Hair

More than half of all women regularly color their hair, according to a new Consumer Reports ShopSmart poll. Testers just sized up more than a dozen hair-dye kits to see whether you can color your locks for less than you pay at the salon. Included in the tests were 13 home hair-dye kits that cost $4 to $13, from big-name brands like Clairol, Garnier, and L'Oreal. Some were permanent kits, which are supposed to last until the hair grows out, and others were semi-permanent hair-dye kits, which generally last through 24 to 28 washings.

by Jennifer Searle Consumer Reports says you don't have to spend a lot of money for a good hair straightener. It tested flat irons ranging in price from $18 to $160. Consumer Reports say "The Bed Head Light Me Up" didn't really straighten hair well. Testers recommend the Conair Infiniti Nano Silver Steam Straightener, but say you'll have to be willing to pay $100 for it. It says the best buy is the Revlon Perfect Heat Ceramic at $30.  

It takes guts to do what this week's Does it Work testers are doing: bare their unshaved legs to the world! Sisters-in law Jennie and Lisa have stopped shaving (for awhile!) to say “yes” to the “No No.” It's a hand-held device that's supposed to use heat to destroy hairs where they grow---below the skin's surface. And the claim: no pain, no noise and no pulling. But there is the cost: $300. “For $300 it should do an awful lot,” laughs Jennie.

There's no denying that the animals at the Kansas Humane Society want to go home with you.  Regardless if you find a cute companion, you'll be leaving with some of its hair.  Jennifer Campbell works with all sorts of hairy animals every day.  That's why we wanted her to test Sticky Buddy.  You can buy it for about 10-dollars.  The selling point... you can use it over and over again... just wash it off. "It would actual be pretty epic to get a brush that would never run out.  Because I'm dealing with hundreds of animals every week,” Jennifer said.

It's not the typical buzz you would expect to see outside a sports bar. More than 40 people lost their locks to raise awareness for childhood cancer. NetApp employees teamed up with Larry Bud's Sports Bar and Grill for a fundraiser to support St. Baldrick's foundation. Kristena Hoover was one of nine woman who volunteered to donate her hair. She helped raise $2,000 for the foundation. "Little kids everyday loose their hair in a fight against a disease they don't deserve," she said.

Before he can step on the high school basketball scene Joe Huerta needed to step into the barber shop. "You have to have it above the ears and over the eyes," says the Tescott High freshman. Tuesday, because of a coaching policy, Huerta found himself in front of the high school student body…ready to get his hair severely chopped down. "I’m kind of an old school guy and when I played in high school we had to have our hair cut so that it was out of our eyes, above our ears, and off the neck,” says head basketball coach Shawn Pecenka.

Turn up the volume...on your hair? The trend in hairstyle: bigger is better, but are "Bumpits" the best?  Bumpits are comb-like inserts that you put in the middle of your hair to give it what our testers called "poof" -- that smooth, raised section over the crown of your head. We ordered a set for about $15 and got five pieces: two regular sized, one big "Hollywood" Bumpit and two smaller pieces for your bangs. Three college students were so excited to try them out, they drove from out of town on a school day to help us out. The directions are simple: pull up a section of hair, put the "Bumpit" at the base of the roots, and pulled the hair over the top.  After a little hairspray and adjustment, the girls were amazed.

There's no limit to what a gal will use or carry to look better.   And one of the most popular products we've tested is Bumpits! Bump Its They are arch-shaped plastic combs  you hide in your hair to "bump-it-up. " Put the smalls ones in for a little more volume---or the big ones for a more dramatic lift. Or you can do what Erika did:  put two in at one time! "I've never achieved a poof quite this large before!" she laughed, " But, honestly, I kind of like it!"

Have a sink that’s slow-moving? Then yours is a step above Sarah Foster’s. “It’s kind of slow,” she laughs. But as we watch it, we can’t see any water moving at all. There’s a difference in “slow-moving” and “no-moving”. Either way, there’s the $10 Turbo Snake. It promises to pull out the clogs that keep your sinks and tubs backed up. The sink-version comes with what looks like a mascara wand on the end of a long wire.

Chris and Kathy are buddies who have one thing in common:  they hate to shave! Their legs are the four reason Chris asked us to test Smooth Away. It's a pad that supposed to painlessly rub away unwanted hair. In fact, the box says you can stop shaving altogether.  The instructions are simple: just stick on the rubber pad and, well, rub! In just a few seconds Chris can tell a difference. The hair on her leg is going away. She says it doesn't hurt at all. She thought it might feel like sandpaper.

It's not the typical buzz you would expect to see outside a sports bar. More than 40 people lost their locks to raise awareness for childhood cancer. NetApp employees teamed up with Larry Bud's Sports Bar and Grill for a fundraiser to support St. Baldrick's foundation. Kristena Hoover was one of nine woman who volunteered to donate her hair. She helped raise $2,000 for the foundation. "Little kids everyday loose their hair in a fight against a disease they don't deserve," she said.

Keeping floors and carpets clean is a job in and of itself. But if you have a pet that sheds a lot, you have a bigger challenge. Consumer Reports' latest tests show that some vacuums do a great job picking up pet hair, while others let the fur fly. Testers recently evaluated more than 100 vacuums, including uprights and canisters, bagged and bagless. To size up performance, testers go to great lengths. First, they measure exactly 5 grams of pet hair and spread it over a piece of carpet.

The search for the best beauty product never ends for some women.  We're learning that firsthand.  Ever since we re-started our 'Does it Work' series, countless female viewers have been begging us to test the No No Hair Remover.  The thing is, Kim Setty already tested the No No two years ago. You can watch her original story by clicking here . The product is sold for $250 to $300.  It claims it can remove embarrassing facial...

There's no denying that the animals at the Kansas Humane Society want to go home with you.  Regardless if you find a cute companion, you'll be leaving with some of its hair.  Jennifer Campbell works with all sorts of hairy animals every day.  That's why we wanted her to test Sticky Buddy.  You can buy it for about 10-dollars.  The selling point... you can use it over and over again... just wash it off. "It would actual be pretty epic to get a brush that would never run out.  Because I'm dealing with hundreds of animals every week,” Jennifer said.

A school in suburban St. Louis uses mandatory testing to make sure its students are drug free. Families know what they are getting into when they go to Christian Brothers College High School. The prep school has tested more than 5,000 students over the past five years.  A lab uses a sample of hair. which can identify if drug use is light, moderate or heavy, and when a drug was last used. Over the five years, only eight students have withdrawn from the school because of a positive test.

It's a growing sector of our nation's economy - the small business.  In 2008, small businesses employed more than half of all Kansans in the private sector. So Wednesday's luncheon recognizing some Wichita's small businesses was anything but small. When you hear the name Eric Fisher , you probably think hair.  "You know I started the business with my wife back in 1988," he said.  Years ago, that's all he wanted to be associated with.  But then, cutting international heads of hair got old. "I need to a place to call home," he explained Wednesday.  "A nice little place, a great little creative spot where I could have other like-minded people work with me. " So he started one salon; and, like hair, it grew.  He now owns two salons and an academy to teach salon stylings.  "It's been a nice road," he said.  "It's spawned, not by goal setting 5, 10 years ahead.  It's been a very organic process.

Researchers at UCLA who originally set out to study ways to prevent stress-related-stomach problems in genetically altered bald mice, but found something else entirely, hair. They injected hairless mice with a stress blocking compound. Three months later when they checked on the once bald mice, they found every one of them had grown a full head and back of hair. The findings may only help men who are losing their hair because of stress, not the most common cause genetics.

Before he can step on the high school basketball scene Joe Huerta needed to step into the barber shop. "You have to have it above the ears and over the eyes," says the Tescott High freshman. Tuesday, because of a coaching policy, Huerta found himself in front of the high school student body…ready to get his hair severely chopped down. "I’m kind of an old school guy and when I played in high school we had to have our hair cut so that it was out of our eyes, above our ears, and off the neck,” says head basketball coach Shawn Pecenka.

About 84 million households have a dog, a cat, or both. That's a lot of pet hair to clean up. Some vacuums promise to be especially good at picking up pet hair, like the Hoover Pet Cyclonic that claims to "keep your home free of pet hair. " The Bissell Lift-off Multi-Cyclonic says it's "made for homes with pets. " So does the Dyson DC 28. Consumer Reports put those vacuums and more than 80 others through its tough new pet-hair test. Hair for the test comes from longhaired Maine coon cats.