I've learned sooooo much misinformation from stylists. I think it's because their education heavily relies on how much the stylists who trained them know ..and often it's not much .
@@226iamacake thankfully that's not the case in Germany, here it's a full 3 year trainee programm for hair styling (+basics of make up and nail design) and the people i worked with were all extremely talented and educated in their craft. still no consensus on hair drying 😅
@@PhiloishnessThey may be educated in hair styling and colour processing but not in trichology. It's like that anywhere. They don't really learn about or keep up with the science of hair and scalp care and health. Hairstyling is a vocational/craft kind of educational route not science.
In my experience all my stylists just go by rules of thumb that they have heard somewhere. Even had one say that shampoos with mint reduced hair loss by 30%. I don't even know what to say that. The industry is full of broscience even though they're all educated. In Denmark it's a 1 year education with 3 years of apprenticeship (or something like that), but I suppose they don't have a lot of motivation or opportunity to keep up with the science.
She was incorrect about one thing though. It’s driving me a little nuts lol. She said that bleached hair retains moisturizing ingredients and water easily, it takes longer to dry…nope. It’s actually hair that absorbs moisture quickly, but doesn’t easily retain those nutrients. It’s called high porosity. On the other side of the spectrum, I have low porosity and I have hair that is slow to absorb. It’s harder to get those nutrients in, but once I do it STAYS. I’m obsessed with haircare, I know she was spreading at least this bit of misinformation. I explained in a comment on the video (not a reply) why.
Water is a curly girl's main styling product and heat helps set the shape. I always figured blow drying my hair did me more good than air drying because my scalp gets oilier quicker if I air dry.
i heard as a good rule of thumb that if your hair isnt completely dry after 2 hours of air drying you should blow dry. drying your hair is what sets the hydrogen bonds in place, but the heat makes it happen faster because it evaporates water faster and allows the air to carry more moisture away
i can't believe michelle said she hates hydrogen bonds and that she thinks hydrogen should stop bonding to things and just stay in the sun where it belongs 😮
Would you consider doing a video on hair washing technique too? I'm particularly interested in if hair scrubbers are worth it or do more harm than good!
She did, but I don't think she mentioned hair scrubbers. I don't think they're anywhere near necessary, but if you like them, they're probably fine. Just don't scrub in circles, or irritate your scalp.
I had to google what hair scrubber is (know it as scalp massager - loose translation as I never spoke about it in English) ... but: I had some issues with stress damaging my hair and worked with trichologist on that: she recommended using device like that to massage your scalp, but not while washing my hair - just as a massager to use while watching movie or something. I never asked her if I can/should use it during hair wash - it just never occurred to me as a possibility and she never used it on my head while washing my hair. In general: our scalps have a lot of nerves and massaging it is good for hair grow. Not necessary by any device, you can use your fingers (or your friends or partner as being massaged by someone else is nice in general - at least for me)
I have no research I can quote on this, so take this with a grain of salt. From my understanding, a scalp brush/massager/shampoo brush (whatever you call it) is not necessary for the average person. Most people don’t need to add more agitation to their scalp as their fingertips are more than enough to massage shampoo in properly. However, I have seen them be beneficial for at least two groups of people: people who need accessibility devices and people who have super long nails. Long nails are especially hard to keep damage free when wet (same concept as water making hair more fragile and this more susceptible to damage), so using a device to scrub your scalp, not your fingers to scrub, reduces the likelihood of damaging your nails. If someone has chronic pain in their hands/fingers or another kind of hand/finger-related disability, it makes it very difficult to properly scrub the scalp. Speaking from experience, it is very easy to get buildup on the scalp that is almost impossible to remove without much more time and energy than is possible to give when already doing something else that is very draining (showering is often very difficult for those of us with disabilities, so anything to make it easier and less exhausting - or even dangerous! - is a very welcome addition.) So really, I think the average person doesn’t need to at all. If you want to ensure you are cleaning your scalp enough, I would personally just shampoo at least twice *if* once isn’t enough and your scalp still feels a little gross.
My electric scalp massager helps me get rid of build-up from conditioner on my scalp, which helps me reduce dandruff and gives my hair more volume (I have fine hair). I wouldn't use it daily, though, as it can irritate the scalp when used too vigorously. I've also read that scalp massages help increase blood circulation which can help with hair regrowth. So it's like usual: Everything is good in moderation.
Personally having wet hair gives me the ick it's the second worst feeling in the world, so my priority is to get that dealt with as quickly as possible and damage is just the cost of not needing to crawl out of my skin. I've never met a drier that worked well enough to make it not an ordeal.
I agree, I HATE having wet hair. Also my hair takes forever to dry. If I looked okay bald, I'd have shaved it off long ago. My worst feeling is when my hands are sticky/when it's humid and your skin is sweaty.
My husband and I moved in together after getting married. It wasn’t until then that I learned, post showering, he gets dressed after running a towel haphazardly over 60% of his body. Seeing his wet shirt clinging to his skin makes me feel ill.
I diffuse my wavy hair on the cool setting because air drying takes hours, and, im not a fan of walking around with a wet head. I havent noticed any damage, and, it only takes an extra 5-10 mins compared to using heat. One bonus ive noticed is the cool air doesnt irritate, and make my scalp itchy, like heat does. Thanks for the info! Im learning a lot. 😊
That’s just sooooooo idiosyncratic tho - completely depends on hair type (which changes with age), hair damage (which changes with treatment), hair environment (which changes with the seasons or even employment history), and hair style (which changes with the whims of fickle trends). It’s just too many inputs to create a prescription for n-dimension of variables.
I love how nuanced and detailed your videos are, it really helps to make sound consumer decisions. Every time it's like I didn't know how badly I needed it!
Omg science yesssssss! THIS is what I want to know about my hair. It explains SO MUCH about things I've noticed with my hair during the course of life. BRILLIANT.
My audhd brain was wondering yesterday just how the heck to dry my hair properly without it going more frizzy during winter but then needed to know what water was actually doing to the follicles 🤪 This scratched an itch. Thanks, Michelle
A leave-on conditioner can limit damage during detangling and air drying. Took me a while before finding the one which does not make my hair greasy. Stop using product with silicones, SLS, parabens and drying alcohols. After my hair has regrown, it is less damaged and not as porous, so it dries even faster. It's been almost ten years since I last had any split ends. I go to a hairdresser about once a year... although now it's been 1,5 years since my last haircut. I am getting fond of the long braids...
OMG amazing video. I always tell my clients "at least" dry your scalp with a blowdryer. Problems coming from an imbalance in the epicutaneous emulsion are worse than those coming from using heat. Loved your video!!
omg thank you for bringing up the dandruff and oil control part!!! i have REALLY oily scalp. i'm talking about in one day my fresh pillow case gets soaked in oils and its disgusting. but when i blow dry my hair, my hair looks fantastic and great, the oils really decrease by a lot. it just makes everything so much more manageable but i'm so scared of doing it everyday. now that i know i'm definitely blow drying
Loved this, I'm an old girl who grew up 14miles/28ishkm from the equator. When young mum would wash our hair in the am so it could dry naturally. There were no shampoo and matching conditioner withe, beer or vinegar was rinsed in my hair 😅. Now I love a turbine twist, sectional dry on lower temperature 🌡️, too hot burns Ur scalp so imagined what it did to my hair. Love the science ❤
I would love if you made a video exploring candida. I went down a rabbit hole today and now I am convinced I am mostly fungus and I don't know what to do :(
I used to braid it and it would take a couple of days to dry. Now I leave it out until it's dry, detangle and braid it so it doesn't stay wet for so long because of this video. Thanks!
Here's the way i started drying my hair when it was almost hip-length. It was super damaged by bleach and i have veeery thick hair. So i started putting gently most of my hair up with a big clip. I found elastics with wet hair (that i didnt detangle before it dries) would pull on my hair. So i would take most of my hair up, without detangling any more than i needed to separate the bunch i was putting up with my fingers. I would leave down a relatively thin layer of hair, starting by the lowest hair, from the back of the neck to my forehead. The layers would need to be thin enough for it to dry fast. Once it was dry, i'd let out a second layer. Doing it from bottom up meant that my hair that would normally be trapped under all my top hair could dry. And working with thin layers really makes a huge difference. So working my way from bottom layers to top ones meant my hair would dry in at most an hour whereas it used to take sooooo long. If i put them up in a ponytail or something they could stay humid the whole day! Anyways, thats how i coped lmao.
So does this mean the blow dryer brushes are the worst for your hair? Mine definitely produces a lot of steam so I can only imagine the water inside the cortex boiling too.
Thick hair here. Huge Microfibre towel to dab the hair (one side of the towel is used then flipped to the other drier part) and then Dyson on low heat highest air works well.
Michelle what about us with curly/kinky hair that use blow dryer to stretch out our hair so that it won’t shrink and get tangled? Will a blow dryer still damage the hair more?
Dr Wong, I’d love a video explaining what some of the newer hair product categories are actually doing, if they are just nonsense, what kinds of ingredients to look for, etc. I had great luck with something called hair primer and I cannot figure out what it is & how to find other options. I’ve got 2 tubes left but the company closed so it’s over. I love how it sort of tightens my curl pattern and improves the coil, but I can’t figure it out! And the ingredients are super typical hair ingredients 🤷
I use a high voltage hair dryer and just rough dry it, I don't use a brush or do that straight perm blow dry that hairdressers do with the roller brush. I first wrap it in a microfibre towel, and then quickly and roughly dry it, my hair is short so the process takes about 5 minutes
Pro tip for the long haired girlies: throw your hair UP on your pillow, towards your headboard, if your hair is still a little damp when you go to bed. I used to only air dry, but I've started incorporating blow drying if it's too close to bed. Usually I'll do a rough dry once I'm dressed post-shower, let it air dry while I watch tv, and then blow dry one more time right before bed to finish the job. I have the softest hair you'll ever touch 😌
I think something important to consider is also when you airdry your hair, does it dry in a way that makes you need to apply more heat to style it. I have wavy hair and it often dries in uneven curls or frizz or it stands up in weird directions. Which means i have to apply more heat with my my flat iron to style it. I figured it would be less damaging to blow dry it, but it‘s hard to be sure 😅
Your video of drying your hair makes me so jealous. My hairdrying is a 1.5-hour intense labour session because I have 3A curls and like my hair straight.
After watching your video about amodimethicone for conditioning and detangling long bleached hair, I bought the Redken Acid Bond range. It was pricey, but I'm so excited to use them. I really really hope they are as detangling and smoothing as you say 🤞
Hi! I finally looked up your account after seeing it recommended on the skincare subs all the time. You say in this video that bleached hair holds onto water easily and takes awhile to dry but that’s not really true. Bleached hair (& damaged hair in general) do NOT retain water and moisture well. To quickly explain, hair is like a sponge. Some hair is like a super dense sponge. It takes quite a bit of water to saturate the sponge and it takes hours up on hour to dry. This is called low porosity. The cuticle of low porosity hair is quite closed, I deep condition under heat to open the cuticle as much as possible for easier absorption. Once I. Then there’s medium porosity, which I admittedly am unaware of best way to care for it. So HIGH porosity is bleached and damaged hair generally. The damaged cuticle causes the cuticle to be less protective of the shaft of the hair. So while it may very easily absorb water and moisturizing ingredients, it won’t retain it as long. This hair is super dry, actually. I have curly hair and porosity is the most important trait to identify imo, it helps you to understand which products to choose. I’m enjoying your channel and tried to not be so pedantic.
Thanks for your comment! I plan to tackle porosity, water and the cuticle in later videos - in short, the cuticle isn't actually much of a barrier to water, and damaged hair does actually hold onto water very well because there are a lot more exposed hydrogen bonding sites. The confusion is that hair that has a lot of water in it doesn't actually feel "moisturised" or "hydrated", in lab studies most people rate it less "hydrated" than the sample that has less water!
@@LabMuffinBeautyScience oh hey! Thanks for the reply! I was hoping you’d clarify what you meant there. Honestly the hydrogen bond part went completely over my head, I’ll have to rewatch it. I vaguely remember you saying the hydrogen bonds break easy? or another type of bond maybe, like I said..over my head. If those hydrogen bonds break easily is that why high porosity struggles? Btw your hair is gorgeous and looks so healthy, this isn’t shade! I had similar colors years bac and I loved that color. May I ask what kinds of ingredients you look for in your haircare? I started educating myself on my curls a couple years back and honestly, I’ve loved it. Figuring out my porosity was my “breakthrough” moment. I’d like to understand scientifically what’s happening. & yes! Water functions as more of a means to get my conditioner and styling products to absorb well. I still occasionally straighten to check in on my ends, and it’s really apparent that my end results were ALWAYS better when I applied on soaking wet hair. I just squeeze it out a bit and put in my products before getting outta the shower. Only water, my hair has zero slip and It’ll get damaged and tangled. (Btw my hair is usually 2c/3a. It’s fine, dense, and has low porosity. It’s also stupid long.) 💜💕 thanks again
I didn't know that slow air drying could aggravate dandruff! Thank you, I will use a blow drier more often now. Although obviously I will use the cold setting. I mean who on earth uses the heated setting if you're not in terrible hurry...
I was hoping u would mention sweat on this vídeo. Do u ever approached this topic? About washing everytime u workout, for exemple? I did not find it on your channel
Could you make a whole video on scalp irritation? I have had a sensitive scalp for about 5 years and probably spent a looot of money on things that don't make a difference. It's so easy to manipulate people in pain... :/
What about blow dry brushes? They are close to the hair by nature, so are they more damaging than something held at a greater distance? They make hair really smooth and shiny, and help hold the style better than normal blow drying, allowing you to go longer between washes.
I have never had healthier hair from blow drying…temporarily it will look smoother but it is never healthier than air drying for me. It could be user error but i also often need to wash my hair sooner from blow drying.
So, i can let my hair air dry after all? I could not wrap my head around how blow drying is actually better for your hair than air drying. Plus, my hair looks better air dried vs blow dried.
Interesring, as someone with quite long, wavy/curly hair, I feel it looks much better after drying overnight, because if I'm upright my hair gets dragged down under its own weight and flattened. Lying down, my hair gets spread out to dry in its relaxed, wavy shape without any tension stetching it (I sleep on my side, so very little hair would actually be beneath me). I'm not sure if i could get the same effect with a blow dryer since i don't rven own one 😂
One question I've had for a long time - most diffuser techniques make it impossible to hold the hair dryer at a distance, does that make diffuser drying more damaging? Or does the diffuser itself make the heat less damaging by spreading out the heat flow?
Oh hell yea the book is out, my copy might be in transit then. 12:50 - What a cannon. I blow dry my hair on low heat and get some distance and constantly move it around a lot. I do some parts first to get there in the position I want, and then for the rest I go upside down to get the air all in there. I don't have long hair, so it doesn't take very long on low heat. The damage in this specific situation would be absolutely miniscule. I also try to not let it get TOO dry, since I imagine it could get too dehydrated, but I do still fully dry it, since I want it to hold it's shape a bit better than it would if it wasn't fully dry.
Can you please speak on hooded hair dryers? I have thick thick curly hair that can take 24 hours to dry when air drying and diffusing makes my hair frizzy. When I get my hair cut at the curly hair salon they use hooded dryers that makes my hair look shiny and healthier. Please let me know bc I'm thinking of buying a hooded dryer. Thank you!!
I'm a hairstylist for more of 40 years, I really believe letting your hair dry naturally is extremely bad for your hair Putting your hair wet in a bond. Retain the water who contains OXIGEN, and if you leave your hair wet, the hair will go to the process of oxidation , this, will open hair shafts, and make the haircolor lighter specially on the ends. Think about surfers who leave hair wet plus the sun , extremely dry hair
Such a great video, thank you for the effort and clear explanations! I’m confused as to whether heatless curls would be damaging on wet hair? Because it’s sitting in a pulled/curled state? But at the same time it’s air drying… Also people say air drying is damaging for low porosity hair as it tends to be swollen with water for so long, would that be considered physical damage to the hair as well? I know you said water isn’t damaging to hair on its own. 🤔
It could potentially be if you stretch the hair too much, but you can also do it without stretching. I think the swollen = damage thing is based on the CMC bulges in this Lee paper!
thx science I dry out my natural hair with cold regime with Dyson and they are thankful )) and I hate stylists coz they torture my hair with heat and brushing!
before I got my hair bleached I needed at least an hour to dry with the hairdryer, now it only takes 15mins - why is that, when bleached hair is supposed to hold on to more water?
Depends on how much force you use (less is better) - I think this is one of those circumstances where you generally need water to get the style (I may be wrong), so it's a compromise
thank you for the video michelle! when you mentioned damage being magnified when it's wet, it got me thinking. there are some treatments that are marketed as overnight conditioners. do you think the conditioner may be enough to protect the cuticle from damage while sleeping?
Would it be better to use a blow dry brush if your hair is prone to frizziness? My hair does take an hour and a half or slightly more to dry completely and I'm constantly laying down so my hair constantly touches pillows.
