Hair Growth Secrets! From The Best Drugstore Shampoo For Long Hair to Hair Oiling Routine Tips With The Internet’s Trichologist, Abbey Yung

0:00The following podcast is a dear media production.

0:07Welcome to Breaking Beauty, the podcast all about the breakthrough people, products, and moments in beauty. We're your hosts, Jill Dunn and Carleen Higgins.

0:20Hello and welcome back to Breaking Beauty podcast, everyone. I'm your host, Carleen Higgins, and I'm here with my fearless co-host, Jill Dunn. Hello, Jill. Hey, Carlene, I need to share with everybody on the mic how we accidentally bumped into each other this morning at a coffee shop. I know. Well, I've never frequented in my life. Have you? I've been there once before. I've been there one time before. But Jill and I hadn't talked to each other, so we didn't even know that we were going to be out and about this morning. And then all of a sudden, Jill's like, oh, hi. And I was like, so confused.

0:53I'm like, wait, were you invited to this meeting? I was like I had walked into this coffee shop and it kind of has like a ground floor a little bit of an elevated floor and then like a subterranean thing and I was meeting someone else very randomly and I was like wait I know that voice and then I like pop my head up to where the elevated part is and I like make eye contact with you I'm like what is going on I was equally confused voice recognized everyone I'm a star I'm a podcast star I've been voice recognized unfortunately it was by my co-host, but you know, I'll take it. I'll take it. That is so funny.

1:28I just couldn't believe like all of the coffee shops in this huge city. It's not your neighborhood. It's not really my neighborhood. I know. I know. I know. It was hilarious. Anyway, it was kismet. And for anyone who doesn't know, we are two beauty editors turned beauty podcasters. We're here in your feed every single Wednesday with the Breakthrough People, Products and Moments in Beauty. And Jill, I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving last weekend. I'm so excited to be going to LA with you again to do a bunch of recording and to meet with our friends and family at Dear Media. We always just have such a great time.

2:06Yeah, we really do. And we never get to go for coffee in Toronto. So we go for dinners in LA. That's how we roll. There's just never any time when we're here in the city. So we'll catch up on everything there. But as we speak, we are in Los Angeles and just sitting down with so many great people. But today we are sharing a lot of incredible insights from our guest. And it's somebody that we've been wanting to have on the show for a while. And we finally were able to connect with her. And that's Abby Young. She's a certified trichologist and beauty content creator on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

2:40She has earned over 1 million hair-obsessed fans and followers. And if you don't know Abby by name, you'll know her hair. It's like long and gorgeous and silky and blonde. And it looks like it's from a hair commercial. Absolutely. And I mean, she's definitely in the right business. I'll say that. And if you're not familiar, so Abby started out as a content creator, went on to get her certified trichologist license. And so if you're not familiar with what a trichologist is, that's a paramedical field to treat scalp and hair conditions. So this is the person you might go to if you're experiencing hair loss or thinning and you've ruled out any possible medical conditions with your dermatologist and you're still concerned with the overall look and feel of your hair and scalp, you might go to a specialist trichologist for their training.

3:30And us as beauty editors for so many years, I think the name that comes to mind when I think of trichologist is like Philip Kingsley, but he's like British, a little more old school. Abby is like TikTok's trichologist. Yeah, absolutely. And she really, her content is so great. She takes a bit more of a scientific analytical approach, but at the same time, you're just looking at her hair going, just tell me what you use, tell me what you do. So she does try to sift through all of the misinformation out there in the beauty industry and tries to help us inform us about ingredients and, you know, hacks that people are doing, whether it's worthwhile or not.

4:05So we have a great episode just ahead. Yes. So we're going to learn her step-by-step haircut routine, including her wash day tricks, how many times she's washing her hair a week, drugstore favorites. And we're going to learn about ingredients from her and what she has to say about sulfates and sulfate-free and if she thinks there's merit to that. And we get her honest take of Blake Brown the hair care line that's from Blake Lively, because I have not had a chance to try that. And she lets us in on her favorite hot tools that are actually from Japan. And I need to try these immediately. Yes, if we can afford them, Jill.

4:45But anyway, we'll leave the rest a secret. So Abby herself went through a period of bleaching her hair. She had long, but very damaged hair in the past. So she's kind of come through on the other side with her own hair journey. and now as we said she's got this silky shine her hair looks almost like a mirror it's so thick and incredible so you're definitely going to want to hear what she has to say and every product that we mention in today's podcast of course will be listed over on our website at breakingbeautypodcast.com as well as on our Breaking Beauty Shop My Shelf. That's right so here she is welcome Abby Young.

5:28pausing for a moment to say thank you to one of our show partners today way so i've had a suspicion that my hair has gotten thinner since i started going through perimenopause last year and i just retook way's online hair quiz to find out my hair type and that pretty much confirmed it i used to straddle between fine and medium and i love that they have a medium hair range not just fine and thick. At the moment though, I'm in the fine category. Knowledge is power in my opinion. So I'm actually kind of relieved to find out that I need to go back to a shampoo and conditioner. That's really going to help give me volume.

6:03One thing that I really like about Waze shampoo and conditioner for fine hair is that even as they help to boost volume, it's still giving protection from frizz. I'm still going to get that soft, shiny feeling after a blow dry. It's not going to feel dried out because I do color my hair once a month and I do have a lot of grays. So I love that way gets all of my hair needs. It's not just about volume at any cost. And I'm never without a bottle of the ways detox shampoo in my shower. This is so, so important for a once a week, deep cleanse to get rid of all the product buildup and oils. It's almost like when you exfoliate your face, it's like a reset and then everything else just works better.

6:46And we have a promo code for all of you to discover your own hair type, start stocking up on holiday bundles, or to re-up on your favorite amazing smelling candle. Wash your way to healthy hair and get a hair routine that's made just for you by weight. Go to T-H-E-O-U-A-I.com and use promo code beauty15 for 15 % off any product. That's T-H-E-O-U-A-I.com code beauty15. And now on to our guest. Have you ever heard the saying, tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are? I'm Katie Lee Beagle and I'm food obsessed. Tune into my podcast all on the table and get to know celebrities, bold faced names and industry insiders in an all new way as they share the ingredients that make their recipe for life.

7:37I want to know it all from the favorite childhood birthday cake to the breakfast they eat every day, an engagement meal in Paris, or a guilty pleasure fast food indulgence. You can tell a lot about a person by what's in their fridge. And hey, everybody's got to eat. Make sure to tune in every Thursday and follow so we can devour every last morsel together. We're putting it all on the table.

8:12Welcome to the podcast, Abby. We're so happy to have you with us today. Thank you. I'm so excited to chat with you guys. So I have to tell you how I discovered you because Jill and I, we review products on the regular here at Breaking Beauty. And at the time, we definitely were having this explosion of all these bond building products. I know K-18s technology works a bit differently, but I just felt that there was such a plethora and it was really confusing to people. If there's one that comes out on top in your books from your subjective personal use, which one do you think is best for us? Like fried hair gals who are, you know, experiencing unhealthy hair.

8:57Yeah. My personal number one continues to be K-18. It has been for the last couple of years. I have integrated other treatments along the way, and I've actually seen good success in doing that. I think it's just like continued to help my hair improve. I don't think that that's 100 % necessary. So if I were to say, you know, just pick one if that's all you want to do, K18 would be my thing. Yeah. We did actually interview the founders. Remember, Jill? Oh, yeah. And I think the biggest issue, and I'm just piping in with my two cents, I am not a trichologist, but people don't use it right. Right.

9:31And that's where they get disappointed. You have to rub it between your hands and it becomes almost like a paste. Right. And then you put it in your hair and that's when you get the coating and the actual results. Yes. People do not. They just slap it on. They think it's like any other product out there and it is completely. And they overuse it. Or they just don't leave it on for they're not getting the coating. You need that like rubbing in the hands and like literally look at your hands and it should almost look like a bit glue-esque in terms of the color. It's not glue-esque, but yes, that is how you use it.

10:06And I don't think until you get it in your hands and you practice almost with it, then you can really see and get those amazing results. But it does work. Yeah. Yeah. Now, speaking of which, you have a really popular YouTube video and it's about how to use Olaplex for the best hair growth results. And in huge letters on the screen, it says we're using Olaplex wrong. So I actually wanted to ask you about this. So similar to what Jill was saying. So what's the right way to use Olaplex to getting those like killer results that they became so well known for? Because I feel like with all this competition, Olaplex has been suffering a bit.

10:46So are you still a believer? What's your take? Yeah. So I have not used Olaplex It's been a few years now. I was using it prior to using K18. I think it's still a great option. It's just that I saw even better results with K18. In terms of how to use it, so if I'm remembering correctly, because I think that video, I might have posted that a few years ago now, but I was really inspired to post that video because I was seeing so many people use Olaplex and these other bond repair treatments in ways that the brands didn't intend for the products to be used. So like one example, people doing the Olaplex fund, that went really viral on social media and they're putting Olaplex on dirty hair that is dry and then sleeping in that overnight like it's a mask.

11:29And Olaplex doesn't work on dry hair. So you're wasting your money doing that. And it's also not conditioning. It's not meant to be an overnight mask that will give you better results when you wake up with. So I was seeing things like that happening, people trying to like dilute it with water and just kind of all of these social media hacks because I'm sure you guys see all the time with these kinds of products. So that's what really inspired that video. And ultimately, I would just say, like follow the brand's directions. Make sure you're using it on damp hair. Yeah, you're not sleeping in it overnight.

12:01You're not putting it on dirty dry hair. And that's how you'll see best results. Yeah. Okay. I still think in salon after a color service is when you get the best results from Olaplex. My personal experience. mm-hmm now in your opinion are salon hair care products better than drugstore why or why not so it depends when we're talking about these bond repair treatments like k18 or olaplex there's not an exact dupe for that that you're going to find at the drugstore think of k18 you guys spoke with the founder that's a patented ingredient that they spent years and years and years creating you're not going to be able to just find that on the shelf at the drugstore at least right now there's a lot of high-end products that I've tried that I absolutely hate and same with the drugstore I think that you can find things that are amazing at both price points and not great at both price points yeah what are your favorite like top three unsponsored yes drugstore yeah so right now my obsession is the Dove Bond strength range that is something that I just talked about that mask about in the summer I talked about it isn't it so don't waste your money on anything else.

13:14Seriously. No, I'm dead serious. It is like the silky. I got so many people hooked on that. I'm like, best 10 bucks you'll ever spend. Well, that's we're in Toronto. So that's what it costs. I think it's like$7 on Amazon. Yeah. Yeah. So affordable. Yeah. So that's one that they had sent me in PR like a long, long time ago. And I just never got around to trying it. I was like, oh, you know, I'll get to it eventually. And I'm so mad that I didn't try it sooner because it is absolutely incredible. I posted a video about it right after I tried it. Just like genuinely at any price point, I have never tried a system that makes my hair feel as instantly silky as this.

13:51Like I just, I didn't know my hair could feel that silky. Even just using the mask alone, I will still use like my way detox shampoo and everything. And then I will just do the mask. It's like a serum, 10 in one serum mask. That's the name of it here anyway. Yeah. And I think what's interesting about those products and same thing with like the Dove Intensive Repair line, which was what I had been using from Dove prior, the conditioners and the masks are so lightweight that you're almost like, oh, I don't think this is going to work very well. How could this be conditioning enough? But oh my God, yeah, more conditioning than any thick, buttery mask I've ever tried.

14:26Okay. All right. Well, I need to try this. Any others that are your go-to? too? So I think I just kind of tend to stick to the damage repair systems because I have colored hair. I use heat on my hair. So my hair is always going to be damaged and in need of that. So I would say other systems that are kind of in that realm of things that I really love are like L 'Oreal long repair. I think that that is an amazing line. That is quite good. I did think that measured up quite well to the expensive stuff. Yeah. In my opinion. Yeah. But you have to use all the steps. If you just use the shampoo and conditioner, I feel like it's really not doing much, you know?

15:05Right. In terms of getting like the maximum bond repair benefits. Yes. You would definitely want to use that treatment with it. And they did recently reformulate that shampoo. So it's even better. Something that has just like been really frustrating with a lot of these, not even just bond repair shampoos, but shampoos in general is that they're like creamy and thick and conditioning, and then you're not getting a great cleanse. And that was the case with the L 'Oreal Bond Repair shampoo. It's something I used to love. But as I continued to test shampoos and learn more about hair science, I was like, yeah, this actually, I think, is not the best.

15:38And that's definitely why there were complaints about people feeling like their hair was brittle or dry or way down. They weren't getting a proper cleanse. So they did just reformulate that. And it's a lot better now. All right. Good to know. Trying to think if there's anything. Yeah, I feel like most of the leave-ins that I love from the drugstore just like leave-in conditioners. Yeah. Like the L 'Oreal 21-on-1, Pantene Miracle Rescue. There is a serum oil that Dove just came out with in that bond strength range that's really good too. So that's another one I would recommend, but yeah. Okay. I want to ask you about ingredients because I think you've been doing some great myth busting on ingredients you might find in your shampoo and conditioner.

16:20So maybe you can tell us about like these often demonized ingredients sulfates, silicones. What are a lot of people afraid of that maybe they could reconsider, in your opinion? Yeah. You see this in every industry where companies try to think of these creative ways to get people to buy their product. And one of the ways in which they do that is with this fear-mongering tactic where they say, free of these ingredients. It subconsciously makes you think you need to avoid those ingredients. And then you start seeking out things that have that kind of label without really understanding why that may be.

16:58And in the case of sulfates, there's really no reason to avoid them. They're excellent cleansing agents for people that have really oily scalps. It's like a night and day difference when you go from using a shampoo that doesn't have effective cleansers to a sulfate-based shampoo. It can eliminate the number of days you need to wash your hair, make your hair feel cleaner for longer. It can make your scalp just like healthier overall, more balanced, less itchy, like all of these problems that people have started to have in recent years with their scalp, I personally think is directly correlated to the fact that brands have started to get rid of these ingredients that are tried and true for cleansing purposes and shampoos.

17:36Like we didn't used to have all of these scalp exfoliants and treatments and that has really exploded in the last few years. And I'm like, I think there's a definite correlation here. It's because brands are now coming out with these shampoos that are so gentle that they're not giving us a good enough cleanse. And it's really important to have an effectively cleansing shampoo to have a healthy scalp. That's something that I think a lot of people maybe not forget about, but just kind of underestimate the difference that like a really amazing shampoo can make. So, you know, I think originally two sulfates were just thought of as being extra harsh and potentially irritating, but cosmetic chemistry is so advanced now.

18:14Like these brands have these cosmetic chemistry teams that do such a great job of formulating products in a way that are effective and not going to overly irritate. So they can add ingredients to a shampoo that help to offset any potential stripping effects. They can have a different blend of surfactants that give you the benefits of the sulfates, but then maybe another gentler one mixed in. So I think ultimately, we just have to leave these things up to the chemist and stop trying to pinpoint every single ingredient to avoid because they know so much better than we do. Is there an ingredient that would send you running though?

18:51No. Nothing? Nothing. No. Okay. Interesting. I have found that sometimes when a shampoo and conditioning system is overly fragranced, I've actually found that I've started to get like a rash just around my ear and below. it like these, these ones that are like crazy botanical smells. So it's interesting. And occasionally when I'm interviewing dermatologists about whether it's like suborbidum dermatitis or other types of dermatitis, they do often they're like, take a look at what's in your shampoo and conditioner, just because I think it's that it's a hidden, people don't think of that. It's like, they might eliminate things that are in their skincare routine, but they're not thinking about what when they're washing their hair and it's pouring down their face could be causing irritation.

19:41So, I mean, that's one for me, but otherwise I'm not overly looking for free from lists. Yeah. Well, and that's a totally common and valid one to avoid if it causes irritation. Fragrance and skincare tends to really irritate my skin. Not all the time, but if something's heavily fragranced, I more often than not end up with like a bright red, really hot feeling face. So I feel the same. I try to avoid it when I can, but it's not because yeah, I'm afraid that those ingredients are going to do something awful for me. It's just like to avoid the irritation. Yes. Yeah. Got it.

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23:45there's so many people that are looking for like hair growth tips and I know you mentioned before you color your hair so what are some habits that you like to abide by to keep your hair long and healthy or is there something that you did where you're like wow it is really growing or conversely wow, this kind of made my hair grind to a halt from, you know, stop growing. Share your secrets. I don't use, I would say one of the most important things that is the most underrated is being so, so gentle with your hair. And all of the research that I've done, it just became very clear that the way that we brush, style, groom our hair is ultimately the culprit of breakage.

24:25And I used to be really rough with my hair. I would just like rip a hairbrush through it when it was soaking wet. I would use the hot, what are they called? Like those hot styling brushes. Yeah. You guys know what I'm talking about. Soaking wet hair. Yeah. Me too. Rip that through my hair. Yeah. That was the worst thing. The worst. Yes. And like, there are definitely ways to use those tools and make it gentler and not so harsh, but I just was not gentle with my hair and I definitely paid for it. I had so much right gauge. Like I look back at footage from a few years ago and I'm like, Oh my God, like I didn't even realize how bad it had gotten.

25:03So I would say that is like one of the biggest things I've changed just in my overall routines is how careful I am. So for example, with brushing my hair, I'll separate it into really small sections. I'll loosen knots with my fingers before going in with a brush. I will brush from like my ends up really, really slowly and gently. I'm never ripping through tangles like I used to. I don't use those hot styling tools on wet hair like I used to. I really stopped a lot of those damaging behaviors that I just didn't even realize I was doing before. What's your favorite hairbrush? So I literally just filmed a giant hairbrush showdown where I tested all these different ones because I wanted to see, is there one that really is the absolute best.