Archive for the 'Hair' Category

Last month I tried my very first Pureology product ever — Colourmax Spray hair color protectant — and came away impressed. I decided to keep an eye on the brand.

Pureology Dandruff Scalp Cure Shampoo and Conditioner ($35 each, wow!) are the latest additions to the Pureology product family. The company caters to people with deep pockets and color treated hair, but are they charging too much?

While generally effective at treating dandruff, most over-the-counter dandruff shampoos tend to strip away hair color. Pureology sought to develop a product that could treat dandruff without ruining a dye job.

As with Head & Shoulders and most other dandruff shampoos, the active ingredient in Pureology’s dandruff products is pyrithione zinc, an antifungal/ antibacterial agent commonly used to treat scalp scaling, itching and flaking, but while most dandruff products limit the amount of pyrithione zinc in their products to 1%, Pureology uses 2%.

To save hair color, Pureology products use a blend of UVA and UVB protectants the company calls “Anti-Fade Complex.”

I will get dandruff from time to time, particularly when the seasons change. To treat it, I’ve always just reached for Head & Shoulders Shampoo ($8) and a conditioner like Bumble & Bumble Super Rich, but, even limiting my use of Head & Shoulders to no more than once a week (and then only on my roots), my hair felt dry and my color would fade faster than usual.

After using both Pureology dandruff products once a week for a month, not only did my dandruff go away, but my hair color didn’t.

Pureology Dandruff Scalp Cure Shampoo

Price: $35 for a 10.1-oz bottle
Use: To treat dandruff without stripping away hair color
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

The shampoo has a lovely vanilla scent with a touch of musk and builds into a nice lather. It’s not as drying as Head & Shoulders is, and while I could probably have used it safely on my full head of hair, I stuck to only using it on my roots. I figure that way the 10-oz. bottle should last upwards of a year, which breaks down to about $3 per month.
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So, I was at the salon waiting for my appointment this afternoon when I decided to actually pick up and read a box of Jessica Simpson’s hairdo clip-in hair extensions.

I’m not a faux hair expert, but I can usually spot bad fake hair from a mile away. Well, Jessica and her hairdresser, Ken Paves, sure fooled me because this stuff looks — *gasp* — like real hair.

It comes in short, medium and long versions of either curly or straight hair.

I like having long hair, but I’d love to be able to switch between long and short at the drop of a hat. I thought about the bob I rocked last year and came *this close* to impulse buying the 15″ wavy extension, which doesn’t actually extend your hair but makes it shorter.

And then I saw the price: $90! Wow! Isn’t that a lot? I don’t know squat about fake hair, but $90 sure sounds expensive.

I decided not to buy it this time, but I came close! If the urge for short hair strikes again, I just may have to give Jessica’s hairdo a try.

What say you about clip-in hair? Hairdo or hair don’t?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The road to accepting my hair fate has been long and filled with bad haircuts and products that delivered heartache and frizz. If I had a dime for every time I cursed my wavy hair I’d be a rich woman. I swear, I’m filing a request with the powers that be for straight, wash-and-wear hair, LOL.

On my seemingly never-ending quest for more manageable hair, I’ve found a few products and tips that have helped, and here are some of my favorite ones. What are yours? What are your hair care power tips? Do share in the comments — I need all the help I can get!

• Fight Frizz with Fekkai Summer Hair Zero-Humidity Frizz Control
  “Zero-Frizz isn’t just a hair smoothing spray. It smells great (like coconut and citrus) and even contains a UV protectant Fekkai calls Solarshield, designed to prevent sun damage and lightening. And no alcohol here, which is a big plus, as hair products containing alcohol tend to be drying.”
• Tips for Breast Cancer Patients: Staying Beautiful Inside and Out!
  “One of the many challenges for Mary Anne was navigating the world of makeup and beauty as a cancer patient. How do you deal with losing your eyebrows? What do you when you feel a hot flash coming on? These are just a few makeup/beauty issues that she had to deal with.”
• Hair Tip for Dry Hair: Skip the Shampoo and Wash With Conditioner Instead
  “It does take time to get used to not having bubbles. You may want to transition by alternating the conditioner wash with your regular shampoo for a few weeks, and then going every two days, then three days, etc., and thus slowly weaning yourself off your shampoo…”
• Not Your 80s Hairspray: Bumble and Bumble’s Spray de Mode Makes Me Want to Use Hairspray Again
  “I’ve been wearing my hair big and wavy lately as a homage to my 80s pre-teen self. Spray de Mode’s worked wonders in keeping the waves in check without leaving my hair feeling sticky or crunchy. I can even run my fingers through my mane, and it keeps its shape. And Spray de Mode dries quickly. I remember 80s hairspray taking forever to dry.”
• Innovative New Remington Shine Therapy Flat Iron Straightens and Conditions at the Same Time
  “…the straightener’s ceramic plates are porous and infused with a blend of conditioners and avocado oil. With the heat cranked up, the plates evenly emit their conditioning blend during styling to protect and moisturize hair. Neat, yah?”
• Product Review: Bespoke Labs T3 Featherweight Hair Dryer
  “There are so many pluses to this dryer, but the best part is that it gets the job done fast, and now I get an extra an hour and a half every week. It used to take an hour to blow dry my hair with my old hair dryer. With the T3 the time is cut down to 30 minutes. And a good blow out on Sunday means that I won’t have to bother with my hair until Friday…”
• Garnier Nutrisse Product Review Plus Tips For At-Home Hair Color
  “The smell is pretty strong, but in comparison to other at-home dyes it’s not bad. It also doesn’t dry my hair out, which is one thing I hated most about Feria, the dye I used in high school. If you have dark hair like me and want to go a few shades lighter, Garnier is a good choice…”

Oh, and thanks to Marisol for pointing out that Bella Sugar is doing a Friday giveaway today featuring the Fekkai Summer Hair product shown above. You have until 5 pm PDT today to enter; head on over to Bella’s blog for details. Good luck, bonne chance, held og lykke, viel glueck, etc., etc.

I hope you’re having a great Fourth of July!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I usually spend a lot of time outside in the summer, running up and down hills and bumping Jay-Z on my iPod. When my knees are functioning (sigh!), it breaks down to an hour or two in the sun at least every other day.

While I’m consistent about applying sunscreen before leaving the house for a run, I haven’t been as mindful when it comes to protecting my hair from sun damage. That summer sun gets hot, ya’ll. It’ll fade highlights in no time, so I’ve been on the lookout for products to protect my long, highlighted hair.

I found PureOlogy ColourMax ($18), a spray that protects against UVA and UVB radiation and prevents color fading.

About a half an hour before going for a run, I’ll spray ColourMax onto the sun-exposed parts of my hair from roots to ends, brushing it through. It smells a little like roses.

According to PureOlogy, the spray works to prevent color fading by some kind of nano technology. Hmm… I don’t know about that, but it does help to keep my hair from getting tangled and adds a little extra shine. The company also claims the product is 100% vegan and not tested on animals (I guess nanites don’t count).

I’ve been using it on my runs for about two weeks now (since returning from Hawaii) and haven’t noticed any fading of my caramel highlights in that time. I wish I had brought it with me to the islands because, over the short time I was there, I did notice some fading.

The real test will come after I get my roots done next month. I’ll keep you updated.

More Hair Products with UV Protection

If you spend a lot of time in the sun, consider using a hair product with UV protection. In addition to bleaching the color out of your hair, UV chemically breaks down the keratin proteins in hair, drying it out and making it more likely to break.

• Frederick Fekkai Coiff Defense UV Protectant ($25) — a leave-in conditioner that protects hair against damage from UV rays and heat styling.
• John Frieda Thermal Protection Serum ($9) — a drugstore hair product that prevents UV fading, provides heat styling protection and makes hair smooth and soft.
• Re|center Anti-Frizz Serum ($10) — a hair serum that not only protects against UV rays and color fading but also smooths hair, adds shine and defrizzes. All that, and it’s 100% vegan and made from certified botanicals, too.
• Terax Finishing Spray ($18) — a medium hold hairspray with UV protectant.
• Mark Anthony Brilliant Color Color Lock Shampoo ($8) — a drugstore shampoo with vitamin C and UV sunscreens.
• Oscar Blandi Capri Sun-Shield Spray ($20) — a UV protectant spray that boosts shine while preventing fading from sun and chlorine.
• GHD Guardian Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair ($29) — a moisturizing conditioner with UVA and UVB protection for color-treated hair.
• Rene Furterer Okara Restructuring Mask ($28) — a deep conditioner with UV filters.

Sun or no sun, there will be no running outside for yours truly today. My bum knee is feeling much better now (thanks to your well wishes and loads of ice), but it doesn’t feel strong enough to attempt a run. Looks like I’m forced to continue relaxing at home.

Last night I did a whole lotta nothing from the comfort of the couch and watched a random sample of late-night 90’s movie fair. First, I watched American Pie, which I hadn’t seen in years (since band camp), and the second was Rounders. I forgot how much I liked Rounders. You can’t really go wrong with Ed Norton, Matt Damon and John Malcovich all in the same movie.

How’s your weekend coming along? Do you have any plans for today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen
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Tela Beauty Organics, where have you been all my wavy-haired life? Both your Healer product (leave-in conditioner) and Encore (styling creme) work wonders. Gisele Bundchen and Jennifer Anniston — step aside, girls (lol)! Here comes Karen’s hair!

If you have naturally curly or wavy hair and, like me, can’t or won’t use hair products that contain silicone, you probably struggle to find silicone-free leave-in conditioners and de-frizzing products in which dimethicone or amodimethicone aren’t listed near the top of the list of ingredients. In the hair care industry, it seems like silicone is everywhere you turn.

What’s so bad about silicone? Well, nothing according to the cosmetics industry, but theirs isn’t the only opinion. Silicone coats hair, protecting it from heat damage, and makes hair shiny and smooth.

But others warn that overuse of silicone-containing hair products forces the hair cuticle out of position, potentially killing it and leading to hair thinning and loss.

Most experts agree that occasional use of quality brands shouldn’t lead to long term problems with hair.

With Healer and Encore, Tela Beauty Organics has solved the silicone dilemma in a novel way. They don’t use it. Neither Healer nor Encore contain silicones, and both products create smooth, silky hair. The catch (there’s always one)? Price. Available exclusively at Barneys New York, Healer costs a whopping $48 for a 1.6-oz. bottle, and Encore will set you back $45 for a 1-oz jar. All together now: “OUCH!”

Both products are expensive, but they also work very well.

Healer is a leave-in treatment that repairs hair and damaged ends. I have really thick hair and found that I had to use about a silver dollar-sized amount, massaging it throughout my hair after getting out of the shower. Then, using my fingertips and a wide-toothed comb, I worked a pea-sized amount of Encore’s styling paste in, particularly at the ends to reduce frizz, and air dried.
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Sorry for the late post, guys! I got home from the airport around midnight last night and woke up a little jet lagged. All morning I felt like I was slow-motion Karen, like my brain was moving at the speed of soup!

I took a nice, long shower to get my rear into gear and did much-needed post vacation beauty maintenance before heading to work. I used Volcanic Ash Exfoliator by MAC Cosmetics to exfoliate my feet and body (review to follow shortly!) and Bumble and Bumble’s new Creme de Coco Masque ($24) on my hair, a once-a-week moisturizing conditioner that’s supposed to make hair shiny, smooth and soft.

It’s the newest member of Bumble and Bumble’s Creme de Coco family and chock full of coconut oil, a common ingredient in beauty products for skin and hair. The folks at Bumble and Bumble say that Creme De Coco Masque takes coconut oil to the next level with “breakthrough Japanese technology.” I’m not exactly sure what they meant by that, but it sounds sufficiently awesome.

In a coconut and vegetable derived base, Creme de Coco also contains mango and shea butters, avocado oil, and botanical extracts of olive leaf, nettle, horsetail and mallow. I think it sounds like a yummy salad.

I returned from Hawaii with a tan, macadamia nuts, kona coffee … and dry, crunchy, damaged hair. Go figure. There’s a certain poetry to using a product filled with tropical ingredients to repair the damage done to my hair by sun and salt water.

A few years ago I went through a bout of extra crispy hair and tried Bumble and Bumble’s Deeep (with three Eees) Conditioner, another weekly hair masque treatment. I liked it and remember that it worked back then, so I was eager to try out Bumble and Bumble’s Creme de Coco.

Still in the shower after washing my hair, I massaged two silver dollar’s worth of Creme de Coco Masque into my hair, spending extra time to work the product into the dry ends. Directions on the bottle suggest leaving it on for at least seven minutes before rinsing, so, while I waited for the Masque to do its thang, I took the opportunity to exfoliate my body, because I’m all about multi-tasking.
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Pop diva extraordinaire Mariah Carey visited the island of Oahu last week to film a video for her song, I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time. I was really hoping to run into her at the mall or Matsumoto’s Shave Ice, but, alas, that didn’t happen. Instead, to get my Mariah fix, I listened to some of her songs (Vision of Love was the *jam*, ya’ll) and looked at old and new pictures of her on a few fan sites. One of the things I noticed was how her hair has evolved over the years. I liked her tight, old-school curls, but I’m partial to the big, bouncy curls she wears a lot now.

In other Mariah news (can’t you tell I’m a fan?), Women’s Wear Daily reports that she just recently released a new perfume called Luscious Pink, created in conjunction with Elizabeth Arden. A followup to last year’s M by Mariah Carey, Luscious Pink is a floral with notes of Sicilian bergamot, Tahitian tiare petals, lily of the valley, sandalwood and white musk. I haven’t caught a whiff of it, so that’s off the marketing.

The collection includes eau de parfum sprays in three sizes — 1 oz. for $39.50, 1.7 oz. for $55 and 3.3 oz. for $65 — as well as a 6.8-oz. body lotion for $28. I guess it’s so new that it’s not yet listed on the Elizabeth Arden site. When I get back home this week, I’m going to try to get my hands on a bottle and will let you know what I think. If you get your hands on it between now and then, let me know if it moves you.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen