Brazilian Blowout: Acai Straightening Balm

For as much effort I put into my skin, only recently have I started upping the ante with my hair.  I have to admit that effort was initiated by obvious signs of breakage. Hair dryers, straightening irons & the fact that I often wear my hair in a ponytail for work were wreaking havoc on my mane.  When I first squeezed some of of Brazilian Blowout's Acai Protective Thermal Straightening Balm (what a mouthful!) in my hand, I quickly noted the slippery texture due to silicones. Had this been a skincare product, that would have had me running for the hills!  However I was careful to apply it away from my scalp, as I have oily hair & apply it only from the middle to the ends. 

 I immediately noticed its amazing detangling capabilities! My hair is fine & prone to tangling. When your hair is wet, it's at its weakest - with this product my comb glides through my hair with ease. This is a dream- so moms out there try to sneak some of this in your daughter's hair post bath time! During my blowdrys with this product, I rarely even need to straight iron after. The silicone keeps my hair frizz free & smooth without it getting 'stringy' looking. I would say it's ideal for those who have shoulder length hair or longer. It retails for $28 & a little goes a long way into helping you have a good hair day.

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Shampoo

I recently read an article on Rosie Pope's {of Pregnant in Heels fame) hair routine- I believe it was in Lucky or InStyle Magazine, but don't quote me on that.  In it she said that she relied on Paul Mitchell's  Tea Tree Special Shampoo (+ some Shampowder dry shampoo) to make her blow outs last a full week!  First off that's bordering on or just about arrived at gross, Rosie.  My hair would have a shellac like appearance if I ever went that long without shampooing, it's so oily. Nevertheless I picked up a bottle to see what freedom it could give me. It's main ingredient, Tea Tree Oil, has been used for centuries to calm, purify & balance the skin. It's often found in all natural acne products & is very popular in Australia. The shampoo itself smells bracingly, in a good wake-you-up-kind-of-way, of mint. When it's on your scalp, dare I say I get the sensation of how a York Peppermint Patty might feel- it's deliciously cool & tingly.  So a full week of not having to wash my hair again? Not for this girl, but I could easily skip a day, which is saying something. For those with normal to dry hair- I would say 2 or 3 days of freedom. Worth noting, this shampoo is also safe for colored hair & treats dandruff! It's a winner.

Peace. Love.Lipgloss. M

Kerastase Fusio-Dose

So I've never been much of a hair product girl- I know that's shocking. Actually, let me clarify: I buy tons of hair styling products, tools & the occasional bump it- but nothing works. My hair is fine, though I have a lot of it. But as I'm getting older & I've spotted the occasional *gasp* grey hair, I've been focusing on hair health. I do a hair mask every Sunday night, as my hair is pretty long. I also put protective product in my hair before blow drying or straight ironing it. But there's a new weapon in my arsenal. My hairdresser, the fabulous Erin of Fraiche Studio has been adding these high tech vials by Kerastase called Fusio-Dose to my salon visit. Completely customizable depending on the state of my hair, this go around she choose the Concentre Sunstantif (purple vial) to improve my hair elasticity & the Booster Ceramide (green cap) to strengthen my hair fiber. After shampooing, she applies the formula & combs it through- letting it sit for 5 minutes. She then rinses it & styles it. The result is seriously healthy feeling hair. Yes, the Kerastase line has always overwhelmed me a bit, but when these two pieces attach the perfect cocktail results. Also since I don't speak French, I've now gotten a grasp on the color group breakdown of the line: Pink=Color Protection, Orange=Nourishment for Dry Hair, Green= Strengthening & Purple=Density/Thickening. I must say, Kerastase is like skincare for hair!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Kerastase

My hair & I have a contentious relationship. Don't get me wrong- I actually love my natural hair color & it's healthy. But we both kind of do our own things. Often I swipe my glorious GHD straight iron through it to make it succumb to my will & look a little bit more polished. While skin & make-up are my area of expertise, hair is not. Enter Erin Vajda, owner of Fraiche Studio. Erin is one of those super cute {read annoyingly so} always perfectly coiffed girls. Even on her days off, her hair looks perfectly tousled, in the 'I'm not even trying to do this with my hair' way. Yup, I would want to beat her- if she wasn't so awesome.

So Erin put the fear of God in me recently. Not so much with guilt, but more of a "That's fine. I don't care if you strip the cuticles of your hair & have a frizzy mess- it's not my hair" sort of nonchalant comment. Turns out when I don't put a protective coating on my hair before passing the 400 degree iron over it, I'm roughing up my hair strands & creating a never ending cycle since I'll then always need the straight iron to smooth back down the damage. She introduced me to Kerastase's new Fibre Architecte Serum. Though the line is well known, I've often found it confusing & never knew what was right for me.

The serum was the perfect texture, not overly greasy for my somewhat oily hair. You apply it on dry hair. It smells like Heaven. Or a vacation. Or a heavenly vacation. It's a very clean scent, with some exotic citrus. The product made my hair super cooperative & sleek. It also was free from pony tails 'kinks' the next day- which it never is! It's an investment at $42, but in my cabinet full of hair potions that never deliver- I will reach for this one again & again!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M