******** GEORGE MICHAEL HAIR CARE ********



Secrets of growing very long hair


The famous hair stylist George Michael of New York City developed successful methods to grow out very long lengths of hair in women and eventually owned 2,000 salons dedicated to long hair. Women are often told that after they reach thirty that hair should be no longer than shoulder length. Michael felt long hair was majestic on a mature woman, did much to downplay wrinkles, made them look younger immediately.

Dr. Michael has found that it is important for growing the longest, healthiest hair possible is to have hair that's all one length - without bangs or fringes. He says that the body will try to equalize uneven hair by excessively shedding hair.
He says that "The longer the hair, the stronger the root," and this results in healthier hair.

Longer Hair Reduces Shedding - Studies by Dr. George Michael


Hair Length - inches Average Number Hairs Lost Per Day

4" 87
12" 26
Waist Length 16
Floor Length 2


One of his secrets was the use of acid conditioners and acid pre-treatment products use before swimming in chlorinated pools or salt water or exposing the hair to sunlight. This kept the hair proteins very tightly bound together. He used hair dryers set only about 10 degrees F. higher than body temperature. Common blow dryers reach temperatures of up to 260 degrees. Water boils at 212 degrees. This high heat can damage hair follicles. Large rollers of soft mesh or plastic were used for drying the hair. Velcro rollers were not used because they can tear the hair. Special care was taken to protect the ends of the hair when rolling or setting.


Tips for Long, Healthy Hair


Hair experts have a number of suggestions. But remember, people who only want to cut your hair off usually know little about hair.


1. Hair is best cut when dry. The detangling comb is designed to be used on damp hair. Start at the ends and work up.


2. Detangle dry hair before washing. De-tangle ends first, then work your way up. Do not try to remove from top to bottom since this may pull out hair. Before entering a shower, use your your comb or brush to give your hair a few strokes. This aligns the strands, and help prevent tangles.


3. For washing, bring your hair to the front before you wet it and leave it there hanging down and keep it there during shampooing. During the washing, try not to move your hair. This keeps the hair strands in position so they won't move upwards and wrap themselves around other strands, resulting in tangles. Use water of room temperature for your hair. The lowest temperature that you can use is best for hair. Warm water open the hair scales, making the hair shaft more vulnerable to damage.


4. Use a minimum of a shampoo with a pH 5.0 to 6.0. Foaming the shampoo is overkill. Pour some shampoo into your palm, then rub your hands together and run the palms of your hands over your head but not yet down the string of hair. If the shampoo begins to foam, you used too much.


5. The shampoo is used to remove dirt from the top layers of your hair. Don't try to wash your hair inside out - just let the shampoo suds penetrate these under layers briefly as it flows over the lower part of your hair. Use your fingers to help release the soap from your head and works the shampoo down the hair. Running your fingers down the string of hair helps detangling.


Make sure that you wash out all of the shampoo. When you think all shampoo is gone, allow another half minute of constant water flow to ensure that residues are gone. Then bend over, and
give a final rinse of the lower hair part with cold water.


6. Use an acidifying conditioner with peptides that re-glue the hair cuticles. Such conditioners help detangle hair, add body and increase the hair's natural shine. Put extra conditioner on the hair ends to prevent split ends. Give the conditioner at least a minute to glue into the hair. For a final rinse use cool or cold water.


7. Air dry your hair whenever possible and use a special highly absorbent towel for your hair. Do not dry your hair with your general bath towel.


8. When you must blow dry your hair, first wrap in a towel for a time to remove most of the water. Blow dry the hair for a time, then let it air dry for a time.


9. Never buy a "heavy duty reconstructor" for your hair.


10. A "cool" setting on the hair dryer helps "set" the hair.


11. Never brush your hair when it is wet.


12. Excessive sunlight and use of tanning beds harms hair.


13. Find non-alcohol hair sprays which are less drying.


14. Only use wide toothed combs and picks.


15. Many hairdressers only cut hair. Tell them to keep trimming to an absolute minimum. Avoid hostile or hyper-critical hairdressers.


16. Only use coated or snag free elastics and hair fasteners.


17. Think of your hair as a silk garment and treat it accordingly. Both silk and hair are protein fibers. You would not wash a silk garment with a cheap detergent in a washing machine at a high temperature with a high agitation cycle and then dry it in a dryer at a high temperature. Think of what a silk garment would look like after such a treatment.


18. Take time for your hair. There is no product that can create wonderful hair within a few hours. Hair improvements take a few weeks.


19. If someone criticizes your hair, ignore them. Hair arouses may emotions and jealousies so arrange your hair in the fashion that pleases yourself.


Attraction and Protection:

Hair forms part of romantic and sexual attraction. Mermaids and sirens of the sea and the maiden Lorelei of the river Rhine are said to have brought men to disaster who became fixated on the beauty of their long tresses. Australian aborigines saved their wives hair clippings as a prized possession. Even today, some orthodox Jewish women only allow their husbands to see their hair. Humans generally are attracted to head hair that is relatively dense, thick-stranded, and somewhat long. Hair that is strongly pigmented (from blond to black) but not gray is generally preferred. The ideal of hair most closely approximates the physical characteristics of the hair on young child. Many conditioners add fats to thicken the hair shaft so it looks like younger hair.


Hair is a specialized form of skin as are nails, scales, feathers, horns, and claws. Hair grows over a large percentage of the human body surface serving protective, sensory, sexual attractiveness functions. Human beings have about 1,400,000 hairs on their body, with about 450,000 of them to be found above the neck. You have about 100,000 hairs on your head and normally shed 25 to 100 a day while growing the an equivalent number of new hairs. Another 30,000 reside in mustaches, beards, or whiskers.


Blondes have usually much more scalp hair than hair red or dark haired heads. A single hair has a thickness of 0.02-0.04mm, so that 20-50 hair fibers next to each other make one millimeter. Hair is as strong as a wire of iron. It rips after applying a force equivalent to 60 kg (130 pounds), after it stretched itself for about 70%.

Hair length and growth


Hair grows at a faster rate in the spring and summer than in autumn and winter - a fact that often is used to "prove" that certain hair growth remedies stimulate hair growth. The growth rate is however very much related to the individual person, his age, his diet etc. The lifetime of the anagen phase is responsible for the maximum of hair length you can have. Waist length hair takes about 5 years to grow out from a short hair cut, periodic trims included. If your hair has a lifecyle of 2 years, you will never achieve a nice waist length mane. In rare families, long hair cycles are combined with rapid hair growth - producing floor length hair in women. At right is the person with the longest well documented record for hair length who is Diane Witt, a mother of two who lives in Worcester, MA. Her hair measured over 12 ft. 8 in. in March 1993. Witt has not measured (or cut) her hair since then. She has a website at( now closed) www.alh.tj/diane-witt/index.html.


Care of hair fibers


Chemical and mechanical injuries to the hair or scalp can produce a number of different effects. Tight hairstyles, hot combs, hot oil treatments, and harsh use of hair blowers can all produce damage to the hair fiber. One should be aware of potential consequences when manipulating hair and to exercise caution.


The typical chemicals used to alter hair include bleaches, dyes, relaxers, and agents used for permanents. Any of these chemicals can cause some degree of hair damage but, with care, most cosmetic products produce minimal unwanted side-effects. It is more difficult to repair damaged hair than to use gentler techniques that result in less damage to your hair. Some cosmetic products are partially beneficial in repairing damaged hair but normal quality of hair will return only after the production of new hair to replace the damaged fibers.


Factors that damage hair include the normal "weathering" that occurs to the ends of long hairs that have been exposed to the environment for many years or exposure to chlorine from swimming pools. The apparent lightening of hair color noted to occur with individuals who have prolonged sun exposure during the summertime is an example of photochemical damage. As with other forms of damage, full reversal is often not possible.


Shampoos and Conditioners for dry and oily hair


Excessive shampooing is the main cause of damage to the hair shafts. The best shampoos for hair should be at about pH 5.5. This is at the high end of the pH range of the scalp (4.5 to 5.5) or slightly acid. This natural acid environment of the hair and scalp helps keep the hair proteins hard and prevents the growth of foreign bacteria. The natural hair and skin oils also help maintain scalp health.


Shampoos of higher pH (more alkaline) work better to clean the hair and scalp but more alkaline shampoos strip away too many natural scalp oils and extract the "glues" that help hold the hair shafts together. Experts say that these high pH alkaline shampoos make your hair look great for a few weeks but then cause the hair to become dry and brittle which and increases breakage of your hair. Also, avoid baby shampoos which are formulated for gentleness if they get in to the eyes but dry out the hair.


Be careful of "clarifying shampoos". They are rather harsh and intended to remove materials that build up on hair such as mousses and sprays but they also can remove color and perms. Some hair experts recommend avoiding such shampoos and instead just mix, in your hand, plain baking soda from your kitchen with your normal shampoo and apply this to your hair to remove build up.


The foaming of shampoos is often enhanced by "flash-foamers" but foaming means that too much shampoo was used and/or the shampoo is filled with foaming chemicals. Likewise, fragrances have no positive effect on shampoos. The test of a shampoo is what your hair looks like after using the shampoo for a week or two. Examine your hair's condition after this time. Does is seem healthy and easy to comb or is it hard to comb and limp looking? Also check to see if the hair becomes dry and if your scalp become itchy. If a shampoo doesn't work for you, try another brand. The cost of a shampoo is not generally related to quality but to advertising.


Dry hair lacks enough natural oils. To shampoo, use a minimum amount of a mild and slightly acid shampoo. Do not over shampoo and do not repeat the shampoo application regardless of instructions. Cosmetic companies try to increase your use of their product. If your hair is very dry, only shampoo every two to three days. Our ancestors went months between hair washing and had healthy hair.


Oily hair is more difficult to manage and shampoo. Oily hair looks moist, dull and is often difficult to comb. The fatty substance that covers oily hair called sebum is over produced by the sebaceous glands of the hair follicle. Sebum is rapidly is restored after washing the hair. More frequent washing with stronger, more soapy shampoos helps remove oil but damages the hair. Retinoic acid may be used to reduce oil production. Retinoic acid also stimulates hair growth and increases follicle health. But do not overuse the retinoic acid since this can result in scalp irritation.


When finished, the shampoo should be completely rinsed from the hair to help bring the pH back down to its natural level. Also, the detergents in shampoos are very irritating to the scalp and must be completely removed. Most experts recommend using a shower for the most complete removal of the shampoo.


Some shampoo manufacturers recommend that you comb through your wet hair to distribute the shampoo evenly into the hair. But wet hair is more easily broken way and you will only end up with worse hair.


Brushing Hair


Brushing is an essential part of healthy hair. Brushing helps keep the scalp healthy and improves the blood circulation which feeds the hair roots (follicles). It also helps distributes the natural protective fats along the length of the hair shafts. These fats serve as lubricants that allow smoother combing without breaking the hair shafts.


Morning brushing is best with a natural hair bristle brush which is similar to your hair structure and less likely to produce tangles on long hair. The brush should have a wooden base that reduces static electricity. If combing, start with a wide tooth tortoise shell comb. Never use a metal or rubber comb.


For brushing, stand with feet a little apart and bend down from your waist until the hair falls in a curtain before your face. Then brush your hair gently, starting from the hair roots at the nape of your neck and moving toward the end of the hair. Follow each brush stroke with a stoke from the open palm of your other hand to help counteract the build up of static electricity. Slowly build up you brushing to 50 strokes a day.


Parting Hair to Improve Facial Features


Some hair stylists recommend parting your hair on the right side. Most people use a left part or a center part. These experts say that hair follicles have a natural tendency to to grow from the left to the right. A right side part tends to push the hair against this angle and adds more natural "push-up" height to your hair. They say not to use a middle part which puts additional stress on the weakest hairs on the top of the head.


A center part starts a line that goes down the middle of the face and this accentuates the nose and any irregularities that exist between the left and the right sides of your face. The movie and television industries found this out many years ago. Few people have faces are regular enough to look good in a center part. Studies on the biological basis (genetically ingrained) for viewing others as beautiful have found that humans highly value, albeit unconsciously, symmetrical facial features. Yet very few people have truly symmetrical faces. By parting the hair on the side, you distract the mind of other people from focusing on any possible facial irregularities.