Amy asks…I was wondering about photofacials. Are they either effective, worth it, or a good idea?

The Right Brain responds:
Effective?
Yes, at least to some extent.

Worth it?
Maybe, if you can afford several thousand dollars and can wait a few months for results.

Good idea?
Read on and decide for yourself.

Lasers have been used for decades to “burn” away upper layers of the skin to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. They also have had some application in the treatment of acne and spider veins. Click here for a detailed description of the benefits and risks of laser skin resurfacing.

In recent years, the FDA has approved “N-Lite” laser therapy for treatment of crow’s feat. This type of laser uses a specific frequency of light that stimlates collagen production in the deeper layers of skin. Therefore, this method causes much less surface damage than traditional laser therapy. The downside is that this technique is still fairly new and dermatologists and surgeons are still learning how to optimize its application. Smartskincare.com has a great article on this topic if you want more details.

The Beauty Brains bottom line:

Laser therapy appears to be a scientifically valid antiaging treatment. It’s expensive ($1,000 to 2,000 per treatment), and it may take several months for the benefits to become apparent. But if you’re interested you should consult your doctor to find out if it’s a good option for you. Thanks for the question, Amy, we hope this helps.

Happy Friday everyone! Here are a few of our favorite beauty blog blasts from this week. Enjoy! (And tell them the Beauty Brains sent you.)

Bionic Beauty blogs about “Hercut,” products designed for individual hair styles.

All Women’s Talk (or is it All Women Stalk?) share their list of the best shampoos for damaged hair.

A Girl’s Gotta Spa tells you how to find your inner celebutante (although I’m not sure why you’d want to…)

Beauty Girl Musings muses about Kate Moss and a friggin’ HUGE bottle of perfume.

The Beauty Brains brag about why Pureology shampoo is so good.

We’ve blogged before about beauty gadgets that really work, but here’s one that seems more impressive for its computer science savvy than its practical application: it’s a USB powered eyelash curler.

Kudos to InventorSpot.com for the heads up on this one (and for the picture). You can click the link to read their story, but basically it’s about a lightweight device that can be powered off your computer’s USP port or by batteries. (Oooh, it’s so science-fictiony! Just imagine what would happen if you used this after coating your lashes with those tiny tubes that Blinc mascara creates!)

Seriously though, I can’t quite imagine anyone needing this but I thought the Beauty Brains community would get a kick out of hearing about it.

What other USB powered beauty devices can you think of? Maybe a blow dryer? An electric toothbrush? Leave a comment and share in the silliness.

Designergrl disbelieves…I saw a product called Pepperie Sachet. According to their website, the product “will stop the growth of gray hair, rejuvenate and strengthen your hair.” Supposedly it can restore the health of the follicle so that your hair returns to its natural color. This sounds like hype but I just have to ask: is there any evidence that gray hair can actually be reversed?

The Left Brain responds:

As Purple pointed out in the Beauty Brains Forum, there’s no product on the market that will reverse grey hair. The only thing I would add is that if a product could actually reverse your gray hair then it is a drug and should be safety tested before anyone even tries it. If an ingredient (natural or not) could interact with your body’s natural processes so significantly, wouldn’t you want to be sure that it wasn’t screwing something else up?

Gray happens

Gray hair results when when the melanocytes in your hair follicle stop working. There are 4 different ways in which this can happen (don’t recall them exactly at the moment) but one way, the melanocytes just die and they will never come back. Another way, the melanocytes are moved out of place and they continue to work but the color never makes it into the hair.

Scientists are still trying to figure out ways to restart these melanocytes but it certainly won’t come from a simple sachet that you wipe on your hair. If it were that easy, gray hair wouldn’t be a problem any longer.

Karen is inquisitive…Can you kindly explain what makes Pureology shampoo feel so much different than anything else I’ve tried? I’m guessing it’s not the botanical infusion!

The Right Brain responds:
Good guess, Karen, the difference has nothing to do with green tea or sandalwood. It’s all about the cleansers and conditioners.

Pureology ingredients

Most shampoos are based on a blend of 1 or 2 primary surfactants with another 1 or two secondary surfactants. Pureology (at least the Anti-fade variant), has 7, count ‘em 7 different cleansing agents: Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauryl Sarcosinate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Cocamidopropylamine Oxide, and Decyl Glucoside. (Actually the total number of surfactants is more like 9 or 10 if you count some of the minor ingredients.) This cleansing blend gives Pureology an extraordinarily rich lather for a sulfate-free shampoo.

On top of that, it’s formulated with three potent conditioning agents: amodimethicone, a organo-modified silicone that provides excellent conditioning effect; Polyquaternium-7 which also gives excellent wet slip; and a chemically modified guar gum that smooths hair.

Is Pureology perfect?

So what’s the downside, you ask?  For one thing the claims about controlling color fading are over stated.  Based on research we’ve seen, sulfate-free shampoos do not strip less color than their sulfate containing cousins. Plus, at $28 for 10 ounces, Pureology is not cheap! You might want to consider trying EverPure shampoo because it’s a similar formula that costs a lot less.

Would you spend $28 on a bottle of shampoo? Leave a comment and share your thoughts on shampoo spending with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.