Can Greasy Hair Protect Your Lungs?

Anyone doing a PhD has to write an original paper, or (help) work on some original, doctorate-approved research. This means academics keep having to come up with new ideas for a study. Some are paid for by Big Pharma, of course.

I haven't seen it published anywhere, but I'm certain the big boys at the top of Big Food and Big Pharma have commissioned a study that proves that it IS possible to get a camel through the eye of a needle. You just have to put the camel in a blender first.

I don't wash my hair more than twice a week but I must admit I've had little success using proper soap. Either it's a bar and it takes half an hour to dissolve enough to actually clean all the hair, or I pre-dissolve it in a bottle to make a gel (as I use for handwashing in the kitchen) and it takes half the bottle. Then of course you need a little lemon juice or vinegar in the final rinse to remove the dulling alkaline effects of the soap.

I used to know a woman who stopped washing her hair. She kept it short and claimed she had 'detoxxed' and 'rehabbed' her hair. After all, animals don't need soap.

Lady Pam, I used to use diluted vinegar as a final rinse after washing my hair with soap but I stopped that when I found it was damaging my shoulder length hair. I then found that I did not actually need it and my hair was actually nice and soft after washing with the soap only and not hard and lank as it usually is when you wash your hair with soap. I assume this is because we make our soap using oil (palm oil and rice bran oil) rather than using fat. I also have no trouble getting it to lather up. You might have more success if you try to find a soap made with oil to wash your hair.

Now here's the part that really varies.  Some people have a long shampoo withdrawal (up to two months).  Most take less than a week.  Some have none.  But you may have a withdrawal where you may experience a day or two of "smell" (it doesn't smell rank, it smells like a body, and only someone very physically close to you will notice it), itching, tenderness (feels like hair that's been up in a ponytail all day and then let down), or some such.  I had a day of each, spread out over 2 or 3 weeks.  If your hair is long, you might plan to wear it up in public during this time.  

What are the benefits?  My hair has the volume I always used products to achieve.  It absorbs far less water (went from 2hrs to air dry to usually <1) - it shouldn't amaze me, though, b/c think of other mammals that are covered with far more hair than we, and aren't the sopping messes we are when rained on!  Mammals have a built-in water protection that we are stripping with shampoo!  Dh's short hair no longer needs gels or hairspray for styling.  He uses nothing, or sometimes a (very) little coconut oil.  Curly hair stops needing all the de-frizz products.  

I still have occasional bad hair days, as before.  But in general, people are still constantly complimenting me on my hair, and for the first time in his life, dh has gotten compliments on his!  My hair is not as super-sleek to the touch as it used to be, but the end of the flat-on-my-head-split-in-the-middle Marsha Brady look more than makes up for it for me!  :)

This is very interesting! However, I do not plan to try it any soon... Since I threw all commercial cosmetics in my house a few weeks ago, I now use Agronatura shampoo & conditioner, this is a soap-based line I'm using and I finally got to the point where I can actually work up a nice lather! The lemony-herbal smell is fantastic too.

Here in Japan where I live, the Japanese are obsessed with washing their hair every day, needless to say that the wig and hair-attachment etc businesses are flourishing :) I only wash mine like every 4 or 5 days and that is great.

Nonsumdignus, I forgot to comment on your water absorption remark in my previous post. Now that I think of it, the other day one of my cats slipped while walking on the rim and accidentally fell into the bathtub full of water and she was completely soaked but what I found interesting was that she got dry very quickly! I guess this is about the absorption and cat hair (animal hair) is different maybe? I do not bathe my cats so this was her first time to get soaking wet :) Memorable experience I'm sure... will keep her away from the bathtub for a while.

Too right, springolife!  I didn't wash my baby every day even though the accepted 'normal' bed routine included a bath! It's enough to 'top and tail' them, and wash their hands. As she grew older, splashing about in the bath became a special treat.

When she went to a creche at 18 months, I was delighted to learn that they did NOT use disposable, toxin-soaked wipes when nappy-changing. Instead, they had stacks and stacks of clean washcloths and used them with plain water ONLY - sometimes 3 or 4 for one baby's bum. They also had big, industrial type washing machines to cope with the load.

Here in Colorado they actually suggest you not bathe children daily as it dries out their skin.  My son gets a bath once a week unless otherwise needed.  I've gone to showering every other day.  When I get myself used to that, we'll go to 3 days.

You have a few misconceptions about head lice.  It really isn't about cleanliness or dirtiness that attracts lice, but simply body chemistry.  Some people attract lice while others do not.  I am one of the lucky ones that never gets lice no matter how much I'm around it.  Unfortunately my son is a lice magnet, regardless whether his hair was squeaky clean or oily and messy.  I have since found the best solution that works for us.  Visit http://www.nitmix.com to read all you ever wanted to know about lice, and how to get rid of them.

The Environmental Protection Agency during the 1990's did warn the public not to purchase ozonators because it was harmful to health. It was all over their web pages within the US EPA.  

Myriad scientific studies have linked ground-level ozone exposure to a variety of problems, including:

airway irritation, coughing, and pain when taking a deep breath; wheezing and breathing difficulties during exercise or outdoor activities; aggravation of asthma and increased susceptibility to respiratory illnesses like pneumonia and bronchitis; and, permanent lung damage with repeated exposures.

Ground level ozone damages public health and plant life, including that of trees and ecosystems.  For more, see: www.epa.gov/.../health.html

Ozone is only good where it protects the Earth from UV rays. Ground level ozone is dangerous and is caused by the burning of fossil fuels, including coal, oil, gasoline, and even natural gas (which puts formaldehyde into the air)! Manmade ozone is far greater than that made by nature.

www.powerscorecard.org/issue_detail.cfm

Some countries use ozone to purify water and claim it safer than chlorine.  I don't have the details.

People who read this board should know better than to dismiss things just because the establishment claims that they are dangerous or ineffective. The problem with smog is most likely not the ozone but all the other dangerous gases. It has just been more convenient to blame a natural substance than the exhaust fumes from cars.

Just do a search for “OZONE THERAPY” and you will find an abundance of links about how ozone could be used as a therapy, even intravenously (!)

The theory behind the use of ozone for therapeutic purposes is that all higher cells are aerobic and can survive in an oxygen rich atmosphere. The cell membrane is coated with antioxidants that protect the cell. Lower life forms such a virus, cancer cells and many bacteria are anaerobic and die if exposed to oxygen.

If invaded or damaged, the body creates pro-oxidant free radicals (e.g. hydrogen peroxide) as one of its main defense to kill the invaders. Many conventional cancer therapies are pro-oxidants that use the same mechanism to kill the cancer cells. Ozone is just a very aggressive free radical that will oxidize (“burn”) away dead cells, bacteria, cancer cells and other debris inside the body.

If the normal cells in the body are nourished with antioxidants they will be protected and the ozone therapy will be harmless.

The negative reactions reported by people who are exposed to ozone are caused by side effects from the strong purging reaction inside the body. If a normal (unhealthy) adult is exposed to ozone, the gas will enter the bloodstream and react with debris, dead cells, bacteria, and proto-cancer cells and kill these cells. The result is that the level of dead toxic residues in the bloodstream goes up, which puts the liver and kidneys under a lot of extra strain. The body reacts with fatigue and headache while it is purging the unwanted substances.

There is no Hydrogen in O3. It is three atoms of Oxygen. So one of the Oxygen Atoms splits off leaving O2 is what you should have said.

This is what Wikipedia has to say:

"Ozone reacts directly with some hydrocarbons such as aldehydes and thus begins their removal from the air, but the products are themselves key components of smog. Ozone photolysis by UV light leads to production of the hydroxyl radical OH and this plays a part in the removal of hydrocarbons from the air, but is also the first step in the creation of components of smog such as peroxyacyl nitrates which can be powerful eye irritants. The atmospheric lifetime of tropospheric ozone is about 22 days; its main removal mechanisms are being deposited to the ground, the above mentioned reaction giving OH, and by reactions with OH and the peroxy radical HO2· (Stevenson et al., 2006).

There is evidence of significant reduction in agricultural yields because of increased ground-level ozone and pollution which interferes with photosynthesis and stunts overall growth of some plant species.

Certain examples of cities with elevated ozone readings are Houston, Texas, and Mexico City, Mexico. Houston has a reading of around 41 ppb, while Mexico City is far more hazardous, with a reading of about 125 ppb."

Ozone is O3. Ground level ozone is a international problem. It comes all the way across the oceans to the next continent. China's and all of Asia's Ozone problem is affecting us. The AAAAI use to say that Asthma was thought to be caused by Ground Level Ozone levels. Now that Schering/Key is sponsoring them they changed their tune as of 2002. Schering/Key where the makers of Claritin. The truth is hidden again by the Pharmaceutical Industry by pay offs in the form of sponsoring their web site.

Ground level ozone is not safe period to be breathing. Make that clear! We need HHO like Stanley Meyer's had with his Water Fuel Cell of WFC that got 1,700% efficiency output as Ravi also got. That will clean the air.

Beccadog must have done a lot of research to come up with all the technology about ozone.  He must have read some big pharma reports.  Health doc is right.  If ozone clutters up the airways in the lungs then maybe the serrapeptase enzyme is the answer.  Since oxygen creates a lot of free radicals and we're told to take antioxidants, then serrapeptase is the answer to cluttered lung airways.  It clears out much mucus and dead cells and other unneeded crap in the body.  It must be some propaganda put out by the AMA, the FDA or the pharmacuetal companies that associate ozone with smog.  IF anyone wants to know all that is known today about ozone and oxygen they should read Ed McCabe's (Mr. Oxygen) book Flood Your Body With Oxygen.  I believe he has done more unbiased research on oxygen then anyone.  I have an ozone generator and an ion generator in my home and I wouldn't be without it because it helps my bad case of  emphasema.

The ozone layer is a layer in Earth's atmosphere which contains relatively high concentrations of ozone (O3). This layer absorbs 97-99% of the sun's high frequency ultraviolet light, which is potentially damaging to life on Earth.  In New Zealand, horses wear blankets on their backs and flanks. Not because they are cold, but horse owners to protect the horses from skin cancer because the hole in the ozone layer is so large over New Zealand.

That's a different aspect of the ozone which people breathe in highly congested cities.  Ground level ozone in smog is a collection of dangerous hydrocarbons released mostly by cars and trucks, factories and petrochemicals. These hydrocarbons react with UV rays from the sun to form nitric oxides (NOX), halogenated by-products, and lead and sulfur compounds. These composites aggravate respiratory problems and burn eyes. The manmade components of smog are the volatile organic compounds (VOC's) and industrial particulates.  The VOC's include such chemicals as benzene, which causes leukemia in animals and humans, xylenes which are toxic to the brain (central) and peripheral nervous systems and cause short term memory loss, confusion, and such. These chemicals are used to manufacture plastics, they are in pesticides, designed to kill or cause harm to insects, weeds, fungi, but also harm animals and people.

In general NOx comes from motor vehicles, while SO2 comes from factories. Together they form ozone, which is detrimental to health in large quantities.

I would like to see moe about this too! In fact this side note is THE most interesting part of the article IMHO. Dr. Mercola may be under some NDA... but it would be nice to hear if this is Follica or Intercytex?

I have been following Dr. Mercola's advice for about 10 years or so, and I am a very healthy 47 year old - feeling more like a 30 year old. I have a healthy fear of mainstream thinking regarding health.  And with that note, I advise the use of the LaserCap to grow hair.  www.lasercap.us.  It is not a miracle cure to baldness, but it is a part of a treatment plan for thicker, fuller and healthier hair. As a physical therapist I use LLLT/cold laser to heal musculoskeletal injuries.  My husband who is an MD, invented this cap in interest to helping his own hair loss problem.  It sold world wide, but only through physicians.  If interested, contact your MD.  It works great with the newest hair implant methods....using it post surgically.  Good luck Dr. Mercola!!

How would dirt get in the hair of most people?  If I swim in a muddy lake or roll in the sand, though, yes, water alone will remove the dirt from my scalp (there really is none in my hair) - just rub it, or use one of those plastic or rubber nubbed scalp brushes.  If I really doubted it, a tiny bit of natural soap would do the same.  But just as an illustration of how good a job natural sebum does in protecting the hair, I had my hair covered in hairspray & gel by the stylist for my sister's wedding, was prepared to have to use shampoo to wash it out, but found that water alone did the trick.  

Someone asked about straight hair.  Mine is straight.  It is not "greasy" at all.  It has the natural, barely-there coating of sebum that protects it.  "Greasy" comes from letting the sebum build up when you first go off of shampoo, but after another day or two, the overproduction tapers off and you begin to get back to what you were meant to have in the first place.

I only use Dr. Bronner's "magic" soaps.  I preference is peppermint showers in the summer because it is invigorating to shower with peppermint after dripping in the Louisiana heat. But, I also use Dr. Bronner's baby shampoo, which is actually a soap made with hemp.  

Did you know Dr. Bronner's is one of the few certified organic and fair trade soaps?  It's great stuff.  I've been using it for over 20 years.  

Sray, where are you getting this information about a mandatory 5% antiseptic?  ...and about not having to mention any constituent the comprises less than 5%???  I have done courses on home-made personal care products and have studied the laws and labelling regulations for products offered to the general public: I've never come across this.

I can assure you that most ingredients on your shampoo-bottle label ARE less than 5%, apart from water. Your average mainstream shampoo consists of a tiny bit of SLS (sodium laurel sulphate) diluted in a load of water with sodium chloride (table salt) added to thicken it. All the essential oils, natural extracts and other fancy claims are added in teensy amounts.

You can also be sure that a common preservative in truly organic products is grapefruit seed extract. Many really safe products also have use-by dates and advise keeping in the fridge. Organic coconut oil itself is antibacterial and antiviral and does NOT go off without preservatives or antiseptics, neither does true soap, or many other products.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it your choice to read this and get the emails?  If you don't like it, opt out!  Don't read it!  Some of us do find this light stuff interesting, even if occasional articles won't save anyone's life.  Not all of the docs articles have to be "heavies".  I've many times found informative and interesting material posted by readers even if their ideas are different from my own.  

Yep, the choice is always yours! No obligation to read any of this "nonsense". In the newsletter you should only click those titles that are interesting to you and then you can save your precious time. How about that.