I’ll admit, I’m a pretty big fan of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.  In fact, I once figured out that I’ve spent two entire weeks of my life watching 14 seasons of the show…But I digress.

FutureDerm has found out that this season’s Emily Maynard is a fan of Solano Dryers for her hair and Obagi for her skin.  Here’s her quotes – and our analysis:

She gets her smooth, silky locks with the Solano SuperSolano Dryer ($129.95 SRP, Ulta.com). Denise Antonacci, her hairstylist and colorist at the Jon Ric Hair Spa in Charlotte, North Carolina, exclusively uses the Solano Dryer, a favorite of Emily’s, to help smooth down her hair.  According to Antonacci, tourmaline technology promotes healthier hair by adding shine, smoothing the hair follicle, and reducing fly-aways.

What FutureDerm says:  Science does, in fact, promote the use of a tourmaline hair dryer.  Years ago, scientists figured out you could apply negative ions (charges) to hair to make hair up to 25% smaller and tighter in diameter, which is perfect for medium-to-coarse hair and curly hair (Nick Arrojo, Great Hair).  It is also great for applying to split ends of all types, to tighten and virtually “seal” them.

Of course, those with fine to medium straight hair do not want to use tourmaline technology, because the tightening of the hair shaft is the last thing you want.  (Pancake head, anyone?)   If you wish to thicken your fine hair, please read our 3 Hair Thickening Ingredients that Actually Work.

For hair like Emily’s, tourmaline technology would indeed work well.

Emily won’t go a day or night without washing her face, or else she faces some serious breakouts.  “Every morning I wash with OMP Nu-Derm Gentle Cleanser ($37.50 SRP, Obagi.com).” Next she religiously applies OMP CRx C-Exfoliating Day Lotion ($61 SRP, Obagi.com), which keeps her complexion glowing and spot free by neutralizing free radicals with antioxidants.

What FutureDerm Says:  OMP CRx C-Exfoliating Day Lotion is a decent product – if I were a teacher in school, I’d give it a B.  Yes, it has vitamins C and E, which are proven to boost sun protection by up to 400% (American Journal of Dermatology, 2005).

OMP CRx C-Exfoliating Day Lotion also has a high dose of ascorbyl glucoside, a stabilized form of vitamin C.  Because ascorbyl glucoside has to be broken down into the active form, L-ascorbic acid, there is a debate surrounding how much ascorbyl glucoside is needed to work.  Although the manufacturer of ascorbyl glucoside, Hayashibara International, maintains that use of ascorbyl glucoside leaves a high concentration of vitamin C in the skin, a competitor states ascorbyl glucoside provides a low level of vitamin C. Clearly, more research needs to be done!

My main concern about OMP CRx C-Exfoliating Day Lotion is not actually the ascorbyl glucoside, but the low level of sunscreen.  Though it is available both with and without SPF 12, keep in mind that the average person applies less than half of the recommended amount of sunscreen.  That said, you can’t depend on a product with an SPF of 12!  Be sure you layer a sunscreen over this product – easier said than done for normal/dry skin types than oily.

Ingredients in Obagi C Exfoliating Day Serum