Second in Lab Muffin’s Big 3 series is toluene. Part 1 – DBP Toluene – TOLL-lew-een – MSDSaka toluol, methylbenzene, phenylmethane Where is it found? Nail polish, permanent markers, paint. Why is it there? Toluene is a solvent – in other words, it dissolves up all the other bits in nail polish so you’re not putting chunky powder across your …
The “vampire facelift” (aka Selphyl, platelet-rich plasma injections) is an increasingly popular wrinkle-reducing treatment that involves taking your blood, separating it with a centrifuge, then reinjecting it into your face. It’s not a “real” facelift (i.e. it doesn’t involve cutting you open). It sounds really weird and mucky, but it’s actually fascinating how it works! Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has …
I’ve decided to finish off the Big 3 (maybe even Big 4!) series I started on at the beginning of this blogging journey, and thought revisiting my original DBP post would be a good way to start – read on… If you’ve ever looked at the ingredients list on the back of any of your cosmetics, you’ll see a massive …
Q: Why does nail polish stain your nails yellow? A: As you might’ve guessed, it’s the coloured pigments in the nail polish! Generally, the pattern is that the staining is darker at the tip and fades towards the cuticle. It’s a bigger problem when the dyes are dissolved rather than suspended in the polish (e.g. with stearalkonium hectorite). If …
Alpha and beta hydroxy acids are chemical exfoliants which are in many of our cosmetic products… what’s the difference between them, and which one should you use for what? First off, “alpha hydroxy acid” and “beta hydroxy acid” are proper organic chemistry terms! “Hydroxy” means an OH group (also known as an alcohol group). “Acid” means a carboxylic acid: “Alpha” …
First off, the best and worst thing about working in a chemistry “wet lab”: We wash our glassware with acetone. On a productive day, I can go through a litre of the stuff! This means:* I always have acetone on hand for nail art – yay!* My polish is almost always messed up by the second day. Onto 8 interesting …
(Roger McLassus) We all know what a moisturiser does (it moisturises, duh!) – but what exactly goes in one, and how does it work? Skin dryness is, quite simply, when your skin loses too much water (the technical term is transepidermal water loss, or TEWL). Moisturisers are used to slow water evaporating, and restore the original soft texture and look …
Yesterday, big name cosmetic science blog The Beauty Brains answered my question on which hair products actually repair (rather than just protect) your damaged hair! Check it out here.