Latest news with #JaeManuelCardenas
Vogue
6 days ago
- Health
- Vogue
Do You Really Understand Your Hair's Texture?
At some point, the algorithm decided I should see many videos in which women with luscious waves discuss how a handy survey from the custom hair care company Prose revealed to them their true hair type. I'm not typically one for online quizzes, but I was intrigued by the notion of a secret hair type—was it possible I, too, lacked this particular form of self-knowledge? 'I see it all the time,' Jae-Manuel Cardenas, a senior stylist at Ollin NYC, says of people thinking their hair is one thing when it's actually another. Why all the confusion? Sometimes clients are conflating overall thickness with the texture of individual strands. 'They might have the density, but the hair is fine. Or vice versa,' he says. Another reason: it's possible to lose touch with your natural hair type, intentionally or otherwise, through treating and styling, or as Cardenas puts it, 'damaging it into submission.' Then there's the culprit of—what else?—time. First comes puberty, which can sprout new kinds of locks, and then comes adulthood. Not only do hair follicles shrink with age, but the new hair grow in thinner, shorter, nonuniform strands that might be more or less curly than their predecessors, I'm told by Lars Skjøth, a scalp health expert and the founder of the Danish product line Hårklinikken. Additionally, the shafts become more porous—hence, frizz. During perimenopause and menopause, women experience a relative increase in testosterone, which may contribute to this so-called hair miniaturization process, on account of a decrease in estrogen, a hormone that 'extends the hair's anagen (or growth) phase and supports sebum production,' says endocrinologist Caroline K. Messer, MD. Another thing that dips with the years is keratin, a protein that strengthens and smooths. In other words, you're simply bound to undergo hair changes—no wonder my own hair, once incontrovertibly straight and silky, has lately seemed wavy and dry—and since these shifts are rarely sudden, there might be a lag before you clock them. Of course, a hair type-specific approach is nothing new. Think of the Black is Beautiful movement, which emerged in the 1960s and celebrated natural hair in lieu of racist European beauty standards. A few decades later, in 1997, Miko and Titi Branch opened Curve Salon, catering to women with curly, coily, and wavy hair, in their Brooklyn brownstone. Born to a Japanese American mother and a Black American father, they'd been largely on their own when it came to learning how to care for and style their hair, which was multi-texture, and enjoyed sharing what they'd gleaned with others. (The sisters debuted their brand of products, Miss Jessie's, in 2001.) To determine your hair type, Miko suggests first 'looking at your hair and describing it with your own adjectives—what you see, how it feels,' before consulting the internet. There, you'll find an updated version of the classification system created by Oprah Winfrey's stylist Andre Walker in the 1990s, with types spanning from 1A (pin-straight) to 4C (tightly coiled), though many advocate for a broader definition of hair type that considers texture, density, porosity, and other factors. (Cardenas recalls a test meant to measure porosity from his cosmetology school days, when he and his classmates were told to put a strand of their hair into a cup of water. 'If it floats, your hair is moisturized. If it sinks, it means it was so thirsty it drank all the water and fell to the bottom,' he says.) The idea being that the better you know your hair, the better equipped you'll be to make it look amazing. For my part, I've started using Kérastase's Gloss Absolu Glaze Drops to define my waves and lock in moisture. With any luck, I'll soon embody Skjøth's view that optimized care can result in 'something magical, where you almost can't believe it's the same person.' History notwithstanding, the topic of hair type is coming more and more into focus. In May, Tracee Ellis Ross (who has her own line for curly and natural hair, Pattern Beauty) hosted a celebratory runway show put on by Echelon Noir Productions and The Texture of Change—a L'Oréal Professional Products Division initiative that seeks to improve textured hair education within the industry—that celebrated the artistry of Black hair culture. Last year saw the launch of Being, a company with different collections of products designed for a wide range of hair types, as well as Brooke Shields's brand, Commence, geared toward people over 40 looking to combat issues like thinning and scalp dryness. As Yaèle Nasso, a senior R&D product manager at Prose, says, we as a culture 'are moving away from one-size-fits-all beauty.' She tells me that, in its current iteration, Prose's quiz has over 85 data points, which allows for a high degree of both personalization and inclusivity. I also like that a person's answers to the assessment will evolve over time, because as long as you're changing, self-knowledge can be something you keep acquiring.
NBC News
14-02-2025
- General
- NBC News
How to properly clean hairbrushes and combs, according to experts
This will sound gross, but I've never deep cleaned my hairbrushes and combs. Sure, I've cleaned out the trapped hair that gets on the brush after I use it, but I've never done anything more than that. Turns out, that's not really enough. After speaking with experts for this story, I learned that thoroughly giving your brushes a deep clean (via six specific steps, which I'll outline in more detail below) not only improves the longevity and function of your tools, but it also helps keep your hair and scalp healthy. 'When you clean your brush/comb, you remove product buildup, dead skin cells, and hair strands that may be stuck to it, ensuring that they don't transfer back onto your hair the next time you use the brush/comb,' says Jae Manuel Cardenas, a senior hairstylist at Sally Hershberger NoMad. I spoke to three hairstylists about the best products to help you achieve a deep clean, and also break down how often you should clean your brush and when it's the right time to replace it. Want more from NBC Select? Sign up for our newsletter, The Selection, and shop smarter. How should you properly clean hairbrushes? Although there are many types of hair brushes, including paddle brushes and round brushes, you can generally clean them the same way, according to our experts. Remove hair. Pull out any trapped hair from your brush using your fingers, rat tail comb or wire brush cleaner. You'll want to do a raking motion to pull out all the hair, according to Liz Moirano, hairstylist and owner of Rooted Mane, a hair salon in northern Virginia. Doing this is extremely important because it makes cleaning more effective, according to Cardenas. Apply a warm, soapy water blend to the bristles. Mixing warm water with clarifying shampoo or dish soap will create a cleansing agent that can break down oils and product residue from your brush. You can fully submerge metal or ceramic brushes in this mixture. With paddle, wooden or boar bristle brushes, you should only dip the bristles into the mixture to prevent damaging the brush's cushion. Scrub the bristles. To continue giving it a deep clean, you can take an old toothbrush to scrub the bristles and reach between them to remove any hidden debris. Rinse. Remove the soap/shampoo mixture to avoid it transferring to your hair. Disinfect. If you share your hair brush and it's plastic, consider spraying it with alcohol or soaking it in diluted Barbicide to sanitize it and prevent bacteria from passing from one head to another. If you choose to use Barbicide, be sure to follow the proper mixing ratios, which are typically noted on the bottle, according to Moirano. Air dry. For paddle brushes, let them air dry bristle-side down on a towel. For round brushes, support the bottom so it's completely horizontal rather than at an angle. By making it level, you avoid water from getting trapped inside the brush. These steps are key in preventing mold and maintaining the brush's shape. How should you properly clean combs? 'Combs don't collect hair in the same way brushes do, so just a good thorough rinse and sanitization after each use is best,' says Moirano. Similar to hair brushes, you can follow these basic steps. Remove hair. If you notice any hair on your comb, use your fingers or a rat-tail comb to pull out any trapped hair. Soak in warm, soapy water. To break down any buildup on the comb, mix warm water with mild shampoo or dish soap to prepare your cleaning solution. Let it soak for 10-15 minutes to loosen dirt and residue. Potent mixtures (like water and white vinegar) may cause metal combs to rust, or wooden combs to crack, so you want to limit their soak time to 5-10 minutes. Scrub between the teeth. Get between the teeth of the comb using an old toothbrush, toothpick or cotton swab, according to Cardenas. These will help you access those hard-to-reach spaces. Disinfect. To kill bacteria, spray the comb with alcohol or soak it in diluted Barbicide. This is especially crucial if you have dandruff or share your comb with others. Rinse and dry. To prevent mold from developing, run your brush under warm water and pat it dry before storing it. What is the gray fuzz on hair brushes and combs? As you remove hair from your brush, you may also notice gray 'fuzz' stuck on the bristles or teeth. Those gray pieces are a combination of lint, dust, dead skin cells, product buildup, and natural oils, according to Cardenas. It's essential to remove this buildup when cleaning your tools because, over time, it can trap in bacteria, causing hair to look greasier sooner and compromising your overall scalp health, according to Haven Whiteman, a hairstylist and extension specialist at Luxy Hair. How often should you clean your hairbrushes and combs? Each time you brush your hair, you should remove the trapped hair, says Moirano. You'll generally want to do a deep cleaning every one to two weeks, according to Cadenas and Moirano. However, it may vary depending on your hair type, how frequently you use it and whether it brushes through lots of styling products, which I explain in more detail below. Frequency The more you brush your hair, the more the brush will collect hair, oil, product residue and grime, according to our experts. Frequent usage will require frequent washing, while those who only brush their hair a few times a week can get away with cleaning it less often, according to Whiteman. Hair type and texture Fine/oily hair: Since oil tends to accumulate quickly for those with fine or naturally oily hair, brushing your hair frequently will distribute these oils faster, so cleaning your brush every three to four days to prevent greasiness and buildup is essential, says Whiteman. Thick/curly hair: If you're brushing your hair once or twice daily, a weekly deep clean should be enough, according to Whiteman. This is because less frequent brushing results in slower buildup, but since dust and more debris can still accumulate, you want to be sure you're still cleaning it. Coily/natural hair: Like thick and curly hair, this hair type and texture have a slower buildup period since it doesn't require daily brushing. You can likely extend the time between cleaning your brushes and combs — check it around the 10-day mark. Dry/damaged hair: If you only brush as needed to avoid breakage, you can clean your brushes once a week. This will allow the brush to stay clean and preserve your natural oils, says Whiteman. Bristle type Brushes are made with various bristle types, including nylon, metal and boar bristles. Below, Whiteman suggests the following brush cleaning schedule for your brushes' bristle type. Nylon: These bristles tend not to absorb oils as much as natural bristles, so you can get away with cleaning them after every five to seven uses. Metal/wire: You'll need to clean these at least once a week, especially if you use them when your hair has many styling products in it. Boar: Because these bristles absorb oil from the scalp (a reason they're great for distributing moisture), they tend to get greasy quickly, and you can clean them every one to two weeks. Styling products If you use hairspray, serums, mousse and other styling products and brush your hair right after, the brush can experience quicker buildup. If you do this often, you can clean your brush every three to four days to prevent residue from clogging the bristles, says Whiteman. Shared usage If multiple people consistently use the same brush, you'll want to disinfect it (using alcohol or Barbicide) after each use to prevent the spread of bacteria, according to our experts. When should you replace your hair brush and comb, and why? Routinely cleaning your hair tools helps maintain the brush and comb's durability. For example, if you care for them and clean them once to twice a week, you may be able to use yours for years, according to Moirano. However, there are instances when you need to replace it. Below, our experts list some signs to look out for if you're considering tossing your old tool. Bristle/teeth damage. If the bristles on your brush are broken, bent or missing, it may be time to get rid of it, says Cardenas. When the bristles are in this state, they can no longer distribute hair oils properly and can cause hair breakage. Similarly, if the teeth on your comb are missing or broken, it can lead to unnecessary snagging, split ends and overall discomfort on the hair, according to Whiteman. Brush pad damage. If the brush pad is cracked or loose, it can tug on the hair instead of gliding smoothly, says Whiteman. Frequent cleaning. If your brush or comb is still not clean after a few soaks, there may be too much buildup and debris and it's likely time for a new one, according to Cardenas. Meet our experts At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest. Why trust NBC Select? I'm an associate reporter who covers new product launches, skin care, hair care and more, including recent stories on the best blow dryer brushes and the best leave-in conditioners. For this story, I interviewed three hairstylists to find out how to clean hairbrushes and combs properly. I also included their recommendations for cleaning products as well as highly rated items that met their guidance.
