GLEAM: The (accidental) Sensational Hair Oil from Killer Strands

Posted by Reporter on Monday

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Readers Suggest Tricks They Have Found For It

In many of the hundreds of emails I receive daily I am pointing people here and there and everywhere to go to in order to help them find the solutions they need to solve their hair issues. The other day I sent one reader to the Post on GLEAM and how to use it.. . . which I have done many times before. She was the only one to come back and tell me there wasn’t one, whoa did I feel stupid. Cherie, this one’s for you.

Funny part about this; I have followed and done extensive research in an Indian form of medicine that is over 4000 years old, called Ayurvedic,since my introduction to YOGA 8 years ago. I believe in it with all my heart and soul . . .its a bit edgy . .  and with Californians already getting a bad rap for being "out there"… I guess I have been hesitant to bring it up. Oils are a huge part of Ayurvedic medicine, and if a country of 2 billion people can have success  and believe in it for 4000 years - who are we to not be open to hearing about it at least? Alas . . . I’m writing about them, they have worked wonders for my clients and myself - so this is the introduction and soon I will be writing about the 3 new Oil-combos I have coming out that will help your hair and skin more than any of those high end conditioner conglomerations.

 

 Gleam. Gleam was my introduction into studying and combining oils. Through Ayurvedic medicine they have tested and used specific oils over the hundreds of years to find the proper oil for a certain "body type." What it is not is "hey lets get some CRISCO oil and slap it on the hair"…. What I have done,in the same light, is study the "properties" of each individual oil then combine it with Ayurvedic’s solution for each body type. There are probably 100 +  Fixed/Carrier Oils, out there…as soon as think I have heard of all of them - - a few more pop up - - just last night I read about a new "coffee oil", made from the coffee bean!  Here is an over-simplified version of what is said about some of the oils:

Almond oil - practically odorless, provides good slip and glide for massage. helps to relieve itching, irritation and inflammation, and soothes dry skin. it lubricates the skin well, but does not penetrate it quickly, which again makes it good for massage and for protecting the surface of the skin.However, it goes rancid quickly; it is helpful to blend it with 10% of wheat germ or jojoba oil for storage. . . relatively cheap.

Apricot Kernel oil - particularly helpful for dehydrated, delicate, mature, or sensitive skin; soothes inflammation and has a high vitamin A content. has a lighter consistency than almond and characteristic smell, its cost is also comparable to that of almond. suitable for body oils and lotions. Great for moisturizing both delicate & mature hair.

Avocado oil - rich, heavy, deep green, with lots of skin-nourishing vitamins (a and e). good for dry and mature skin & hair, and also helpful in eczema and psoriasis, best blended with other oils.

Grapeseed  oil - Light , odorless, easily absorbed , mildly astringent , tightens and tones the skin, which makes it useful for acne. it is always solvent-extracted, causing sensitivity in some individuals.

Jojoba - Similar in composition to the skin’s & hair’s own oils, it is quickly absorbed. Good for dry and mature skin/hair and inflamed conditions. Helps to control acne, oily skin and oily scalp. Is an antioxidant - does not become rancid and can prevent rancidity in other oils.

Kukui - very thin, very light , with a strong smell; high in linoleic and linoleic acids, quickly absorbed into the skin, expensive.

Olive - has a strong, foodsy smell, but also good medicinal properties. Is not absorbed by the hair strand properly, does not go rancid easily and can be stored without refrigeration for a year.

I have been collecting this type of info and quite a bit more technical ones of Oil Property Lists from a dozen or so sources, combine them with Ayurvedic view points to come up with the 3 new oils that will be coming out to benefit your body/hair type soon. This new study of lipids and the fact that our body needs them is a fascinating subject to me. I feel companies like DUPONT who are billion dollar companies and make "fake" oils called silicones and esters - have squashed the "natural and organic oil" industry by falsely leading the public to believe that "oil-free" is a good thing. Our bodies require lipids/oils in order to function properly….just one more of those questionable things we have been doing to our body/hair without having the proper research completed. Hey, I’m one too . . . until I took up YOGA, I knew nothing about all of this

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Now, for GLEAM . . .  Gleam is the Gold Standard for all hair oils 25% of the formula is Argan oil .  Argan Oil is one of the rarest oils in the entire world, its made by hand and stems from Morocco (ONLY), it registers high in lipids and possesses a remarkable ability to nourish and moisturize hair strands.  

Argan Oil Properties:

• Absorbs Quickly
• Highly Moisturizing
• Golden in Color with Moderate Viscosity
• Rich in Alpha Tocopherols (Vitamin E)
• Rich in Phenols and Phenolic Acid
• Rich in Carotenes
• Natural Anti-Oxidant
• Anti-Inflammatory
• High in Fatty and Essential Fatty Acids:
  • Palmitic Acid: 14%
  • Stearic Acid: 5%
  • Oleic Acid: 43.5%
  • Linoleic Acid: 37%
  • Linolenic: <0.6%
• Rich in Squalene and May Help Protect Hair from Free Radicals.

This oil’s high content in oleic acid makes this it particularly interesting in the regulation of blood cholesterol. Some studies are being done and it seems that 2 Tbsp per day of this oil during a month could considerably lower cholesterol levels. Argan Oil is a Highly Recommended Ingredient in Personal Care Products Intended for the Following:

• Anti-Aging hair & skin + Wrinkle Reduction
• Acne
• Psoriasis
• Eczema
• Sunburn
• Stretch Marks
• Damaged Hair
• Dry Scalp
• Frizzy, Curly Hair Control
• Leave-in Hair Styling Aid
• Brittle Nails
• Sore or Stiff Muscles
• Hair Detangler

Plus the other 3 oils - Abyssinian Oil, Rose Hips Oil, and finally Jojoba oil have just as many positive properties as Argan, I made it to be better than any hair/body oil in existence and I believe it is.

Now, for how to use Gleam. Which is really what this was supposed to be about!

 

Gleam was originally developed for one reason: to apply to my clients hair prior to bleaching the hair. It just seemed logical, that if the one and only time the cuticle (on a hair strand) is open is when the coloring process takes place, why not have lipids (oils) on that strand so they can go in along with the bleach or color.  Bleach is the one and only product that lightens many peoples hair to the lightness they are seeking, so I am constantly looking for ways to make it a completely non-damaging technique. Its why I only use Levitation Oil bleach on every bleach/tone case, as well as a mixture of Gleam, Blondor cream Bleach and Blondor powder bleach for all my foil-work. As soon as I started applying GLEAM to my Bleach clients — it was the added difference I was looking for — the clients and I were blown away at the shine and at the condition of the hair afterwards.

Ta-Da . . . . . . . . . a new Lipid Pre-Treatment was born to the world of hair color!

"Lipids" are really just another name for Oils, they are fatty acids and their derivatives. They are easily stored in the body and are a necessary part of the cell and hair strand. In the hair structure, lipids are present in the inner root sheaths and hair shaft …  lipids provide sheen to the hair and contribute towards its tensile (strength) properties. There is an increase in hair lipids after puberty in both the genders. After a women reaches middle age there is a decrease in lipid content but it is not so in the case of men. Therefore, anything a hair colorist can do to keep lipids in the hair should be well appreciated by all clients. As crib colorists you too, can now watch out for your own lipids by following my lead.

 

Now I apply 2/3 - 3ml dropper fulls of GLEAM to my clients hair before tinting, lightening, relaxing, any chemical service at all, which is what I would highly suggest you do as well.  For the help to your hair, the shine, the strength it will render the nominal cost and the tiny bit of time it takes is well worth it. I would not use any cooking oils, they are just not treated the proper way  - - unless you don’t mind your hair smelling like french fries or donuts.

As I look back and try to figure out why I had not even considered using GLEAM for other purposes other than bleach, the only reason I can come up with is, I was just too busy. .

I cannot remember which of our Killer Strander’s it was that first told me about this little trick with GLEAM . . .but it seems so many of you are now applying GLEAM to the hair first using Heat ( the plastic cap and hair dryer trick ) waiting 15-30-60 minutes and finally applying THRIVEN on top of the Gleam for the overnight  treatment. Many people have been raving about this method of using GLEAM and the added condition and shine you are retrieving from it. If ay of you have have found other uses, PLEASE , be so kind as to share them - helping others is the main theme hear at Killer Strands. So there you have it one and all……. the special and wonderful tricks of GLEAM.

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