Chemistry On The End of DNA
We chemists have always looked at the chemical machinery of living systems with a sense of awe. A billion years of ruthless pruning (work, or die) have left us with some bizarrely efficient molecular catalysts, the enzymes that casually make and break bonds with a grace and elegance that our own techniques have trouble even approaching. The systems around DNA replication are particularly interesting, since that's one of the parts you'd expect to be under the most selection pressure (every time a cell divides, things had better work).
But we're not content with just standing around envying the polymerase chain reaction and...
Source: In the Pipeline - August 23, 2013 Category: Chemists Tags: Drug Assays Source Type: blogs
RapidLash Eyelash & Eyebrow Enhancing Serum: Look at the label
Just because a product is a best beauty seller on Amazon.com doesn’t necessarily really mean that it does what it says. Case in point, look at the active ingredient in Revitalash.
The active ingredient is Isopropyl Cloprostenate (a cousin of Bimatoprost, the drug which has been approved by the FDA to enhance eyelash growth.) But just because it’s a related compound doesn’t mean it functions the same way. Our good friend Paula Begoun the Cosmetic Cop points out that the isopropyl version is actually considered to be a hair-conditioning cosmetic ingredient. That means it hasn’t been proven to work th...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - August 3, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: thebeautybrains Tags: Questions Source Type: blogs
Does water quality affect hair?
Karuna asks…I travel a lot. There are some places with very hard chlorinated water and some with very soft water. I notice my hair and skin feels best with soft water, more than any shampoo or conditioner I ever use. Also, I’m only in my mid twenties and I have already started getting a lot of greys. plus I seem to have a copperish brown tint in my hair which I did not have as a child. I know a lot of it is to do with genes, but does the quality of the water affect the colour? (I wash and condition my hair almost everyday). Is it worth investing in a portable water purifer? and are there any that convert hard...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - July 16, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: thebeautybrains Tags: Questions Source Type: blogs
Lipogaine for Men: Look at the label
Lipogaine for Men may be a beauty best seller on Amazon.com but it may also have one of the worst names ever. It sounds like it should be a liposuction weight loss product but it’s actually supposed to prevent hair loss. Let’s look at the label to see what makes it work.
Lipogaine for Men: Intensive Treatment & Complete Solution for Hair Loss Ingredients
Water, propylene glycol, ethanol
These three ingredients are the solvents for the active ingredient.
Minoxidil 5%
Speaking of active ingredients here’s what makes this product really work. It’s the same drug ingredient used in the more popular R...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - June 22, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: thebeautybrains Tags: Questions Source Type: blogs
How to save money on hair care products by reading the ingredients
GrayTemples says…I have samples of 3 Rare Elements products and like them very much. I am awaiting samples of Phylia de M to try. Please help me interpret their ingredient lists. Do you think I can get the same benefits from a cheaper brand? If so, which ones?
The Beauty Brains respond:
Unless the ingredients match exactly it’s difficult to reproduce the exact look and feel of a product. But by looking at the active ingredients that really deliver the benefit, we should be able to identify products that perform similarly.
Rare El’ements Replenishing Essential Conditioner
Cost
$44 for 6.5 ounces (...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - April 18, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: thebeautybrains Tags: Questions Source Type: blogs
Does taking supplements help IVF patients ?
Practically all women doing IVF are taking supplements of one sort or
another ! These are supposed to improve egg yield, egg quality and
embryo implantation , thus helping to improve IVF pregnancy rates. I
have come across women who take over 10 different supplements daily –
and I wonder how they manage to swallow so many different tablets,
syrups and capsules in a day ! On second thoughts thought, it is not
surprising , because the craving for a baby can make a woman move heaven
and earth; which means taking umpteen supplements is not such a
difficult task to accomplish. I have heard the following qu...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - January 14, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: Food and Drug Administration Vitamin B In vitro fertilisation Aspirin Polycystic ovary syndrome Vitamin C Antioxidant Vitamin D Source Type: blogs
Does Joan Rivers Great Hair Day Really Work?
Anon asks…I have a guilty pleasure I watch the bitchy fashion show with Joan Rivers. I heard she has some kind of miracle hair product that restores hair. More beauty BS I assume? Come on Brains, what’s the scoop?
The Beauty Brains respond:
The product in question is “Great Hair Day” by Joan Rivers. It’s essentially a colored powder that “fills in” the areas where your hair is thinner. This product is a pressed powder packaged in a compact.
Does Great Hair Day really work?
We haven’t tested this specific product but we do know that the general approach of using powder to con...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - January 12, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: thebeautybrains Tags: Questions Source Type: blogs
