The Better Blog

No doubt you’ve heard rave reviews about hair and scalp serums — they have revolutionized the hair care industry with their protective, smoothing, and nourishing capabilities. Yet you can’t help but wonder if all of the hype is too good to be true. Surely, there must be a downside.

Any substance applied to your hair or scalp has the potential for side effects because everyone’s body chemistry reacts differently to the variety of ingredients. If you have sensitive skin, fragile hair, or use a product contrary to its instructions, hair serum could end up causing more harm than good.

What are the side effects of hair serum? Let’s explore the different serum types and examine their potential downsides.

Hair density is one of the most important standards women use to determine how they feel about themselves. It profoundly affects their self-esteem because thick, lustrous hair is so strongly identified with a woman's idea of femininity. 

Yet this beauty challenge is not uncommon. Hair loss in women occurs in an estimated 50% of U.S. women, and about 30 million will experience female pattern hair loss (FPHL). This form of hair loss can escalate during menopause due to decreased estrogen. Making matters worse, menopause shrinks our follicles, causing wispy hairs to replace thicker strands. 

To address this beauty challenge, many of us turn to hair thickening products or volumizing shampoos; however, not every product meshes well with our hair's underlying biology. Is volumizing shampoo bad for thin hair? Continue reading to find out. 

Sulfates are primarily responsible for the thick lather that forms when you clean with soaps and detergents. Some people say their hair feels cleaner after using sulfate shampoos; however, these shampoos can have a detrimental effect on your hair and scalp — exacerbating the challenges aging women face with hormone-related thinning and fine-textured hair.

Though most women ingest enough nutrients to support hair and scalp health through their diet, aging, medical conditions, and other issues could lead to vitamin deficiencies.

Hair supplements are products containing vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients designed to ensure you are getting enough vital substances your body needs to produce dense, thriving locks.

All hair, nail, and skin supplements typically include vitamins A, C, and E, plus B-complex vitamins, and biotin. Marine collagens are also found in supplements promoted for healthy hair. Though uncommon, women with vitamin deficiencies can experience a number of side effects.

For example, biotin deficiency can lead to hair loss and scalp eczema, while insufficient consumption of A and E vitamins can leave you with dry skin and brittle hair. Read on to learn how hair supplements work.

For many women, their gray hair seems to possess a personality all its own. Its texture is often coarse, unruly, and stubborn, causing it to resist many of our tried-and-true styling techniques. However, all hair textures can lack volume and body if you use the wrong shampoos or use them incorrectly.

There are numerous hair care products on the market professing to give our hair added body. Sprays, serums, mousses, gels, shampoos, conditioners — if your hair is thinning, you may be tempted to try them all. But what is the best volumizer for thin hair?

Hair loss is a fact of life a lot of us will have to face. According to the Cleveland Clinic, one out of two women will face noticeable thinning. Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is the most common cause, affecting nearly 30 million U.S. women. No matter how healthy and voluminous your locks have been, at some point, we are bound to notice more scalp showing through our strands. Age-related hair loss can be challenging to contend with; however, there are methods available to treat it.

Nothing messes up a relaxing hot shower like the discovery of a clump of hair in your drain. More likely than not, you are dealing with seasonal hair loss. According to research studies, your hair’s growth cycle follows a seasonal trend related to how your body reacts to the changes to the amount of sunlight it receives. The good news is that you can help slow shedding and boost hair and scalp health during the colder seasons. Keep reading to learn why we lose more hair during the fall and winter months and what we can do about it.

Is Vitamin A really the best haircare defense against hair loss and breakage? As we age, hair becomes much more prone to loss, thinning, and breakage. Understanding which essential vitamins and minerals your body and hair need is the first step to enjoying thick and healthy hair at any age. For women over 40, vitamin deficiencies can be a key element in hair loss. What are the best vitamins and minerals for hair loss in women over 40?

The scalp is where our follicles are, where the hair strand is still alive and can benefit from the proper care. Sebaceous glands are also located in the scalp, producing oils that help coat hair strands providing elasticity and resilience and also helping to keep scalp skin moisturized. Underneath the first layer of the skin there are many capillary bases, an area with many blood vessels that help nourish the hair.

As we age, the health and vitality of the scalp and follicles can deteriorate if we don’t take care of them properly. The great news is that there are many ways to improve this. One way is through an increase of blood flow to hair follicles to increase the length of the anagen stage of hair growth. Increasing blood flow in the hair follicles allows the scalp to build a strong base for the life cycle of the strands. 

• Scalp Massage - Since the goal is to keep your hair strands in the anagen stage for as long as possible, healthy follicle and scalp cells are the key. Stimulating your scalp through massaging the skin can help maintain the health of the follicles and thus allow more hair to grow before the strands reaching the telogen stage fall out. 
• Microcirculation - Stimulation of your scalp allows the integrity of the follicles to strengthen because of increased blood flow to the area. Microcirculation is the blood circulation in the smallest blood vessels of our bodies - the microvessels in the organ tissues. These tiny blood vessels are what carry life to the follicles. The herb known as Centella Asiatica is popular for helping to stimulate and strengthen circulation within the follicles and roots.
• Avoid Dryness - Combine scalp massages for circulation with nourishing and scalp-stimulating products containing ingredients like Caffeine, Centella asiatica, Ginger and Kelp Extract that can help strengthen your follicles and promote healthy hair. 

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The true story of how Better Not Younger was born resides not with the genius mind of a designer or a long-time creative vision that just needed to be realized. It resides with the many women we interviewed in the development process, who were fed up with the stereotypical way they were being treated by brands, and who yearned for something that felt more representative of who they are today.