Haircare

Beauty Hacks & Tips

by

This legacy post has been given a facelift. Content has been edited for flow and some updates have been added, but the essence is the same!

After comparing my list to so many top hits from Google from silly magazines, I’m confident that MOST of these are not cookie-cutter tips. So many of these, “beauty hacks,” are old hat to me just because I’ve been doing them so long – but it’s come to my attention that some of them are apparently, “sneaky beauty hacks.” I figured, “Why not share?” We’re all trying to streamline our life and make time for other things – even as someone who enjoys beauty, that doesn’t mean I have an hour or two to throw at it on a daily basis – in fact, writing that made me laugh.

Let’s get on with it!

Before I had highlights!

Hair Hacks

  • Maximize efficacy of your dry shampoo. It will absorb oils as you sleep so you aren’t in such a rush in the morning. As much as I love dry shampoo, sometimes I want it to do what it does faster than it does. Solution? Use your dry shampoo at night before you go to sleep. I like Batiste and Psssst!  [2022 update: Skip conventional dry shampoos; many of them are being found to contain cancer-causing benzene. Use tapioca starch instead!]
  • If you buy large bottles of shampoo and conditioner (such as Tresemme’s 39oz monstrosities [2022 update: Screw Tresemme, they repeatedly sell and resell formulas that lead to hair loss]) and transfer them to smaller bottles, you will be pleased to learn that the caps for Dawn dish soap fit on a lot of bottles that take pumps. Pumps aren’t the best for transferring thick product to other containers, but swapping one of those caps makes life a LOT easier. (2018 Update: These bottle couplers are nice too if you need to combine contents a lot – but I still use Dawn caps for all sorts of things. Reduce, reuse, recycle, save money etc.)

Read more

Unpopular Opinion – It’s a 10 Miracle Leave‑In Product

by
It's a 10 Miracle Leave‑In ProductIt’s a 10 Miracle Leave‑In Product

At some point, leave-in conditioners stopped being quite as cool and therefore stopped being marketed quite as heavily (until recently-ish). For me, although argan oil is lovely for my hair, I don’t achieve the same results with it as I did the leave-ins of yore. My lightened ends are a bit drier than the rest of my hair, so I like to help them out.

In January, having stalked sales and armed with a gift card, I purchased a small bottle of It’s a 10 Miracle Leave‑In Product. Stylists I respect rave about it. Regular ol’ non-beauty-educated folks I know in, “real life,” rave about it. Bloggers I trust that fall on either end of that spectrum rave about it. Can that many people be wrong?

In a Word? Yep

Read more

Worth it? Beyond the Zone Last Call Hair Masque

by

Beyond the Zone Last Call Hair Masque

After three rounds of balayage highlights and more heat-styling than I’ve done consistently…ever, some of my hair can use an extra boost of hydration. Last time I was in Sally’s (a while ago at this point – before Christmas for sure), I picked up their Beyond the Zone Last Call Hair Masque ($2.49). I love Aussie 3-Minute Miracle and use it regularly, but figured it was worth investigating.

The Claims

Beyond the Zone Last Call Hair Masque claims that it:

Read more

November 2017 Favorites

by
November 2017 FavoritesNovember 2017 Favorites
1. MiroPure Straightening Brush, $40 / 2. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, 3 for >$8 / 3. Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum, $80 /
4. Vaseline Original, varies / 5. OPI I’m Not Really a Waitress, $8

American Thanksgiving has come and gone (somehow it was already like two weeks ago, WTF). The holidays are officially here. I have yet to decorate my apartment (because I have been drowning in work, as I shared on earlier this week). This weekend, I will get the wee tree up and then I will wrap all the things. I’ve been into tying gift bows lately and have some amazing peacock ribbon that I’m excited to use. Before we get into my November 2017 Favorites, don’t forget to check out (and enter, duh) my Real Techniques Sculpting Set Giveaway; there’s only a week left!

Read more

Garnier Fructis Grow Strong

by
Garnier Grow Strong Shampoo and ConditionerGarnier Fructis Grow Strong Shampoo & Conditioner
photo from Target

Intended this for publishing on Monday, but apparently I’m awesome at WordPress and it came out a little early. Don’t worry, the schedule is correct for the rest of the week!

First things first: I received Garnier Fructis Grow Strong Shampoo and Conditioner for free to try courtesy of BzzAgent (and, of course, Garnier). I was not paid to create this content. Anyone can join BzzAgent for free and qualify for BzzCampaigns – you receive free product provided you agree to review it.

Even though my current shampoo and conditioner situation is working out, I’m open to trying products from brands I’ve had luck with. I used Garnier Fructis products with relative success for years when the brand was new-ish. Since then, the brand’s offerings have changed a lot and I’m less familiar with their landscape. Garnier Fructis Grow Strong, which is paraben free and vegan, claims to support hair by making it 10x stronger. I tried it to find out.

The two stars of the Garnier Fructis Grow Strong duo are (per Garnier’s label) Apple Extract and Ceramide.

Apple Extract

In reality, this means it contains malic acid, which is an acid produced by apples, but also all fruits (among other things). Along with glycolic, lactic, and citric acid, malic acid is a part of the alpha hydroxy acid family and is occasionally a component of skincare products.

Malic acid is part of why apple cider vinegar rinses are recommended for no- and low-‘poo regimens. Some people claim that malic acid (and ACV rinses) can stimulate hair growth. This skeptical jury of one is out on that; AHAs interact with living cells, so I suppose it is plausible that they could stimulate the scalp into doing what we want. Otherwise, applied to just the hair shaft itself, it isn’t going to promote hair growth.

Ceramide(s)

These waxy lipids help the hair (or skin, in the case of its natural presence in skin or in skincare) bind together. Think of those ultra-close-up views of what a strand of hair truly looks like: it is essentially a cascade of tiny scales. Ceramide helps them stick and lie flush to prevent damage to the hair’s cuticle. Their presence assists the hair in trapping and retaining moisture. Both of those effects result in stronger hair by:

  • directly reducing the likelihood of breakage
  • improving moisture retention (which also reduces breakage risk!)

Net result is you win because you have healthier, fuller hair. You can learn more about the interaction between ceramide and hair at Longing4Length, who has a nice article on it.

Garnier Fructis Grow Strong Shampoo & Conditioner

Read more

Still Love the Wet Brush

by

A few years ago I discovered the joys of The Wet Brush. This inexpensive brush is great for long and/or tangle-prone hair. Since I wrote that, the line has expanded considerably! They have so many fun colors and different brush styles now. I’ve gifted a bunch of them (and plan to gift more). Their original form-factor includes the original that I wrote about as a style with mixed bristles intended for improving shine.

Pop-Fold

My silver-haired friend (who showed me The Wet Brush in the first place) alerted me to the fact that they have a fold-up version. Using a gift card (and therefore not violating my No Buy), I picked one up. I love it!

Read more