Archive for the ‘Hair’ Category

I {HEART} I-FEATHERS!

Nov 14th, 11 / 0 Comments

I’m loving the look of feather hair extensions right now! But, I have resisted the urge to jump on the feather trend…until now.

Satin Strands just came out with I-Feathers, which are made from heat-resistant synthetic hair and made to look like the popular rooster feathers. Putting them in was WAY easier than I thought it would be, and people kept coming up to me and complimenting me on my “feather” extensions. I put together a little how-to to show you how easy and cute these I-Feathers are!

STEP 1: First, I threaded a link (which was included with the package), onto a fusion hook.

STEP 2: Next, I grabbed a small portion of my own hair with the hook, and pulled it through the link.

STEP 3: Then I stuck the tipped end of the extension through the link.

STEP 4: Then, using fusion pliers, I clamped down on the link and flattened it, securing the tip and the natural hair.

STEP 5: My hair isn’t very long, and I only wanted a short feather, so I trimmed it to the right length.

RESULTS: TA-DA!  Trendy, fun, and I love it!

Hair

Summer hair repair

Sep 16th, 11 / 2 Comments

A product thumbnail of One 'n Only Brazilian Tech Keratin Leave-In TreatmentFootball season has started and pumpkin spice lattes are on sale, which can only mean one thing – fall is finally here!

After a hot, hot summer spent in the pool trying to cool off, my tresses are looking a little frazzled. Luckily, Brazilian Tech has come out with three new products that will get my hair back in shape just in time for my high school reunion! They’re full of keratin, which helps fill in any scraggly places along the hair shaft. Perfect timing!

Here’s a little info about the new products:

Brazilian Tech Leave-in Treatment - This is a lightweight leave-in protein spray that repairs damage to the cuticle, while conditioning and controlling frizz.

Brazilian Tech Lusterizer – Use this product on wet or dry hair to provide instant shine, revive color and strengthen damaged hair.

Brazilian Tech Smoothing Lotion - This is a non-greasy anti-frizz and anti-curl styling lotion that eliminates frizz and temporarily straightens and smoothes thick, curly wavy, hair.

Did your hair suffer a little wear and tear over the summer? What are you doing to repair it? Leave your ideas in the comments!

Hair, Styling Products

Dear Hair – What the heck?

Aug 10th, 11 / 2 Comments

My hair is having a bad day today. I’m in the process of trying to grow it out as I have become weary of my maternity bob (which is an awesome story all on its own).  Today is it neither straight, nor curly. Neither long, nor short. There are pieces that want to flip this way and others that rebel.

So I rummage through my desk to see what I have on hand to combat this bad hair day.

This is what I find: Two hair claws, one hair elastic, a wide tooth comb and a curling iron.

Ponytail is too desperate. Tried the claws to no avail. Luckily I found an open outlet under my desk.  So it looks like I will attempt to wrangle my lone wing with a few curls. When all else fails, I tousle.  

What’s your foolproof bad hair fix?

Hair

My Favorite Beauty Products

Aug 8th, 11 / 4 Comments

I just returned from a beautiful weekend in San Diego at the BlogHer conference. I met some truly amazing women bloggers and had the best time socializing and learning.

After finding out that I was with Sally Beauty, the first question out of everyone’s mouth was, “What’s your favorite product?” So, I decided I should do a round-up of my Top Five Favorite Sally Beauty Products.

In no particular order:

1. Ion Color Brilliance Permanent Creme Hair Color in 3G – My hair has been a lot of colors over the years, but this has to be my favorite shade. It’s shiny, has just a hint of red for warmth and makes my hair feel and look super healthy. 

2. Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat - I refuse to paint my nails without this. It gives my polish a glass-like finish, dries in a snap and keeps them from chipping. I apply it every couple of days to keep my manicure looking fresh.

3. China Glaze Refresh-Mint – You know how newly engaged women constantly hold out their hand to admire their ring? That’s what I do when I wear this polish.

4. Miracle 7 Leave-in Conditioner - Now here’s a product that actually lives up to the hype. It’s ahhmazing. I love it because I have fine hair that gets weighed down easily, but needs a lot of conditioning, and Miracle 7 takes care of it.

5. Palladio Liquid Eye Liner in Black Forest - I always made a mess with liquid liner until I tried Palladio. The brush is super easy to work with and lets me draw perfect lines. Black Forest is a great color because it’s dark without being as harsh as black.

What beauty products can you not live without? Please share in the comments!

Color, Hair, Make-up, Polish, Styling Products

Help, my shampoo is broken.

Jun 20th, 11 / 6 Comments

The other day as I was perusing our reviews, I found an interesting complaint about defective shampoo.  Defective shampoo, really? What qualifies a shampoo as defective?

So I read on about the woes of a woman who no matter how much shampoo she used and how much she scrubbed it JUST WOULD NOT LATHER. She returned the bottle and posted her review to warn other shoppers of this defective shampoo.

Well at first glance this does indeed seem like a problem. Shampoo should create tons of white, fluffy suds just like that scene in South Pacific.  But in reality not all shampoos lather. Did you know the very ingredient that makes a shampoo lather, is also the archnemesis of hair color? For real. That is why color protection shampoos just don’t lather like the others.  I also checked and HairOne doesn’t lather either.

So don’t worry ladies – your shampoo isn’t broken.

Color, Hair

Curlformers

Apr 8th, 11 / 9 Comments

Have you ever tried Curlformers? Their bright colors and twisty shapes have been piquing my curiosity for months. How do they work? What in the world is that hook thing for? Would they give me gorgeous ringlets like the packaging promised? I HAD to try them! So, I did and what do you know? Ringlets!

Here’s how to do you it:

Step 1: Gather your supplies. You’ll need Curlformers (obviously) and a Curlformer Hook.  The number of curlers you need depends on the length and amount of hair you have. To give you an idea, my hair is shoulder length and thin, and I used 17. A curl setting lotion or light gel is also recommended. I used Beyond The Zone Noodle Head Curling Cream. Bonus – It smells just like summer!

Step 2: Thoroughly wet the hair and work in a setting product. Comb through.

Step 3: Start by feeding a Curlformer onto the hook. Grab a section of hair (I used a 1” section but that’s up to your discretion.) and place it in the hook. Next, slowly pull the hook down so it passes through the Curlformer, while holding the end of the Curlformer that is closest to the scalp. Repeat until the entire head is encased.

Step 4: Either let your hair dry naturally or use a hair dryer. I let mine air dry for a bit, but as you can see in the pictures it was getting late, so I hit it with the dryer.

Step 5: Once your hair is completely dry, remove the Curlformers one at a time by straightening out the spiral, pinching the top of the Curlformer so it opens, and then pulling the Curlformer down off your pretty, pretty ringlet.

Step 6: Enjoy!

Helpful Hints:

* Make sure your hair is completely dry before you remove the Curlformers. I got impatient and didn’t dry the back of my head that well, so those curls weren’t as defined.
* When you grab a section, twist it near the roots. This helps keep the hair together as you place it in the hook.

Hair

Hair Extensions: Love More of Who You Are

Jan 10th, 11 / 11 Comments

We’re excited to have beauty expert, Aly Walansky, guest blogging today. Enjoy!
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Ever have one of those epic days that you know you will be looking back upon for years to come?

In my case, it was my birthday party. And it wasn’t a good thing.

As I have a history of the “birthday curse,” I tried to make this year extra-special. I wanted to have a good day to make up for all the crappy ones that had come before. I made it a daylong affair – met a friend for brunch, had a spa afternoon with some friends, did a dinner, had a party. It was to be awesome…except then someone weird happened.

I had decided, in honor of this not-so-young point of aging, to be as young as I could be for my celebration. I was wearing Remy’s Clip-in human hair extensions  — extensions are pretty much the penultimate beauty-treatment dream for me. They take about a minute to put in, are easy to remove (but not TOO easy, if you know what I mean…), and made me feel fun and festive for my special night.

One of my friends, an old – I thought, close – friend, instantly did not approve. “People who wear those things are trying to hide who they really are.” She was so vehement about it that people around us paused and noticed…she seemed visibly offended by my choice to celebrate my night with fun hair, likening it to a visible exposure of my character flaws.

Flaws I don’t actually have, mind you.

At the party, all my girlfriends felt quite the opposite, and loved my “Barbie dream house hair.” These are extensions that get serious attention – whether you want it, or not. But it’s not about hiding who you are, it’s about taking what’s fabulous about you – and kicking it up a notch, in the same way that cosmetics or a push-up bra might.

I love my own, natural, blonde locks – but they often feel a bit too fine and sad. Giving them a bit of “oomph” was exactly what I needed to make a special day more special – and as for those who didn’t appreciate it? I’m betting she was just jealous.

Aly Walansky, Beauty Expert
www.alywalansky.com
www.twitter.com/alywalansky

Hair

Holiday Hair Accessories

Dec 1st, 10 / 1 Comment

The holiday season is upon us, and that means lots of parties and lots of opportunities to dress up! Looking fabulous at all the different events can really put a strain on the wallet, so that’s why I suggest investing in a classic black dress and changing it up with accessories and different hairstyles.  If you distract them with a little holiday sparkle, no one will notice that you were wearing the same dress the weekend before.  Here are a few of my favorites:

1. DCNL Crystal Mini Flower Combs
2. DCNL Sparkle Rhinestone Headband
3. DCNL Sonnet Rhinestone Claw Clip
4. DCNL Pearl Hair Clip
5. DCNL Gold Bobbies
6. DCNL Black Diamond Line Bobbies
7. DCNL Assorted Metallic Headbands

Hair

Cold Weather Hair Care

Nov 10th, 10 / 5 Comments

I turned on my heater for the first time this past weekend and that first blast of hot, dry air reminded me it was time to start thinking about my winter hair routine.  As temperatures begin to dip and we bump up the heat in our homes, our hair is being robbed of important moisture. Add the stress of heat styling and it can leave hair dull, brittle and hard to manage. I can already tell that my hair is getting on the dry side and it’s been less than a week. Yikes! Time to moisturize!

When your hair loses moisture it starts to look dull and frizzy. Even worse, it can begin to split and break. To repair this loss, I recommend a hot oil treatment, such as Ion Hot Oil Deep Penetrating Treatment. This treatment will help restore moisture and softness to severely damaged hair from over-processing, heat styling or environmental exposure. Simply heat the bottle or tube in hot water for two to three minutes then apply and rinse. You should see immediate improvement. However if this type of treatment leaves your hair too oily, opt for a hair masque or a reconstructive conditioning crème.

These weekly treatments will begin to reverse cold weather damage to hair while a good daily conditioner will help prevent additional damage. A daily conditioner shouldn’t be so heavy that it leaves residue. One n’ Only Argan Oil can be used before styling as a treatment and even helps with frizz. If you have very coarse or curly hair, it may require an additional leave-in detangler. They come in liquid and crème form. While you can use the sprays liberally, use the crème sparingly to avoid hair looking oily or disheveled. There are some daily conditioners that target specific problems that arise during winter months. For example, Miracle 7 Leave-in Conditioner helps prevent static electricity in addition to conditioning hair.

Heat styling can also rapidly damage hair. If you curl or straighten your hair with an appliance, you should always use heat protecting products. Beyond The Zone Turn Up The Heat Serum provides thermal protection from heat stress, while conditioning and smoothing.

If you start noticing that the flakes on your sweater aren’t coming from the sky, then it might be time to switch to anti-dandruff products. Look for products that contain Pyrithione Zinc or Coal Tar, as they are the most effective. Try Ion 2-1 Anti-Dandruff shampoo or the Ion Clear-T Anti-Dandruff to calm and heal itchy, dry scalps.

Do you do anything differently to your hair during winter? Please share in the comments!

Hair, Styling Products, Uncategorized

My new favorite!

Oct 18th, 10 / 1 Comment

Move over, Miracle 7, there’s a new favorite in town. Just kidding! You know you’ll always be my #1.  I just have to make a little room in my heart for the both of you.

So what’s this amazing new product, you ask? Well it’s not that new (It came out in June), but I just discovered it so I’m calling it new.  (With more than 6,500 products to learn about and try, sometimes I get a little behind. Oops!)

Anyway, my new LOVE OF LOVES is the GVP Heat Activated Texture Spray.  This stuff is Fabulous with a capital F. Why is it so great? One reason and one reason only: It gives me swishy hair. Those of you who were blessed with naturally swishy hair (Sister, I’m looking and glaring at you.), probably don’t understand how amazing this is. Let’s just say that for those of us whose hair texture tends to resemble cotton candy, discovering this is like finding the Holy Grail of hair products.
Here are the facts:

  • Compare to Redken Fabricate 03
  • Inspires texture and definition
  • Provides weightless control
  • Never sticky
  • $5.99!

So tell me… have you tried this product yet? If so, do you love it as much as I do? What about other products from the GVP line? Any favorites there?

Hair, Styling Products