Sounds kind of fishy doesn’t it, let’s take a look at some of the facts.  The hair that is used is actually more resistant to balding than the hair that has fallen out.  This hair will continue to grow like normal and people that had the procedure done, will appear to have hair where they were once balding.

Technology Options

With technology these days, hair transplants are becoming much easier.  Some procedures actually take hair grafts that are smaller (1 to 4 hairs) and add that to balding areas on your head.  Back in the day the procedure called for larger grafts and mini plugs to accomplish the same thing, but doctors have found that there is a better chance of coverage with the smaller grafts.

Hair regrowth, or multiplication, is also a newer technique for those that have bald spots.  Basically, doctors have noticed stem cells on hair folicles and thus have concluded that hair cloning might be around in the near future.  In recent studies, men have actually started growing hair back where they were once bald.  Doctors have taken hair from the back of the neck, multiplying it and re-implanting it back into the scalp.  It might takes years to complete the testing, but it might be a viable option for those losing their hair.

There are also those that say low level lasers can stimulate hair growth on bald spots.  Even though there is only one product the FDA approved, Hairmax Lasercomb, I am sure there will be many more to follow.  The one issue I have with the Lasercomb is that it sounds like something you can only get on TV at 3am.

Plant Options

Doctors have also credited things like caffine and saw palmetto as things you can ingest to help with hair regrowth.  I am not sure about caffine, as I see all kinds of men drinking coffee all day, that have no hair on their heads.  All kidding aside, you are actually supposed to add the caffine to your shampoo to help stimulate the hair growth at the folicle level.

Leave in hair conditioners actually only add a little bit of coating on the hair layer. Unlike other hair conditioners, leave in conditioner is usually much lighter on the hair and is less viscous and less prone to crystallizing.

Some leave in hair conditioners are much better than others.  The phrase, “you get what you pay for”, always comes in handy when deciding on the right kind of leave in.  Typically, a leave in conditioner is used on heavily damages hair and can help to treat overly dry hair from getting worse.  Another reason you might use a leave-in type condtioner is if you have really curly hair and cannot manage it like those with straight, thinner hair.

Leave-in conditioners are used by those with heavy, curly hair so they can manage it better.  Basically, the detangler agent in the conditioner is what is at work here.  A lot of times people with those hairstyles cannot get a brush or comb through the hair without forcing it through.  With leave-in conditioner, they are able to comb or brush the hair with ease and causing less stress on the hair shaft.

There are many products available and even more recipes on the web that will allow you to make your own leave-in conditioner.  Basically things like Olive Oil are a major ingredient, but we are not going to talk about that right now.  Don’t be mistaken either, leave-in hair conditioner is both for woman & men.  It is actually a better product for men because most men don’t use conditioner at all.  It’s something that can be applied quickly and really help with the health of your hair.

1. True or False – Frequent trimming makes your hair grow faster.
   Well, the answer from InStyle is False.  Basically the trim is keeping a split end from moving further up the hair shaft.  If you keep your hair healthier to begin with you are not going to have to worry about split ends.  I think this is a good tip, as much as a well known myth, and if you keep your hair healthy on a daily basis, you should see excellent results.
2. True or False – Brushing you hair often makes it healthier.
   InStyle says False and I would have to agree.  I think this might have been something that mothers told their daughters just to get them to keep their hair brushed, lol.  If fact, the article says that over brushing can cause more of a problem that it helps.  Creating a dull finish on your hair and if you use a “bad brush”, it can harm your hair even more (see hair gallery).  Just keeping your hair from becoming a rats nest is enough brushing.
3. True or False – Massaging your scalp stimulates hair growth.
   Another False from InStyle.  Your hair will still grow at it’s normal rate, but messaging the scalp does help to relieve stress and increase blood circulation.  I think that there are a lot of places that tell you a scalp message will help and they are not 100% wrong.  Doing so will just not help you grow MORE hair.
4. True or False – Chemical straighteners change your texture permanently
   False.  As your hair grows, your texture returns to normal.  The roots of your hair are not penetrated during this process, so the only hair affected is the hair that you see.  I think that this happens more for African Americans that want to straighten their hair so they don’t have the large afro puff all the time.  Talking about severe damage to your hair, the chemical treatment is one of the worst.
5. True or False – Wearing a ponytail in the same area can give you a bald spot
   This is our first TRUE.  According to Doris Day, a dermatologist from NYC, “the constant tugging of a tight band can scar hair follicles and cause them to stop growing hair”.  Using a soft band for your hair is at least a little better then using a tight one all the time.  Whatever you can do to keep the ponytail loose on your head is going to be better.
6. True or False – A cold rinse adds shine and tames fuzzy hair
   This one is also TRUE.  A cold blast of water at the end of your shower can flatten the cuticle onto the shaft and make the hair appear shinier.  But remember to dry your hair properly and use conditioner to keep that affect.  This sounds like another good tip, but beware that you still have to dry and condition your hair properly.
7. True or False – Hair can become immune to shampoo
   False.  All shampoo is for is to clean the hair.  That it something it will always do.  If your hair looks bad after using your favorite shampoo, it may be because it is leaving a build up on the hair.  All you have to do is get a nice gentle clarifying shampoo to clean off the “gunk” and your hair should be back to normal.  These types of shampoos are generally a bit more expensive, but you should never forget that you get what you pay for.
8. True or False – Coloring can change your hair’s texture
   This is TRUE, but really only temporarily.  Permanent color removes the protection layer on your hair and lifts the cuticles so dyes are able to penetrate.  Coloring can also swell the hair and give it body.  You will notice this more if you have thinner hair or hair with grey roots.  I think that any type of “treatment” that will change the hair texture, is not a good one.  Keeping your hair forever is hard work, but it can be done by just avoiding some mistakes that people make.

Reading through these myths you can see some that are more well known than others, but really, it still comes down to the fact that if you treat your hair gently and properly, it will be around a long time.

Even though the curling iron’s heat will destroy some chemical bonds in your hair, when the heat comes off the hair, the hope is the hair will come back more curly than it was to begin with.  Styling with heat or chemicals can be 110% destructive to your hair.  Since your hair is already dead, you must be completely careful how much you actually use heat or chemicals while styling.  When you destroy the chemical bonds in the hair protein, all you can do is hope that it comes back to “life” and doesn’t just fall out.

By holding your hair certain ways, while using the flat iron, can create different types of curls or waves.  Soft curls can be created by wrapping 2 inches of hair around the flat iron and slowly pulling it through the iron.  Try  not to squeeze to tightly on the hair to keep the hair in a soft curl.

See videos here & here for more information.

You can also flip the hair in or out.  Simply take 2 inches of hair and gently squeeze the hair with the flat iron all the way to the end.  When you get to the end just flip the hair outward or inward to create the “flip”.

That is just a couple quick ways that you can curl your hair with a flat iron.

All the value in your hair is stripped causing a dried out, tangle  bound mess.  The darker your hair is before you bleach, the worse it will be after you bleach.  The reason for this, is because it will take MORE bleach to remove all the pigment from your natural color, before you can add your highlights or other colors.

Typically your hair can get so damaged that it will just break off when you brush it, or even worse, be extremely fragile coming out of a shower.  We already know that hair is weakest when it’s wet and that is for natural hair.  Picture the strength of your hair now that it’s bleached AND wet.  Not a good picture (see damaged hair samples)

Of course, there are products, like deep conditioners, that you can use to keep the hair healthy while using bleach, but it will not be brought be to the same level of healthiness as it would be natural.  It isn’t always bad to want to add color, but you should be aware that if you ever want to get back to natural, healthy hair, the road can be a long one.

2X GARNIER FRUCTIS FORTIFYING DEEP CONDITIONER US $8.99 Auction Ends: Saturday Oct-31-2009 10:50:35 PDT Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Lot of 2 Sebastian Formulating Creme Deep Conditioner US $10.00 Auction Ends: Sunday Nov-01-2009 5:45:09 PST Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Always ask your salon about how the process works on your hair, you might be able to save yourself some trouble in the long run.

Frizzy hair

To keep your hair from becoming frizzy in the first place, you want to take care of your hair right out of the shower.  Do not towel off your hair in a frantic motion getting your hair all worked up while “drying” it.  Just take the towel and gently pat down, or squeeze, your hair to remove excess water from the hair.  Let the towel do the work, there is no need to get all crazy with your hair, plus that can damage your hair in more ways than one.

X6 RUSK STR8 STRAIGHT ANTI-CURL ANTI-FRIZZ LOTION 12 OZ US $34.99 Auction Ends: Saturday Oct-31-2009 12:08:13 PDT Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

X2 PC RUSK DEEPSHINE DEEP SHINE ANTI-FRIZZ SERUM $2 S/H US $11.99 Auction Ends: Saturday Oct-31-2009 12:38:33 PDT Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Another way to help with frizzy hair is you could use a anti-frizz serum, straightening lotion or any natural product geared towards dried, frizzy hair.  Always avoid anything with alcohol in it, if possible, as it actually will dry your hair out more than help it in any way.

If you use a hair dryer, use the cool air setting, if you need to use the heat, use it slowly and on a low setting.  Cool water will help keep your hair shiny and smooth by closing your hair cuticles at the scalp.  That all goes together with proper hair treatment.

These are just a couple of frizzy hair tips and may not work for every type of hair, but at least you have something that you can try.

What treatments or tactics do you use to keep your hair calm and not frizzy?

Flatirons are nice and you would think that all of the are created equally.  Well, you would be wrong.  The Chi flatiron is so popular that there are even counterfeit products on the market.  That I was quite surprised to read.  There must be something special with the Chi flatiron.

CHI 1" ORIGINAL FLAT IRON NEW CERAMIC HAIR STRAIGHTENER US $52.00 (20 Bids) Auction Ends: Saturday Oct-31-2009 9:32:46 PDT Bid on this Item   | Watch this Item

As you can see by the photo to the right, you can create stunning straight hair styles like this.  Just about any type of hair can be menipulated with a flat iron and your creativity is the limit to what you can do with one.

Fiebings Horse Shampoo 32oz. new US $15.00 Auction Ends: Wednesday Nov-04-2009 17:34:16 PST Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Hair is hair, right?  Well, in effect it is correct, but you have to make sure you aren’t putting chemicals onto your hair that will hurt it in the long run.  If you have hair that is coarse, tangles easily or is just hard to brush, maybe horse shampoo is going to work.

What Does Mane & Tail Shampoo Do For My Hair?

Most brands of horse shampoo claims to gently remove dirt and clean your hair.  The shampoo is a concentrate, but can be used at full strength.  The shampoo works quickly and eliminates anything in your hair that isn’t wanted without damaging it.  With Panthenol and silk protein spread deeply into the hair to deep condition your skin, preventing dryness or dandruff.

The silk molecules inside the shampoo reflect prism light giving your hair a rich, natural shine as it restores the hairs beauty.

If your hair is already oily (see products for your hair type), thin and doesn’t need much attention in the morning or after a shower, then I am not sure horse shampoo would even be needed in your case.

If your hair is like horse hair, why not give it a try?  After actually purchasing some horse shampoo from a local store, I read the back of the bottle and it really sounded like they were pitching the shampoo to humans.  It was sort of funny in that respect, because I knew I wasn’t buying human shampoo.  It appears that all of the chemicals in the shampoo are normal and really wouldn’t have any adverse effect on your hair if you should decide to use it.

The one thing that I should mention is that most horse shampoo is concentrated, so only a little amount is needed.  With that said, I would even go as far to say that you shouldn’t even use the shampoo every day.  Using the horse shampoo every other day or even one time a week might give you the results that you were looking for.

Although the idea of using horse shampoo is popular, most people still haven’t thought of it as an option with thick, long hair.  Don’t forget that if it works for you, it can be kept as your little known beauty secret