Hair porosity tests are a lie

float test

There’s a lot of haircare advice based around the idea of “hair porosity”. This is a pretty complex term that can mean a lot of different things in different contexts (this might become a longer deep dive one day!). A lot of the advice does lead people to products that suit their hair better, but this is mostly just coincidence …

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Does water damage hair? The myth of “hygral fatigue”

the myth of hygral fatigue

How water interacts with hair is one of the biggest sources of myths about hair. One of the biggest myths is the idea that wetting and drying hair over and over again inherently damages hair – common referred to as “hygral fatigue”. This isn’t true! Let’s dig deeper into this… This article is adapted from my video on hair hydration. …

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Hair, hydration and water: the real science

hair bonds break with water

Should you hydrate your hair? From all of the hydrating hair products out there, you’d think the answer is obviously, yes. But quite a lot of hair experts (including scientists) say that water is bad for hair, and causes damage. Neither of these are entirely true! Water is one of the most confusing topics in hair science. It’s a huge …

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Investigating the viral heat protectant test

Hair protectant receipts thumbnail

There’s been a lot of people testing heat protectants on receipts lately. You spray a heat protectant on a thermal paper receipt, then use a flat iron hair straightener on it. Since receipt paper turns black with heat, the receipts that stay white have the more effective heat protectants… … Or so the logic goes, anyway. But does this test …

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Should you avoid retinyl palmitate in sunscreens?

yvonne burkart sunscreen debunk thumbnail

Does retinyl palmitate in sunscreens increase skin cancer? This is a myth that’s been promoted a lot by clean beauty organisations like the Environmental Working Group (EWG), especially in their annual sunscreen guide. More recently, this was included as the first point in toxicologist Dr Yvonne Burkart’s video: “You’ve been lied to about sunscreen: Toxicologist reveals 6 things you should …

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How to REALLY fix your itchy scalp: The Science

itchy scalp thumbnail

Your scalp’s itchy and inflamed – and none of the products you’ve tried seem to be working. And now, maybe your hair’s even thinning. Here’s the problem: Most scalp products aren’t treating the right cause, and no one’s really explaining what that is. And a lot of scalp products actually make things worse. I’m the owner of a problematic scalp, …

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Is Your Sunscreen Killing Coral Reefs? The Science

Is Your Sunscreen Killing Coral? The Science (with Video)

You might have seen that Hawaii has banned certain sunscreens that have been linked to coral bleaching. In particular, it’s the organic “chemical” sunscreen ingredients oxybenzone and octinoxate that have been banned. It sounds like a great victory for the environment, right? But if you search a little past the headlines, you’ll find that there are actually a lot of …

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Skin-Saving Skincare Products for a Low Energy Routine

Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Water

I don’t know about you, but over the last few years with existential pandemic and climate change stress, working from home and an ADHD diagnosis, my daily life routine has kind of gone out the window. I keep losing track of when I last changed my sheets, when lunchtime is, when I should go to sleep and whether I’ve taken …

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