Naturalpath

Mid Brain muses:

For those of you who are over the Olympics and done with the Democrats, here’s a much more important piece of news that you should be contemplating: Kate Hudson is being sued over her new “green” hair care line. Gasp!!!!

Concerned for K-Hud

You can follow the link above to read all the gory details, but the bottom line is that Kate’s being sued because she allegedly stole the idea of formulating hair care products with volcanic ash from the Vanuatu Islands of the South Pacific.

Hudson Hair Care

Is there any science behind using volcanic ash on your hair? Chemically speaking volcanic ash is a mixture of bits of pulverized rock and glass created by volcanic eruptions.  In principle there’s no reason it couldn’t be helpful as a bulking agent to help build body and volume in a leave in styling product. If you mixed volcanic ash with some thickening agent and suspending agents, a dash of preservative, and some styling resins, and you could create a sculpting gel that could provide body and volume. (Provided that you don’t use so much ash in the formula that it leaves visible residue in your hair.) But just because it could work doesn’t mean it would work as well as the dozens of ingredients that cosmetic chemists are already using to make styling products. 

Kristen’s curious: I just read about La Prairie Cellular Cream Platinum Rare. It is currently the most expensive skin cream on the planet at $1,000 for 1.5 ounces and is infused with Platinum. So Beauty Brains- what’s the REAL deal with this face cream?

The Right Brain responds:

The real deal is that La Prairie’s tiny, $1,000 jar of skin cream is worth every penny! Yeah, right.

Medicinal Platinum

Platinum is a precious, gray-white transition metal used in jewelry, dentistry, automobile emissions control devices and, apparently, La Prairie skin creams. Does platinum have ANY beneficial healing properties whatsoever? Yes, as a matter of fact it does. Complexes made with platinum, like cisplatin, are well known cancer treatments and somewhat less well known for their ability to treat skin diseases that involve accelerated cell growth. Some studies even indicate that platinum complexes can be helpful in treating rheumatoid arthritis and certain allergic diseases. So in a medical context, platinum is a powerful ally in the fight against disease. 

Heather Hopes the Brains Can Help. Hi there. I’m a big fan of Lush products and the company’s responsible philosophy, but I have to wonder what exactly do they mean by “safe synthetics”? Are they non-toxic to humans, the environment, both? I’ve found conflicting information about the toxicity of ingredients like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (which Lush would call a “safe synthetic”) et al., and I’d love to know once and for all what’s safe and what’s not. Thanks!

The Right Brain Replies

Thanks so much for your question.  Unfortunately, the answer is not simple and depends mostly on your perspective.

Chemical Phobic

If you are the type that is naturally afraid of chemicals then you won’t believe there are any “safe” synthetics.  People like this believe that the best things come from nature and when we start modifying them, we make them less safe.  This is an extremist attitude but not one that is easily debated. The truth is, it is impossible to “prove” that any chemical is safe.  In science, you can’t “prove” a negative (e.g that a chemical won’t be dangerous).

But this doesn’t only apply to synthetics.  You can’t even prove WATER is safe.  And for some people, WATER isn’t safe.

Sofie searches for science: Thanks for running this blog and speaking so clearly about cosmetic chemistry! Having been here for a while, I thought to de-lurk and ask a question. While doing some research and looking around to figure out a better way to take care of my rather coarse, frizzy, curly hair, I came across the Curl Conscious shampoo for thick hair from Bumble & Bumble. They claim that their product contains an enzyme transglutaminase which is supposed to ”cross-link two amino acids in the hair to form stable, heat- and humidity-resistant bonds.” Sounds like exotic-speak for the purpose of shaking out people’s wallets to me, especially considering that amino acids have to already be chemically bonded to each other to make hair protein, but wanted to make sure whether my hunch is right or not.

The Left Brain leads the way

Thanks for your kind words about our blog, Sofie. And I agree that Bumble and Bumble’s claims do sound highly implausible. To find out why, let’s take a look at the science behind transglutamase.

The truth about transglutamase

Transglutamase (or TG) is a type of enzyme that can react with biological tissues. It is involved in the chemical reactions that cross link proteins in hair and skin. Industrially speaking it is perhaps best known for its ability to act as a “meat glue” to improve the texture of processed meat products. It can even be used to create a “meat dress” as pictured above.

Fiona’s fear: I use Pantene’s Brunette range of shampoos to maintain my dyed brown hair. This is met with huge scorn by my mother in law who insists that nothing is more effective at maintaining glossy brown hair than rinsing it with an espresso or two once a week. Is coffee an effective way to treat and prolonged coloured hair or is it as useful as the beer rinse (ie- not particularly).

The Left Brain responds:

I love questions like this because the answer can be easily proven by a simple test. But before I explain, let’s talk about products for brunette hair.

Take a look at this video.  It features a fun way to learn about chemical reactions.

If only more videos like these were available when I went to school.  Perhaps more of my classmates would’ve taken an interest in chemistry.

Have you seen interesting science videos?  Leave a comment below and let the Beauty Brains know about them.

SPONSORED POST

As the years go by and medical techniques continue to improve, people seem to forget all about the risks involved. Thousands of women are outfitted with breast implants every day, and with statistics like that it’s easy to downplay the procedure’s intensity, but the fact is that it is invasive surgery. So, what’s the key to feeling safe about making the decision to undergo breast enhancement surgery?

The answer is: research. By familiarizing yourself with the risks involved you give yourself power, so do your homework and be exhaustive. Study up on everything from shapes and sizes to the pros and cons of saline vs. silicone. If you see motherhood in your future, look into what sort of procedure makes for the most successful breastfeeding later on.  According to The Breast Site,

“one of the most important steps a person can take in preparation for any cosmetic plastic surgery procedure is to carefully research and select a find a plastic surgeon certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS).”

Hey everyone! Sarah Bellum here doing a little mobile blogging from the mall. Look what I just saw - a vending machine that sells Proactiv acne products! That just made me wonder, have any of you in the Beauty Brains community ever bought beauty products out of a machine? You can leave a comment; I’m on my way to Victoria’s Secret!

It looks like this one was a bit too easy for the Beauty Brains community.  Or maybe you’re just getting much smarter.  Over 40% of you picked the right answer in this poll which is quite impressive.  Let’s see what the real stories are.

1. Older men are happier than older women - [TRUE]

Only 21% of you thought this was fake but apparently it’s true.  According to a recent joint study by researchers at the University of Cambridge and the University of Southern California, women end up less happy than men. The primary problem is that women are less able to achieve their life goals.  By the time they are 48, women’s overall happiness is lower than that of men’s.  Of course, Left Brain would skewer me if I didn’t point out that this research is based on a survey so the conclusions are sketchy at best.

2. Facial wrinkles can be removed with lasers [TRUE]

18% of you were deceived by this yarn but it’s true. In a report in the July/August issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery scientists say they found carbon dioxide laser resurfacing can be effective for long term treatment of facial wrinkles. The way it works is that thermal damage from the laser prompts the skin to produce more protein collagen and fill in the wrinkles.

A better option than a face lift?

Sarah Bellum says:

According to Cosmeticdesign.com, you can now buy an intimate hygiene product for the special guy in your life. To which I reply: Ewwwwww!

Feminine hygiene

In the past I’ve written about all sorts of cosmetic science advances for our dainty pubular regions. There’s the Bikini Kitty intimate shaving system to keep us hair free, there are female enhancement creams to keep us on fire, and let’s not forget about the Go Commando patch that lets us banish panties. But until now I haven’t had an equivalent breakthrough to share with our male readers.