Cosmetics Galore

I don’t use much hairspray.  I only use it when I want to hold the waves I’ve created in my hair with a curling iron, but generally if I’m just wearing my hair “natural” or straight, it’s totally unnecessary.  I also use it sparingly because I happen to hate the fumes it leaves in the air.

I think of how long that toxic suspension stays in the air and affects the air I breath, my husband breathes, and our two pets as well.  I even try to do it out away from everything, in a better ventilated area so that the toxic fumes don’t permeate the air. I also hold my nose for as long as I can until I’m “in the clear”.

So it got me thinking, if I feel something is this toxic (I mean, just smell most hairsprays, they even smell like chemicals), I wonder if there is a more natural, less toxic alternative to hair spray that holds styles?

As you know, there aren’t many substances in nature that have the plastic-like consistency that keeps hair stiff and in a holding pattern for hours (let’s face it, even the best chemical hairsprays can’t do that many times).  But there are some natural substances that can come close to at least holding a little by sticking the hairs together.

One recipe I read involved boiling orange rinds down until you come up with a sticky substance that works almost like a glue on the hair.  There are also some more “natural” options available on the market that at least are void of the phthalates and scents that often are found in hair sprays and a myriad of other hair products.

Another natural options involves another citrus fruit, which isn’t surprising since citrus juices are normally pretty sticky, they make a good basis for a sticky, holding substance.  This one involves lemon juice, mixed with water, and possible even some sugar. The sugar part is a bit scary to me. I picture bees flocking to my hair because of the sweet scent in the summer.

I’m going to try one of these recipes out and let you know if they work of it they’re a big flop!

So I had mentioned a while ago that I really like the Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream, which has the added natural element of olive oil in it which I love.  The only drawback to this Glossing Cream is that once it gets a little age on it, it does tend to separate a bit, but it’s as easy as a quick shake up to get it uniform again.

If you squirt it out and the oil has separated from the cream, you can quickly swirl it in your hand as well, so it’s really not a big deal, it just might alarm some people at first.

I’ve used this particular hair care product two ways. Now, what I’m using it for is really different from how I started off using it when I bought it a while ago (it does last a long while, especially if you’re like me and have a million hair products you alternate between depending on what mood you’re in).

At first I would use it as more of a post-styling sleeking cream. So I would add it to my hair after I had already blown it dry if I thought my hair looked a bit dry or frizzy still.  Now, I like to use it before I blow dry as an actual styling cream. Either way, this cream works great.

If you use it on dry hair, you just have to be careful how much you use as using too much can actually make you hair look greasy or weighed down. But that’s a risk you take with just about any glossing gel, cream or serum.

I use the Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream with olive oil when I want a soft, straighter hairstyle.  It also gives you a nice wave if you want to leave your hair partially wet after blowing it dry and scrunch it a bit, but not too much wave.  Mostly I like that it gives my hair a nice soft feel and look.

I really love the fact that they used a natural oil in this as well. Olive oil is very protective of the skin and hair, and it’s a great natural moisturizer.  It really adds a nice shine, but also adds to the health of the hair and is better than heavy silicones at helping enhance shine and softness in my opinion.

Of course, there may be a place for silicones still, but I’m really trying to get away from using these in my own hair styling products. I find that they attract dirt to my hair and make it look duller, even if they do make it look a bit nicer and shinier when I first put them in. I also don’t wash my hair every day, so heavy silicones are not good for people who don’t wash their hair daily.

Using my huge barreled curling iron, and seeing an 80’s throwback movie called “Take Me Home Tonight” this weekend really reminded me of some of the past hair trends that I’ve either fallen under the influence of, or managed to avoid even though there was an overwhelming temptation to buckle.

One trend, as shown in the movie this weekend, was the “big hair” trend when girls would spray their bangs with hairspray to get their hair to new huge heights. I always had flatter hair when I was younger, which is weird because the older I got the more texturized and full of body my hair became.

My hair just wouldn’t go high, and I had such extreme cowlicks in the front of my head that I really couldn’t wear bangs well anyway.  Looking back, I’m kinda glad my hair wasn’t conducive to this type of hairstyle, but of course at the time I was cursing my hair!  Oh but that doesn’t mean I didn’t succumb to the other awful eighties fads – I could show you pictures…..oy.

Another early 90’s and late 80’s hairstyle was to use those hot rollers that you kept in place with a metal pin.  Remember those? Remember burning the crap out of your head for the sake of having big, bouncy hair? Remember sometimes leaving them in too long and coming out looking like a bad, older version of Shirley Temple?  I sure do!

Remember when wearing bows in your hair was big?  Or how about those big claws that would stick out of the back of your head and dig into your skull? They still have those today, but at least they are a little more rounded and not so torturous to wear.

I remember wearing the lace bows – ala early Madonna a LOT – way too much.  I had a couple of them that were my favorites, and I wore them nearly every day.  I had one in white, black and tan.  I would sometimes wear them over to the side so the bow was on the side of my head. I would also sometimes wear only one barrette in my hair, dramatically swooped to one side.

There was a time when it was all about layers.  Every girl that had any style would have multiple layers in her hair. If she was super stylish, she would have multiple layers AND have a wicked frost job on her hair as well.  Just like frosted jeans, frosted hair was all the rage.  Unlike the calmer, buttier highlights of today, the highlights of yesteryear were brutally, unnaturally white, hence the term “frosted”.  Pretty glad that particular fad is over.

Heck, I would say scrunchies were an eighties fad, but I still wear those today simply for comfort’s sake! They are the only thing I can wear my hair back in for a long period of time without getting a banging headache and a wicked dent in my hair from.

I’ve been experimenting now for months with a natural shampoo formulation and finally found success with just the right blend of ingredients to both adequately clean my hair and leave it shiny and bouncy and also keep it moisturized.

SLS, or Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, is the active “lathering” ingredient in most shampoos you see on store shelves today. This is a very harsh, high-lather detergent that strips the hair of moisture, irritates the scalp, and roughs the cuticle of the hair up, which is the outer layer of each strand that makes the hair either look frizzy or lay flat and shiny and “calm”.

Here’s the rub with natural shampoos. Sometimes, since they don’t lather as high as SLS-containing shampoos, people tend to think they are not cleaning their hair. That is absolutely untrue, it is just that we are conditioned today to think that our soaps, toothpastes and shampoos have to have a mound of lather to actually cleanse surfaces.

In fact, once you start using natural shampoos with more gentle, lower lather cleansing agents, you realize that they not only clean your hair better and remove buildup, but they also can help maintain a healthier scalp, keep dandruff at bay and make for a much healthier, shinier and more vibrant head of hair.

Oh yeah, my natural shine enhancing shampoo also does not strip away my color quickly like traditional shampoos do. This has been one of my favorite aspects of the shampoo because I hate coloring my hair and watching it fade within a matter of days or weeks. I like when it stays saturated and full of life for a long time, and my shampoo allows for that, so I can go longer between coloring which I love.

I found that since I’ve been using my natural shampoo, my hair color (which I do once every couple of months) stays in much longer and looks much richer for much longer.

Since my scalp and hair is in much better condition, and I’m not adding parabens and all kinds of other chemicals to my scalp and hair, I’m sticking with my natural shampoo for a long, long time. My hair has never looked better, I can honestly say.

I had one bad haircut too many about 8 months ago, and I’d quite frankly had it with so called “professionals” who seemed to always want to give me the same layered haircut every time. Not only that, they blatantly ignored my request to only trim off the smallest amount possible, called “tipping”.

I almost always left the shop with about two to three inches less hair, and layers that were too severe so that they basically thinned my hair out, making it feel like almost nothing in the shower.  It took eight months to grow out my last bad layered haircut, and I am refusing to get another salon haircut until all of these awful layers grow out.

And guess what? My hair never looked better – after 8 WHOLE MONTHS without a “professional” hair cut!  You’re probably wondering how I’ve prevented becoming a split end nightmare. Well, I have a professional pair of shears at home – they cost me $15. Not a bad investment for something you can use over and over and over again to cut your own hair, or your hubby’s hair.

I’ve been slowly tipping my layers so that they stay healthy. I’ve also been having my husband trim the back of my hair, since I really can’t see what’s going on back there. It’s pretty long – past my shoulder blades now. Finally, the weight of my hair is laying down my previously crazy flyaway, frizz nightmare layers.

You see, I have coarse hair naturally.  What they don’t tell you is that coarse hair really isn’t an ideal candidate for layers, because you don’t have enough hair to weigh it down and make it look smoother.  At least that’s been my experience. I really can’t speak for everyone else, but my hair actually looked frizzier with the layers, and was a lot harder to manage and style.  I like now that they’ve grown out and have some weight and versatility to them.

I’ve been very careful to take great care of my hair in this growing out stage also.  I’ve used only natural hair dye, and I’ve intensively conditioned it and used a very gentle SLS free shampoo on it as well, which has really added to the luster, sheen and health of my hair.

I’ve also been certain to take my hair, skin and nails vitamins that I absolutely love. These things are completely invaluable to me.  They really do make a noticeable difference in the manageability and appearance of my hair. They make it thicker, shinier, and I swear they even help the color look more vibrant.

I’ll go as long as I can without going to the salon for a hair cut.  So far, it’s working out great. I’m saving money and I don’t have to rely on someone to do exactly what I ask every time. Plus, I don’t have to have all those chemicals they use dumped on my head every time I go, or some weird style done which I inevitably never like and always fiddle with in the car afterwards anyway. Gosh, can I sound any more sour grapes?

I recently saw that Suave is now offering a keratin hair treatment system at a too-good-to-be-true price.  And you know what they say about things that are too good to be true….

Suave, as you well know, makes a lot of different inexpensive body care, personal care, and hair care products. They are known for being of somewhat decent quality for a very cheap price – depending on who you ask.

While their hair care products often claim they are just as good as “xyz” name brand, and why spend the money when you can look fantastic for a fraction of the price, some people don’t really see that as being entirely true. I’m one of them.

When I was young and broke, I did try a lot of their products, and while things like their deodorants were ok, their shampoos and conditioners just didn’t really agree with me.  Well now Suave has introduced their offering for the Brazilian keratin hair smoothing craze. Beware though, the system they sell is not getting great reviews, and may actually damage your hair, so read up well before you buy.

The Suave Keratin treatment is marketed as a 30 day smoothing treatment and priced anywhere from around twelve bucks to fifteen bucks depending on where you look.  It does claim to be formaldehyde free, which is a plus, however, the ingredients in this system are ones that are known to really dry out the hair and make it look dull and lifeless.

The label even goes on to mention that it is not recommended for hair that is already dry, brittle or damaged, so that eliminates half of us right there, and insinuates that the product will only make your hair worse with the chemicals it uses to get the straigth look.

Some users of the product have even said that the treatment caused them to experience hair loss and bald spots and made their hair look really terrible – damaged, fried and completley lackluster.  Of course, these are horror stories, so I would definitely advise against trying this – or for that matter, any in-home chemical process for your hair and if you really feel you must have it, get it done by a professional.

I’ve written about my personal experience with a professional Brazilian Keratin treatment and how I feel my hair fell out more easily and thinned as well as looked dull and lifeless months after I got it. I obviously am not a huge fan of these treatments, and I think that harsh chemicals don’t belong on your head.

Read our past story about howthe campaign that has been launched against Brazilian Blowouts.

I started noticing a trend in my hair that I really didn’t like when I turned 35 years old.  I noticed it not only starting to gray more, but also that it started to take on a more coarse texture at the base. It started to be more unruly, and it was nearly impossible for me to have any type of bangs going on because they would just end up being one big cowlick.

Not only that, but another disturbing trend was that even the hair that wasn’t graying was still looking more “washed out” than usual, like it was losing pigmentation and richness in color and looking more mousy (I’m a brunette).

Another disturbing trend in my hair as I aged was that it started to look a bit thinner in the front of my head. I remedied this pretty much by taking some really great hair growth vitamins, but I didn’t like that it naturally just started to thin out like that in the front of my head.

I think this also contributed to the feeling that my hair at the front of my head was always one big cowlick. But it is growing nice and thick now thanks to my natural shampoo and my good hair vitamins.  I wonder what it would be doing in a few more years if I didn’t change my hair care routine and hair care products though!

So here are the three lovely effects that aging has had on my hair :

1.)  Loss of color and richness and depth of color.

2.) Increased coarseness and changing texture

3.) Thinning hair at the front of my head.

Here are the remedies I’ve taken part in to help reduce these three undesirable effects and “symptoms” aging has had on my hair.

1.)  I color my hair about once every two months to three months with a natural, chemical free or very low chemical hair color product.  This helps increase the rich look of my hair and appears to reduce the porosity making it look thicker and fuller.

2.) I use a natural shampoo and very intensive conditioners every time I have a wash night. This has helped keep the cuticle smooth and make my hair look less coarse and younger, more supple and shiny.

3.) I’ve been taking hair growth vitamins for some time now. They do help a lot with thinning, because I notice when I stop taking them for any amount of time my hair starts to get a little thinner at the front. I also notice my hair doesn’t have as much luster and sheen when I stop taking them.

I start off taking the maximum recommended dosage for about a month while my body builds the nutrients it offers, then I scale back to just one a day, which works great for me.

So I just streaked my hair with red highlights last week, and when I blew my hair dry I thought hey #$%# where are my highlights?  It basically looked like I hadn’t colored my hair at all, and I couldn’t tell hide nor hare whether I had highlights at all.

Then…lo and behold a whole week goes by and several washings and I suddenly could see my red highlights on my entire head.  I’m not sure why this would be. If anything you’d expect to be able to see your highlights vibrantly when you first do them, and you’d expect them to fade out with each shampoo, but in this case, I couldn’t even tell I had put highlights in my hair until I washed it several times.

I’m thinking perhaps there is some sort of coating on the red highlight that comes off as you wash it.  I remember a while ago I sat in a stylist’s chair and she was giving me caramel highlights in my brunette hair.

She actually told me that I wouldn’t see my highlights for a couple days because she was adding some sort of glaze to my hair that was designed to gradually wash off with each shampooing.  I wondered why the heck I would want to wait to see my highlights, but of course I’m ever the polite customer and didn’t make a fuss about it.

I did buy this highlighting system at a beauty supply store, so I’m wondering if this developer or color had some sort of built in glaze that reveals the highlights slowly. Has anyone ever heard of this, ’cause it makes no sense to me!

I’m a fan of going with reddish hair highlights occasionally. In fact, I just did mine about 6 weeks ago, and love them combined with my natural brunette hair color. I do a two step process. I first dye my hair with my natural darker brown hair color, wait a day or two, then do my red or caramel colored highlights after the base color has set in.

I’ve been doing it this way for a while, because I’m trying to avoid spending obscene amounts of money at the salon to get a process done that I can do myself in half the time and for a fraction of the price. Often times, when I got to a salon, I’m not happy with the way it turns out anyway, and I figure doing it myself gives me complete control over the outcome of the color and the highlights.

Although I really love the way a warm red looks in highlights, I could never go completely red because the color simply washes out too quickly.  I’ve heard this as a common complaint for women and men who dye their hair red.  It’s especially frustrating if you’re dying your hair red to cover up the greys, and you see them peeping through a little too early.

Plus, hair coloring can be rough on the hair, even if you’re using a natural product, it’s still a process.  So here are some tips for getting your red hair color to last longer :

1.)  This may be hard for some to swallow, but try your hardest to NOT wash your hair at least 48 hours after you color your hair.  This allows the color to set into the shaft of the hair better, and absorb into instead of simply coat the hair.

2.)  Use a natural shampoo that is 100% sulfate free. Sulfates are the enemy when it comes to “washing your color out”.  They are too harsh and strip even non-colored hair, so of course they will easily strip color out of your hair from a bottle as well.  They also may inhibit healthy hair growth.

3.)  Go more days in between washes.

4.)  Use a chemical free, alcohol free conditioner. This is a tall order since most conditioners on the market have alcohol in them. But you can find them that are alcohol free.

5.)  Protect your head from the sun. UV rays wash out color very quickly. Protect your hair with either a spray in UV protectant or a hat for a longer lasting, virbrant and shiny red hair color.

When you’re running low on time in the morning, getting ready for work, and you’re wishing you had a good way to just make your hair look good with minimal work, then this is a really easy option to get big bouncy beach waves in your hair that looks sexy and healthy.

This is actually a secret that models and celebrities who have hair that is the envy of all use to get their hair big, minimize frizz, and maximize body in a little bit of time, or just to look fabulous when they’re out in their normal lives getting photographed by the paparazzi that permeate their existence.

This works very well on hair that is naturally wavy like mine, and tends to be on the rather coarse side.  It helps to tame the coarseness and maximize body without maximizing the frizz that often accompanies big body in hair (aside from using the most natural shampoo you can find – sulfate free of course).

Start off washing your hair at night.  You can also do this is you wash in the morning, but you’re gonna want to allow at least a half hour after it dries to allow the “process” to take effect.  Once dried, spray your hair with a good hair spray. I like the Thickening Hair Spray by Bumble and Bumble. It really does help add thickness and body without adding frizz.

You can leave a bit of dampness in the hair, but I advise against this is you have wavy hair to begin with as you might get waves and curls that are too tight and kinky.  I like to do this when my hair is totally dry. You can also do this in between washes as a refresher in body for your hair.

I usually spray my entire head with a total of about 6 sprays.  Then, I take a scunchy (yes those classy things we all wear when we’re at home and no one’s looking) and wrap my hair, coiling it around into a tight bun on the top of my head.

Good tip : The higher you can get it on your head the better. This will give you more volume and lift as it will lift the roots away from the head.  Be sure to twist the hair into a cylinder-type shape as you coil the bun around, this is what gives you the beachy waves and the coiled look.

You’ll want to leave this in for at least 30 minutes. You can do it overnight also for a more dramatic effect.  If it’s too tight or kinky, just adjust the tightness with which you wrap the bun on the top of your head, that should do the trick.  It’s all a lesson in experimentation.