Hair Loss Facts and Fiction

Posts by Melissa Colabella

The most common question my clients ask me is related to hair loss. How can they prevent it? Are they doomed because their mother's father went bald? Should they try the comb-over, cut it short, or just shave it all off? Below are some myths debunked.

Myth: Your hair loss genetic destiny comes from your mother's side.

Fact: According to http://www.hairlosslearningcenter.org/, hair loss and hair growth is set by a genetic combination determined by both sides of your family. Of course, if your family tree is filled with balding scalps, you do have a better chance of losing hair.

Myth: Blow Drying your hair or using product promotes hair loss.

Fact: Too much drying may lead to brittle and breakable hair, but men with shorter hairstyles are usually cutting their hair off way before any damage can begin to show. This is more of a concern with women who wear their hair long. And as for styling product and coloring processes resulting in hair loss, there’s no truth to that. These applications may cause some damage to the hair strands if you regularly choose poor quality products with a high alcohol or peroxide content. Regardless of what you put on the hair on your head, the root of the hair, located under the skin, stays safe.

Qu: Can medications cause hair loss?
 
Fact: According to Dr. Robert Leonard, a hair loss expert for Rogaine, There are a number of medications that can cause hair loss. The most common are, medication for blood thinners (e.g., Coumadin), anti-anxiety medications (specifically SSRIs like Prozac, Lexipro, and Zoloft), drugs that employ chemotherapy agents (e.g., Methotrexate and Tamoxifen) and the long-term use of steroids. To determine if your hair loss is due to medication, you must consult your doctor. Your doctor can then decide if you can switch medications

(Photo courtesy of Model Mayhem and is no way implying proof of steroid use.)
 
 
Myth: Lotions and potions can't regrow my hair.
 
Fact: According to Rogaine.com, a company that uses the active ingredient Minoxidil in their product, "In clinical testing, ROGAINE^® Foam regrew hair in 85% of men after 4 months when used twice daily." According to Nioxin.com, "NIOXIN® is not a hair loss product but a scalp and hair care regimen designed to improve the scalp health environment and improve the appearance of fine and thin looking hair. Regardless of the many contributing factors associated with thinning, using NIOXIN® to create an optimum scalp environment helps encourage healthy, thicker-looking hair." NIOXIN® products may be used simultaneously with Propecia®. The company does not recommend any NIOXIN® Treatments with Rogaine®. Propecia® is a registered trademark and product of Merck & Co. Inc. Rogaine® is a registered trademark and product of McNeil-PPC Inc.


Qu: What is the best way to style thinning or receding hair? Should I buzz it off? Comb it over? Grow it long? Keep it short?

Answer: That's best determined during a consultation with your stylist. Every individual has a unique hair texture, balding pattern, growth pattern and preference.

Truman's Holiday Gifts

For the first time ever, Truman's is offering a special 'haircut only' annual membership package for $725. A haircut every four weeks for a whole year!

Please visit our website for other pre-set packages the man in your life will love:
Truman's Holiday Packages

If you would like to create a custom package, please send an email to Reservations@Trumans-Nyc.com, with the services you would like to include and we will put together a custom gift package for you. 

Happy Black Friday! Looking for stocking stuffer ideas? Pocket Combs make a come back!

 Posted by Melissa Colabella

David Coleman posted a great article in the New York Times about men's hairstyling and the comeback of the pocket comb. Bed-head spikes are becoming a trend of the past as styles focus more on refinement.

"The shorter hairstyles are very in,” he said, “and guys want to look neat.”

To read the full article:
New York Times - Pocket Combs Make A Comeback

No Shave November

Posted By Melissa Colabella

I've been noticing a lot of whiskers, fuzz and fur this month but generally nothing one would classify as a "beard." Apparently 'No Shave November' is growing in popularity. There is a band named after the phrase, an organized Facebook group encouraging the boycott, college students using it to promote prostate cancer awareness, and men from around the nation joining in the trend out of just pure laziness.

Now there's nothing wrong with a great beard. An unknown author quotes, "There are two kinds of people in this world that go around beardless - boys and women - and I am neither one." But a good beard need maintenance. A committed group of manly men created a website for the cause which also includes several types of beard styles you can shape your face fuzz into come December 1st:

No Shave November

Mustaches for Prostate Cancer Awareness:
MoVember


Some trendy beards of note:

Conan O'Brien's unemployment beard

Barber Jim Flacche's special stache:

Why the mustache? "The beard grows gray. Add the chops and you have a fresh retro look," says Jim.

New York Mag Discusses Men's Worst Hair

Posted by Melissa Colabella

I am so greatful for "The Fug Girls Survey Fall's Worst Hair, Men's Division" in the latest October issue of New York Magazine. I personally felt Danny McBride from Eastbound & Down should have been the poster boy for corn-rows but his permed mullet does deserve cult stardom.

Quoting the article, "Actors love to stretch. This fall, they also like to tease, braid, muss, shellac, even perm - some with questionable results." Check out some of their guide:

New York Magazine - The Fug Girls Survey Fall's Worst Hair, Men's Division

I've told clients time and time again - growing out your hair doesn't translate into growing unkempt hair. Zach Galifianakis's "especially lively pubic shrub" says it all.

The Luxury Spot Writes About The Truman's Experience

Truman's held a private scotch tasting event for our members sponsored by The Compass Box. Here is another guy who will never wash his hands again following Aneta's manicure.

To read the full article:
http://www.theluxuryspot.com/2010/10/18/my-first-time/

"How do you evoke a certain feeling without imposing on people in any way?" Spencer Morgan Writes About The New Trend of Scent Branding

Posted by Melissa Colabella

Have you ever wondered if spritzing your cologne while dressing for work impacted anyone but yourself? Did you ever think about the feelings you could provoke in others who got a whiff of you? Spencer Morgan published an article in Business Week explaining how scent branding is sweeping the fragrance industry and delves into why the corporate world should care about the psychological responses to smell.

"From Abercrombie & Fitch to Fiat, companies are using "ambient scenting" in an effort to leave indelible impressions with their customers," says Morgan. "Credit Suisse, De Beers, and Sony have all been experimenting with ambient scenting in their retail spaces." "Salisbury, North Carolina based Bloom grocery stores made history by erecting the first-ever scented billboard, which sprays a charbroiled smell over a highway via a giant fan."

 To read the full article:
Scent Branding Sweeps the Fragrance Industry by Spencer Morgan, Business Week

"A Groom's Gift of Grooming" Featured on 'Style and Sensibility'

By Melissa Colabella


In the Middle Ages, groomsmen stood by the groom to help him snatch back his bride in the event that her family or a jealous knight would rescue her before becoming the groom’s property. Today, groomsmen’s responsibilities are limited, now reduced to just a few responsibilities with a primary focus on planning a wicked bachelor party, and weddings are centered more around the bride than the bride-hunter.

Thankfully, modern day weddings are not violent and archaic, but in some respects we hold onto those old wedding traditions. Most likely, a groom has selected his groomsmen because these special friends and family members have stood by his side up to this point in his life. It’s important for the groom to recognize this brotherhood by showing his gratitude.

A groom’s gift of grooming is a rather selfish, but greatly appreciated and appropriate gesture. This ensures that your groomsmen don’t show up to your wedding looking the same way they did the morning after your bachelor party, presumably keeping the bride happy as well.........

To read the full article, including the seven tips, please visit Style & Sensibility:
http://www.styleandsensibility.com/2010/10/grooms-gift-of-grooming.html

Old School Hair Gets Older

By Melissa Colabella

If there is anything that television has taught me, it's that we as viewers love to visit time periods that we have never lived through, or, depending on  your age, re-visit periods that we were too young to remember. Mad Men attracts more viewers and more awards as it approaches the end of it's third season, we're excited to replace the 1060's with the 1920's as we hang out with gangsters and bootleggers on Sunday nights with HBO's new series, Boardwalk Empire.

I've also read that life imitates art, as proven when car hijacking crimes rose after the premier of "Gone in 60 Seconds" and when merlot sales tanked as pinot noir sales rose after the premier of "Sideways". It only seems natural that we'll see more vintage styles becoming mainstream as Martin Scorsese's Boardwalk Empire gains popularity.

Men's hairstyling trends in 2010 were updates versions of "classic" cuts and if my prediction comes true, they'll become even more veteran. See what you think, and if you find that your new style doesn't suit you, you can always cover it up with your already re-popularized fedora.