Everything you know about shampoo is wrong and that ain’t right, says one hair expert.
by Joanie Cox
Holiday time means photo ops with family, which is why many women will reach for their straightening irons to smooth strands and achieve that “I-swear-I-only-spent-five-minutes-on-my-hair” look. The sad reality is if you clamp a 350-degree iron on your locks every day, you will damage your hair. That’s why Lorraine Massey is daring women across America to embrace their “inner curly girl” and leave their hair as nature intended.
I first met Massey a year ago, when she came to Boca Raton to cut women’s hair and teach them about curl maintenance. I instantly clicked with this stiletto-wearing rebel with a British accent and a mission to end hair abuse. The Manhattan-based stylist recently returned to South Florida, this time stopping at the GBS store in Fort Lauderdale to coif curls.
“You can cook a turkey with the heat of a hair dryer,” Massey says. “When you keep pulling on your hair, it’s like the seam of a dress. It will start to fray. Your hair is the most delicate, fine material, and it can only withstand so much abuse. People flat-iron their hair until it literally falls out.”
In Massey’s book Curly Girl, she writes, “I love care labels in clothes. They make me respect a fabric and think carefully about how to treat it. If only our hair came with a care label.”
Massey is part of the “no poo” shampoo revolution. Just like you wouldn’t wash a delicate sweater in harsh detergent, she recommends avoiding all shampoos that contain sodium lauryl sulfate or laureth sulfate. Just for kicks, I did a little inventory in my own shower. I found at least one of the two ingredients in each bottle in my bathroom, including my pricey Tigi Bedhead Control Freak shampoo and Frédéric Fekkai shampoo. Each cost more than $20 a bottle.
Massey’s line of hair cleansers do not contain sodium lauryl sulfate or laureth sulfate, which are typically used in dishwashing liquid to strip grease from pots. Apparently, washing your hair every day is no good for it.
Massey suggests reading the label on any hair care product before you buy it, just as you’d do with food. “Look for cocamidopropyl betaine,” Massey says. “It’s a gentle cleaning agent found in most baby shampoos. And you can also do spot-cleansing on your hair, like you’d do with a stain on a blouse. You don’t have to necessarily wash the whole thing every time.”
This idea had never occurred to me yet it makes complete sense. Massey describes three types of curly tresses: corkscrew curls, which Keri Russell and Julianna Margulies have; Botticelli curls, which Sarah Jessica Parker and Nicole Kidman are rocking; and wavy hair, a look Michelle Pfeiffer and Ashley Judd naturally have.
“You have to make peace with your hair and accept it for what it truly is,” Massey insists. “Stop blow-frying your hair. Curly-haired women enjoy life more. We’re more earthy, less afraid of getting our hands dirty.”
With that statement, I thought about all the times I had straightened my hair and spent the night indoors, afraid of rain frizzing out my curls. I also thought of a few of my friends who admitted to ending a make-out session early because they didn’t want to mess up their hair, which they had just spent $35 to blow out. But ladies, that’s where we should all draw the line. Any hairstyle that’s actually going to prevent you from getting laid is clearly not worth it. For details on the products, check out Devachansalon.com.
HOLIDAZED AND CONFUSED
The mall looks like a war zone and items from Macy’s clearance rack are disappearing faster than Tiger Woods’ endorsement deals. With friends and relatives flying into town and social commitments galore, getting a minute to yourself before the new year begins seems almost as impossible as getting Maury Povich to stop doing paternity-test shows. But it’s time to sneak away and do something for yourself.
Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort and Club is having another BFF Spa Night 7-9 tonight (Wednesday). The event, which is an abbreviation for Backrubs, Facials and Foot scrubs, will feature host Tracy Wilson Mourning, wife to retired NBA star Alonzo. Indulge in mini spa treatments while munching on complimentary appetizers and getting a tarot-card reading to predict how 2010 may go for you.
The event, which will benefit Mourning’s Honey Shine Mentoring Program, costs $45 per person and includes a gift, a discount toward a future spa treatment and valet parking. The Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort and Club is located at 19999 W. Country Club Drive in Aventura. Call 305-933-6930 or visit Willowstream.com.
MEET A SHOE GURU
Nearly everyone woman I know has at least one pair of Steve Madden shoes in her closet. I have more than 50 pairs of Madden shoes, most of which I proudly bought on sale at DSW Shoe Warehouse. From cute flats to sexy platform pumps, Madden has mastered re-creating the look for less. The footwear icon, who also designs shoes for men, will appear in the women’s shoe department at Macy’s in Aventura Mall 2 p.m. Saturday. Shoe lovers will get a chance to pose for pics with Madden, who also will autograph free T-shirts and tote bags. BET’s video countdown host Julissa Bermudez will host the event, at which crunk DJ Ross One will spin. Macy’s at Aventura Mall is located at 19535 Biscayne Blvd in Aventura. Call 305-682-3300 or visit Macys.com.
Glamazon appears every other week. Contact Joanie Cox at jcox@citylinkmagazine.com.
