Hair

I Am Styling Inept

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Seriously. Sure, I have my bun snap thing that makes a tidy bun easier than boiling water, but if I have to do anything to my hair beyond just looking fairly presentable for work? Forget about it. You have hair wizards like Kate from The Small Things Blog who are like, “No, it’s so easy!” (No sass to you, Kate) but I’m over here, all thumbs.

I Am Styling Inept - Hot Tools 1.25" Barrel

I went to a wedding mid-June and wanted to (obviously) not look like a clown. I brought my 1.25″ barrel iron (forgot my dryer, though, the shame…was able to borrow the bride’s, though!) to try to help. Unfortunately, because I am not a hair wizard, my hair wound up in a curled, low-slung, side pony. Did it look bad? No. Was it at all what I wanted? Absolutely not. Did it hold for anything? BAHAHA. No.
 pantene_stylersmousse

Despite mousse,

tresemme_heat

despite heat protectant,

garnier_anti-humid

despite gratuitous hairspray pre- and post-curl, alas…it was hilariously bad. Fortunately, I was nowhere near being the center of attention so it didn’t matter. Not even a blip on the radar! It’s just indicative of my overall problem – I can blow dry my hair or set it in rollers, that’s about it.

You see all these makeup or other beauty bloggers who have fabulous hair constantly – I can’t help but wonder if they go get blowouts before photos? No hate, I just can’t fathom how the hell normal people conduct this level of coif wizardry.

S.O.S.

I am styling inept. Please send help. I need self-help course for hair.

Will trade makeup application and witty, sarcastic humor for help with hair. Am admittedly slightly jealous of those of you with skillz, but not enough to be toxic. Hair Yoda? Anything?

Wanted: A Hairstylist

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My hair needs are not complex. I don’t change my mind every twenty minutes. I don’t want to go blue-black one day and then be lifted to platinum blonde two months later. I don’t abuse my hair with heat, and when I do use heat, I use protectants. I don’t subject my hair to a gauntlet of DIY chemical voodoo (with the exception of my DIY hair glaze treatment, which hasn’t been done in a year – but I’ll be doing it soon!).

At Home DIY Hair Glaze Before and AfterMy fabulous hair, circa Spring 2014.
I miss the length, but contending with it was intense!

I am not one of those people who walks into a salon for a haircut and goes, “Well I want a trim, but also a change but don’t want to sacrifice length!” This, I’m sure, is an obnoxious thing to hear from clients. Most of the time, I DO just want a trim – and can demonstrate both verbally (ie, “two inches!”) and physically (with my hands) what I want. I bring pictures, but not 200. I don’t, “fight,” my hairstylist in the chair by moving when she needs me to be still, or tilting my head when she needs it straight. I don’t creepily keep my eyes open during shampoos. I never use my phone in the chair (that might change if I had a lengthy service like color or perming).

I try to be a good client, or, at least, as good as I can be based on my general knowledge of what annoys stylists.

Ulta Salon Haircut

And yet it is so unbelievably hard to find a stylist worth a damn! It’s been six months since my last cut, and the disappointing cut I got at Ulta has grown out a bit. I didn’t want to return there yet (and definitely not to that hairstylist), so I went elsewhere.

What I wanted from the service:

  • Approximately an inch off the longest lengths.
  • General tidying of everything else (don’t cut old layers back in); nip the ends to clean them up.
  • Even out anything that is uneven.
  • At the very front, add subtle layers with the shortest at the shoulder.

This is not an involved haircut whatsoever. Although she asked what I wanted, she did not confirm her understanding or do any kind of thorough consultation. She didn’t ask what I normally do with my hair, if it has been chemically treated, etc. nor did she give me the opportunity to speak up about it – and she didn’t touch it, either, to get a feel for its texture. But you better believe she didn’t fail to ask me if I wanted to buy product!

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Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Line

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Dove Pure Care Dry OilDove Pure Care Dry Oil

In April, I mentioned having purchased the Dove Pure Care Dry Oil shampoo and conditioner to try. I’ve been using it since early April and feel good about talking about it.

The Dove Pure Care Dry Oil shampoo and conditioner pair would be amazing for someone with a dry scalp or dry hair. It is exceptionally moisturizing (and didn’t cause me to break out on my shoulders or chest or anything [my hair is long!]).

Being an oil-based shampoo, it doesn’t lather immensely. It isn’t as devoid of suds as an SLS-free product would be, but if you get your kicks from tiny bubbles, you won’t get that from this. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t clean – it does. You just won’t be achieving a lather half-afro with it.

The Dove Pure Care Dry Oil conditioner is moisturizing. Definitely better than the Tresemme I’ve been using. Better than the Neutrogena, Suave, and Nexxus, but not quite as good as my old Tigi Moisture Maniac, and DEFINITELY not as good as my Aussie 3-Minute Miracle.

Used together, they impart a significant, noticeable shine to the hair without any additional product or heat styling. My strands were brilliant, and it was a really a pleasant surprise to see. Dove actually makes few claims about this product for me to scrutinize:

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Update: Silkn Long Life Lamp Sale

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On May 3, I shared that Bed Bath and Beyond was running a Silkn Long Life Lamp Sale, and that combined with their common 20% off an item discount, you could get it at almost 40% off – a steal!

The Bad News

I ordered one, having had the following conversation with them back when I originally ordered the device at the beginning of the year:

At the time, Flash n Go Freedom-specific long-life cartridges were not available Sephora or Nordstrom’s sites, so I didn’t know they were selling a unique one.

So I received it in the mail several days later. Removing it from its packaging (I should have taken pictures, but I’m an idiot), I could already tell its shape differed from that of my current lamp and cartridge. The connector was still in the right place, and it did actually click into place – but the plastic housing was not flush with that of the handle, so it looked weird. Okay, whatever – that doesn’t really matter to me as long as it works.

I plugged in the A/C adapter and powered it on. Orange lights all around. Flash, flash, flash, “What the hell is this? No, I’m not turning on so you can enjoy a lifetime of hair reduction,” orange lights, they blinked, they turned off. I reseated the cartridge, power cycled, what have you. No dice.

There was little info online, so I reached back out to Silk’n to see if it wasn’t compatible or if it was a dud. Unlike our first correspondence, I didn’t get a response immediately. I decided, on my own, that I would be returning it to my local BB&B. It wasn’t until I complained, on Twitter, that I was going to have to fight through traffic to fuss with this return, feeling disappointed by the incorrect advice I had received, that I received a response: 

It was nice to hear back from them, but it was still disappointing not to have gotten a clear answer about the Silkn Long Life Lamp the first time. I understand that no one was trying to cause inconvenience, but it is so important that PR and social media managers can thoroughly speak to products if they will be answering questions about them via those channels. Hopefully this was a learning experience.

Thankfully, I was able to return it without issue despite it being opened (no flashes were ever used, so I don’t think there would be an ethics issue when it comes to re-selling), and double-thankfully, I can use my 10% VIB Welcome Coupon at Sephora to knock a little off the price of the proper lamp (though nowhere near as much).

SO – this was not a bash session, just a heads-up that my previous advice to buy this is not correct IF you are using a Flash n Go Freedom model. It is compatible with other Flash n Go models (the original one(s)), but I’d suggest doing research first if you have little time on your hands to fuss with returns.

The GOOD News

The Silk’n Flash n Go Freedom is working – slower than I anticipated, but I’m not in a rush and am happy to wait for full results. I’m still happy and still recommend it!

First Look: Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Line

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If you’ve been reading for a while, you may already know that I’m still hunting for the shampoo and conditioner.

I used to have an obsession with Pantene Ice Shine (before it was discontinued and brought back with a different formula); but more recently, I’ve tried tried two flavors of Tigi products, tried a Suave option, tried Nexxus, tried a Neutrogena option. Most-recently been using a 39oz each duo of Tresemme’s Moisture Rich Shampoo and Conditioner.

I don’t hate the Tresemme products I was using. They aren’t really causing my hair to act up…but they aren’t really doing anything nice for it, either. I’ve also been seeing some light dandruff on occasion, something I never used to deal with – I’m not sure whether or not to attribute this to the Tresemme, but it certainly isn’t making me eager to repurchase.

I am now nearing the end of those monstrous bottles, so I decided to take advantage of a coupon for Dove haircare and give it a shot since it has been many, many years since I’ve used Dove hair products (love the classic bar soap, though).

Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Shampoo & Conditioner

Holly Ann AeRee routinely raves about Dove’s Advanced Hair Series Pure Care Dry Oil on YouTube – since I didn’t have anything in mind, I decided to give it a shot.

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March 2015 Favorites

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March 2015 Favorites
March 2015 Favorites
1. Travelon Sleep Mask, $8 / 2. Contigo Grace Water Bottle, $11 /
3. Urban Decay Naked 2 Basics, $29 / 4. The Wet Brush, $9

A-ha! You thought, “Oh, first Wednesday of the month fell on the first day of the month…no favorites until next week.”

April Fools on you – I actually managed to get my March 2015 Favorites up regardless!

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