Hairstyling

Beauty Hack – Dry Shampoo

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Beauty Hacks - Dry ShampooMaximize the effectiveness of your dry shampoo!

We all know how to use dry shampoo, right? Start with hair that could use refreshing; maybe it is oily or maybe it has fallen limp and flat. Grab your can of hair sorcery of choice and violently shake. Remove the cap, angle towards your scalp, and depress the nozzle to dispense. Re-part your hair and do this as needed. Wait a few minutes, then massage it in to get rid of any powder-y appearance. Enjoy refreshed hair!

“Why are you writing about this?”

Stay with me!

So usually, I, like everyone else, would apply this in the morning before going about my day. I’d get up, brush my teeth, apply dry shampoo, get dressed, then rub the dry shampoo in. Worked fine.

But then I found a way that works even better. You use less product (therefore saving money), you’re inhaling less dry shampoo first thing in the morning (yessss), and your hair looks a little more natural (sometimes, I find that just-applied dry shampoo can make the hair near my scalp a little too matte. I’ll take it over looking oily, but you know).

How?

Do it before you, “need,” it – so, in most cases, the night before! Just incorporate it as a step for that evenings beauty stuff – wash your face, brush your teeth, moisturize, use dry shampoo. Because you end up using it as a preventative, you don’t need to use as much as you may have to, “fix,” it in the morning. One less thing to worry about before you get your coffee – and your hair looks a little more natural, too.

I’m all about simplifying my mornings because it takes me a loooong time to actually be awake and feel like a person. I hope this helps you simplify your morning and gives you a better experience with your dry shampoo.

August 2014 Favorites

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August 2014 Favorites August 2014 Favorites
1. KvD Autograph Eye Pencil, $10 / 2. Sephora Eyeshadow $3-9 / 3. Aztec Healing Clay Mask, $8
4. Goody Ouchless Ribbon Elastics, $4 / 5. Menda Twist-Lock Pump Bottle, $9

2014 is passing very quickly, but I think July and August went by the quickest of all for me because a lot of what was on my metaphorical plate was executed and came to pass. A little emo that summer is effectively over (and I only got to go swimming once) but I am so excited to get a break from that, and I hope to focus on the blog a bit more.

But enough about that, you came here to read about my August 2014 Favorites!

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Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo

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Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry ShampooNot Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo

When your hair is long, when you’ve slept in too much, when you’re lazy, when you’re in a hurry (hello, every day of my life)…but also when you have last minute plans, or just don’t feel like waiting for your 47 miles of hair to dry etc. dry shampoo can be what takes your hair from looking, frankly, grungy, to looking presentable. I am a frequent user and am on the lookout to see if anything can top my current favorite, Psssst!

I discovered that Not Your Mother’s offers their Clean Freak Dry Shampoo in a trial/travel size (1.6 oz), so I picked up the little white can adorned with what is ostensibly green hair printed onto it to give it a shot (hah) and see if it could knock the reigning champion off its throne.

On the front, Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo says:

Instant results
Absorbs excess oils
Cleans without water
Lite matte finish

Nothing too crazy here – though I feel like we should clarify that dry shampoo does not actually clean anything, and is not a substitute for ACTUALLY washing your hair. It is just meant to tide you over another day between washings. You still need to take proper care of your hair and scalp! Also, I could do without the cutesy abbreviation of, “light,” but maybe I’m just nitpicking.

Moving onto the back, which reads:

I know you’re busy keeping up with that social life! So don’t waste precious time in the bathroom, just use Clean Freak Dry Shampoo. Get that perfect hair (and the perfect guy!) before all the other girls. Expect more room on your social calendar because this salon formula dry shampoo will have you and your hair ready for a night out on the town.
Refreshes instantly
Application: Spray generously on roots and throughout hair. Brush through to diffuse powder and watch it absorb any excess oils. Style as desired and enjoy your newly freshened hair.

Sigh. Marketing. I am more inclined to use a product like this at 5:30-6AM when I am getting up for work than I would be to help me, “keep up with my social life.” The next line is what I find the most ridiculous. Get the perfect hair AND the perfect guy? For the love of cats who knew I could have the best of both worlds with just a couple blasts of this amazing Clean Freak Dry Shampoo? I must be a terrible fool as I am seeking neither (can I just look presentable and quasi-professional for work, please?).

Sigh. Marketing.

Application instructions are pretty straightforward and not insane, which is nice. I tested it out by doing just that – it took a while of depressing the dispensing nozzle (after shaking, of course) for the product to actually come out, leaving a greyish-white veil on my roots. I re-sectioned my hair and reapplied in areas that hadn’t gotten coverage. I then let it sit for about 30 seconds, then massaged it into my roots with my fingertips – this helps move the powder around to areas that still may have been missed. I let it sit for 30 more seconds and brush through – my hair was left matte, but not grey or white. It is scented, and while it is not strong, it is noticeable – a perfume-y powder, not for me.

For what it is, Clean Freak Dry Shampoo it worked well enough. It is a decent product, despite its…er, tasteful. rear  product description. Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo isn’t super costly, at around $9 per 7oz can is superior to both versions from Suave, better than Tresemme’s…but does not top Psssst! Dry Shampoo ($5.50 per 5.3 oz can, and Psssst’s availability and frequent sales), which means it will retain its tiara and title as Best Dry Shampoo. That said, if I couldn’t find any Psssst! and needed something quick and inexpensive (well of course I need something inexpensive. KMS Hair Play is glorious but I can’t swallow $18 for dry shampoo), this is what I would reach for.

In the meantime, this little guy will live in my cubicle at work for touch ups.

Consider Beauty Students

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I got married last week! Yay! Thank you for bearing with me through my dearth of posts as I’m slowly returning to, “real life,” post-madness.

Early on, I knew I didn’t want an elaborate updo. I have a ton of hair (which you can see in my shine treatment post) and an updo would take too long, require approximately 3.46 cans of hairspray and roughly 27,483 bobby pins. I opted for a curled style with the sides pulled back slightly into a waterfall braid across the back. Woo! I cannot do this myself, however, so I knew I needed help. Here’s what I was going for, originally:

Consider Beauty StudentsConsider Beauty Students

A friend of the family was a stylist, and there was pressure to ask her if she would be able to do it. I did, she said she would do it free BUT she couldn’t do the braid. Well…okay. The braid wasn’t that important. We settled the day and all that stuff, all was well. Two weeks later she called back saying oh, no, I didn’t realize the date, sorry, can’t do it.

…cool.

I then start looking into other options. On-site hair wasn’t a requirement for me, and frankly I was happy to save the money by going, “to them.” My now-husband actually found a Paul Mitchell partner school in our area and suggested I look into it and consider beauty students. At first I thought, “Do I really want to trust my hair to students? I know everyone has to learn somehow, but I take pride in my hair and would hate to have it messed up due to a novice’s mistake.”

Then I thought, “Well, you haven’t having it cut, colored, or otherwise chemically processed, so why not?” I found that their rates were substantially cheaper than those of regular salons (whose eyes, I’m afraid, seem to light up with dollar signs when they learn it is for a wedding – even though they might do the same style for any other occasion…or no occasion at all), and it wasn’t terribly far away. They were willing to do a trial (not included, but the price + stylist tip it was still FAR cheaper than what it would’ve been for juts the day-of bridal style at a regular salon, let alone for a trial and day-of, let alone on-site).

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June 2014 Favorites

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Beauty Skeptic - June 2014 Favorites

June 2014 Favorites
Million Dollar Tan Cabana Tan $20 / bareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara $18
Aussie 3-Minute Miracle $4 / KMS Hair Play Makeover Spray $20 / Gena Callus Off $10

 

1. Because I don’t tan in beds or outside any longer, I need to fake it (especially because I’m not trying to look washed out in an ivory gown). I’m going to have a lot of pictures taken soon, so I needed it to be convincing and not a pain to deal with, either. I bought a bottle of Million Dollar Tan’s Cabana Tan and Cabana Tan Extreme lotions a while back after some recommendations were made to me. I’m pretty happy with it and plan to have a post up soon. In addition to their lotion products, Million Dollar Tan carries spray and mousse versions, which you can find here.

2. The original bareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara is my holy grail mascara (so far, anyway). I often go without because $18 for something that you need to replace so frequently is too much for me – but I snagged two (one regular, one waterproof) when Ulta had them half off as a part of 21 Days of Beauty event this spring. It does on sale on the bareMinerals website, too, every now and then, but if you don’t care about it being on sale you can get it there, Ulta, or Sephora.

3. The original 3-Minute Miracle (“Moist Deeeeep Conditioner”) is my favorite conditioner, period. More than I loved the Tigi Moisture Maniac conditioner, and this is a hell of a lot cheaper. They have new versions of it now, too, but I haven’t tried them yet. You can get it at drugstores, mass merchants, online – pretty much anywhere, this is very accessible.

4. Got a sample-size can of this Dry Shampoo with from a Gift with Purchase bag and it is easily the best dry shampoo I have ever tried. One or two short bursts takes care of my whole scalp, it is not strongly scented at all, it feels nice, ugh. So good. Alas, with a $20 price tag, I’ll be stretching my sample and ultimately sticking with Psssst! unless I can find it on sale. (You can get the travel size for $7, however). I could only find it at Ulta.

5. Credo blades aren’t safe and daily pumice stone use only get you so far. Despite my DIY pedicure efforts, sometimes you have to break out the big guns. This is also carried at Sally Beauty as well as a similar product that is slightly cheaper (haven’t tried this brand though). Be careful not to leave it on too long, and be both grossed out and amazed by what it does to stubborn calluses.

Disclosure: Hey! Some of the links in this June 2014 Favorites post are affiliate links (not all of them, of course) – this means I may get a very small percentage of the sale if you decide to buy something. I only recommend products I’ve tried and verified as awesome, which is kind of the point of a favorites post. Ethical blogging FTW.

Chatter: Adventures in Hair Drying

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Adventures in Hair drying

I’d just like to share with you a brief anecdote from Tuesday night.
All products mentioned are in the picture above!

1. Wash hair. It’s time, you know? Plus, you need to get that dry shampoo buildup out (it is awesome, but is not meant to stay forever). Condition liberally, leave it in for a few while you wash your face and body.

2. Procrastinate about leaving the warm shower. It’s cold on the other side of the curtain. Pout like a child, grudgingly dry off and step out.

3. Hastily towel dry hair so it isn’t sopping or considering becoming icicles. Start a blowout with drenched hair? You’re gonna have a bad time.

4. Comb through your mane with a wide-toothed comb to detangle. We’re civilized folk, after all.

5. Rummage through the drawer o’ hair goop. Grab your Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum and Ion knockoff (from Sally Beauty, left) of Aquage Uplifting Foam (real, right) .

6. Toss most of your hair to one side and section about an inch above the ear. Try to spray it on like Kate from the Small Things Blog shows us.

7. Instead, do a horrible job at it and somehow wind up with it on the door of the bathroom (I don’t even…). Wipe off the door before your fiance thinks you were doing grade-school science experiments in the bathroom with hair products as reagents. Don’t be like me.
Also, don’t use hair products as reagents – a lot of them are pressurized and/or flammable. The more you know.

8. Deal with the now-intrigued cats on the other side of the door who were curious about what was getting the inside of the door (aka you wiping the root-lifting mousse off the door).

9.  Apply one pump of Super Skinny to the mid-lengths and ends. This step was pretty anticlimactic. Wipe your hands off because it feels weird.

10. Rough dry upside down with an easily-obtained dryer (though I guess a difficult to obtain one would work just as well), trying to get the scalp area (where you applied too much foam goop) driest. Flip back over, make sure the roots are dry.

11. Move onto the ends with an awesome gigantic round brush (4″!) that you require (because your hair is almost waist length when it isn’t being wild and crazy and using a 2.5″ barrel would be awful).

12. Get bored 7/8 of the way through your adventures in hair drying (with nearly-dry hair!) and decide to go finish making dinner.

This is a pretty normal DIY blowout for me. Occasionally, I’ll really take the time to go through the process properly. But really, it is important that your routine feels like something you want to do, and not like a chore. You do not have to take it so seriously – the world won’t end if you get root-lifting mousse on the door, after all.