Oribe

Product Spotlight: Oribe Free Styler Flexible Hold Working Hairspray

January 22nd, 2019 by Karen 12 Comments

I don’t love cowlicks, but cowlicks love me. [Insert crying-face emojis right here 😭😭😭.] My cowlick situation was almost mildly tolerable before I started growing out my grays, but now it’s next level orange alert!!!

It’s the texture of the gray hairs, man. They’re wirier than my non-gray hairs, and the short, stubby pieces stick out, especially the hairs right smack dab in the middle of my hairline and in the center of my part.

If I leave them be, I look like I’m being mildly electrocuted… Hence Oribe Free Styler Working Hairspray.

Expensive as it is [$42 for a 9-oz. bottle, OMG!], I love this stuff. I’ve been into it ever since I sprayed about half a can on my bangs for the victory rolls I did for Halloween. The rolls stayed put and weren’t crunchy, and you know me when it comes to crunchy hair (not a fan). When I took my hair down that night before bed, even after ALL that hairspray, I was able to run a brush through it without any flakes or tugging.

Which is rad.

What takes this stuff from “nice” to “must-have” for me is how well it handles crazy cowlicks and those stubs of wayward gray hair. It tames them easily, and I use it daily now as part of my routine. I like that my hair can still move around with it and doesn’t look lacquered into place like a helmet.

It freezes your hair in place but doesn’t make it stiff. Your hair also won’t look too shiny and “done,” thanks to the satin finish, which I also like.

Here’s how I work it: When I’m done curling or braiding or whatever I’m doing on any given day, I almost always have a crown or crazy cowlicks sticking out along my hairline and in my part, so I spray a fine layer of Free Styler directly on top, then finesse them down with a fine-toothed comb from Sally Beauty.

If there are any wayward bits left standing, I’ll repeat the process until I’ve coaxed everything into place.
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With Oribe Flash Form Finishing Spray Wax, Luminous Locks Are a Few Sprays Away

October 19th, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

OK, so, the thing about Oribe Flash Form Finishing Spray Wax is that it’s so good that you will never want to part with it, but it’s also $42 for a dainty 4.2-oz. bottle.

But…but…but…GLOSSY LOCKS. I don’t think my hair has ever looked this shiny in my entire life, and that’s no small feat because my ends have this really annoying habit of drying out on me, especially when I’m in a blow-drying phase, like I usually go through in fall and winter.

The not-so-great thing?

As previously mentioned, it’s $42 for a 4.2-oz. bottle.

Ouch.

Thankfully, you only have to use a little. I do a quick jooj on dry hair after it’s styled, then psssst, psssst, psssst on my side-swept bangs, the pieces that frame my face, on my ends, and on the uppermost layer of my hair. Then I gently work it through with my fingers for enough shine to make all the mirrors in Versailles jealous. 🙂

I used to think that Oribe Texturizing Spray was the end-all, be-all of products for perfectly tousled hair, but then I met this.

By the way, it isn’t just a shine spray.

“Create weightless, buildable texture with control and lasting hold. This ultra-fine wax mist adds style, separation and sheen to short cuts and long lengths.”

— oribe.com

For the most part, Flash Form does what Oribe Texturizing Spray does, too — weightlessly separates and defines hair for schemxy texture while it boosts volume and gently holds curls and waves in place, but it also smooths frizz, (which Texturizing Spray doesn’t really do).

Oh, and there’s the shine, of course! Texturizing Spray has a matte finish, which is fine for roots, but maaaan! Gimme shiny, piece-y ends any day of the week.

Benefits:

Fortifying Polymer Blend creates texture and light hold while strengthening hair.

Wheat Starch adds buildable, brushable texture and separation.

Soy Protein provides strength and elasticity to hair.

Plant-Derived Amino Acids help the hair retain moisture while adding light shine.

Glycerin and Panthenol hydrate and condition to protect against breakage.

Amber Extract delivers antioxidant, conditioning and hair-strengthening properties.

Oribe Signature Complex (Watermelon, Lychee and Edelweiss Flower Extracts) defends hair from oxidative stress, photoaging and the deterioration of natural keratin all while protecting from the drying, damaging and color-depleting effects of the elements.

I want to warn you and say “DON’T DO IT” because it’s so expensive, but I also want to say “DO IT DO IT DO IT” because it’s awesome-sauce.

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Easy Everyday Hair Styles for the Dog Days of Summer, Day 4: Friday Fun Buns

August 10th, 2018 by Karen 6 Comments

And for more heat-less hair styles for the dog days of summer, check out…

Day 1: The Woven Wonder

Day 2: Textured, Tousled Waves

Day 3: Wash-and-Wear Wow

OK, I’m sweating behind my knees and between my toes right now… I woke up this morning to second-day air-dried bed-head hair and scorching heat (today’s been in the ’90s, and we don’t have air conditioning), which left me with the following choices for living my best hair life on a blisteringly hot day like today: 1) throw it into a high pony (boring), 2) squirrel it underneath a hat (which is great for sun protection, but man…hats make me sweat so much.), or 3) fun bun it up.

Wanna guess which option I went with?

I feel like buns had a mega moment a few years back with the whole sock bun trend, but I’m still here for them in a major way. It’s an easy hairstyle for a summer Friday because you can look as sleek and done or as messy and undone as ya please! Do a single bun, or double the fun with two. Keep it simple, or jooj it up with dainty Dutch braids (like I do here). They’re surprisingly versatile.

Today’s fun buns is/are the last of the heat-less summer hair styles I had planned for this week, and they build on day 3’s wash-and-wear ‘do.

Once again, I Oribe’d it up…

Dry Texturizing Spray is an old fave of mine (I like keeping a backup on hand), but Mystify Restyling Spray is new to me. You spray it on second-day (or third- or fourth-day hair, for that matter), and it reactivates whatever styling product you have in your hair from the day before. It also has UV and heat protectors to guard your hair if you decide to use hot tools.

Let’s get ready to put the fun in ‘ze bun…

1. Fix flatness with dry shampoo

Spray a dry shampoo or texturizing spray through your hair, concentrating at the roots, to lift your second-day style.

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Easy Everyday Hair Styles for the Dog Days of Summer, Day 3: Wash-and-Wear Wow

August 9th, 2018 by Karen 22 Comments

And for more heat-less hair styles for the dog days of summer, check out…

Day 1: The Woven Wonder

Day 2: Textured, Tousled Waves

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve thoroughly embraced the triple “L”s (otherwise known as #lazyladylife), or if it’s because stepping outside right now feels like walking into the world’s largest oven, but I’m super into wash-and-wear hair right now. Beach babe meets laid-back French girl chic, if you please. Loose waves that willfully bend whichever way they want, with textured ends that signify that I tried enough to care about my hair this morning but didn’t obsess over every stray strand.

Lurves it!

And ya know, it’s also an instant pick-me-up, too, because I swear, I stand up straighter and smile wider 🙂 when my hair is even just a little bit done. It makes me feel like a functional human being.

For this easy hair style, I used Oribe products again because right now “Or” is my “bae.”

See what I did there…? 🙂 OK, that was pretty lame. I should not be allowed to say “bae” in public.

Here’s how you can work those dog-days-of-summer breezes to your air drying advantage…

1. Prep with a repairing shampoo and conditioner to heal any damaged ends

I like shampoos and conditioners that don’t strip my color, and Gold Lust Shampoo and Conditioner do that while simultaneously adding moisture and shine.

2. Towel dry, then apply a lightweight, moisturizing styling balm from the mid-shaft to the ends

Here’s the thing about air drying: unless you’re one of the lucky people who steps out of the shower with perfect hair that automatically falls into place (my friend Christine has hair like this, and yes, I’ve been jealous for over two decades), you gotta work a little something-something into it. Ideally, it’s a styling balm that does a bit of everything — moisture, hold, a touch of smoothness, and hydration, of course! The goal is to tame that mane a little (but not too much).

Oribe Featherbalm does everything aforementioned, so your air-dried ‘do looks done but not overly worked.

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Easy Everyday Hair Styles for the Dog Days of Summer, Day 2: Textured, Tousled Waves

August 8th, 2018 by Karen 21 Comments

And for more heat-less hair styles for the dog days of summer, check out…

Day 1: The Woven Wonder

Peep these summery wavy-waves, kitty cat! — that is, if you can get past that luscious lip. (It’s Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Jumbo Longwear Mat Lip Crayon in 269 Impact from the fall collection.)

Read on for chill, casual waves that are also chic (at least I think so).

Unlike the waves at Waikiki Beach, where, I kid you not, it takes me 15 minutes to paddle out to the surf lineup with my noodle arms on a massive longboard twice my height, catching these summery waves takes less than five minutes.

And yes, I can feel the extra love ? emanating through the screen from my hair tribe right now. You know who you are! You hit snooze more than a few extra times every morning and always end up with only five minutes to style that mop. I’m here for you, homegirl.

Anywho… Remember yesterday’s braids? Yup, this is the next day ‘do, and like yesterday’s, this one doesn’t require any heat styling. Once again, I used some Oribe faves, including Gold Lust Dry Shampoo (moar magical than Magic Mike, ’cause it completely sucks up all the funk on your scalp without leaving behind any visible residue!) and Flash Form Finishing Spray Wax, a sweet stylin’ spray wax to separate your strands for serious texture (how cool is that?).

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