Everything to Know About Hair Health
At our core, we believe in health and beauty from the inside-out and outside-in. For us, that means decades of delivering science-backed topicals and supplements for your skin and total body. One category we hadn’t touched? Topical haircare. Until now, that is.
Before you question “why haircare for renowned skincare brand, Perricone MD?,” the answer is simple: the evolution from skin to hair is a natural one since the scientific foundations of skin and hair are uncanny. It’s true, the building blocks are so similar that we’ve taken nearly 30 years of skincare research and expertise and launched a Haircare Collection with it.
Now, let’s pause and rewind a bit, though, shall we? It’s important to start from the beginning.
CHAPTER 1: What Is the Structure of the Hair?
If we were to break down Hair Health 101 into chapters, the first would dive into the structure of the hair. This is because its structure determines your hair’s strength, thickness and texture and, therefore, is essential knowledge to help you understand how to properly treat yours and maintain its health.
Bulb: Structure of actively growing cells that eventually produce hair Papilla: Base of the follicle that lies on the dermis (deeper layer of skin) where most hair growth takes placeHair Follicle : Tube-like structure (pore) that surrounds the root & part of the strand of hair. It originates in the epidermis (the outermost layer of skin) but most of its function lies in the dermis (deeper layer of skin).Hair Shaft : Part of the hair that’s seen above the scalp, made up mostly of keratin. The inner shaft is made up of three layers:Cuticle: Protective layer of overlapping cells. It holds hair in the follicle like Velcro and minimizes the movement of moisture in & out if the underlying cortex.- Lifted cuticle = unbalanced hair, frizz, dullness
Sealed cuticle = balanced hair, smooth, shiny
Cortex: The main bulk & pigment of hair. Health of the cortex relies largely on health & integrity of the cuticle.Medulla: The innermost porous part of the hair shaft.
CHAPTER 2: What Is Keratin?
Keratin is the protein that makes up the primary structural component of hair, skin and nails with various responsibilities.
Key Functions:
Forms the cuticle of the hair shaft, providing its shape & structure Makes hair more resistant to damage & breakage Allows hair to stretch & return to its original shape Acts as a shield against environmental factors like UV rays, pollution & heat Contributes to hair’s natural shine & luminosity
As you age, your body’s natural keratin production slows, making topical application key to supplement the lost proteins, therefore, helping to strengthen and repair your hair. More on this in chapter 5.
CHAPTER 3: Hair Growth Cycle: What Are the Three Stages of Hair Growth?
Your hair’s growth cycle also plays an integral role in its overall health — this cycle can be broken into three phases.
Anagen Phase: The growth phase that lasts an average of 3-5 years. Hair must remain in this phase long enough to have healthy hair grow and reduce hair loss and/or thinning.Catagen Phase: Short transitional period that lasts about 10 days.Telogen Phase: Resting phase where hair is released and falls out for regrowth. Follicles remain inactive for 3 months, then the process repeats. Healthy average hair shed on a healthy scalp is about 80 hairs per day.
To make it more complicated, though, each hair follicle is independent and goes through its own growth cycle at different times. So while hair grows approximately ½ inch per month, that isn’t necessarily the case for every strand. Not to mention, hair grows faster in the summer than in the winter since there’s increased blood flow, more vitamin D production and reduced friction (no beanies and scarves) in warmer months whereas the opposite is true for colder months.
Tack on the fact that several everyday factors can disrupt the growth cycle, causing hair loss and thinning, and it’s no wonder hair maintenance can feel so daunting. A few such triggers include:
Stress Nutrition Certain medications Certain medical issues Illness
CHAPTER 4: Hair Washing Frequency: How Often Should Hair Be Washed?
There is no “one size fits all” equation to how often everyone should wash their hair. It’s dependent on the following factors.
FACTOR 1: Hair Type & Texture
Fine & thin hair: Every other day because oils distribute more quickly leaving hair flat & greasy looking Thick, curly or coiled hair: 1-2x per week as hair tends to be drier since oil doesn’t easily travel down the hair strands Chemically treated hair: 1-2x per week for permed, bleached and relaxed hair since it tends to be drier
FACTOR 2: Scalp Health
Dry scalp: 1-2x per week to avoid stripping the scalp & hair of natural oils Oily scalp: Every other day to prevent buildup
FACTOR 3: Lifestyle
Activity level: More frequent exercise requires more frequent washing — aim for every other day Product usage: Heavy product usage causes buildup & requires more frequent washing — aim for every other day
CHAPTER 5: THAT’S WHERE WE COME IN: INTRODUCING PERRICONE MD HAIRCARE
“Hair health, much like skin health, depends on maintaining essential proteins, hydration and protection against environmental stressors,” says Dr. Claire Wolinsky, board-certified dermatologist. “Perricone MD’s new haircare collection is impressive because it not only addresses visible concerns like dryness, frizz, and breakage, but also helps fortify the hair’s natural hair structure over time.”
To do so, this revolutionary new line uses high-performing ingredients to strengthen, repair and hydrate from root to strand. A next-generation complex of three forms of keratin visibly fortifies hair strands, reduces breakage and protects against color loss. Meanwhile, an amino-acid rich encapsulated bio-tech matrix remains on hair for 24 hours to help visibly restore fragile hair and improve the look of thickness, volume and elasticity. Ultra-nourishing ingredients simultaneously deliver instant and long-lasting hydration, leaving hair looking and feeling soft, silky and glossy.
Each cutting-edge formula transforms mature, dry and damaged hair from dull and brittle to visibly healthy and smooth with a lustrous, enviable shine. Read on to upgrade your haircare ritual with our four latest innovations.
Begin each wash day with this deeply cleansing sulfate-free shampoo to nourish and replenish dry, damaged strands. Featuring the aforementioned ingredients, plus our hyaluronic vitamin blend, it transforms brittle strands into soft, glossy and healthy-looking hair, leaving it visibly fuller and more resilient.
After shampooing, seal the cuticle with intense moisture courtesy of this reparative conditioner’s concoction of keratin, amino acids, multi-molecular weights of hyaluronic acid and pro-vitamin B5. It’s incredibly restorative so your hair is left looking stronger, smoother and silky with a glossy shine.
Twice a week, apply this intensive mask onto hair in place of conditioner to renew damaged hair with essential hydration while treating and preventing breakage. Its ultra-rich, luxurious texture helps strengthen weakened, fragile strands to improve hair smoothness, bounce and shine.
Every time you shampoo, condition or mask your hair, spritz this weightless leave-in spray through your hair to improve manageability, protect against heat and UV damage and reduce color loss. The result is enviably smoother, silkier, more vibrant hair.
As you can see, we take our haircare as seriously as we do our skincare. Now you are ready to experience a healthy, lustrous hair transformation the Perricone MD way.
