Author Archives: Sam Macdonald

Co-washing, What Is It

Co-Washing What Is It

Sam Macdonlad Hair | Hairdresser Trigg Scarborough Double View City Beach Wembley Downs North Beach Karinyup Carine Duncraid Sorrento | Co-washing What Is It

Co-washing is short for conditioner washing, does that clear it up? What do you mean no? ?

Its actually super simple, instead of shampooing your hair first and then conditioning it, you just use conditioner as if its shampoo.

Whey would we do this you ask?

Like a lot of learned human habits, shampooing the hair is not actually necessary to clean your hair and scalp. In fact you are removing a protective layer that your body is intentionally making.

The oil that your scalp produces, (named sebum), is produced to protect your skin from sun and UV. Removing it is a little counter productive whether you have an oily scalp or a dry one.

That being said we do need to cleanse our scalp to remove dead skin cells, that’s why we still need a process.

To co-wash your hair all you need to do is:

– wet your hair thoroughly as usual in the shower

– take out the excess moisture with your hands

– using a good quality conditioner scrub your scalp as if you’re shampooing it

– rinse thoroughly

That’s it, done faster than a normal wash using less products.

It will take a little time for your scalp to adjust, its been getting used to shampoo for your whole life. Dryer hair types come good a lot quicker than oily hair types.

The benefits:

– Your colour will fade at a slower pace

– If your prone to scalp/skin issues, this can fix it as your allowing your body to sort itself out rather than using a detergent, (essentially what shampoo is), to cleanse

– You’re going to save money as you only need a conditioner. No excuses now not to use a good one!

– For dryer hair types the small amount on natural oil you have won’t be washed away, it will ends up making your hair more manageable and shiny.

– For oilier hair types, once your body adjusts the production of oil will slow giving you longer between washes and not getting oily on the same day you’ve washed it.

I’m not gonna lie, when I did this with my oily hair it took 2 months of horrible hair till my body worked out what was going on. Now though I don’t get oily on the same day as washing which used to drive me crazy and lead to excessive dry shampoo use.

As always if you have any questions I’m here for them.

I heard a great quote today which is the only stupid question is the unasked one.

If you’d like to book an appointment to give your hair or scalp some love. I’d be happy to talk through it’s current condition as part of your initial consultation. All the details to make a booking can be found here.

Selenium And Your Hair

Sam Macdonald Hair | Hairdresser Trigg Scarborough North Beach Sorrento Karrinyup Wembley Downs Doubleview | Selenium And Your Hair | Hair Health

You may not think selenium is as important for your hair and your health as some vitamins because you only need such a small amount. It is however super important and also not found in proper amounts in Australian soils. What does this mean? Simply that its hard to get enough from the average diet.

So what’s it good for?

With hair in particular it is important because it assists in the bodies production of Keratin. Keratin is the protein your hair and skin is made up of. Without Selenium it may not be as strong and resistant to damage.

This mineral is important for thyroid as it needs a higher level of selenium than any other organ in your body. A common side effect of thyroid issues is hair loss.

Selenium has been linked to helping prevent heart disease which is a massive problem in Australia. Selenium reduces inflammation which is one of the main risk factors for heart disease. It also lowers oxidative stress in the body.

Selenium helps to boost your immune system by lowering inflammation, can help with asthma symptoms and helps prevent mental decline.

It does all this and more, so you can see why it’s important not only for hair health but also for your entire body.

Some place to find selenium naturally are:

– oysters (yuk ?)

– Brazil nuts that aren’t grown in Australia

– yellow fin tuna

– eggs

– sunflower seeds

– shiitake mushrooms

One word of warning with Selenium though, you CAN have too much and that’s bad too. We only need a small amount and too much can lead to other issues. However the chance of too much in Australia unless you eat a lot of imported ingredients is unlikely as our soils are deficient of it.

As always if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask.

Follicles

Sam Macdonald Hair | Hairdresser Tigg Scarborough Dauncraig Karinyup |scarborough Sorrento Follicles

Ever wondered about your follicles?

I thought so, here is all the information you need to be enlightened!

Humans are born with all of their hair follicles and there is no possible way to increase the number of follicles you have. More follicles would equal more hair but you’re stuck with what you have.

Interestingly though some people have more hair coming out of these follicles. People with super thick hair often have 4 thick hairs coming out of each follicle, (technical name is terminal hair). As well as these you could have 2-3 baby hairs coming out of the same follicle, (named vellus hairs).

People with fine hair like me will only have 1-2 terminal hairs and 1-2 vellus hairs coming out of each follicle.

As your hair thins with age your terminal hair number can reduce and the terminal hairs can turn into vellus hairs. A good example of this is when you see a man who’s bald but still has soft fine hairs in that, ‘bald’, area.

The best things to keep these follicles producing the best that they can is to look after your body and treat it kindly. Give it good food, great vitamins and keep that stress at bay. Good luck with that last one…

Put Your Hands Up If You Want Thicker Hair

Sam Macdonald Hair | Hairdresser Trigg Scarborough Karinyup Carine Duncraig Noth Beach Hands Up If You Want Thicker Hair

For those of us who are a little lacking in the hair department, (that would be me), who has ever wished they could have hair more like this beautiful girl eating a flower.

How many different products or gimmicks have you tried to see if you can change the hair you were born with?

Sadly, we can’t create more actual hair on our heads. We can however, make the most of what we have. There are two main parts to this.

Firstly, we have to make sure we get the right nutrients and lead a good lifestyle will give our bodies a chance to make the best hair we can have.

I’ve covered this in more detail in previous posts so I if you’d like more information please feel free to go back and have a look.

So that’s got the body covered to create the best hair it can. Once its out of your head there are things we can do to make it fuller and have more volume.

– A bodifying shampoo and conditioner to help create body

– Styling products especially for your hair, things that are great for fine hair are texturizing dust, mousse and styling sprays.

– Learning how to properly blow-dry and style your hair. YouTube has heaps of tutorials or you could book a blow-drying lesson with me.

– Hair extensions can be used to create more volume.

– Hot rollers, teasing and a good hair spray. Yes, it sound old fashioned but it can do the trick!

The big key here is to educate yourself on the options. Next time you’re at the hairdresser don’t be scared to ask for tips. Look up from the magazine or your phone to see what your hairdresser is doing and maybe you’ll pick up some tips…

Females Pattern Bladness

Female Pattern Baldness

Sam Macdonald Hair | Hairdresser Trigg North Beach Sorrento Karinyup Carine Duncraig Scarborough | Female Pattern Baldness

Fun Fact! 40% of women have female pattern baldness, (hair loss), by the time they go through menopause.

Here we were thinking it was just the blokes that had to endure this. In fact, most men who will go bald will notice it starting in their 20’s. At least us women can add a couple more decades on…

Some things that can affect hair loss are lack of required minerals in our bodies, stress or shock. In all honesty we can’t always stop this happening but we can slow it down and, in some cases, stop it completely.

First things first, lifestyle.

If you are not getting all the vitamins and minerals you need, your hair will suffer. Actually, your whole body will suffer but your hair will show it first.

Your body is super intelligent and it will use any minerals and vitamins for the essential parts of your body first. You guessed it; hair is last on that list.

Secondly become aware of stress in your body and try to deal with it in a way that’s suits your lifestyle. For most of exercise is a great way to release stress.

It’s not always easy to remove stress completely these days but being aware of it can really help. For example, notice when you’re tensing up and become more mindful of releasing it.

Shock is a hard one as its often unexpected. Sometimes we can know we’ll be having a shock, in the form of something coming up like an operation which is a shock on the body.

You can lose hair a couple of months after a shock so if you know this is coming you can take supplements to reduce its impact on the body.

Unfortunately sometimes it’s just part of your life cycle and its normal to experience some thinning.

You can change your part frequently to stop your part line scalp getting too much UV. Sunlight can speed up hair loss in the part area so this is an easy fix.

As always if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Zinc And Your Hair

Sam Macdonald Hair | Hairdresser Trigg Scarborough Nrth Beach Carine Duncraig | Zinc and Your Hair

Did you know that zinc is super important for a good head of hair?

It’s not only required for our overall health, but it’s also very essential for the growth of healthy hair. When its levels get low, your hair will suffer first.

Zinc is an essential mineral and that means that our bodies don’t produce it ourselves so we have to eat foods rich in Zinc.

In Australia we have very low levels of Zinc and as a result many of us are not getting as much as we need.

Sadly these days it’s not always enough to have a well balanced unprocessed diet, sometimes we need a good supplement.

So what part does Zinc actually play in our bodies?

We need Zinc for division and growth of every cell in our body, including our hair. It also plays a big part in keeping our immune system strong therefore preventing catching colds for example.

It also helps us heals faster, has an impact with creating DNA and is required for good thyroid function.

As you can see it’s a super important mineral for your hair and all of you. If you’re not getting enough your body will take what it has to the more important parts of your body and your hair will suffer.

A good supplement will help and in salon I have a range of fabulous high quality supplements especially designed at a good head of hair. You guessed it, it’s got Zinc in it, among other fabulous things of course.

Apotecari Mane Event is Vegan and had many activated vitamins and minerals which means your body can absorb it quickly. This is good for everyone but particularly for people that have problems absorbing all the nutrients from their food.

How Do You Treat Your Hair?

Do you treat your hair like a fragile silk scarf or a hardy linen shirt?

We need to start thinking of our hair as a material because that’s exactly what it is! Unfortunately, it’s closer to silk than linen so we may have to re-look at how we treat it.

Let’s look at the two examples:

Linen: We iron it at a high temperature because it can handle it

Silk: We try to avoid heat but if we have to it’s at the lowest setting

Linen: We can wash it in hot water repeatedly, no problem

Silk: Cool temperatures only for this delicate fabric

Our hair only grows 1-1.5cms per month.

That’s a maximum of 18cm per year and that’s not including what we’re removing with regular trims.

I should note here that avoiding these regular 6-8 week trims will only result in your hair fraying faster than it grows so its totally counterproductive. Don’t skip those trims people!

So 18cm per year means that someone with hair to their shoulders has probably had it on their heads for 3 years approximately.

Now think for a minute, what have you done to your silk scarf, (your hair), in those 3 years?

How hot is the water you wash it in? Especially in winter.

Do you use moisturisers to help replace lost moisture in the ends of your hair?

How often do you use hot tools in your hair? A normal straightener or curling iron runs at about 200 degrees or more.

Are you over-washing and removing the natural oils to frequently?

I hope this has given you some food for thought because at the end of the day your hair is the fabric you never take off…

Vitamin B And The Importance For Hair And Scalp

Sam Macdonald Hair | Trigg Scarborough North Beach Wembley Downs Karinyup Carine Duncraig | Vitamin B And The Importance For Hair And Scalp

We all know we need a multitude of B vitamins for a healthy head of hair but what are they and where can we get them?

B2 (riboflavin)

This super star is an antioxidant that destroys free radicals. Found in almonds, Pork, Lamb Beef, Eggs and oily fish.

B6

Essential to the metabolism of protein, (hair is protein).
Found in organ meats, lentils, nuts, cereals and soy products.

B7 (biotin)

This guy helps the body use fats, amino acids and carbs more effectively which boosts hair growth. You’ll find it in egg yolks, organ meats, peanuts and walnuts.

B9 (folic acid)

We need this for the production of DNA which supports rapid growth of all cell and tissues including hair. You’ll find it in spinach, asparagus, avocado, salmon, lima beans, beets and turnips.

B12

Vitamin B12 helps transport oxygen and nutrients to your hair. A lack of oxygen is believed to be a key contributor to hair loss. You’ll find it in clams, oysters, beef, turkey, chicken, crab, salmon and eggs.

You can eat the food above to make sure you are getting all of the B vitamins you need or if you think your diet may be lacking a supplement could help.
Activated B vitamin will absorb into the body quickly as its already active and your body doesn’t need to process it as much.

In salon I have small range of high quality supplements which will make sure you get everything you need that’s listed above and more.

Please ask me for more information on the Apotecari supplements.

Is Your Hair Getting All The Nutrients It Needs?

Is Your Hair Getting All The Nutrients It Needs

Sam Macdonald hair | Hairdresser Trigg | Is You Hair Getting All The Nutrients It Needs

How can we tell if our hair is getting all the nutrients it needs to be the very best head of hair the you can have?

Well there are a few symptoms that could be showing up just by taking notice of you hair and scalp.

Stressful lifestyle:

I know, I know, we’re all stressed out at least a little. It is in fact possible to reduce stress just by being aware of it. You can tune into your body and when you feel it start to grow just stop what you’re doing for 60 seconds, concentrate on breathing slowly, do some stretching or just stare gently at something beautiful.

Did you know that your body uses up more vitamin B when your stressed out? An extra supplement of Vitamin B could really help you and if its an activated one, your body will absorb it nice and quickly.

Thinning hair or even bald patches:

Thinning hair can simply be a sign of age and embedded in your DNA, however it doesn’t mean that you can’t slow the process down. There is strong evidence that lifestyle can impact on this process which can indicate your body isn’t getting everything it needs.

Thinking you can get every single thing your body needs from food may not be correct as our soils don’t contain what they used to. Did you know that in Australia there is no selenium in the soil and extremely low zinc? Zinc is super important for hair and scalp.

As for small patches of hair not being there anymore, this could be alopecia areata, also known as spot baldness. This could be linked to stress and again you may need extra supplements to help get through this quicker.

Slow hair growth:

If you have noticed your hair growth has slowed down, this could be an indication of unrest in your body. Hair growth does vary from person to person but if you notice a change a supplement could help and failing that going to your health professional for more advice.

If this could be you then please don’t hesitate to contact me so we can have a look together and see what we can do to hlep.

In salon I have an amazing range of supplements for hair and scalp called Apotecari to help you get the best hair and scalp you can possibly have. I also do Trichology services in the salon so we can get to the root of the problem once and for all.

You can rest assured I can help you. Hooray!

Scalp Analysis

Sam Macdonald Hair | Scalp Analysis | Hairdresser Scarborough Trigg North Beach Sorrento Trigg Karinyup Carine Duncraig

You may or may not know that I not only do hair in the salon. I can also help you with any scalp conditions you may have.

I do this a few ways.

Firstly, I can look up close with my trichoscope, (microscope for the hair and scalp). With the use of the Trichoscope, can see what’s really go on at scalp level. A lot of the detail is lost when only looking with the naked eye. We often assume we simply have dandruff when it could be a number of things.

Secondly, I can talk to you about what’s happening in your life that is contributing so you have the power to do something yourself. Things like stress, diet and exercise all play a part here.

Thirdly, I can show you products that are not medical but rather using natural ingredients to try and allow your body to heal itself. I’m not personally a great believer in medications for scalp conditions, at least not at the beginning of the journey of healing your scalp. Sure, if we can’t fix it naturally then that’s the next step but often it’s something we can handle without the medications.

Things I can show you are alternatives to use on your hair to help alleviate the problems. I also have a range of supplements especially for scalp conditions if we think your diet may be lacking.

In a nut shell I’m your first port of call.

9 times out of 10 we can fix these issues or at least get them under control as not all scalp issues can be fixed for good sadly.