March 2001
Revised 5/01/07
March 20,
2001
Beeswax - Removing From Hair?
Question
Dear Karen
I have read in the past in some of your fine articles that I
should only use a beeswax product on my hair if I wanted to keep my dreadlocks
permanently.
I also know that you advised that once dreadlocks have been set into hair that
it would be difficult,
if not impossible, to remove them.
Knowing all this information I
started my "temporary" dreads with Redken's WaterWax
product. The wax helped my temporary dreads form, but not as tightly
as I wanted.
So I then decided to buy the KnottyBoy wax that
you sell and I loved it.
I would use a little for weekend
hairstyles and then make sure I got it all out by Monday for
work. It was a bit of work to remove the wax but it really was
worth it for the look that I achieved.
Now I have a problem. I went on vacation to the
Bahamas with my boyfriend and he loved the "temporary"
dreadlock look. I used the KnottyBoy wax and he loved the
results. I spent the entire week laying on the beach and
soaking in the sun.
When I got back to work my boss was not
happy. He told me that as a front desk person I needed to have
a neater style of hairdo. I do work for a group of conservative
attorneys so I understand his concerns.
Now I am having a terrible time getting the wax out of my
hair. I don't want to cut it all off but I do want the wax
removed. Can you please help me with some suggestions?
I totally admit that this was a bad decision on my part but
now I am really upset about my hair.
Anything you can recommend would be a blessing. Thank you so
much in advance.
Tanya
Answer
Dear Vanessa,
I was recently talking with Adrianna from
KnottyBoy about the emails that I receive from people who had
decided not to keep their dreadlocks after they have actually used
beeswax on their hair. Adrianna reminded me that cutting out
the dreads is usually the only solution.
However, since HairBoutique.com sells and advocates the use of
the KnottyBoy products I went to the source, namely Adrianna, to
discuss your current waxy problem.
Adrianna again reminded me that "people who are only
interested in temporary dreadlock styles should not be using
Knotty
Boy Dread Wax." As Adrianna explained,
Knotty Boy
"is a beeswax-based product which is very water repellent. It
makes it good for dreadlock wearers because it allows the wearers to
still wash their scalps without undoing the new locks. It is bad for
people only wishing to experiment or have the dreadlock look for one
night or a few days.".
Adrianna reiterated "please don't use the Knotty Boy
products unless you really want full-blown dreadlocks - it works
fast!"
Although Adrianna said that it is possible the
KnottyBoy wax will
only come out with a cut, she did say that you can try to wash the KnottyBoy wax out of your hair by using very hot water.
Note: Please be careful not to burn yourself, but use as hot
of water as you can handle and try to soften the wax as much as
possible. Adrianna then recommended that after you use hot
water to soften the wax that you use Bee & Flower Chinese bar
soap you can get in Chinatowns everywhere on your hair. The
soap can help, in many cases, to wash the rest of the wax out. If
you can't find the
Chinese Bee & Flower soap then use a good bar
soap.
If the hot water,
Chinese Bee & Flower soap fails, you can
also try ProSolv orange scented cleaner you can purchase at Wal-Mart.
Adrianna warned me that she didn't personally have any direct
experience with the ProSolv removal method but she did hear that it
worked in many cases. The bad news is that the ProSolv, is not
designed for use on human hair and can potentially damage it or dry it out.
So you may get the wax out but still have some damage as a result of
the cleaner.
One final tip that was sent to me by a hairstylist in California
which
involved wax paper and an iron. Jay, the hairstylist, told me
that he uses old fashioned wax paper to remove wax from the hair.
Jay had his client with wax in her hair,
lean over an ironing board. Jay put a cloth down on the
ironing board followed by wax paper. He had the client lay the waxy
surface of her hair on the wax paper. Then Jay added wax paper to
the top of the hair. He in essence made a sandwich out of wax
paper with the hair in the middle. Then he used an iron set on medium to carefully apply
heat to the hair through the wax paper.
Jay reported that the iron slowly melted the wax in the hair and then the
wax paper absorbed it. Although it took quite some time, Jay
said that he got a large percentage of the wax out of the hair using
his iron method. The heat from the iron softened the wax and
this allowed the paper to absorb it. The rest of the wax was
carefully combed or picked out of the hair.
I have heard that the best way to remove wax from clothing is to
use the wax paper/iron method. So I guess using it on hair is
not that unusual. However, there is danger that the heat from
the iron could damage the hair.
I hope these different tips help. Please let me know so I
can add your results to my files.
Best wishes,
Karen
March 12,
2001
Polycycstic Ovarian Disease & Hair Problems
Question
Dear Karen
I was just diagnosed with a disease that is called Polycystic
Ovaria Syndrome. It is also known as PCOS. What I was
told was that PCOS is a hormone disorder that can contribute to hair
problems such as hair loss and thinning as well as itchy and flaky
scalp. Never mind the other possibilities that can result from
PCOS. My concern at this point is my hair. I have
noticed that it is definitely thinner than it was even one year ago.
What can you tell me about PCOS and have you heard of the link
between the disease and hair and scalp problems? Do you have
any recommendations on how to treat the problem?
Thanks,
Vanessa
Answer
Dear Vanessa,
I am so sorry to hear of your condition. Yes, I have heard
a lot about PCOS and have read quite a bit about it over the past 2
years.
A lot of research on the disease, which affects women,
has been down by Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. I have also
read that there is a strong link between PCOS and a weakening of the
hair follicles resulting in thinning, hair loss and possible scalp
problems.
I read an interview about one year ago with renowned British tichologist Philip Kingsley (020 7629 4004) who commented that PCOS
is thought to cause a decrease in the actual size of the hair
follicle which results in a weakened and thinning condition.
While hair problems are indeed serious. Even more alarming
about PCOS is the other problems it can cause from obesity and skin
problems to infertility and other hormonal problems. PCOS is
actually more common than many people think. It has been
reported that as many as 1 in 100 women have the hormonal
disorder. Most women may not even be aware of this disease
until they experience problems in other areas.
How do you find out if you have PCOS? Visit a gynecologist
or internist and ask them to discuss any possible symptoms. If
there is a good cause for concern they will do testing.
If you have been diagnosed with PCOS and are having hair problems
you should see a specialty that can help you control hair loss.
Philip Kingsley also has offices in New York and has been known to
treat many people, including Candice Bergen, Mick Jagger, Cher,
Jerry Hall and Barbara Streisand, for scalp and hair problems.
He is definitely the leading authority on hair health and has been a
trichologist for over 35 years.
Whether in or out of the public eye, all come to Philip Kingsley
for a common purpose: healthy, beautiful hair.
For information about Philip or his clinics in New York or London
you can call the number listed above. Philip also works with
other trichologists who can schedule appointments if Philip is not
available.
What is the most common indicator of PCOS? Irregular
periods.
Best wishes,
Karen
March 11,
2001
Perm Problems
Question
Dear Karen
All of my friends convinced me to get a perm. Not only
did my hair look weird, it got super dry. Is this
normal? What can I do? Can you recommend a good deep
conditioner?
Thanks,
Tom
Answer
Dear Tom,
Unfortunately everyone experiences a perm differently depending
on a wide range of hair factors. These factors include the
condition of your hair before you had the perm, the type of perm
that is used and whether you had a perm designed to add volume,
texture or a combination.
Many people do experience a drying of their hair right after a
perm. This is because perms are strong chemicals that can
definitely impact the hair cuticle and cause a drying.
All is not lost. A good series of deep conditioning
treatments that you do at home or have done at the salon can help a
lot. I personally recommend
Phytokarite Intensive Treatment or
Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Mask or
Phyto - Phytocitrus Mask - Vital Radiance Mask.
I also love the conditioning of
Phyto's Phytosesame Conditioning Treatment. Phytologie makes a great leave in conditioner that will help smooth
over any rough spot. Check out
Phytologie's #7 or
#9 leave in
conditioners.
Trying using a
good moisturizing product regime for a few weeks
to see if your hair recovers its natural moisture.
If all else fails you can consider having the most dry or damaged
parts of your hair removed.
Best wishes,
Karen
March 10,
2001
Towel Drying Hair
Question
Dear Karen
My mom told me that if I towel dry my hair that I will damage
it. My hairstylist disagrees and says if I blot rather than
rub my hair, it will be fine. So now I am confused. What is
the real answer?
Thanks,
Jon
Answer
Dear Jon,
Your hairstylist is correct. The key word is gentle when
dealing with wet or damp hair. It is important to remember
that hair is most fragile when it is wet. That means that if you
carefully use a towel to blot, not rub, your hair, you should be
fine. So many people remember the old TV commercials where
hair was rubbed vigorously with a towel. This was not a good
image to share since rubbing wet hair with a towel could tend to
cause breakage.
Use your towel to remove excess water that can weigh your hair
down when you try to style it. However, wrap the towel
carefully around your hair and gently squeeze the water from your
hair.
Best wishes,
Karen
March 8,
2001
Balayage - Highlighting With A Comb?
Question
Dear Karen
Have you heard of balayage? I have been trying to find
out what it is and how it relates to coloring hair. I understand it
originated somewhere in Europe? What can you tell me about
it? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Sarah
Answer
Dear Sarah,
Balayage originated in France and is a new type of highlighting
technique for hair. Because the technique involves using a
comb to add the colors, the results tend to be more natural than
when foils or a cap method is used to highlight hair. The
Balayage method is highlights that are applied with a comb.
When using a comb to add "sun kissed" color, you can have
more control over the outcome. This method also allows the
colorist to control the intensity of the color that is applied to
the hair.
How does it actually work? For a natural effect color is
applied using a com to any areas of the hair that is normally
lightened by the sun. Generally highlights are combed into the
front of the hair and around the face, where the sun would naturally
have an impact. Heat is applied for a few minutes, usually
less than 5, and this brings out the color.
As the color is combed into the hair, adjacent strands may be
touched which gives the look a more realistic hue.
Another advantage of the Balayage method is the fact that because
it is so subtle, there is no obvious root growth.
To book an appointment to have the Balayage method applied to
your hair call the Michealjohn salon in England. You can reach
the Michaeljohn Salon at 020 7499 7529.
Unfortunately I have not heard of the Balayage method being used
in the United States. However, call some color experts and
they should be able to advise you if they know about the method.
Best wishes,
Karen
March
5, 2001
Drew Barrymore Hair Products?
Question
Dear Karen
I just loved Drew Barrymore in Charlie's Angels. Any
idea what hair care product she uses to get good scrunching of her
hair?
Thanks,
Donna
Answer
Dear Donna,
I know that Drew is a fan of the Fudge Skrewd
product. She has been reported to use it when she wears her
hair with maximum curls. The bad news about Drew is that she changes
her hair so often it is hard to keep up with the many different
products she uses. I do know that she liked the results that
Fudge Skrewd gave her hair for maximum bounce.
Best wishes,
Karen
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