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$55, it’s a bit pricey, so shop around for other coconut oil products because you may be able to get the same effect for less money.

      TWO NATURAL OILS THAT MAKE YOUR HAIR SHINY AND STRONG

      Shannon says: I have been using coconut oil for a while and I feel my hair is stronger than it used to be. I’d like to keep using it and I want to add olive oil to make my hair shiny, but I’m worried that mixing the two oils will stop the coconut oil from penetrating. Is it OK to mix two oils on my hair?

      Yes, studies have shown that coconut oil actually penetrates the hair to help make it stronger. And as it turns out, olive oil also has penetrating properties. Scientists at the Textile Research Institute tested olive oil, avocado oil, meadowfoam seed oil, sunflower oil and jojoba oil. Their results showed that straight-chain glycerides like olive oil easily penetrate into the hair. Polyunsaturated oils, like jojoba oil, are more open in their structure so they don’t pass through the layers of cuticles very well.

      What does that mean in plain English? Olive and avocado oils penetrate all the way into the hair shaft. Meadowfoam seed oil partially penetrates, and jojoba and sunflower oils don’t penetrate at all. They’re very superficial and don’t really provide any practical benefit.

      THE BOTTOM LINE

      Mixing coconut and olive oils shouldn’t be a problem. In fact, it’s possible that the olive/coconut oil combination might even penetrate hair better. We won’t bore you with the details, but it has to do with mixed micelles. We’d start with a 50/50 mixture and see how that works for your hair.

      IS PANTENE GOOD OR BAD FOR YOUR HAIR?

      Kara says: I’ve heard a lot of things about Pantene Pro-V’s shampoo and conditioner. Many hairstylists swear on their hair dryers that it is awful for your hair. Supposedly, it coats your hair with plastic or wax to make it seem smooth, soft and shiny, instead of really moisturizing your hair. It also reportedly makes your scalp itchy and your hair fall out.

       However, I’ve been using the Pantene Restoratives shampoo and conditioner for a few months now, and I find my hair less frizzy, more manageable, smoother and softer. I also use John Frieda Frizz-Ease and Pantene Pro-V Restoratives Frizz Control Ultra Smoothing Balm. So set me straight: Is Pantene good or bad for my hair?

      Don’t fall into the trap of believing everything your stylist tells you. While most stylists are very talented at cutting and styling hair, they’re not very talented at interpreting cosmetic formulations.

      The truth is that Pantene’s shampoo and conditioner formulas are considered among the best in the industry by those of us in the cosmetic science side of the business. It makes sense if you think about it. Proctor & Gamble, makers of Pantene, have a huge research budget; certainly larger than any salon company. That means they can afford to dedicate resources to developing and testing the best formulas possible. We’ve seen Pantene formulas beat the pants off salon products in blind consumer testing. (The products are hidden, or blinded—not the consumers.)

      WHY IS PANTENE VILIFIED?

      So why do stylists say that Pantene coats the hair with plastic, or makes it fall out? Because that’s what they’re told by the sales representatives for the salon companies. But it’s just not true! Compare the ingredients lists for Pantene conditioner and any salon brand you can find. Even though the names vary, you’ll see three basic types of ingredients:

      Fatty alcohols (like cetyl and stearyl alcohol)

      Conditioning ingredients (like stearamidopropylamine and quaternium-18)

      Silicones (like dimethicone and cyclomethicone)

      There’s nary a plastic to be found in Pantene. And no, it doesn’t make your hair fall out, either.

      THE BOTTOM LINE

      You can choose whatever product you like—a retail brand like Pantene or a salon brand like Matrix. But shop around and make your own decisions based on your own experience. Don’t pass on Pantene because of what a stylist tells you.

      DO CURLING SHAMPOOS REALLY WORK?

      Carol comments: I’d love to believe that those curling shampoos will really shape my thick hair. Will they?

      This is an easy one. Curling shampoos do not make your hair curly. In fact, if you read the labels carefully, some of them don’t even say they’ll make your hair curly!

      CHECK OUT THE BOTTLE

      Let’s take a look, shall we? Even the most blatant offender of the truth, Wash ‘n Curl Shampoo, only implies that it will make your hair curly just by shampooing. Read the label carefully: It says it provides “the most beautiful curls with body, bounce and resilience after styling.” Well, duh! If the shampoo only makes your hair curly after you style it, it’s not really doing much for you, is it?

      What else does Wash ‘n Curl say? “Your hair will be extremely curl responsive … Even dry, damaged, color-treated hair will have the staying power of thick curly hair … Its special Curl Enhancers infuse hair with the Holding Power of naturally curly hair.”

      The only worthwhile part of this claim is that the shampoo does contain something that could be called a “curl enhancer.” Looking at the ingredients list, we see that it does contain a polymer (acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer), that could provide some styling benefits. But that would only work if it wasn’t rinsed out!

      Remember, just because a product contains an ingredient that does something doesn’t mean that it does something in that product!

      The rest of the claims are pretty much made up, as far as we can tell. There is not yet a shampoo technology that will measurably improve the holding power of your hair.

      OTHER CURLING SHAMPOOS

      What about other products, you ask? Well, here are two more:

      Neither KMS Curl Up Shampoo nor Marc Anthony Strictly Curls makes strong curling claims. KMS only promises to be your “curl’s best friend,” “start your style in the shower” and “boost boisterous curls while adding moisture and shine.”

      Marc, on the other hand, offers to protect color; repair dry, frizzy areas; and repel humidity to define shiny, soft curls. (Define curls is not really a very emphatic claim.) Aside from a little polyquaternium (a conditioning ingredient), neither of these products has any curling technology, either.

      We could go on and on, but you get the picture. These shampoos don’t have anything in them to make your hair curly. They don’t even really do anything to prepare your hair for styling, other than getting it clean.

      THE BOTTOM LINE

      If you really want curly hair, go buy some mousse or, God forbid, get a perm! Curling shampoos don’t work.

      2 TIPS ON CARING FOR YOUR HAIR

      We all care about hair care products, but have you ever wondered what really works? In this chapter we’ll give you tips on preventing split ends, drying hair properly, keeping it shiny, and we’ll even explore how to keep your hair from smelling bad. If you want great-looking hair without spending a fortune, this chapter gives you the answers.

      DRYING DILEMMA: WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO DRY YOUR HAIR?

      Angela asks: I usually don’t have the patience to blow-dry my hair completely, but my hairdresser said it’s not good

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