American Board of Certified Haircolorists 

Newsletter 

July 2014 

In This Issue
LA Exam NEW ABCH
MEA vs Ammonia
Generic Peroxide Test
New Haircolor Remover
ABCH 2014 Exam Dates
Lowlights from the Editor

14th Annual ABCH Energizing Summit
receives rave reviews!
June 8-9, 2014   
LAX Marriott Hotel  
Los Angeles, CA  
Thank you for your support. 
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR! 
Los Angeles Exam 2014 - Our Newest Group of ABCH 

The ABCH Examination in Los Angeles produced 30 new Board Certified haircolorists a 75% pass rate! The work displayed in the performance examination was outstanding as stated by the evaluators. The evaluators were Kris McGinnis, Julie Lazarof, Andi Makowski and Pamela Pacheco.   

The mentoring program is paying off big time!  When interviewing Crystal Vasquez, we asked why she did not take the examination sooner. She indicated she did not have the confidence until she participated in the mentoring program; but then she said, "I can do this! I thank Wella for sponsoring the mentoring program. It helped me tremendously."  

Remember our examination is product neutral. We teach you to formulate and be able to work with any brand of haircolor. If you choose to change salons, you will not become paralyzed if you have to use a new line of haircolor.  

The next ABCH Examination is in Boston on August 17th.

Congratulations to our newest Board Certified Colorists!

Letter to the Editor  

Referred to Chase Wakeling, ABCH Summit Educator for response:

Sheryle asks: Can you provide me with the facts vs. manufacturer jargon about MEA vs. Ammonia? Which should I use and why? I am interested in the chemistry analysis and does MEA cause hair loss?

 

Hi Sheryle,

Good question. Ammonia and MEA are both alkalizers used in haircolor. I will break each of them down for you chemically.

 

Ammonia (NH3) is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, it's water soluble, is used in liquid form in color but becomes as gas and evaporates into the air, has a strong odor, and is found naturally occurring in nature and can also be man made. When used in haircolor, approximately 1% ammonia is required to achieve the lift and deposit we are used to obtaining. Ammonia is naturally produced by the human body.

 

MEA, also found as monoethanolamine or ethanolamine, (C2H7NO) is a reactive chemical compound created by the reaction of ethylene oxide with ammonia, meaning it's an ammonia derivative, exists in a liquid form, and has almost no odor. When used in haircolor, approximately 10% MEA is required to achieve less lift and deposit than we are used to obtaining.

Ammonia is always the safer of the two ingredients to use in haircolor. Ammonia turns into a gas and is completely removed after the service is completed. MEA leaves a residue that remains in the hair, and when it's dry it is not harmful; however, when you add water again, the residual MEA left will re-alkalize in the air, causing fading! Also Proctor & Gamble completed a study listed on the National Institute of Health's website in Feb, 2014 which stated, "all methods show an increase in damage from MEA-based formulations, up to 85% versus ammonia...", and another study from April, Copyright 2012 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology, states "hydrogen peroxide and monoethanolamine are the key causative ingredients for hair dye induced dermatitis and hair loss."

 

So to conclude: MEA is not as safe to use as Ammonia. MEA requires 10 times the amount in haircolor to do a less affective job. MEA causes scalp dermatitis and hair loss. MEA is a harsh chemical that is derived from ammonia, and is not more or less organic. And as a final note, all haircolor is "organic" in chemistry, as it is all carbon based, but no haircolor is "organic" as in food safety standards. Be aware of what you believe as most of the Jargon we hear is just that. Do your research and check the facts, or give me a call and I will do it for you. Thank you for the question.  

 

Chase Wakeling, Color Hotline # 207-570-8829 The above information was included in Chase's 2014  Energizing Summit class Splitting Hairs, The Real Truth

MARIANNA COMPANY TESTS PEROXIDES (DEVELOPERS)

The Marianna Company is one of the largest suppliers of haircolor developer in the United States. They determined after extensive tests that their "Super Star" developer works as well as the dedicated developers for the top haircolor lines. Marianna states that their peroxide was as good as or better than the following dedicated developers: Redken, L'Oreal, Pravana, Kenra, Paul Mitchell, Matrix and TIGI.  

We viewed the comparative studies with swatches and, indeed, they looked the same. The statistics are too extensive to publish so you have to take our word for it. If you are looking to save on your peroxide costs, here's a way to do it.

NEW HAIRCOLOR REMOVER

Malibu has formulated a new permanent haircolor remover called CPR that will not affect the natural hair. Our test shows that it is the most effective remover we have tested to date.  

All of the other products we tested so far behaved in a similar manner. After the removal of color from the hair, the color would oxidize and redevelop dark again. Not so with the Malibu remover CPR, where more of the color molecules were removed so much less  re-darkening of the color.  

The best news is that it does not have that obnoxious smell found in all of the other removers we tested. The amount of color removed was not 3 levels, as advertised; however, we started with a medium dark color, so there was not such a concentration of color on the strand lightened.

1) Malibu CPR comes packed in a foil container with 0.75 of powder 

2) Colored two strands of yak hair.

3) Mixed the color removers as instructed.

4) Applied the remover to one of the strands.

5) Scrubbed the hair with the remover.

6) Added heat 87 degrees for 15 minutes

7) Scrubbed with shampoo three times.

8) Malibu rates the highest against the last comparison.

 
2014 ABCH Examination Dates

Boston  ............ August 17                Washington DC ....  October 12      
Sarasota, FL .... September 14          Atlanta ................. November 9     
                 Links for more info: 

   

  ABCH Certification Exam Registration     

Lowlights from the Editor
 
This new product has been called the Holy Grail of Haircolor... is it true? An additive to haircolor and bleach that stops hair breakage and reduces the damage caused by repeated chemical services? This is cutting edge chemistry! Watch for your next ABCH newsletter.
We are doing online research to find for more information about .... Olaplex. This could be ground-breaking! 
    
Problem? Question? Complaint? Suggestion?  

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