December 21, 2010

Post-Coloring Conditioning Treatments

With The Demise of IN-DEPTH, Please Welcome IN-TENSIVE
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Never thought I would be so sad to see a product go, with yesterdays shipment we sent out the last of the remaining 26 cases of IN-DEPTH I happened to get my hands on. Why companies discontinue ‘good’  - - - no ‘great’ products - - - escapes me, completely. Wella was bought out by Proctor and Gamble approx.18 months ago - - and I suppose that may have a lot to do with it. For whatever reason it just seems to happen way too frequently.000009009y
This one little trick I discovered on my own - - -  right out of Hair Academy - - - was discovered by simply reading and studying about pH and hair coloring. Not one person at Sassoon did this step, no one recommended it, I never saw anyone do it  - - anywhere….not even at all the hair shows I attended and worked at over the years. I just used my common sense when I read about what hair color does to the pH of the hair during all coloring processes.
The abbreviation pH stands for potential hydrogen. This abbreviation is always spelled with a small “p” and a capital “H.” It is the measure of acidity or alkalinity of ‘water-based’ solutions
In scientific terms, what pH would stand for is ability of molecules to attract hydrogen ions. An acidic molecule would have a low ability to attract hydrogen ions, while an alkaline molecule would have a high ability to attract hydrogen ions. The pH of a solution is measured on a scale from zero to 14. On the pH scale, zero would stand for the highest possible acidity reading, 7 is neutral, and 14 is the highest alkalinity reading.
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What pH stands for in the human body is a study of the acid and alkaline within your bodily fluids. The human body strives to maintain a slightly alkaline pH at all times. Various organs inside your body help maintain pH. Once I read how influential pH was - - in general in the human body - - my common sense just rang in my ears : that hair color that changes the pH in everyone’s hair must be attended to – in order to keep the hair healthy. I had no idea it would also affect how long the color remained vivid and the amount of time gray hair would remain covered. ……………………………..But it did!    I think this one, little, seemingly insignificant process, turned out to be in the top 5 of my most effective discoveries. Right up there with the Secret Supplement, THRIVEN, GLEAM & 10,000HEADS.
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The pH of different coloring products I discovered ranged from 8 – 9.5, so I discovered using a pH balanced conditioner on the hair after each and every coloring treatment to restore the “NATURAL pH” of 4.5 - 5.5 to the hair - - made me look like the most brilliant Colorist on planet Earth. My clients gray stay covered longer, all colors stay vivid longer ( especially reds – the most difficult), the condition of the hair improved, an absolute miracle worker on blonding ( bleached, high-lift, really > any type).
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The benefits of using pH balancer? It closes the cuticle, restores the pH balance to the hair and will help to prevent moisture loss ad color fade. This is a trick that once you try it, you will never consider not doing it.000909l
I laugh now – telling ‘you’ and the world this trick . .  as I used to go to the trouble of “hiding this trick” I mean to the point of putting the product in another products bottle. WHY?
When you are doing hair in LA, and all the high talented individuals are here . . . you must do everything possible to stay on top . . . a little trick like this was one of those trix I never even told my assistants about !
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Killer Chemist







December 18, 2010

HO HO HO Hair-y Christmas

The Battle of the Hair Oils & GLEAM ( our own)
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After reading this months trade magazine, I was blown away to see all the new “Hair Oils” on the marketplace. I read about at least 30 by ‘as many’ different companies . . . along with every one’s varying ingredient lists. Fascinating reading to me, as GLEAM has gone through many transitions over the years and I never thought there would be any competition. I’ve tried about 6-7 others for fun and never found anything close to the results GLEAM produces. Recently I had an old male client of mine call and tell me the trick he was using I thought I would pass on to you. I actually tried it personally, and I fully agree with him. . . its nothing life-changing but it is definitely worth mentioning to one and all.G2_01_17_06 119
Now when shopping for a hair oil, remember, when a company lists ingredients in any Cosmetic or personal care product the FDA states they must be listed in the order of percentage used. For example: if the ingredients in a product are:(hypothetical) Cyclomethicone, Sunflower Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Argan Oil, Rose Hips Oil & Vitamin E ( ingredients that ‘could’ make a hair oil) - - the manufacturer must list them in decreasing percentage order as I mentioned. If they weren’t the product ‘could’ have a completely different end-result - - so it is truly not fair to the consumer.00001m
Let me demonstrate, here is my
example:
  • Cyclomethicone………………65%
  • Rice Bran Oil…………………10%
  • Sunflower Oil………………… 9%
  • Rose Hips Oil……………….. 8%
  • Argan Oil…………………….. 6%
  • Vitamin E……………………. 2%
Now, this product is perfectly legitimate, and would sell fine under FDA rules. The problem “to me” is……many times the ingredients are NOT listed in the “percentage” requirement law . .  and if it isn’t? The product would be completely ( C O M P L E T E L Y) different if the number 1 ingredient was Argan Oil or even more so if Rose Hips Oil was in the number 1 spot. As the formula up above stands now… the first ingredient is a silicone ( a filler with zero “positive”properties ) it is not an “oil by nature” it is a man-made oil-like – clear syrupy-goopy liquid substance. Nowhere even close to a golden liquid rich with anti-oxidants, carotenes, essential fatty acids, GLA, and vitamins as is Rose Hips Seed Oil. Rose oil is the single best (nature-based) anti-aging, skin/hair repairing substance in existence, that I have found – yes even better than Argan.
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This oil honestly repairs stretch marks, makes scars disappear, moisturizes & cures dry chapped skin, heals nails that won’t grow, completely de-frizzes frazzled hair, heals damaged hair adds shine. . . and even more depending on the person.
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I’ve never seen one ingredient --  do more completely on its
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own. I’m actually puzzled why it isn’t more popular and spoken about all the time, than it is.  Organic Refined Rose Hips Seed Oil is simply amazing it truly is. . .  and it is the ‘basis’ for Gleam and our new facial moisturizer called “ILLUMIN” - - coming soon.

  I have a perfect family for this testing as well, everyone has dry-DRY skin and hair. A note: not one family member does manual labor – because of heredity ( genes),we all have this horrible dry/cracked/painful skin and also dry, breaking hair – naturally !  So, I gave my little experiments to 11 adults. They each received 1 -- 2oz. bottle of straight Rose Hips Oil along with 30 pairs of gloves – I asked them to put plenty of the oil on the tips of their fingers rub into their cuticles + nails as well as their hands.   .. The results were much more awesome than I had ever predicted . . . I had no idea it would help nails grow. But every single person’s dry hands had disappeared plus the backs of everyone’s hands looked so completely different. That was when it was added to Killerstrands GLEAM product, and if you have not tried GLEAM yet on your hair, you must - - especially this weekend as it is ON SALE for the first time.000033xmas3
Having determined years before … that the make-up of the hair strand and the skin are just so close, it was just a matter if ‘trying it’ – experimenting with successful skin ingredients to see if my hypothesis would be as successful and have as profound results as I estimated.  Many of you are loyal fans of GLEAM, so you know exactly what I am referring to.
The healing effects these various oils by Nature impart on your damaged hair strands are the most incredible, fast and long lasting as I have ever experienced.
After years of juggling oils I learned many tricks and a lot about the benefits of about every single oil available. According to about every piece of research I could find the absolute most powerful and vitamin packed oil (for the skin and hair) is ROSE HIPS SEED Oil. I believe GLEAM is the only hair oil I could find with that lists it as the # 1 through 3rd ingredient ( meaning it is in high percentage).Oh and by the way . . . the reason for this post to begin with ? ? 0000001mn
The new trick an old client had called to tell me to try with GLEAM…
Apply a couple squirts to the hands rub in and then rub in to just the ends of the hair, nothing else….sleep overnight. Watch your frizzy ends, split ends just disappear. His trick is probably the best NEW trick I’ve heard this year. Give it a try and let the magic begin.
Killer Chemist

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