OCTOBER 2017 • Vol. 23 No. 8
New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists
Table of Contents Heat and Hair: Finding the Blance Between Style Needs and Hair Health 1 Letter from the Chair 2 In Memoriam: Davis Gittleman 2 Innovation in Textured Hair Care Agenda 6 Event Location 6 Texture of the Week 7 Innovation in Textured Hair Care Committee 7 Innovation in Textured Hair Care Sponsors 7 Innovation in Textured Hair Care Speakers and Abstracts 8-13 Many Thanks to Our NYSCC Volunteers 14 Employment Opportunities 15
www.nyscc.org
Heat and Hair: Finding the Balance Between Style Needs and Hair Health
D
…by Jaesik Hahn, Amy Marconnet, and Tahira Reid
espite widespread use of flat irons among individuals with textured hair, surprisingly little is known about how one should use this device to cater to each person’s unique needs. For example, flat iron manufacturers recommend temperature ranges for different hair types to achieve the best results; however, after compiling their guidelines, one can easily identify the ambiguity of their hair typing (e.g., thin, fine, wavy, curly). More problematic is the inconsistency in the hair typing and corresponding temperature recommendation across manufacturers.1 In fact, the meaning of “the best results” itself is already nebulous enough because everyone’s grooming and styling goals are unique. On the other hand, both users and scientific studies have repeatedly reported the detrimental effects of heat on hair. Studies generally focused on the mechanism of heat damage and contributed to better understanding of how heat degrades hair structures by reducing mechanical strength and structural integrity of the strands.2-6 Unfortunately, while doing so, they have neglected the crucial question of flat iron users: Given my grooming/styling goals, how much heat can I use without severe damage? This is not an easy question to answer because the interactions between various factors involved in flat ironing are not well understood. Thus, even the most experienced hair stylist can only answer broadly that too much heat can be bad because the specific consequence of using heat is uncertain. This causes a problem because uncertainty breeds careless optimism and unreasonable pessimism in extreme cases. The result is either overuse of heat and ensuing frustration of burned hair or an unnecessarily exaggerated fear of heat. Both extremes often lead to the complete avoidance of heat. The recent Natural Hair Movement among significant numbers of people with textured hair has provided both utilitarian and ideological perspectives that support the reduced use of heat and chemicals. However, if one simply avoids heat due to the fear of heat damage while repressing the desire to try new styles that require the use of heat, it greatly limits one’s creative self and freedom of style choice. (Continued on page 3)
I N N O V A T I O N I N T E X T U R E D H A I R C A R E October 12th • Chart House, Weehawken, NJ