Have you ever stood in the shampoo aisle at the supermarket and wondered what the difference was between all those products? Have you ever heard a celebrity swear by a certain hair-care product and wondered if it really worked? Have you ever asked yourself questions like these:

• Why do some people have thick hair when my hair is so thin?
• How does a perm or relaxer work?
• How is hair colored and what is the difference between a drugstore hair dye and a salon hair dye?
• What exactly is hair damage?
• Is this $40 shampoo better than the $4 shampoo?
• What is the best conditioner to use if my hair is dry and very thin?

If so, this book is for you. In this book, Paula Begoun has cleared up the hype about the hair care industry in the same way her book "Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me" gave the facts about the cosmetics industry. Paula has been researching the cosmetic and hair-care industry for the past 14 years. Her research includes interviewing dermatologists, oncologists, chemists, and cosmetic and hair-care industry manufacturers. She also reviews industry magazines and medical journals searching for the latest breakthroughs.

In the first chapters, Paula takes her readers inside the hair-care industry for a look at the good and bad about salons and hairstylists. She also explains many of the tactics used by companies to sell their products such as calling a product "all natural," making claims about scientific studies that are not scientifically conducted, or claiming they have a "secret ingredient." She has an extensive chapter on hair basics that explains the anatomy, biology, and chemistry of hair and the scalp. She covers hair growth and hair loss, explaining the facts about hair re-growth products and procedures. Paula also explains how hair can be damaged and what can truthfully be done to prevent or repair hair damage.

In the next several chapters, Paula explains in understandable terms how certain hair-care products work including shampoo, conditioner, hot-oil treatments, hair polishers, greases, spray-on shine products, styling gels and mousses, and hairsprays. She extensively explains how hair is dyed and the differences between hair dye products. She explains how perms and relaxers work. She even explains how hair tools like brushes, curling irons, and blow dryers work.

Finally, Paula gives us the reviews. There are 350 pages of hair-care product reviews from 126 hair-care lines. The reviews were done by evaluating each ingredient using published research about that ingredient's affect on hair. Paula also evaluates whether the product could hold up to its claims, based on established research, and whether other products were equally effective. Finally, Paula includes 62 pages of summaries of the best products broken down into categories that are useful for people with various combinations of scalp and hair type.

I like this book because it contains factual information based on science, not on advertising. I'm a big fan of knowledge. I think that we can make better decisions when we have the correct knowledge. This book provides easy to understand, but in-depth, information about every aspect of hair and hair care.