Do you really need 3 kinds of conditioner? Episode 142

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

You're listening to The Beauty Brains Show, where real scientists answer your beauty questions. And now, here's Randy and Perry.

Perry Romanoski (0:18)

Hello, I'm your host, Cosmetic Chemist Perry Romanoski, and with me today is my former boss, and now, vlogging partner in crime, Randy Schuller.

Randy Schuller (0:27)

Hey, Randy. It's embarrassing, don't bring that up.

Perry Romanoski (0:30)

Oh, yeah, I remember the days. Boy, you were hard as nails there. But boy, you ran a tight ship.

Randy Schuller (0:38)

Oh, the nostalgia.

Perry Romanoski (0:41)

Oh, yeah, remember the days when we used to break at 3 o'clock and shoot tissue paper into a wastebasket?

Randy Schuller (0:49)

If I didn't know what you were talking about, I'd wonder what the hell you're talking about.

Perry Romanoski (0:54)

Well, you know what we're talking about today. On today's show, you're going to learn whether silicone can build up on your skin. If you really need three kinds of conditioner, whether sodium PCA has any great anti-aging effects, and if you can get addicted to skin lotion.

But first, I have to tell you, this new car of mine, oh, this thing is great. I love it.

Randy Schuller (1:18)

So wait a minute. So last week, you were just on the cusp of getting a new car.

Perry Romanoski (1:24)

Yeah, and I was fretting about it. I don't really like change, and my car works really fine.

Randy Schuller (1:29)

You don't like spending money is what you don't like.

Perry Romanoski (1:32)

You've got to spend your money on something, right?

Randy Schuller (1:35)

Yes.

Perry Romanoski (1:38)

And I didn't really need a car, but now we've got the new thing. This thing is great. First of all, do you know?

You can plug your phone right into your car. You get in your car, and your car knows you have a phone.

Randy Schuller (1:52)

Okay, you have to plug it in, though? What do you mean?

Perry Romanoski (1:55)

No, no, it just knows that your phone's in your car.

Randy Schuller (1:58)

Oh, yeah, welcome to the year 2016

Perry Romanoski (2:01)

Wait, you know what else? Like, when you back up, there's like a camera. Like, you can see what's behind you.

I mean, this is amazing. When did cars get like this?

Randy Schuller (2:10)

About 10 years ago.

Perry Romanoski (2:14)

Well, I'm all excited about the new car.

Randy Schuller (2:16)

Congratulations.

Perry Romanoski (2:20)

All right, shall we get on to some of the beauty science stories?

Randy Schuller (2:29)

Yeah, I'll take the first story.

I found an article that explains the difference between razors for men and women. I mean, this sounds just like the kind of question we would answer on the show.

Perry Romanoski (2:39)

Absolutely.

Randy Schuller (2:40)

Because, you know, are there differences between those? Because women's razors tend to be more expensive. What's the deal? Well, according to their research, there are differences in the quality of razor blades between brands. But within a brand, there's no functional difference between the blades used for men's products and women's products. And as proof of this, they pointed to a press release issued by Gillette a few years ago, in which Gillette said the blades used in products for, quote, both genders are both using the same blade technology.

Now, that doesn't mean there are no differences overall. You know, women tend to shave a much larger surface area than men. In fact, it's about 18 times greater, according to some estimates. So women's razors tend to have larger, more rounded head pieces, which means more plastic, so there is some added expense there. Also, women tend to shave longer hairs than men do. In most cases, beard hair is very short.

And so the razors have to be designed with these guide bars that align the hairs, so it provides a better cut. Men's razors don't have those.

Perry Romanoski (3:56)

So you're suggesting if you've gone a few days without shaving, as a man, it might be better to use a female razor because it'll cut better.

Randy Schuller (4:05)

That is not exactly what I'm saying, but it does make sense. I'll go with you on that one.

Perry Romanoski (4:11)

I might have to try that.

Randy Schuller (4:15)

And then finally, some women's razors include lubricating ingredients, again, because of the larger surface area that they're shaving.

So these things can all add up to a price that's higher, even though the blade itself is the same.

So I guess the bottom line is that in some cases, a higher price may be justified. But if you're just comparing the most basic model of men and women's razors, there's probably not that much of a difference. So I'll put a link in the show notes where you can read the rest of the discussion. By the way, I also learned that there are a ton of scientists working on this. Gillette has at one facility, Gillette has 100 PhDs working on shaving products. Can you imagine?