vitamin B-5) is also used which helps with the
bonding process. If the cuticle stays open it
can start a tear
in the hair shaft that ultimately leads to breakage
of the hair shaft.
High quality conditioners also help glue together
split hair ends. The longer you leave the conditioner
on the hair, the better it smoothes out the hair cuticle.
Many other types of hair conditioners
contain botanicals and herbal extracts such
as extracts of juniper berries and buckhorn leaves
and so forth. These herbal extracts interfere with
the glue process and reduce the protective effects
of the hair conditioners.
Combs with unpolished
teeth, sharp hair clamps and tight elastic bands
can also disrupt the hair scales and produce damage.
With such a damage, the strand will rip more easily,
the opened scales do not allow other strands to glide
over as smooth as before, which can result in tangles.
Conditioners should be at a low pH of 4.0 to 4.5.
The hair proteins remain very strong at a low pH
and shampoos - with their higher pH - should be
completely rinsed out of hair. Higher pH's start
unraveling the protein strands and loosen and break
the hair. A small amount of fat is added to give
the hair a better shine.
Hot oil treatment conditioners are the
latest marketing ploy from the cosmetic companies.
The idea dates back to the 1950's when hot oil
treatments were first marketed by Alberto Culver.
The basic idea is that the application of heat drives
the conditioners - oils, peptides, etc. - deeper into
the hair shaft and the hair looks better for a short
time.
However, the high heat - about 250 degree F.
from a hot air dryer - will ultimately damage
the hair follicles - which cannot take heat
much about 120 degrees F. - and the follicles will
produce less hair and thinner hair.
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Care of your hair
Chemical and mechanical injuries to the hair or
scalp can produce a number of different effects.
Tight hairstyles, hot combs, hot oil treatments,
and harsh use of hair blowers can all produce
damage to the hair fiber. One should be aware of
potential consequences when manipulating hair and
to exercise caution.
The typical chemicals used to alter hair include
bleaches, dyes, relaxers, and agents used for
permanents. Any of these chemicals can cause some
degree of hair damage but, with care, most cosmetic
products produce minimal unwanted side-effects.
It is more difficult to repair damaged hair than
to use gentler techniques that result in less damage
to your hair. Some cosmetic products are partially
beneficial in repairing damaged hair but normal
quality of hair will return only after the production
of new hair to replace the damaged fibers.
Factors that damage hair include the normal
"weathering" that occurs to the ends of long
hairs that have been exposed to the environment
for many years or exposure to chlorine from
swimming pools.
The apparent lightening of hair
color noted to occur with individuals who have
prolonged sun exposure during the summertime
is an example of photochemical damage.
As with other forms of damage,
full reversal is often not possible.
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Brushing Your Hair
Brushing is an essential part of healthy hair.
Brushing helps keep the scalp healthy and improves
the blood circulation which feeds the hair roots
(follicles).
It also helps distributes the natural
protective fats along the length of the hair shafts.
These fats serve as lubricants that allow smoother
combing without breaking the hair shafts.
Morning brushing is best with a natural hair
bristle brush which is similar to your hair
structure and less likely to produce tangles
on long hair. The brush should have a wooden
base that reduces static electricity.
If combing,
start with a wide tooth tortoise shell comb.
Never use a metal or rubber comb.
For brushing, stand with feet a little apart and
bend down from your waist until the hair falls in
a curtain before your face. Then brush your hair
gently, starting from the hair roots at the nape
of your neck and moving toward the end of the hair.
Follow each brush stroke with a stoke from the
open palm of your other hand to help counteract the
build up of static electricity.
Slowly build up you brushing to 50 strokes a day.
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Parting Hair to Improve Facial Features
Some hair stylists recommend parting your
hair on the right side. Most people use a
left part or a center part.
These experts
say that hair follicles have a
natural tendency to to grow
from the left to the right.
A right side part tends to push the hair
against this angle and adds more natural
"push-up" height to your hair. They say
not to use a middle part which puts
additional stress on the weakest
hairs on the top of the head.
A center part starts a line that
goes down the middle of the face
and this accentuates the nose and any irregularities
that exist between the left and the right sides of
your face.
The movie and television industries
found this out many years ago.
Few people have faces are regular
enough to look good in a center part.
Studies on the biological basis (genetically ingrained)
for viewing others as beautiful have found that
humans highly value, albeit unconsciously,
symmetrical facial features. Yet very few
people have truly symmetrical faces.
By parting the hair on the side,
you distract the mind of other
people from focusing on any possible facial
irregularities.
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Hair tips from an expert
The famous hair stylist George Michael
(now deceased) of New York City developed
successful methods to grow out very long
lengths of hair in women.
Women are often
told that after they reach thirty that
hair should be no longer than shoulder length.
Michael felt long hair was majestic on a mature
woman, did much to downplay wrinkles, made them
look younger immediately.
One of his secrets was the use of
acid conditioners and acid
pre-treatment products use before
swimming in chlorinated pools or
salt water or exposing the hair to sunlight.
This kept the hair proteins very tightly
bound together. He used hair dryers set only
about 10 degrees F. higher than body temperature.
Common blow dryers reach temperatures of up to
260 degrees. Water boils at 212 degrees. This
high heat can damage hair follicles.
Large
rollers of soft mesh or plastic were used
for drying the hair. Velcro rollers were
not used because they can tear the hair.
Special care was taken to protect the ends
of the hair when rolling or setting.
Hair cutting was done as one-length
style using a straight blunt cut Michael felt
that when hair was cut in layers, the body
automatically tried to even out the hair
which created extra fallout.
Shampoos were
kept to a minimum.
Vitamin and mineral supplements
were recommended.
He recommended covering hair at
all times when exposed to direct sunlight.
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Tips for Long, Healthy Hair
Hair experts have a number of suggestions.
But remember, people who only want to cut
your hair off usually know little about hair.
1. Hair is best cut when dry. The detangling comb
is designed to be used on damp hair.
Start at the ends and work up.
2. Detangle dry hair before washing.
De-tangle ends first, then work your way up.
Do not try to remove from top to bottom since
this may pull out hair. Before entering a shower,
use your your comb or brush to give your hair a
few strokes. This aligns the strands, and help
prevent tangles.
3. For washing, bring your hair to the front
before you wet it and leave it there hanging down
and keep it there during shampooing. During the
washing, try not to move your hair. This keeps
the hair strands in position so they won't move
upwards and wrap themselves around other strands,
resulting in tangles.
Use water of room temperature
for your hair. The lowest temperature that you
can use is best for hair. Warm water open the
hair scales, making the hair shaft more vulnerable
to damage.
4. Use a minimum of a shampoo with a pH 5.0 to 6.0.
Avoid foaming shampoos. Pour some shampoo into your
palm, then rub your hands together and run the palms
of your hands over your head but not yet down the
string of hair. If the shampoo begins to foam, you
used too much.
5. The shampoo is used to remove dirt from the top
layers of your hair. Don't try to wash your hair
inside out - just let the shampoo suds penetrate
these under layers briefly as it flows over the
lower part of your hair. Use your fingers to help
release the soap from your head and works the shampoo
down the hair. Running your fingers down the string
of hair helps detangling.
Make sure that you wash out all of the shampoo.
When you think all shampoo is gone, allow another
half minute of constant water flow to ensure that
residues are gone. Then bend over, and
give a final rinse of the lower hair part with cold
water.
6. Folligen Conditioner is a acidifying
conditioner with peptides that re-bond the
hair cuticles. It also helps detangle hair,
add body and increase the hair's natural shine.
Put extra conditioner on the hair ends to prevent
split ends. Give the conditioner at least a minute
to glue into the hair. For a final rinse use cool
or cold water.
7. Air dry your hair whenever possible
and use a special highly absorbent towel
for your hair. Do not dry your hair with
your general bath towel.
8. When you must blow dry your hair,
first wrap in a towel for a time to
remove most of the water. Blow dry
the hair for a time, then let it air dry for a time.
9. Never buy a "heavy duty reconstructor"
for your hair.
10. A "cool" setting on
the hair dryer helps "set" the hair.
11. Never brush your hair when it is wet.
12. Excessive sunlight and use of
tanning beds harms hair.
13. Find non-alcohol hair sprays which
are less drying.
14. Only use wide toothed combs and picks.
15. Many hairdressers only cut hair.
Tell them to keep trimming to an absolute
minimum. Avoid hostile or hyper-critical hairdressers.
16. Only use coated or snag free elastics
and hair fasteners.
17. Think of your hair as a silk garment
and treat it accordingly.
Both silk and hair are protein fibers.
You would not wash a silk garment with a
cheap detergent in a washing machine at a
high temperature with a high agitation cycle
and then dry it in a dryer at a high temperature.
Think of what a silk garment would look like after
such a treatment.
18. Take time for your hair.
There is no product that can create
wonderful hair within a few hours.
Hair improvements take a few weeks.
19. If someone criticizes your hair,
ignore them. Hair arouses may emotions
and jealousies so arrange your hair in
the fashion that pleases yourself.
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