Tag: hair

Four Essential Honey Masks

I love using natural products in lieu of store bought beauty products, and I love honey! Honey is known for its health benefits but is often underrated for its cosmetic uses.

Honey has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and healing properties that give you healthy skin and hair. It is also rich in enzymes that calm your skin, and draws moisture into the skin. I recommend using raw honey for beauty treatments since it has not been heat-treated and contains the most enzymes.

Tip: If you do not have time for a full mask, use a dab of raw honey as a spot treatment to heal blemishes.

The next time you are treating yourself to a spa day, try one of these all natural masks. Which one is your favourite?

 

Review: Drybar Hair Dryer

I launched my YouTube channel a few weeks ago with an “unwrapping” video of Drybar’s “Peace on Earth Good Hair to All!” hair dryer kit. The kit was definitely a splurge, but I was hoping it would perform better than my ancient Conair dryer.

I have a lot of fine, long hair, and if I do not blow dry it completely  during the colder months, it either looks flat immediately or gives me a headache (neither of which is a good option).

Unfortunately, the Drybar Buttercup Hair Dryer did not seem much better than my ancient dryer. Although the dryer was light, had a good grip in hand, and was a little quieter than what I am used to, it did not seem to make much difference with drying time.

The kit included two products – Hot Toddy heat protectant and Triple Sec styling spray. Hot Toddy seemed fine – like any other heat protectant, and I did not notice a difference with the Triple Sec. If anything, it made my hair stick together in sections – giving a messier second day look to freshly blow dried hair – and made my blow out look slightly unkempt.

The large hair clips included with the set had many pieces on them that caught on my long, straight hair, and required extra time to untangle.

I actually liked the Drybar Round Brush more than expected. I remember buying a wooden round brush more than a decade ago to replicate a voluminous salon blow out. In real life, however, there is rarely time to do a full blow out and using a round brush on hair that is longer than shoulder length takes too much time and effort. It has sat in my drawer ever since.

The quality of the plastic bristles on the Drybar Round Brush seemed quite cheap, but it actually pulled through the hair nicely. Like the dryer, it had a good grip and felt lightweight in hand. The bristles held the hair well, in my opinion, and seemed to allow good tension for drying. The difficulty, however, is blow drying longer hair with a round brush. I have always had this problem, so perhaps it is an issue with technique, but it was not practical for me. I usually prefer to blow dry my hair upside down, starting at the roots, and then dry it with a large paddle brush – flattening pieces between the brush and the dryer.

In the end, the kit had some good things – the feeling and weight of the dryer, the length of the cord, the large barrel round brush for those who know how to use one, and the Hot Toddy heat protectant cream. Those benefits were not enough to justify the price of the kit, especially since drying time was roughly the same as my older hair dryer.

I sadly returned the Drybar kit and am still on the lookout for a better hair dryer. Do you have any recommendations for me?

 

Join Me on YouTube

After years of wanting to start a YouTube channel, I finally found the confidence to do so.

The channel will showcase everything to make your days a little more glamorous. Look forward to product reviews, tips and tricks, and expert makeup applications.

Is there a look that you want to learn or a product that you would like to see on the channel?

My New Favourite Beauty Mecca

When travelling outside of North America, I rarely purchase beauty products. It seems like every thing from Cover Girl mascara to MAC lipstick costs at least twice as much as back home. Fortunately, I discovered the Australian beauty chain, Mecca, in Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall.

The store has a great selection of trusted cosmetics, skincare, and hair care brands like Bobbi Brown, GlamGlow, and Bumble and Bumble, as well as Australian brands. I was especially excited to see a wide assortment of Korres products – one of my favourite beauty brands from Greece.

The best part about Mecca: they have converted US pricing on their exclusive lines, into $AUD. That means brands like Josie Maran, NARS, Mario Badescu, and Korres are as close to US pricing as possible (only you are paying $AUD instead of $USD)

I had a great time shopping in Maxima Wintergarden thanks to the helpful staff, beautiful store, extensive selection. and my new Korres Water Lily body butter.

If you find yourself in Australia, I highly recommend checking it out.  http://mecca.com.au

The Australian cosmetics superstore, Mecca Maxima.

The Australian cosmetics superstore, Mecca.

Happy Earth Day! Pass the Olive Oil…

As you know, I am always looking for natural cosmetics and moisturizers. In the spirit of Earth Day, I am shining a light on the cosmetic applications of olive oil.

Many people use olive oil for cooking because it is rich in vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants and can even help lower cholesterol. It is also found in many cosmetics and hair products because its ability to hydrate, cleanse, condition, and protect hair and skin.

Here are some of my favourite cosmetic applications for olive oil.

  • Olive Oil as Makeup Remover
    • Add a few drops of olive oil to a cotton ball. Gently remove make up and rinse face with warm water.
  • Olive Oil and Honey Hair Mask and Scalp Treatment
    • A healthy scalp is important to healthy hair. In addition to promoting hair growth, having a moisturized scalp will help reduce oil buildup on your hair. A weekly hair and scalp treatment will help your scalp and hair feel and look better.
    • Mix 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons honey, and the oil from 3 Vitamin E capsules together. If mixture is too sticky, add some more olive oil.
    • Use a paint brush or basting brush to distribute the mixture over damp hair.
    • Wrap hair in a plastic bag. Leave for 90 mins before rinsing with warm water. Use a gentle shampoo and conditioner.
    • Hair will feel smooth and supple.
    • Depending on your hair texture, too much olive oil on your scalp may weigh your hair down. Try adding a few drops on the crown of your head and spreading it with your fingers. Leave on for 90 minutes, and shampoo as needed.
  • Olive Oil “Cuticle Cream”
    • Gently massage nails and cuticles with a  few drops of olive oil.
  • Olive Oil Bath
    • The fastest way to smooth, supple skin is with an olive oil bath.
    • Add 5 tablespoons of olive oil to a warm bath, and soak.
    • The warm water will open your pores and allow you to absorb the moisturizing oil.
    • Indulge your skin  post-bath by using a light application of olive oil as a full body moisturizer.
  • Olive Oil on Salad
    • To get all the benefits of olive oil, make sure you take it internally, as well. Use it in raw applications such as on salads or finishing a pasta dish. Having olive oil raw ensures you are getting all the good nutrients that can otherwise be destroyed when oil is heated during cooking.

I hope this inspires you to incorporate olive oil into your beauty routine. Your skin will love you for it.

Switch up your regular moisturizer with olive oil! Your skin is drinking up the products you use - what better than something you eat?

Switch up your regular moisturizer with olive oil! Your skin is drinking up the products you use – what better than something you eat?

 

wen sweet almond mint cleansing conditioner

Is “Wen” Worth the Hype?

Infomercial-junkies everywhere have thought about trying Wen products at least once. The cleansing conditioner system replaces your shampoo and conditioner, and should provide exceptional results when used with their own styling products.

I have been using the original Sweet Almond Mint formula for more than three months and am constantly confused and conflicted about its performance.

You should read and follow the instructions before your first use, but you will quickly figure out what works best for your hair. For long hair, they recommend using 24 – 32 pumps of cleansing conditioner. They suggest using half the pumps (12 – 16) for the first wash, and repeating with the rest. I always wash and repeat, but instead of pumping all the product into my hand at once, I use 5 pumps to distribute over the sides of my scalp, another 5 pumps on the crown, add a little water to disperse the product, and then the final 5 pumps to clean the back of my head and pull through the ends (15 pumps total for the first wash). I rinse and repeat with 4 pumps for the sides, 4 pumps on the crown, and 4 underneath and through the ends (12 pumps for the second wash).

The most important thing I discovered when using Wen is that you cannot rush the final rinse. After trying to rinse the product out of my hair while standing upright, I flip my head over and rinse it again with cool water, focusing on the scalp. It is very important to wash all the product off the scalp and finish with cool water, otherwise it will leave your hair flat with an oily residue. They recommend applying one pump of product to the ends of your hair as a leave in, but I find that makes my hair look too heavy and needs to be washed sooner.

It takes some getting used to the feeling of applying conditioner to your scalp, especially when using so much product for one wash. The first time I used Wen, I pumped the full 12 pumps into my hand and felt like I had used most of the bottle. If you follow their directions, you will go through the bottles fairly quickly (around one bottle per month), but you will probably find that you can go an extra day or two without washing your hair.

I am conflicted about Wen because, while my hair feels very soft and has great shine, if you are in a rush and do not rinse everything perfectly, or do not rinse with cool water, you have to wash your hair sooner. I also feel like their styling products leave my hair feeling dry and brittle. Despite the rave reviews I have heard about Wen over the years, the cost does not justify the results, for me. I will stick to my all time favourite shampoo and conditioner, Pureology for colour treated hair.

wen sweet almond mint cleansing conditioner

Is Wen worth the hype? The original Sweet Almond Mint formula does not perform as well as it smells.