What is Cupuacu?
Clara asks…What can you tell us about Cupuacu and the best place to buy it?
The Beauty Brains respond
Cupuacu is a tropical fruit (or is it a nut?) that is similar to the cacao nut (or is it fruit?) According to those in the know, Cupauacu smells like a cross between chocolate and pineapple and tastes like pear mixed with banana. The pulp is rich in fatty materials (similar to cocoa butter) that make it an excellent moisturizer. In addition, research has shown that the seeds contain no less than nine known antioxidants (warning this list of chemical names may make your head spin just a little bit):
“(+)-catechin, ...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - February 27, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Randy Schueller Source Type: blogs
How to tell if your makeup primer is worth it. Episode 71
This week Randy and I explain how to test your makeup primer to see if it’s worth the money.
Improbable products
You know this game – I look for beauty products that are just too ridiculous to be true, then I make up one that’s even more ridiculous and challenge Perry to guess which one is fake. Can you spot the phony?
The HeMan nail brush
If you’re too macho for those dainty plastic brushes that women used to scrub their fingernails then you’ll love this new brush made from an actual galvanized box nail with bristles attached to one side.
The iBrush
There’s nothing worse than wanting to sn...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - February 24, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Perry RomanowskiDiscover the beauty and cosmetic products you should use and avoid Source Type: blogs
What SPF sunscreen should I use?
Nicole needs to know…Is there a really big difference between using SPF 15 and SPF 30 facial moisturizer? If so, why? I was told to wear 30 in order to prevent rosacea flare ups.
The Beauty Brains reply
Skin exposure to UV rays is almost never good for the skin. It causes sun burn, wrinkles, dryness, and as you’ve implied, rosacea flare ups. This is why the most important thing you can do for your skin is to wear a sunscreen or stay out of the sun. But what kind of sunscreen should you use?
SPF
Before answering this, we should first tell you what the SPF number means. SPF stands for sun protection factor and it essenti...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - February 21, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Perry Romanowski Source Type: blogs
Are keratin hair straightening products safe?
Moxie must know…Brazilian Blowouts were found to release formaldehyde. Are the Keratin-based hair-straightening products that I see stylists in salons doing that much safer on hair/environment?
The Beauty Brains respond
The safety concerns regarding high levels formaldehyde in hair straightening prdoducts has been well documented and inhaling large quantities of formaledhyde gas is a legitimate health concern. (See this reference.) Some of the Brazilian Blowout type products contained as much as 10% formaldehyde which far exceeds the safe limits. (Remember, the dose makes the poison!)
The Keratin straightening products y...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - February 19, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Perry Romanowski Source Type: blogs
Can Pantene reverse the damage of 100 blow drys? Episode 70
Listen to this week’s show to learn how shampoo can fix blow dry damage. Plus, more Beauty Science News!
Claim to Fame: Can Pantene reverse the damage of 100 blow drys?
This is a new feature where we look at the claims of popular beauty products and explain what the claim really means, how the company might support the claim, and most importantly, if the claim really makes enough of a difference for you to buy the product. Today we’re talking about Pantene Nourishing Shampoo. Here’s the claim:
“Erases the damage of
100 blow drys
for silky hair*
”
Of course there’s always an asterisk:
&...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - February 17, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Randy SchuellerDiscover the beauty and cosmetic products you should use and avoid Source Type: blogs
Does pressed powder makeup always contain synthetic ingredients?
Mary asks…Is is possible to make pressed makeup without using any synthetics?
The Beauty Brains respond
Rather than re-opened the debate on natural vs synthetic, I’ll try to address your question as it applies specifically to powdered makeup.
Loose powder needs fewer ingredients
One can certainly make the case that certain brands of so-called mineral makeup are among the most “natural” of cosmetic products. For example, Mineral Hygenics only contains a few powders which are all derived from crushed rocks (more or less.) This kind of product is relatively easy to formulate using only mineral (ie “natural”)...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - February 16, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Perry Romanowski Source Type: blogs
The deadly danger of Valentines day
Valentines Day may be more dangerous than you realize – especially if you kiss someone who’s eaten a food you’re allergic to!
NBC11.com reports that food allergies send over 30,000 people to the emergency room each year and a significant number of those cases are caused by loose lips.
Careless kissing
Dr. Suzanne Teuber of the University of California, conducted a study of 379 patients with food allergies and found that as many as 5% had an allergic reaction after kissing someone who eaten a food which they were allergic to. The risk is even greater on February 14th because more kissing occurs on Valentines Day than ...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - February 14, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Randy Schueller Source Type: blogs
3 reasons apple cider vinegar may be good for hair
HySpin says…I have started incorporated Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) rinses in my hair care practices with great results. My hair is very, very kinky and I find if I do the apple cider vinegar rinse as the final cleaning step of washing my hair I find my hair feels smoother, reflects light more (shinier) and it is easier to detangle. But what is the apple cider vinegar really doing to my hair?
The Beauty Brains respond
In actual lab testing we’ve haven’t been able to demonstrate much of an effect from vinegar. But since vinegar is an acid, in theory, there are three things that the low pH could be doing for your hair....
Source: thebeautybrains.com - February 12, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Randy Schueller Source Type: blogs
Are bar cleansers bad for skin? Episode 69
Do bar cleansers really clog your pores? Tune in to this week’s show to learn the truth about soaps and other bar cleansers.
Valentines day and beauty science
It turns out that for every major Valentine’s Day meme there’s a connection to beauty science. I thought it would be fun to talk about a couple of those today.
The color of love
Red is the color of love. It’s the color of valentines hearts, of lingerie, and of red lipstick. But you might be surprised to find that some of those sexy red lipstick colorants come from crushed bugs.
Chocolate and acne
You know candy is a popular Valentine’s...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - February 10, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Perry RomanowskiDiscover the beauty and cosmetic products you should use and avoid Source Type: blogs
Is my conditioner covering my hair in plastic?
Havoctheory says…I heard that conditioners contain ingredients such as polymers with reflective qualities to coat hair strands. They reflect light and therefore makes your hair shiny. Is this true? What kind of chemicals would also produce this effect?
The Beauty Brains respond
This question comes from our Forum where Pufff added this comment: “Hey! I actually was just thinking about this the other day! I was reading the ingredients on some of the old gel I have and saw it used a polymer which surprised me cause isn’t that plastic??? The gel did make my hair look shiny soooo who knows.”
Polymer does not equal “...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - February 1, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Perry Romanowski Tags: Myths Source Type: blogs
My favorite 8 moments from Perry’s Dr. Oz appearance
I’m very proud of Perry for his recent appearance on Dr Oz. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights…
1. Dr. Oz declared that Perry is a “world renowned cosmetic chemist.” You can tell because he has a periodic table hanging on the wall in his laboratory.
They featured pictures of THREE of our books. (But I’m still waiting for you people to BUY THEM.)
Click here to buy our latest book
3. Perry did a great job of getting the Beauty Brains brand on national TV! But take a closer look at his lab coat…
4. …It says “Complete Cosmetic Chemist Training Program.” WTF? That must...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - January 30, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Randy Schueller Tags: Beauty Biz Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
The Beauty Brains team up with Dr. Oz to expose dirty little beauty secrets
Do you want to learn some of the ways the beauty industry fools you?
Click to see Perry’s latest appearance on Dr. Oz.
(In my humble opinion, it’s his best show to date!)
(Source: thebeautybrains.com)
Source: thebeautybrains.com - January 29, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Randy Schueller Tags: Beauty Biz Claims Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Is rose hip oil good for anti-aging?
This study was done on masectomy patients. It was also done with 10 panelists but they used a control group so I’m assuming that means they had five test subjects and five control subjects which is a very very small base size.
They had the patients apply a 26% solution of Rosehip oil for next 8 weeks and noticed increased skin growth in the sutured areas.
My concern with the study other than the small base size, is that it really only measures scar prevention that has nothing to do with getting rid of existing scars. Also, I couldn’t find out how the control group was treated. If the control group received no t...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - January 27, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Perry RomanowskiThe Beauty Brains Tags: Natural Podcast Source Type: blogs
Can I pre-treat oily hair with shampoo?
LindyGirl longs to learn…I deep condition using Extra Virgin Coconut Oil once a week. I had tried oils before but would end up having to shampoo so many times to remove the oil it seemed to defeat the purpose of the deep conditioning process. Then I read some ‘how to’ directions on a spa site. They recommended applying the oil to dry hair, cover with a shower cap, cover the shower cap with a towel and leave it for an hour. Then apply shampoo to dry hair, add water and shampoo as usual. It works, but I have wondered is there any scientific reason to back it up.
The Beauty Brains respond
I’ve never tested this “pr...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - January 24, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Randy Schueller Tags: Problems Source Type: blogs
Can I make my own aluminum free deodorant?
Floraesthetics asks…After reading your blog post about scare tactics, I decided to try my hand at homemade deodorant. I looked at all kinds of recipes, and I created one based on the available ingredients I had in my kitchen. The result was amazing! I was so excited to have created a natural, “aluminum-free” deodorant that worked. Then, I researched a little more and realized that the clays I was using have aluminum content. I went back online and noticed that many natural deodorants contain clays that have aluminum. Can you help me figure out if it can be called aluminum-free if it contains bentonite clay, for examp...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - January 22, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Perry Romanowski Tags: Myths Natural Source Type: blogs
