"Make me no promises,
tell me no lies" should be Paula Begoun's motto. The makeup
artist turned consumer advocate raises more than just the
perfectly plucked eyebrows of the beauty industry. She raises
hell. In her latest book, Don't Go Shopping for Hair Care
Products Without Me, Begoun reveals that baby shampoo
is no gentler than any other, the only way to protect hair
from sun damage is to wear a hat and Suave really is as good
as say, Paul Mitchell.
Willamette Week: What sort of reception have
you had on your book tour?
Paula Begoun: The overwhelming similarity from city
to city to city is that people want to know if expensive
products are better products, and why the companies lie.
And regionally people have different concerns. Down in Dallas
and Houston I get questions about hair spray; in L.A. they
want to know about styling products; in the Midwest, they
all want to know about color. Oh my God, color, color, color.
And in the East it's all about humidity.
You claim that the beauty industry gets away with things
because it's not regulated by the FDA?
Right. The FDA
does not require hair and skin companies to substantiate
their claims, and the studies conducted within the industry
are often ridiculous. You know, they'll ask 20 women to
try a shampoo and give their results. How it works on a
person's hair one time won't tell you much about the product.
What is a good source for concerned consumers?
The
web site fda.gov is great, and Consumer Reports--I
often wonder why a subscription isn't mandatory. They
don't do much on hair care and beauty, though. I love Brill's
Content, the story behind the story. That should be
mandatory, too.
What do you hear most from readers?
They're the reason
I keep doing this, because 99 percent of the letters touch
me deeply. I either get overwhelming support from people
calling me a goddess, asking where were you 20 years ago,
and then there's the nasty letters. The hostility from the
industry is intense. I always say, show me the research
and I'll recant. I don't hate the industry; there are incredible
products out there, and the chemists are brilliant.
Do you see the industry changing in terms of regulation?
No, it's getting worse. We're not in a regulatory environment;
the WTO won. We're not about to fund the FDA any more than
it's already funded, especially for an industry that's considered
fluff.
You don't recommend products based on personal preference,
but I'm curious. What do you use?
Right now, I'm using a Thermasilk hair spray--which
doesn't protect my hair from heat, but it holds nicely--White
Rain classic shampoo, Vidal Sassoon conditioner, L'Oreal
pomade and Citre Shine silicone serum.
So that's your daily routine?
Pretty much, but I
only wash my hair once every three days.
Is it true that not shampooing every day begets
healthier hair?
If you have an oily scalp you can't get
away with not washing it every day. I don't have an oily
scalp, and I have dry hair, so every three days works for
me.
In the course of doing your research and reporting,
what has shocked you the most?
How much the industry
lies to women.
Was there one really glaring example?
There's a product
from Susan Lucci's line called Sun-Hints Chamomile Hair
Lightening Spray that claims to lighten hair with extracts.
And yes, it contains seaweed and grapefruit, but also something
called albone. Albone turns out to be a trade name for hydrogen
peroxide.
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Willamette Week | originally
published March 8,
2000
|
