Hair growth is affected by protein, hydration, blood circulation, everyday care and a mixture of vitamins and minerals. Although some B vitamins such as vitamins B-1 and B-2 work to support hair growth, folic acid does not. However, a lack of folic acid can strip the hair of its color, causing it to gray prematurely.

Folic acid is a synthetic version of vitamin B-9 or folate. According to PubMed Health, folic acid is prescribed to treat or prevent folic acid deficiency. In addition, women of reproductive age are advised to take at least 400 micrograms of folic acid per day to prevent birth defects such as spinal bifida, according to Women’sHealth.gov. A deficiency in folic acid can cause folic acid anemia, which can result in a low red blood cell count.

Folic Acid Uses:

Medline Plus states that in addition to treating or preventing folic acid deficiency, folic acid tablets are likely effective in lowering homocysteine levels. They are also possibly effective in reducing the risk of developing colorectal and breast cancer, reducing depression and for treating gum disease during pregnancy. Folic acid does not usually affect the hair; however, a deficiency in it can cause changes in the hair.

Folic Acid Deficiency

Symptoms of folic acid deficiency are diarrhea, mouth ulcers, peptic ulcers, poor growth, swollen tongue and gray hair. People who take the medication Dilantin, suffer from celiac disease or alcoholism, eat overcooked foods, or have malnutrition or hemolytic anemia are at an increased risk of developing folic acid deficiency. The gray hair experience in people with folic acid deficiency can occur at any age. Hair that turns gray as a result of folic acid deficiency may not return to its original color.

Treatments:

Folic acid deficiency untreated may develop into folic acid deficiency anemia, which, in severe cases, can cause low levels of white blood cells and platelets. Eat balanced meals that contain foods from all the food groups in order to consume the recommended amount of folic acid. If your physician feels you are at risk of developing folic acid anemia, you may be prescribed folic acid supplements to be taken daily.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/539148-does-folic-acid-affect-hair/#ixzz1syleGPiR

Daily Damage is caused by harsh shampoos, blow drying, curling irons, flat irons, brushing, certain styling products and the environment. Left unrepaired, Daily Damage will cause hair to become dull, dry, frizzy and brittle. When the damage gets severe enough, the hair strands will literally break off.

What causes Daily Damage and what exactly is it?

Hair strands are made up of protein.  Hair protein is held together by 3 main “forces” or “bonds” (I am not going to get into these in too much detail, but lets call them “bonds” for today and if you are curious, email me at karl@creocare.com and I will be happy to discuss them further).  These bonds can be broken when enough energy is applied.  Energy capable of breaking these bonds can come in different forms, and it is quite common for someone to be damaging their hair with more than one kind of destructive energy.

1.)  Energy in the form of force:  This is the type of energy that is exerted “mechanically” like with a brush or by tying your hair in a tight pony tail or braid.  Imagine a rope.  If you apply enough force, you can unravel a rope or break it into pieces.  The same goes for your hair.

2.)  Energy in the form of chemicals:  This is the type of energy that is exerted when you use sulfate based shampoos, ammonia (in the coloring process), hydrogen peroxide (for lightening), certain styling products, etc…  The chemicals break down the protein bonds of your hair, resulting in damage.

3.)  Energy in the form of heat:   This is the type of energy that is exerted when you use a blow dryer, curling iron, flat iron or any other form of heat styling.  Any amount of heat over 130 degrees Fahrenheit will damage hair protein, resulting in damage.

All three types of energy described above cause the protein bonds to break, resulting in a “lifting” of the hair cuticle (the outer layer of the hair strand).  This causes the hair strand to reflect less light and to feel less smooth.  If the cuticle is not repaired, the hair continues to lose integrity, becoming dull, dry and frizzy.  Taken to its logical progression, the hair will literally break off.

What do we do about Daily Damage?

There are 2 ways to attack this problem – 1.) Mask it (aka: hide it) or; 2.) Repair it.

Which would you rather do?  Did you even know you had a choice?

Here are the facts:

Most products mask the problem.  Virtually all shampoos, conditioners and/or hair treatments contain amodimethicone, dimethicone, phenyltrimethicone or some other form of silicone.  If your product contains silicone, you have a slippery, smooth layer of silicone over the outer layer of your hair strands.  If your hair is damaged, the silicone is hiding the damage but doing nothing to heal it.  These ingredients are used because they improve the feel of the hair.  Silicone, however, offers no therapeutic value feel good have historically been “good enough” and they are very inexpensive to use.  Ever wonder what the difference is between an inexpensive bottle of shampoo and an expensive one?  Check the label, it is almost never the ingredients.

Silicone based products provide a quick fix to make damaged hair look and feel nicer, but the damage remains unchanged underneath, and tomorrow it will be worse.  Over time, if left unrepaired, the Daily Damage will result in dry, dull frizzy, unmanageable hair.

Not all products function to mask damage.  Many products contain proteins aimed at repairing damage to the hair cuticle, but the quality of the protein used can vary greatly. The higher the quality of the protein used, the better the chances that the product will effectively repair damage.  At CREO, we use only the highest quality proteins and amino acids available.

My view is that the best way to deal with Daily Damage is to address it on a daily basis.  There is no reason that one should wait until damage is visible if there is a simple, affordable and effective alternative which can be used as part of your daily regimen.  Particularly so if it saves you time and money.  The CREO Hair Care Trilogy provides all of these benefits.

The CREO Trilogy consists of three products:  1.)  Hair Cleanser, 2.)  Therapeutic Masque and, 3.)  Conditioner.  For a full rundown of the characteristics of these products, please visit our store and read about each.

All CREO products are all natural, PETA certified as animal cruelty free, vegan and free of any artificial fragrance or harmful chemicals (including being sulfate and silicone free).  Those are all nice things, of course, but the most amazing thing about the CREO Trilogy is what it does – it defeats Daily Damage on a daily basis.  If used regularly, your hair will remain healthy from root to tip and resistant to the various causes of damage.

CREO is more than a “rescue” product for special occasions, it is an every day product meant to address an every day problem – one that we have traditionally had to cope with or tried to mask with one of thousands of silicone laden products.

CREO users who historically could only grow their hair to shoulder length are growing their hair as long as they want.  Hair also has more volume and is shinier and stronger when CREO is used regularly.

Many CREO users find they are no longer using styling products, or are using them in much smaller amounts as their hair integrity continues to improve.  Some styling products can be quite drying and people are actually surprised at how their hair looks and acts when it actually becomes healthy.

The entire Trilogy solution can be purchased for about the same amount as just one bottle of a high end salon brand – but it delivers a significantly greater result.  If you have any questions as to how any of the products in the CREO Hair Care Trilogy work or how to use them, please feel free to email me at karl@creocare.com!

While it may seem logical that we’d have to protect ourselves more against dry hair and skin during the warm, sunny summer months, actually the opposite is true. Cold winter air is very low in humidity and unless you’re using a humidifier indoors, the air inside isn’t much better.

Although it is always important to use a mild shampoo (and skin cleansers), it is never moreso important than during the drying winter months.  Shampoo removes dirt and a certain amount of the oil that is on your hair and scalp. The more you wash, and/or the harsher your shampoo, the higher the probability that you’ll experience some element of dry hair or scalp. If you’re following that with a harsh soap or body wash, be aware, it is vitally important that you return the oils to your hair and skin afterward with silicone free conditioners for your hair and skin.

When skin gets dry, the outer layer becomes more rigid and begins to itch. Itching can lead to irritation, cracking and peeling and can make the skin vulnerable to infection. Normal skin is approximately 60 percent water, an ingredient that is vital to good health. As mentioned above, regardless of what cleanser you are using, a certain amount of beneficial oils are going to be removed when you bathe or wash your hair and these beneficial oils are the barrier that helps hold moisture in. Without a protective layer of oil, there’s nothing preventing the hair and skin’s moisture from evaporating. The drier the air (i.e. winter) and the lesser the barrier (i.e. oils stripped after cleansing) the more quickly that evaporation will occur.

So, whether we’re talking about hair or skin, the name of the game is to keep it clean, keep it conditioned and protect it as much as you can (i.e. proven safe sunscreens, hats, etc). CREO can help.

CREO Care offers the world’s only personal care products with the incredible power of germinated seed extracts. Via our revolutionary manufacturing process we capture the life giving essence of germinated seeds and incorporate them into all of our cleansers and conditioners. These compounds give a tiny plant sprout the ability to survive when it’s most vulnerable – even in the harshest environments. Our blend of germinated grape, red clover and sunflower seed extracts, called CREOPLEX™, provides CREO with incredible antioxidant potency. CREO products are the only products in the world which contain germinated seed extracts.

CREO’s Hair Cleanser is sulfate free, up to 40 times more gentle than traditional baby shampoo and has been proven to be very effective on all types of hair, helping to clean without stripping or damage, helping you to maintain moisture and to repair hair from damaging treatments and styling regimens..

CREO’s silicone free Hair Conditioners are like skin care for your hair. Made of emulsions (oil/water mixtures) containing Apricot Kernel, Rose Hip Seed, Borage seed and Kukui Nut Oils, CREO Hair Conditioners provide your hair and scalp with the essential moisture barrier and conditioning agents to keep your hair at its optimum healthy level throughout the year. Just condition one or two times a week more frequently in the winter months to help defeat the extra dry air. 

In addition, CREO’s Facial Cleanser’s and Body Wash’s are among the most gentle available, while still providing a thorough and enjoyable cleansing experience, provide aromatherapy and when used in conjunction with CREO’s Hydrating Face and Body Oil’s, make for a very simple, enjoyable and effective cleaning and conditioning regimen for your skin.

CREO Hydrating Face and Body Oils are silicone free and comprised of a luxurious blend of 100% beneficial oils heavy enough to fully condition the skin and provide a natural moisture barrier, but light enough that within a couple of moments after application, your only reminder of them having been applied will be the faint scent and wonderful nourishing and calming feeling imparted to your skin – no matter what part of the body you’re conditioning.

As always, if you have a specific problem you’re dealing with, please reach out to us, we’d like to help!

To learn more about the benefits of silicone free conditioners, please visit the following link:

Silicone Free Hair Conditioners, Repair and Reconstruction Products – What DO they DO?

Here’s why: 

Hair is made up of a protein called keratin.  The structure of the protein determines whether hair is straight or curly.  In order to change the shape of the hair, the protein must be restructured.  This means breaking the bonds that hold hair protein together and rearranging the protein molecules.  This can be done with chemicals, heat or a combination of both.  Both the Brazilian Blow Out and Japanese Hair Straightening processes use a combination of chemicals and heat – and either alone can damage your hair if care and specific steps aren’t followed.

CHEMICALS.  If you have ever had your hair colored, you are probably familiar with the term “hair relaxer”.  What you might not know is just what they do. The “relaxing” is actually the process of breaking down the molecular bonds that hold your hair protein together and rearranging them so your hair is a different shape.  It also “opens” the outer layer of the hair strand (called the “cuticle”), exposing the protein on the inner part of the strand.

To preserve shiny, healthy hair, is imperative that the cuticle is resealed or “closed” and properly conditioned after any chemical treatment.

HEAT.  You know how eggs can be warmed slightly without cooking, but once you heat them to a certain point, they are cooked and transform to a solid?  Well over-heated hair is kind of like that.  A skilled stylist will regulate the amount of heat according to hair type.  Fine hair requires less heat to weaken the protein than thick, coarse hair.  Hair that has been color processed will need close attention – if too much heat is applied, it will cook the already compromised hair protein.  A poorly trained stylist may add the same amount of heat to all hair.

The Brazilian Blow Out consists of, in simple terms, applying a hair relaxer, then applying a protein, then straightening with a very hot flat iron.  The protein “bonds” to the rough surface of the hair that results from an open cuticle and helps keep the hair straight after the treatment.  Because of the harsh chemicals and heat, and despite the protein application, the hair can be very dry afterward.

With Japanese Hair Straightening, the hair is relaxed with a chemical hair relaxer then straightened with a very hot flat iron, then a chemical neutralizer is applied to counteract the hair relaxer.  Again, because of the harsh chemicals and heat, the hair can be very dry afterward.

Over-processed hair, or overly straightened hair often develops split ends, frizz, breakage, a dull appearance etc.  This happens because the protein has been destroyed, or “denatured”.  Take note:  blow drying, curling with a curling iron, sulfate shampoos, sun and wind all can also open the cuticle.  Fortunately, unlike with a fried egg, with “fried” hair it is possible to rebuild the broken bonds that make up the protein and return hair to its healthy state.

The key is treating the hair with a silicone free product containing quality proteins and amino acids that rebuild, smooth, and condition damaged keratin, thereby restoring elasticity and shine.  This is particularly critical following either of the straightening procedures we’ve covered above.

So, as you have probably concluded, the reason the after treatment is so important is because your hair has just gone through an incredibly stressful procedure.  It needs to be cared for gently and given nourishment and repair.  If you have had either of the straightening procedures we’ve discussed, or if your hair is over-processed due to colorings, curling, blow dryers, etc., you may find CREO products of interest.  No other product line is as gentle and nourishing for hair protein and regular use of CREO products will extend the life and efficacy of any Brazilian or Japanese straightening process.

Shampoos, especially sulfated shampoos, will wash your newly straightened protein off the hair.  As you lose more and more of the rearranged protein the natural curly protein will again dominate the structure of the hair and will start to curl.  CREO’s Hair Cleanser is up to 40 times more gentle than baby shampoo, sulfate free and all natural.  It is specifically formulated to clean without damaging delicate hair protein – supporting the maintenance of healthy, shiny hair and aiding any efforts aimed at repairing hair after stressful procedures or styling.

I mentioned above how hair relaxers open the cuticle.  For hair to remain healthy, vibrant and strong, it is vitally important that the cuticle be sealed (or “closed”) and kept sealed.  CREO’s Therapeutic Hair Masque is specifically designed to seal the cuticle and preserve and protect the integrity of delicate hair protein.  Keeping the cuticle sealed and conditioned will help maximize the life of straightening treatments, both Brazilian and Japanese.  It also eliminates frizz, dull hair, and split ends giving hair body, volume (even to fine hair) and shine.

Lastly, all of CREO’s conditioners contain hair-repairing ingredients aimed at keeping the cuticle conditioned and hair protein healthy.  Use of high quality amino acids, proteins and omega 3 and 6 containing oils results in products that are like skin care for your hair.  CREO’s products truly (not “apparently”, like other products) rebuild, condition and preserve the integrity and beauty of your hair.

If you are in need of a total solution for your hair, CREO’s Hair Care Trilogy contains everything you need.  It includes CREO’s ultra gentle, sulfate free Hair Cleanser, Silicone Free Conditioner (pick the formula that is right for you) and Therapeutic Hair Masque.  Try it today!

Although seed “oils” have many beneficial properties and can be used to great effect in certain applications, consumers should be aware that while a seed may contain antioxidants, the seed oil does not.

“Cold pressed” seed oil is exactly what it sounds like, oil that is squeezed out of the seed without the use of heat. However, when seeds are pressed for their oil, the protective, water-soluble antioxidants are left behind, in the seed.

To extract the antioxidants from seeds, one or a combination of steam, boiling water and/or ethanol are used. Once the antioxidants are extracted, they are concentrated into a liquid or dried into a powder. I have found that, once dried, it is often difficult to rehydrate antioxidant seed extracts into a liquid again.

Germinated vs Non-Germinated seed extracts

A “non-germinated” seed is one that has not yet sprouted, while a “germinated” seed is one that has. When germination occurs, the biochemistry inside the seed changes. During germination, oil levels drop and sugar levels increase, then as the plant continues to grow, oil levels rise again and sugar levels drop off.

What appears to happen is that, during germination, water soluble antioxidants and sugars are generated inside the plant which are used to provide not only “food” for the baby plant but protection from the elements as the plant matures. By extracting these substances at the peak of the germination process, before the sugar levels drop off, we are capturing these protective, life giving compounds.

The antioxidant strength of extracts from germinated seeds and same-type non-germinated seeds have been measured for comparison. It has been found that germinated seed extracts possess 1.5 to 50+ times more antioxidant strength than extracts from non-germinated seeds, depending upon the seed type.

For example, extracts from non-germinated safflower and red clover seeds have very little antioxidant strength. Consequently, the extract from germinated safflower and red clover seeds is roughly 50 to 100 times stronger than extracts from the same non-germinated seeds. Meanwhile, non-germinated grape seed extract has a lot of antioxidant strength. Consequently, germinated grape seed extract is roughly 1.5 to 3 times stronger than the non-germinated variety.

In addition to the significant increase in antioxidant strength, extracts from germinated seeds are more water-soluble than those from non-germinated seeds.

I believe these chemical and biological changes within the germinating seed occur so that the sugars and antioxidants are more easily transported throughout the growing plant, reducing the risk of mutation or oxidative damage as it matures.

A lot more work needs to be done to understand the physiological changes that occur during germination and the antioxidants found in the plant material, but what we can say with confidence is that these compounds are a valuable addition to the list of healthful ingredients available for making natural and protective personal care products, and they can only be found in products made by CREO.

Using germinated seed extracts provides for more free radical scavenging and better efficacy (deliverability) when used in personal care products. They are also easier to use in liquid formulas due to being more water soluble. The result is we are able to make products that work better and are better for you.

Most silicone-based products do nothing to truly condition or repair the damaged cuticle or damaged protein (keratin) which is your hair.  When silicone based products are applied to wet hair, they make the hair feel soft and smooth to the touch, leading us to believe that something positive has happened, but this is misleading.

Silicone is effective at masking damage.  Silicone coats the hair and smoothes over the rough surface of an opened cuticle, kind of like filling potholes in a damaged city street.  Smooth hair strands reflect light, so smoothing over the rough spots with silicone results in the hair looking shiny.  Keep in mind, however, that this is only an appearance.  The rough, dull hair lurks underneath.   Once you coat the hair with a product like this, you will need to “scrub” to get it completely off, damaging the hair in the process.  This damage and mask process is a cycle that millions of people go through on a daily basis.

An additional drawback of using silicone on your hair is that it can attract dirt.  By the end of the day, often, even hair with volume may appear oily and flat and those with fine hair will almost always end up with really flat, oily hair.  Many people with fine hair are afraid of conditioners – because they result in their hair being flat.  That result is often due to conditioners containing silicone – again aimed at smoothing over rough strands rather than nursing them back to a smooth, shiny, naturally beautiful state.

If your goal is to put a “band aid” on your hair and have shiny hair for a special event, silicones will work as a short-term fix.  But if your goal is to have truly healthy, beautiful, smooth, shiny hair, ditch the silicones and find a product or products that will truly repair your hair and protect it from the stresses that come from daily styling regimens and other environmental factors.

CREO products are specifically designed to moisturize and rebuild the hair with proteins and amino acids, and to condition the hair shaft, smoothing it without coating it.  This gives hair volume and density, a nice feel, plus shine and elasticity – NATURALLY.

CREO conditioners and Therapeutic Hair Masque  have been proven to be extremely effective at preserving delicate hair protein, which means extending the life of color treatments and keeping hair shiny and strong.  CREO products are all free of silicones and instead use Omega 3 and 6 containing oils (Apricot Kernal, Rosehip Seed , Kukui Nut, Borage Seed) in the our emulsions (creams).  CREO conditioners truly condition rather than coat.  CREO products are like skin care for your hair.

CREO Therapeutic Hair Masque has a hair repair ingredient that essentially glues down any damaged cuticle.  This eliminates frizz and split end and results in shinier hair as it becomes smoother.  CREO Masque adds volume to fine hair.  Many fans with fine hair use it everyday as it adds volume and body that they have never had before.  It can also be used once or twice a week on damaged hair or to keep healthy hair protected.  It also contains Creoplex to help protect against styling stresses and contains only natural essential oils.

Would you choose to use a product that literally washed a little of the hair off your head each time you used it?  Well consider these two facts: 1.) Sulfates denature (break down) proteins, and 2.) Hair IS protein.  So, when you use sulfate based detergents on your hair and skin you are unintentionally breaking down a little bit of the proteins and washing them down the drain.  In fact, hair color loss is often the removal of the colored hair protein rather than simply washing the color out.

Volumizing shampoos are often (not always) super harsh detergents that really strip the hair, opening up the cuticle (the outer layer of the hair strand) making it stick out like steel wool.  The hair that is left behind becomes rough and dull.  To combat this, many styling products coat the hair with silicone, an effort to create smooth, shiny locks.  Unfortunately, silicone attracts dirt and, over time, use a clarifying shampoo is necessary – that makes thin hair even thinner and on and on.  Does any of this sound familiar?  The truth is you can get great products without sulfates (or silicones for that matter) so why use them?

Fortunately, determining whether your shampoo, body wash or facial cleanser contains sulfates is easy – you need to simply read the label.  I recommend the rejection of any products containing SLS, SLES or ALS, BPA, phthalates, parabens, foam boosters (such as TEA, DEA or MEA) synthetic fragrances, oxides, or other harmful chemicals.

Due to consumer demand and the demands of hair and skin care professionals, today there exists a broad array of sulfate free products to choose from.

While “All Natural” shampoos are much less likely to contain sulfates, some still do and as you might imagine, not all organic or natural products are created equally and while they may be gentle, not all of them work very well.  In addition to reading labels carefully, take some time to read reviews and user testimonials before choosing your products and if you still have questions, let us know.

CREO products are sulfate, silicone free (as well as being free of all of the aforementioned unacceptable substances) and are designed to promote and preserve truly healthy hair and skin.  Plus, CREO sells direct to consumer, so if CREO isn’t available at a salon near you, contact us directly, you may be able to receive a deep discount on your initial order.

Click here to check out CREO Super Antioxidant Hair and Body Care products.

For example, pimples are caused by oil glands in the skin being overly stimulated.  The oil dries in the pores, gets infected and voila, you have a pimple.  When one scrubs all the oil off one’s face with alcohol, a strong detergent facial cleanser or a poor quality soap, there is no “conditioning” left on the skin when they’re done.  This harsh cleansing and stripping process signals the skin to pump out more oil – causing oily, shiny skin and more pimples.  So…we scrub even more, resulting in even oilier skin.

I know many people, men and women alike, who, despite being very skeptical, started conditioning their skin (face and body alike) with CREO’s Face and Body Oil and, after allowing a few days for their skin to adjust, found they had noticeably healthier and cleaner skin.

The oils in CREO’s Face and Body Oil are all high quality unsaturated oils containing Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids among many other healthful and therapeutic substances.  They are comprised of pure, undiluted natural oils that interact with the skin to promote better skin tone and elasticity.  CREO oils work great on wet skin to “seal” in moisture and over a moisturizer/cream.  They work great on the skin before shaving either on their own or under shaving cream.