I emailed Dr. Pickart Chat and he gave me this info which I would like to pass on to everyone here:
"The famous hair stylist George Michael (now deceased) 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 in Inches
Average Number of 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 used 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° F higher than body temperature.
Common blow dryers reach temperatures of up to 260°F. Water boils at 212°F. 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.
Hair cutting was done as one-length style using a straight blunt cut. Michael felt that when hair was cut in layers, the body automatically tried to even out the hair which created extra fallout.
Shampoos were kept to a minimum. Vitamin and mineral supplements were recommended. He recommended covering hair at all times when exposed to direct sunlight.
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. Avoid foaming shampoos. 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.Folligen Therapy Conditioner is a acidifying conditioner with peptides that re-bond the hair cuticles. It also helps 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."
now, that we have heard from a very reliable source with the education to back this up with scientific facts how do we go about fighting discrimination against Men who desire to have longer healthier manes? anyone have any suggestions?
I don't know about some here, but if a woman is allowed to wear her hair to mid-back or waist length at work, by golly I think I should be allowed to as well!
Interesting read there, Paul, a lot of it based on just plain old good common sense -- thanks for sharing this! I remember the first time I heard hair advise from an older long-haired female co-worker back when I was in my early 20s, who had beautiful hip-length hair telling me to never brush my hair when wet, because hair is weaker when wet, thus more likely to stretch too far and then break than if using a comb on wet hair-- and fortunately, I've followed her advise ever since!
Another interesting piece of advise that I remember first hearing from this same woman back in the '70s was her recommendation to brush my own hair when dry, brushing it forward (as this article also recommends) in order to help stimulate the scalp, which nourishes the hair by sending blood to the root, and also helps to distribute the hair's natural oils down the hair shaft length to the ends...
In my opinion, long-haired women aught to know a thing or two about good hair care -- unless, of course, you see a woman with a lot of dry, brittle, nasty-looking split ends from too much chemical usage or hot irons and blow-dryers (LOL)!
Good hair care is the same, whether the hair on a person's head is male, or female. It's all about learning how to avoid anything that might cause unnecessary damage, especially for those of us who wish to have our hair as looooong as possible.
- Ken in San Francisco
This is the guy mentioned in the article
now, if we could get more salons to be long hair friendly especially towards Men that would be awesome!
Long Hair Salon George Michael
Thanks for sharing that great package of information...my favorite is:
"...Think of your hair as a silk garment and treat it accordingly..."
Could someone explain how this is possible? I'm under the impression that no matter how long your hair is the root can't
tell how long or short it is.
LOL, who ever said Doctors get things right "all" of the time? Just like Dr. Oz on his TV show, most of the time I love his wise advise and common-sense approach; but then every once in awhile he makes some wack-o statement that convinces me he's also a bit, "out to lunch!"
- Ken
George Michael was not highly scientific. Some things he said were very good advice, some were hocus pocus. However, at least you aren't likely to harm your hair by following this advice, which is a lot more than can be said for most hair stylists!
I e
mailed Dr. Pickart Chat and he gave me this info which I would like to pass on to everyone here:
so when is the Long Hair revolution going to start?