Can You Get Hooked On Lip Balm?

THE BEAUTY BRAINS is a group of chemists who have more than forty combined years of experience developing and testing beauty products at major cosmetic companies, including Proctor & Gamble, Unilever and Alberto Culver. PERRY ROMANOWSKI, the public face of the brains, has spent the past eighteen years researching and developing products to solve consumer problems in hair and skin care. He is the coauthor of Beginning Cosmetic Chemistry, an introductory textbook of beauty science. Visit Perry and the other lobes of the Beauty Brains at www.TheBeautyBrains.com.

The Beauty Brains are a group of cosmetic scientists who understand what the chemicals used in cosmetics really do, how products are tested, and what all the advertising means. They have no cosmetics to sell so you can be sure that the information provided is the most unbiased beauty advice available.

The most hard-core skeptical scientist of all the Beauty Brains, the Left Brain peruses the world of science to bring you the latest developments and explain how they might apply to the cosmetic world.

Still scientific, but a bit less militant, the Right Brain has a good eye for the humorous—and human interest—side of science. The Right Brain is particularly skilled in interpreting advertising claims.

Sarah works behind the scenes researching questions, reviewing the latest beauty technology and acting as the Beauty Brains’ guinea pig.

There are literally thousands of cosmetic products and companies constantly bombarding you with confusing, and sometimes false, claims. The Beauty Brains was started in 2006 to help women understand the real science behind the beauty products they use every day. We have taken questions from people around the world about all beauty topics, including hair care, skin care, makeup and even cosmetic surgery.

We’re here to help you cut through the confusing, misleading and sometimes false information with which the beauty companies bombard you. Our goal is to explain cosmetic science to you in a way that’s entertaining and easy to understand. We believe the more information you have, the better you’ll be able to find products that you like at a price you can afford. So you can listen to the advertising, or advice from a friend, or what your stylist tells you. But if you really want to understand cosmetic products in an unbiased, scientific way, you need the Beauty Brains.

In this book we’ve collected our best questions and answers to make learning about cosmetic science easy and entertaining. By giving you honest, unbiased information, the Beauty Brains can help you become a smarter shopper so you’ll be able to get the products you like at prices you can afford.

Stylists love to push products but is it really the best idea to buy them? In this chapter, you’ll learn the truth about whether salon brands are really exclusive to salons, the different types of shampoos that are available and get some straight talk about the most popular hair care brand.

Corinneasks:I have a very sensitive scalp with fine hair and suffer from hair loss and dandruff. Dermatologists have advised me to use a clear gel shampoo that is clarifying or deep cleansing. So I’ve tried Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo, Suave for Men Deep Cleaning Shampoo, Neutrogena Anti-residue Shampoo and Prell Classic Shampoo (original formula). I’m not happy with those choices and would like you to set me straight. What shampoo is going to work for me?

While we hate to disagree with dermatologists, we don’t understand why they recommended a deep-cleansing shampoo when you have dandruff. Deep-cleansing-type shampoos will remove the surface flakes, but only a dandruff shampoo can address the cause of flaking and itching. So we’d recommend finding a good dandruff shampoo instead of chasing deep-cleansing, clarifying and antiresidue products. This may seem confusing to you because the beauty companies tell you there are so many different kinds of shampoo. But in reality, every shampoo on the market falls into one of a few basic categories.

All shampoo can be categorized by their basic function. So why are there what seem like thousands of products on the market, you ask? Because companies that sell shampoo need new ways to talk about their products to keep them sounding new and exciting. There’s nothing wrong with companies being creative about their names and claims as long as they are honestly depicting what their products can do. But you can be a smarter consumer if you can see beyond the marketing hype and understand the functionality of these four basic shampoo types.