Beauty Blog

Keratin is the type of protein that makes up your hair, skin, and nails. Keratin is a protective protein, less prone to scratching or tearing than other types of cells your body produces. Hair is composed mainly of keratin protein and a small amount of lipid. They protect hair against chemical and environmental damage. Those who use a shampoo & conditioner or hair mask's containing keratin on their hair report that their hair is smoother and easier to manage as a result. The effects vary greatly depending on whether your hair is healthy to begin with, what the natural thickness of your hair is, and what kind of keratin treatment you use. Keratin works by smoothing down the cells that overlap to form your hair strands. The layers of cells, called the hair cuticle, absorb the keratin, resulting in hair that looks full and glossy. Keratin also claims to make curly hair less frizzy, easier to style, and straighter in appearance. Keratin can also strengthen your hair and make it look healthier. So...is it true? Is there science to back it up? The Science Many types of protein hydrolysates (keratin) from plants and animals have been used in hair and personal care such as keratin hydrolysates obtained from nails, horns and wool. Most of these hydrolysates are obtained by chemical hydrolysis and hydrothermal methods. A newer method, using "enzymatic hydrolysis" and feathers has, according to a study published (2013) in the US National Library of Medicine: "the enzymatic method to produce keratin peptides for hair care products is an attractive and eco-friendly method with a great potential in the cosmetic industry." In reporting their test results, they went on to say, "A mild shampoo and a rinse off conditioner were formulated with the enzymatic hydrolysate and applied to hair fibers to evaluate the hydration, with and without heat. The hydration was more efficient with heat, suggesting a more complete incorporation of hydrolysates into the fibers. Scanning Electron Microscopy showed deposits of organic matter in the junction of the cuticles that probably collaborates to the sealing of the cuticles, increasing the brightness and softness." So...is it true? Is there science to back it up? Yes!

KOHL - Beware of Lead Poisoning! You may be unaware of the lead poisoning risk, in adults and children, from an avoidable source: traditional eye cosmetics containing kohl (aka: kajal, al-kahal, surma, tiro, tozali, or kwalli). Kohl Eyeliner has been traditionally used throughout the Middle East, South West Asia, and North and West Africa for centuries by women, and sometimes men and children. Not only is it used for beauty, but it is also believed to protect the eyes from the sun, prevent eye disease and infection, and for superstitious reasons. It is also used to treat cuts and as a general antibacterial agent. It is a tradition that goes as far back as makeup itself and is sometimes worn simply for tradition's sake. What most people still don't know is that much of the world's kohl eyeliner contains toxic lead , and sometimes accounts for more than half of the total weight of the product! What are the effects of lead poisoning? The risks associated with exposure to lead are especially serious for children. Among the effects associated with high levels of lead exposure are anemia, kidney problems, and neurological damage that may include seizures, coma, and death. Even at relatively low levels, chronic exposure to lead may lead to learning and behavior problems. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has set a blood lead level of 5 micrograms per deciliter in children as the reference level at which CDC recommends initiating public health actions. If someone in my family has been exposed to one of these products, what should I do? There are two important steps to take against exposure to kohl and similar products: Stop using the product immediately and be especially careful to protect the user from further exposure. Ask a healthcare provider to test you for lead poisoning if you have used the product. You will receive further recommendations based on the results of your laboratory tests. Are these products legal in the United States? No. Here's why: . The FDA has identified kohl, kajal, Surma, and similar materials as illegal color additives as defined in the law. Color additives must be approved by the FDA and listed in the color additive regulations before they are allowed in cosmetics or any other FDA-regulated products. The difference between traditional and modern eyeliner. Traditional kohl is quite different from modern eyeliner. First, kohl is usually in powder form, and is applied with a stick. It can be purchased at various ethnic markets, gift shops, and online. Modern liners undergo strict product controls and have not been found to contain lead. Some companies label eyeliners with the word "kohl" just to indicate a shade, not because the product actually contains kohl. What does this mean to you? Traditional kohl liners have made their way to other parts of the world, including European and North American countries; and Canada is no exception! Back in 2005, Health Canada discovered 3 kinds of Kohl eyeliners containing lead being sold in Canada, and they suspect there are still others that they don't know about! These and many other unsafe products are snuck into countries where they are illegal all the time, and right under the authority's noses. The United States requires cosmetics to put the ingredients on their labels. Do NOT buy cosmetics online from UNKNOWN sources. Even if you think you are safe, you don't always know what you are getting. Many products bought online are counterfeit (fake). Counterfeiting is big business worldwide, and you better believe that they don't care about your health or well-being. .

We get it: once you find that perfect makeup item, whether it's the perfect shade of red lipstick or the no-flake mascara that makes you look like you're wearing falsies, it's tempting to hang on to it until it runs out. After all, replacing old or expired makeup every few months is expensive, so it's not surprising that one study found that 98 percent of women have used makeup past its expiration date. But when you apply old mascara or lipstick, you're also applying all the bacteria that's been growing on it while it chills at the bottom of your makeup bag. And no matter what brand you buy or how much you spend on your products, it's going to happen. The natural oils from within your skin carry bacteria to the skin' surface to be cleaned away, but some of that oil stays behind. So, when you use your brush to apply your blush, apply to one cheek, then "double-dip" the same brush to do the other cheek, those oils (and their bacteria) are transferred onto the blush. What besides double-dipping can allow bacteria to form in your make-up? A sudden, un-controllable sneeze or cough while applying makeup can leave germs and bacteria on the surface. Skincare products you use before makeup application can contain bacteria which then cross-contaminate your makeup (especially when using a sponge or a puff for application). Your hands are always carrying bacteria and those bacteria are transferring into your products. (Particularly if you use your fingers to apply makeup!). Re-applying lipstick or lip gloss after eating could lead to food particles and possible bacteria on your lipstick. What types of bacteria are we taking about? The 6 types most common type of bacteria found lurking in beauty products are: . Enterococcus faecalis - one of the main causes of the meningitis infection. Eubacterium - which causes bacterial vaginosis. Aeromonas - one of the causes of gastroenteritis and wound infections. Staphlyoccocus epidermidis - a nasty bug which is resistant to antibiotics and is deadly for people in hospital or who have catheters or surgical implants. Propionibacterium - one of the main causes of acne and other skin conditions. Enterobacter - causes urinary and respiratory tract infections, mainly in hospitalized patients with compromised immune systems. How can you protect yourself from these bacteria? Don't share cosmetics. You may be sharing germs. Replace make-up that is outdated.> The FDA also recommends: . Don't add water or saliva to cosmetics, such as mascara. You may be adding bacteria or other microorganisms. You'll also be watering down a preservative that's intended to keep bacteria from growing. Store cosmetics carefully. If cosmetics get too warm, some microorganisms may grow faster and preservatives may break down. Keep containers clean. Wash your hands before applying cosmetics, especially if you need to dip your fingers into the container. Pay attention to recalls and safety alerts. Microbial contamination is a common reason for recalls of cosmetics. Here are two ways to stay informed:.

Cottage cheese...orange peel...by any other name, cellulite may still throw the perfectly sane into a tizzy as winter pants and coats come off and far more revealing attire is worn for spring and summer. A barrage of products and procedures promise to seek out and destroy the lumpy fat on thighs, bottoms, arms and tummies, but a miracle cellulite assassin has still yet to be found. Despite the vast amounts of time and money that have gone into trying to find ways to dissolve these nuisance nodules - from lasers to caffeine creams - researchers and doctors are still scratching their heads. What exactly is cellulite? It's a condition that affects 90 percent of women and 10 percent of men, mostly in industrial nations. As women start approaching menopause, estrogen starts decreasing. From 25 to 35 is when you start seeing the appearance of cellulite. Estrogen has an impact on the blood vessels. When estrogen starts to decrease, you lose receptors in blood vessels and thighs, so you have decreased circulation. With decreased circulation you get less oxygen and nutrition to that area, and with that we see a decrease in collagen production. fat cells start becoming larger, they begin protruding through the collagen and become the bumpy fat known as cellulite. Why do women get cellulite more than men? Collagen, the main protein of connective tissue, in women has the appearance of a picket fence, whereas in men it looks more liked a cross-linked fence. The cross-linked structure is much stronger and will hold fat in better. Another reason women get cellulite has to do with the two kinds of adrenergic receptors, Alpha & Beta. When stimulated, alpha receptors will cause fat cells to produce fat, as well as triggering constriction of blood vessels and release of sugar into the bloodstream. When beta receptors are stimulated, they break down fat, as well as increasing heart rate and relaxing blood vessels. In women, for every one beta receptor in the thigh, there are nine alpha receptors. Estrogen also makes fat whereas testosterone breaks down fat. So a women's body is basically - and I hate to say it - genetically designed to be a place for cellulite to develop. Men have one layer of fat throughout their entire body and a one-to-one alpha- and beta-receptor ratio. Women tend to get cellulite around knees, saddlebags and buttocks, because they have three layers of fat in these areas, instead of just one. Women also have three levels of fat in the stomach and in the triceps areas. Many women wear regular underwear with elastic across the buttocks. When you see panty lines, it's cutting off circulation - just think what it's doing to your body. Look, take a tourniquet, put it around your leg and see what happens. And a lot of women wear underwear under panty hose. The panty hose force the lymphatic drainage back into the body. It's like turning the hose on and clamping it so every thing gets backed up. Cellulite didn't become a problem until the 1970s and 1980s when the diet and activity and underwear started changing. Back in the '20s, women wore longer skirts and the underwear was loose, almost like pajamas. Cellulite is always underneath where the elastics go, and if you draw an invisible line where the cellulite is, you will see where the panty lines are. Do creams - thigh creams, caffeine creams - really work? Most all creams will only address the fat. Those with L-Carnitine transport fats into the cells' mitochondria to be used as energy. Caffeine creams will help by blocking the making of fats by the alpha receptors. Some creams have aminophylline, (a compound in some respiratory drugs) which, like caffeine, works by blocking the alpha receptors. In most creams, you find some way of targeting only the fat cells, but they do not address the connective tissue or circulation aspects of cellulite. What other treatments are there for cellulite? There are three treatable components of cellulite: You have to address the collagen; you have to reduce the fat, and you have to increase circulation. But it depends on the grade of cellulite you have. There are four grades, ranging from zero to three: Grade zero is no visible cellulite. If you pinch the skin and see a cottage cheese-like texture - that's grade one. Grade two is if cellulite is visible on the legs of someone standing. Grade three is if you see cellulite when you look in the mirror or lie down. I call grade three "terminal," because it's very hard to treat. Machines to treat cellulite include vacuum rolling and radio waves to break up the fat. The first one of them on the market was Endermologie. When you're vacuuming and rolling the skin, you're increasing circulation, and the heat helps to break down the fat, which smooths out the skin. The downside to the machines is you have to go once a month [for at least several years]. What about lasers, injections and surgery? Laser treatments are combined with massage and rolling; they either do suction or rolling and use radio waves and heat up the fat - put fat on a stove in a frying pan, and it melts. These treatments heat it up and try to break it down that way, and use section and rollers to try to force it out of the puckered near-skin area. "Subcision" surgery was invented to get rid of indentations in the face (such as acne scarring), and one dermatologist took that technology and applied it to dimples in the buttocks. For subcision, you anesthetize the area, then you take a special needle - a Nokor needle, which looks kind of like a little hatchet - so you can make a small incision and, moving it back and forth, you can cut the skin from the tissue holding down, getting rid of the dimples. .

Chelating shampoos energize your scalp and flick your hair back to life! A chelating shampoo is a type of hair shampoo that contains chelating agents to remove minerals, metals, and other impurities from your hair and scalp. These agents bind to the impurities and wash them away when you rinse out the shampoo. Chelating shampoos are usually more acidic than regular shampoos and may contain ingredients like EDTA. EDTA is a colorless water-soluble solid that dissolves limescale and ions. Your list of ingredients will include EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid) in the name; Tetrasodium EDTA or Disodium EDTA. EDTA is a chemical that binds and holds on to (chelates) minerals and metals such as chromium, iron, lead, mercury, copper, aluminum, nickel, zinc, calcium, cobalt, manganese, and magnesium. A chelating shampoo works just like an exfoliating face wash. It does more heavy lifting than your regular shampoo. A chelating-based shampoo deploys active molecules called chelating agents. These agents grab onto minerals, dirt particles, and leftover shampoos to make a new ring structure. They form a cage around the nasty stuff, withdrawing gunk, slime, minerals, and residues that build up in your hair from all the things that like to stick to or damage your hair and scalp, including: Hard water showers. Minerals-heavy well water. Chemical services. Copper residues from water pipes. Daily gels, hair sprays. Skin shedding. Color depositing shampoos. Oral medications Take a close look at your scalp, you may see these residues. They don't only coat your scalp. They also form an invisible sticky layer around your hair strands. And to make it worse, the stickiness attracts dust and dirt like a magnet. It makes your hair more greasy and your scalp itchy and flaky. Want proof? Your hair brush can definitely tell a tale or two. Besides looking like a graveyard for your shedding hair, you'll also find dust and yellowish blobs that come from your hair. Washing your hair twice a month with a good chelating shampoo will get rid of dust, residues from sprays, gels, and other stuff you put in your hair, and mineral residues from hard water. The results: . Easier glide through knots. No crunchy hard water hair. Your conditioner will work much better. Flat ironing your hair will be faster - improves glide without all the gunk! Hair appears fuller - the volume is because of less weight on the hair.

If your home has hard water, which 85% of American homes do, then you also find yourself thinking, my shampoo isn't working like it used to! It is doing the same work, it's just your hair has a problem. Read on! Hard water contains dissolved minerals, usually carbonates of the metal ions calcium and magnesium. Calcium sulfate and iron deposits are also not unusual. Hard metal ions found in water are positively charged. Hair is negatively charged. Positive and negative charges are attracted to one another. The result is hard water' metal ions will attach itself to the most negative charged areas of the hair, which happens to be the damaged areas. The acids are called "chelating agents", and some examples are EDTA (ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid) and citric acid. They can be found in shampoos designed specifically to remove the hard water build-up of minerals on your hair. They are generally labeled as Chelating, Detox, or Clarifying shampoo. Removing the hard water build-up each week with a chelating shampoo will not only make your regular shampoo better able to do it's job, but it will also improve the performance of your conditioner and hair mask. In fact, you may be happily surprised, if you first use that detoxifying shampoo and then apply the intensive hair mask.

Healthy hair & scalp is the blueprint that each HEALIUM product has been born from. By combining formulations from one of the finest professional haircare chemists, along with ingredient consultation from a renowned medicinal doctor specializing in botanical benefits, they have developed a cleaner, lighter and healthier alternative in working hair care products. Healium 5 professional products, with UV sunscreen protectors, provide the finest prescriptive hair care available. To round off the experience, super clean light fragrances finish a collection of products that perform with both extraordinary results and with a healthy twist. All HEALIUM 5 products feature our 5 exclusive complexes: Hydration, Protein, Oils, Amino Acids, & Vitamins are guaranteed to perform without build-up, flaking, dusting, or drying & are 100% water-soluble. With steady use, these products will result in noticeable healthier hair & scalp. When used in regular regimens, Healium 5 products help promote long-term healthier hair, making it the finest hair care that you will ever use. Founder: Elizabeth DeMaio With a budding sales career in the beauty industry, Elizabeth DeMaio was excited to launch Healium Hair in 2007 with her husband. Learning things the hard way, the wrong way and the expensive way also taught her that successful people fail a lot. However, these challenges paled in comparison to the struggles she faced becoming a widow with two small children at the age of 39. Standing alone at the helm of the company after her husband passed from cancer in 2017 was a hardship she never anticipated. With a small team in place nationwide, Healium Hair is currently in over 5,000 hair salons and growing. She also launched the Heal I Am Program, to give back 5% of every sale to one of 3 charities. Elizabeth found her strength as the ultimate multi-tasker, having her hand in every aspect of her business while remaining focused on her children. And while she doesn't have all the answers, she has faith that this is her path for a reason.

Celeb Luxury is founded by professional stylists and their journey began with a vision to revolutionize hair color maintenance. They worked to consistently advance the technology and performance in this field. At Celeb Luxury, they aren't just changing the way you care for your hair color, they are redefining it! Celeb Luxury is color-depositing shampoos and conditioners that are sulfate, paraben-free, gluten-free, cruelty-free, and vegan-friendly. You can maintain, refresh, or create everything from pastel or vivid colors. Works best on light-colored hair, but will give you hints of color on brunettes. Each time you use a color, the more intense the color becomes. Viral-Extreme Colorwash comes in Hot Pink, Purple, Teal, and four other colors. It adds color to your hair while cleansing to stop fading and wash out! Viral Colorditioner deposits more color as it conditions your hair, leaving it gorgeously manageable. Comes in shades for both brown and blonde hair. The shades from brown hair are to help cancel out unwanted tones, such as warmth or green tones. The shades for blonde hair come in everything from pastel silver to vivid magenta. Gem Lites Colorwash is for those less adventurous; with colors like a brown diamond, ambers, and sunstone. GemLites Colorditioner with Bond Fix has the same great colors as their Gem Lites with "BondFix" to strengthen and revive weak, bleached hair. You not only condition your hair, but you deposit color and add toner that intensifies or changes the tone of lightened hair. Viral Pastel Colorwash is in shades of lavender, light pink, and baby blue! All Colorwash colors get an even deeper look with consecutive washes. In addition to the color washes, Celeb Luxury also has products that can solve your hair problems. Their BondFix Strengthening Conditioner is just what bleached, lightened, fragile hair needs. It repairs bonds deep in the inner cortex and on the surface to rehydrate and strengthen hair. The Secret Fix is a conditioning styler that adjusts to your hair's texture to make it more manageable and shiny. Have fun and keep your hair color looking its best with all of the Celeb Luxury color choices. You can even mix two (or more) to create your own unique color. Only your imagination limits you! .

Advanced Goodness since 1989. AG Hair is a luxurious hair care line that restores hair to optimal condition with all shampoo and conditioners being PH balanced to restore hair's health. With a full line of styling products for sleek or textured looks, you'll have no problem reaching your hair goals with AG Hair. Clean is in AG's nature, combining science and nature by selecting the highest quality ingredients to develop formulas that deliver purposeful results. Driven by care, the entire collection is free from drying sulfates, vegan and cruelty-free. AG's Natural hair care line is for the modern minimalist. AG's newest products have been stripped down to their essence and formulated with up to 98% natural and nutritional, plant-based ingredients. They have combined a beautiful aesthetic with innovation and an abundance of natural ingredients to create healthy hair from the inside out. AG's line for Curly Hair keeps curls beautifully hydrated, with shine and bounce. Most curly-haired people know the more you mess with curls, the less they shine. AG knows that your hair pattern is personal, so its products are designed to help you create a healthy foundation for your curls to flourish. Each product infuses the hair with moisturizing and curl-enhancing ingredients that are rich in nutrients. After an early career in hairdressing in England, John Davis moved to Vancouver and met his partner in life and business, Lotte, who was then fully immersed in retail merchandising and design. It wasn't long before they combined John's expertise in hair styling and product performance, with Lotte's creative and marketing background, founding AG Hair in 1989. They started by filling bottles by hand out of their Vancouver home. Demand grew faster than they could have anticipated, and it was not long before they moved their operation into a full-scale manufacturing facility. Today AG can be found in thousands of salons around the world. AG still manufactures its own products in Vancouver, as well as bottling and each stage of development. Giving back is pretty important to them. AG's Co-Founder Lotte Davis is passionate about empowering women. Originally from Africa herself, she was acutely aware of the disproportionate inequality women and girls in Africa suffered, and in 2008, she began to work on a plan to help alleviate this. She started her own charity called One Girl Can, and through regular visits to Kenya and Uganda, a very unique, holistic program developed. It ensures the successful transition of one girl living in extreme poverty to one woman working in a career of her choice, having a voice in her community, and eventually giving back herself to ensure the next generation gets the same opportunity as she did.

KMS KMS was founded in 1976 in Redding California, and gets its name from the initials of its three founding owners, Kornfield, Mazzotta, and Smith, or because at that time their focus was on Kinetic Molecular Systems, which had been originally shown on their packaging. In 1976, a 40-year journey began with a now long-standing philosophy that fused together two unlikely worlds: Nature and Technology. Revolutionizing the first hair care products with innovative formulations derived from nature, creating a Shampoo with Natural Essential Fatty Acids that included oil-based moisture to target chemically dry, thick, and coarse hair types. In 1984, KMS launched the first thermal protection product to market called Control, now known as the popular heat styling product ThermaShape to fend off the damage of heat styling. From 1985 through 2017, KMS has brought powerful innovation to the beauty world with products that deliver unparalleled performance and unwavering loyalty from clients and stylists alike. Products such as Leave-In Conditioners and Reconstructors, Sea Salt Sprays to care for texture then Hybrid and Heat-activated stylers that changed the way people felt about their hair and daily beauty routines. KMS continues to leave their mark on the world, sending a statement to the masses of the world that your personal style is important and limitless, clarifying that KMS is dedicated to the evolution and maintenance of that style indefinitely. KMS Science KMS defines their science with a TRIfinity Technology inspired by all cultures that are organized into Start, Style, and Finish categories to provide you with a foolproof guide to managing your hair care needs and bringing your looks to life. The Start products feature an AHA Structure Complex to prime your hair to optimum health for your styling. The Style products are infused with Shaping Blends to make your style easy to achieve. The Finish products feature Flexible Sealing Compounds that allow for a 3-day hold with humidity protection, for long-lasting effects. Product Lines Add Volume Designed to give those with fine, flat hair a way to add fullness and bring life to limp locks. Color Vitality Lighten and brighten your blondes or restore and maintain color vibrancy for bold hues. Curl Up Bring bounce back to your curls with the Curl Up line that moisturizes while reviving elasticity to enhance and define your look. Hair Play Create the unique looks you have always wanted, this line is designed to mold, hold, and make hair do as it's told. Plain and simple. Hair Stay From light to maximum hold, take control of your style with the Hair Stay line. Dedicated to a brilliant finish on every look. Head Remedy Head Remedy Deep Cleanse Shampoo is a gentle daily cleanser that leaves hair clean and healthy while clearing all the product build-up, minerals, pollutants, and hard water residue. Moist Repair Ideal for brittle, dry, and over-processed locks that need some extra love with intense moisture for superior luster and health. Tame Frizz Lock in your signature style while locking out frizz and fly-aways! This line focuses on taming your tresses so you look and feel your best. Therma Shape Protect those lovely locks from thermal and environmental damage with this line dedicated to the heat styling trend. Add Power Add Power collection features a shampoo and styling fluid that helps to make fine, weak hair feel stronger and more resilient. Conscious Style This gentle collection features a shampoo, conditioner, and cleansing mist. This collection is ideal for maintaining the natural balance of both the hair and the scalp. Awards KMS Add Volume Liquid Dust was named Editor's Pick for Volumizer and won a 2018 Total Beauty Award. KMS Salons received Salon Today STAMP 2017 Awards Giving Back . KMS proudly sponsors the Beauty Changes Lives Experience. Partners with MENCAP a learning disability charity, to raise awareness by hosting Style Sessions for youths with learning disabilities. Press . Featured in Modern Salon. KMS California's UK Editorial Collective worked backstage at London Fashion Week. Featured on Global Zoom 17 Webcast. KMS Creative Team styled models and featured KMS products at New York Fashion Week. KMS Lela Rose presentation at New York Fashion Week. Featured in The Craft Magazine. KMS sponsored Modern Salon's Balayage & BOHO contest KMS Sustainability Commitment:. They are proud to look back at 45 years of researching and manufacturing some of the finest hair care products in the world. Their founders‘ vision was to fuse innovative technologies with the best that nature has to offer, creating high-performing products for every hair type. KMS has always focused on environmentally friendly products and transparency on how products work. This philosophy remains at the heart of their brand and will further guide their future commitment. .