It’s not all schlocky, by any means.  Big-name hair stylists give demonstrations and do classes for attendees on all the latest hair techniques.  Nick Arrojo, Robert Cromeans, Brad Graham, Dee Adams and the elder statesman of bridal hair, Martin Parsons, were some of the feature artists. The Sassoon Academy had a huge hunk of the exhibit floor and held cutting and styling demonstrations round-the-clock.

So here’s what I learned:

1. Hair-cutting trends this year are shorter and softer, with more emphasis on natural looks that have movement.  Feathered layering was being demonstrated by several of the stylists that almost resemble short shags from the 70’s.  Easy care hair heaven.
2. We’ll be seeing more oil products in our salons, to overcome the intense amount of heat applications we women subject our hair to.  Agadir Argan Oil Hair Treatment and the original Moroccan Oil, both use oils from the nut of Argan trees in Morocco.  The hair oils are light and rich in nutrients that are absorbed quickly when hair is damp, take away frizz, and cut the drying time in half.  These products are available through salons only.
3. Hair extensions are getting shorter, cheaper, easier to use and more colorful.  “Hair stylists are using them to create volume on shorter styles and to give their customers a way of trying out new highlights without committing to a color,” says Lori Morris, Senior Editor of American Salon.  Bright blues and pinks were also on display for the daring, although Morris says streaks from the wilder color spectrum are getting more acceptable in the workplace.  She lives in New York, though, and they have a whole different standard than the rest of the country.

There were other things to see – instructors applying eyelash extensions made from mink, piercing guns and instructional DVD’s, wholesale makeup and private label lipstick, photorejuvenation machines of all kinds for skin care; spray-on guns for tans, nylons and makeup.  Oh, so many beauty aids and so little time.

I like getting a peek of what I will undoubtedly spend most of my disposable income on in the next year.  And I bet many of you do, too.

So what is it?  A good way to explain what it is, is to explain what it is not:  it is not a modern facelift.  Technically, facelifts require that the surgeon reposition and cut away muscle, fat and fascia, known as SMAS, under the skin of the face, then lay the skin over the uplifted muscle and cut away the excess.  That sounds simple and, of course, it isn’t, given that in order to correctly reposition the SMAS you must pull a good deal of the person’s skin away from the face first, cut and sew muscle, then sew everything back up without any scars.  When facelifts were first invented in 1904, surgeons merely pulled skin tighter, meaning the skin just looked pulled, and couldn’t possibly last as it stretched out again under the pressure of the sagging muscle. In some ways, according to physicians interviewed and on RealSelf.com, that is what the Lifestyle Lift is – minimal SMAS repositioning, if any, and mostly skin work.  Although the procedure can be done in an hour under local anesthesia, the results are not as long lasting since the underlying problem isn’t addressed.

Still, there are 40 different Lifestyle Lift clinics around the country, many doctors who do the procedure, and some satisfied customers.   Cindy P., from San Diego, told LookinGood “I’m glad I did it and don’t regret it.  Recuperation was not a problem… People tell me that they can’t even tell I had one.”  She adds, however, “that could mean it didn’t work or they never thought I needed one in the first place.”

The cost of the procedure is approximately $4,000-$5,000, half of what a full facelift costs, but getting solid information from the company about exactly what IT IS doing is next to impossible.  Dr. Karen Horton, a San Francisco plastic surgeon warns, “I am skeptical about any procedure that makes claims about fantastic results, without [giving consumers] details of the technique itself and the science behind the operation.  Buyer beware… “

Cellulite is inconsistent fat deposits under the skin and it afflicts 80-90 percent of the post-pubescent female population.  With a target demographic that size, it’s no surprise that the market is loaded with creams and supplements that claim to reduce its appearance.

Note the use of the word “appearance” in the description of nearly every cellulite product out there.  The trouble is that you can’t actually get rid of it. You can reduce it, or maybe make your skin look smoother and hide it, but it will keep coming back.

That is probably why there’s no clear cut answer on whether or not these creams really work.  There is no “proven” independent clinical evidence that they do, and yet, as cited in this WebMD video, it’s a billion-dollar business.

In a recent slideshow review at Totalbeauty.com dedicated to cellulite diminishers, the major “con” about the products that deal with rippled skin is the work – having to use a product a couple of times a day for effective results.  Several of the reviewers attribute a lack of effectiveness to not using the product “as directed.”  Many, however, did, and were also happy with the results. It generally takes 2-4 weeks, so if you’re up for the commitment, here are some products to consider.

Bliss fatgirlsleep ($38/6 oz) – a cream that you apply before bed, this won high ratings from users, many of whom didn’t bother using it with its sister product, Fat Girl Slim. Many reviewers said its lavender scent helped them sleep, too.

You may not have heard of Oligo.DX from DS Laboratories ($38.50, 5.1 fl oz), but it’s one of the highest rated products we found, earning top marks at both the Skinstore.com and Dermstore.com and from bloggers everywhere.

At the high end of the spectrum, Murad offers a cellulite solution that includes Firm and Tone Serum, Firm and Tone Dietary Supplement and Body Firming Cream ($214.50/4 week supply).  The pictures on the Murad website show some results over a 12-week period – that’s over $600.  The dietary supplement includes seven (!) pills to take in the morning and six (!!) to take at night, all chock full of vitamins, antioxidants and so on. Of course you can also try the serum ($77/6.75 fl oz) or supplements ($137.50) alone. People who reviewed it also reported smoother skin in general and healthier hair.

Among the mass market products, Nivea offers a serum/supplement combo ($18.99) that involves taking just one pill a day. You can also get Nivea’s Goodbye Cellulite line also includes the gel-cream alone ($12.99/6.7 fl oz), patches that release L-Carnitine into the skin ($12.99/6), and a fast-acting serum ($15.99/2.5 fl oz), which is suggested to be used with the gel-cream.

And Avon still offers an anti-cellulite product: a.m./p.m. Body Lipo 24 ($19.50/6.8 fl. oz. total), but only 9 of 43 users who reviewed it online recommend this product. Maybe it wasn’t just me.

These days, the choices are much more complex. There are brush-on nail growth stimulators and thickeners and strengtheners, although we wonder if they don’t all really do the same thing and just come in different packaging.

First, a note about WHY your nails might need strengthening.  If your nails are seriously peeled and cracked, or if you see any sign of discoloration  – go to the doctor.  It might be poor circulation, an infection or a vitamin deficiency.  Most of us see dry, brittle nails when they need simple moisturizing, however.  Rub lotion and cuticle oils into your exposed nails a couple times a week if you are not using polish.

Some of us, unfortunately, just have thin nails.  And choosing product isn’t easy.  Nail product guru Sally Hansen alone offers 25 different products just for strengthening and growth that claim to end chipping, peeling and cracking. Hallelujah.

Most of these products are little prophylactic shields that you paint on to defend the nail from the elements that are vying to make it chip, crack or peel. Many contain formaldehyde, which, according to Paula Begoun, the Cosmetics Cop, toughens nails. She also says that as a preservative, it hasn’t been proven to be a health risk.

Sally Hansen seems to rein supreme among the mass market products, but that might be because the company has so many of them.  Also top of the list on Totalbeauty.com and among well-nailed friends is Nailtiques Formula 2 for Thin, Brittle Nails.  Nailtiques used to be a salon-only brand, but moved into the mass market a few years ago.  Decleor Aromessence Ongles – Strengthening Concentrate for Nails is popular, but expensive.

Newer products are being touted as formaldehyde-free.  Brush-on products from QTICA and Barielle both contain garlic extract to stimulate growth. As the propaganda, er, marketing materials for QTICA Natural Nail Growth Stimulator puts it, you “trick your nails into growing faster,” because the garlic extract tricks the “nail matrix” into producing new protein that shoves out the old protein that creates the keratin that is really the nail. Whew.

What is puzzling, though, is why this stuff can’t just be added to the polish. If you can add sunscreen to makeup and bronzer to lotion, why can’t you add garlic extract to that Ruby Red enamel?

Better yet, let’s add the garlic extract to the Knox, throw in a little vodka and make Jell-o shots. We’ll have stronger, longer nails in no time. We just won’t remember how we got ‘em.

• You think you know fingernails like you know the back of your hand? Take this quiz.

Week of February 28 – March 6, 2010

Free shipping on butts

Who wouldn’t want a better butt at a bargain? Through March 12,  Biotherm is offering free shipping on its Shape Laser Bottom Sculpting Kit.  You won’t be freely shipped either lasers or sculptor’s tools, but you will get some cellulite reducing cream to rub on your bum and a pair of panties embedded with caffeine microcapsules that squeezes your bottom into the most bootilicious shape you can imagine.  The cost for the kit is $59. Oh, and the caffeine? Those micro-capsules apparently release into your skin all day for continuous slimming action … “30 washes guaranteed.”  I know if I reuse my coffee grounds once, it’s pretty weak …

And if you need more than just a perkier butt, there’s always  ShaToBu – the Shape To Burn undergarment that claims you’ll burn calories just by wearing it.  There are two models, waist to thigh and high waist to thigh and it looks a lot like a body stocking or extra-long girdle, but it caught the attention of the Michigan BodyBuilding Journal. Something about the patented design supposedly makes your muscles tighten and release whilst wearing it, so not only are squeezed into a more shapely figure, you could actually end up that way if you wear it consistently.  The company recommends 12 hours a day, 7 days a week … It’s not on sale, but sometimes bodywork don’t come cheap.

You can’t blame your parents for everything

Hold onto your hats! In a study expected to be released this month,  famous hair transplant guy Dr. Larry Shapiro will tell us our hair situation is not totally our parents’ fault. Dr. Shapiro, who has treated more than 11,000 people for hair loss in 20 years, says in a press release, people “are increasingly battling the effects of thyroid problems, anesthesia, cosmetic surgery, dietary deficiencies, prescription medications, male pattern baldness, use of growth hormone-based supplements during weight training, use of steroids for weight training, and use of weight-loss products and fat burners.  Years of clinical practice have shown that these factors play a far greater role than we thought before than just personal genetic characteristics alone.”

Cosmetic surgery causes hair loss? We didn’t see that coming. And, hey, isn’t hair transplantation a type of cosmetic surgery? Of course, Dr. Shapiro is releasing the study alongside a pitch for a new product he’s developed: the Help Hair protein shake mix filled with nutrients to promote thicker, fuller, healthier hair.

Redeeming lotions and lobsters

This just made us giggle. Bath and Body Works narrowly edged Red Lobster (!) and iTunes as the favorite gift card among Americans during the last holiday season. The Global Prepaid Exchange just released its annual Gift Card Performance Index, which determines the top gift card in America, based in part on redemption rate.

According to the GPE’s press release, the lead investigator for the study, Providence College professor Dan Horne, was a little surprised by the findings. “If a gift card giver really thinks about the kinds of store that a recipient likes, they will certainly make the experience more rewarding,” Horne noted.  Yes, Dan, yes it will.

Have a great weekend.