Favorite Things: Hair Edition

With all these posts about heat free style and such, I started getting questions about what products I use and love, so naturally I shall blog :) Ask and you shall recieve.

I'm just going to put it out there...I'm a Redken girl! No blowing smoke up your ass, that's what I like and thats what I use for the most part. Their products really saved my hair after some asshat thought it was great idea to run bleach through my already over processed blonde hair. Hello chemical cut!? Anyways, after that nightmare, I started using Redken's Extreme line religiously. Specifically the shampoo, conditioner, the once a week treatment, and the Anti-Snap leave in.

Now that my hair is healthy again (well healthier, I still am a fake blonde, and you cant go from dark brown to blonde without damage) I've transitioned to drug store shampoo/conditioner. Usually Pantene, or Dove, sometimes Loreal, but mostly one of the three (which ever is on sale or that I have a coupon for). I still use Redken products, but I don't really need the whole line of stuff anymore, and my hair needs have changed some. So here goes...my hair product/s routine.

Wash with one of the shampoo/conditioners above every 3-4 days. Yes, I only wash my hair about 2x per week. It is very dry and is actually best 2/3 days post wash!

One wash per week I do the Extreme Strength Builder mask in between shampoo and conditioning.

After towel dried, I use Redken's Smooth Down Detangling Creme, because this stuff be a ratty mess! Especially if its been curled! Yikes. Takes me about 10 min. just to comb through it.

Then, its on to the Anti Snap! 5 pumps to be exact. It's a leave in treatment that helps strengthen distressed and or over processed  hair. AKA a lifesaver for a fake blonde!! It also helps protect from any breakage and split ends. Seriously, if I was only going to pick 1 salon quality product for my hair- this would be it!  

After I apply those two products, I comb through it, get rid of any access water, and start applying my makeup. By the time my makeup is done (about 10 min) my hair is 1/2 air dried. Then I apply the new Argan-6 oil from the All Soft line.

If you like Moroccan oil, you will love this! I still love Moroccan oil, but its so expensive and my hair guy had a special running (buy 2 get 1 free!) so I snapped this right up! And I LOVE it! It smooths everything down, its very light, has a great smell, and a little goes a long way! I use like 2 pumps and I'm good, and I have a lot of hair! Best part, is that it can be used on wet, dry, or damp hair. I prefer to use it on damp hair, but I have used it post blowdry before and it works nicly then too. My guy said this will last forever, and I agree because I only use 2 pumps and the bottle is huge.

That's it! If I need hairspra on days that I am styling, I use Garnier Sleek and Shine Hairspray. It's my personal drug store fav. It works fantastic, isn't too much but holds well, and smells good. Best of all- its inexpensive. Any everyone loves inexpensive!

Do I spend a lot on salon quality hair products? Yes. Do I think that everyone needs to do so to have fabulous hair? No! Not at all! I do because of the way I process, bleach, and style my hair. So I use these products to help maintain its straight and lenght. If I were my natural color, I would probably spend a lot less! It would be a good leave in treatment and hairspray for styling purposes. But because I bleach, color, or BOTH every 5 weeks, its imperative that I take good care of my hair....unless I want another chemical cut. And that's not cute. Like at all. No thanks!

More Heat Free Hair Styles

I love sharing these neat little hair tips because they are serisouly so easy! And ff you had a hairstyle that was this cute, that was this easy I WOULD WANT TO KNOW about it! So I share, your welcome, and I love you :)

Yesterday (and the 2 days before) M was sick, so I certainly wasn't worried about styling my hair. However, if you know me at.all you know I don't go leaving the house looking all raggity or not put together even if I'm dying, so its easy styles or a cute plain pony. But I do get tired of the same ole ponytail! Which leaves me with coming up with other things to do with it. So sometimes I do a little of this...a loose side braid.

Very effortless and cute right? That's air dried hair, from last night, side part, and braid on the same side as the part. Leave it after your first or second attempt, don't over think it or else it begins to look too "put together".

Done and done.

But who wants to deal with the kinky mess that was a cute braid the day before? Well that would be no one, which is why a lot of people don't braid nearly as much as they should.

So what do you do the next day? Well this, this is what you do....

Alias, the braided bun! Exciting right?! Again, don't over "do" it. I literally slept in  my side braid, so 1/2 of it fell out. I grabbed it all into a low pony and wrapped it up in another hair tie. Yes, the one securing the braid is still there, its just tucked inside! Simple as that and it turned out super cute!

So here are 2 more effortless hairstyles! Both super cute, heat free, and easy! Happy Hairsyling!

 XOXO

Easy No Heat Curls

I discovered a way to have beautiful voluminous curls!! Best part? It involves NO HEAT! Because I process my hair so much, once a week when I wash my hair I try and style in some sort of heat free way, so I'm always trying new things. Usually, I put it in a low bun while its still damp, sleep in it over night, and let it down in the morning to have perfect Effortless Waves is what I call it! See?

Well last night I thought I'd try something different. I thought I would see what happens if I put in 2 buns instead of just one. And discovered a whole new result! Perfect VOLUMINOUS curls!! See? Excuse the silly look on my face. It really is hard to take a picture of yourself....

Okay, so it starts out like this: Wash hair, wait until its damp, then put in 2 low buns. Doesn't have to be perfect, but its important to not make them too tight or too loose.

Sleep on it over night. When you first take it out it looks like this:

Next up up fluff! Flip your head upside down a couple times and shake your head to loosen the buns naturally (don't separate them with your fingers)! Then you have THIS:

Pretty awesome right???!! And SO EASY!

 Disclaimer: I'm not sure this would work on anything but long hair, but its worth a shot!

If You Want To Jump Start Your Diet...

Drink one of these...

But don't drink more than 2 in a week, got it? Trust me on that one ; ) My BFF in LA swears by these Kumbucha drinks, so when we went out for a picnic on my last day there we picked one up a the local heath food store (they can be found at most health food stores or Whole Foods). After a weekend of eating horribly we needed to get back on track. It is a raw, organic, enzyme, living organism drink that really gets things moving if you know what I mean. It doesn't taste the greatest, but I can choke down 1/2 at time. I've really never had anything like it. Its a great way to jump start your diet! And don't freak by all the little things swimming it....that's the good make you skinny stuff! It's weird, but it works!