Category Archives: hairstyling

dirty little secret

See that cute little scarf trick I did there? It’s hiding my hasn’t-been-washed-in-9-days hair. Are you judging? Hang on, lemme explain…

First, I should probably tell you that I’m totally skeeved out by all of the crazy chemicals found in cosmetics and body care products; things like formaldehyde, lead, and mercury, oh my!! While I’ve always tried to be conscientious about the things I eat, I never paid much attention to what I slathered on my skin. That is, until my mom-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2008. During her treatment, she spent a lot of time researching the possible links between these chemicals and our health, and some of the facts are pretty scary. Since then, I’ve done my best to stock our medicine cabinet and shower caddy with all-natural and organic products, including aluminum-free deodorant, handmade goats milk soaps from a local farm, and olive oil moisturizers, to name a few.

But hair is tricky! I’ve yet to find a line of {affordable} natural haircare products that keep my thick hair shiny and manageable, so I try to compensate by only lathering up every 7-10 days. And it turns out shampooing less has made my hair and scalp so much healthier. I get through the week with dry shampoo; but by day 7, hats and scarves are a girl’s best friend.

Does anyone remember the big “no-poo” craze that went around a few years ago? Girls were forgoing shampoo for up to 8 weeks at a time, and claiming it gave them magical unicorn tresses. My girlfriends and I were fascinated — but too chicken to try it out. What’s the longest you’ve gone without sudsing up?

And natural haircare recommendations welcome!

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new ‘do.

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Hair

It’s been about six months since I sat in a salon chair. I’m so grateful to have an amazing stylist* who’s incredibly patient with my crazy schedule, and hasn’t fired me as a client after all my last-minute cancellations because of unexpected things popping up at the shop. Today the stars finally aligned, and I got a loooong overdue shape-up.

He cut some new layers to remove all the bulk — I have a head full of hair, ya’ll – and gave me a tiny trim on the ends. We skipped the blow-out, and opted for some Moroccan Oil through the ends and an air dry instead. I rubbed in a little Dirt Texturizing Paste when I got back to the shop (I love that stuff, and keep it in my bag for quick touch-ups).

A lot of you have asked about my hair routine, and I’m hoping to share it soon, along with my current makeup favorites. They’re both pretty simple. I’m all about low-maintenance these days!

* For the locals: I go to Spectrum Hair Studio downtown, and work with Bill or April (the husband and wife team that own the salon). Between the two of them, they’ve shaped my coif from super-short bobs to long locks and everything in between for more than six years.

from the archives

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{top: Banana Republic (SIMILAR); jeans: Gap; wedges: Juicy Couture; bag: Dooney & Bourke}

Between relentless rain and “appropriate moving attire,” my day-to-day look this week isn’t exactly blog worthy (and barely fit for the public, quite frankly). So I’m digging through the backlogs to find shots from sunnier days that, for one reason or another, never made it to posting. It’s a reminder that one day soon I’ll be able to dress myself again without worrying about whether an outfit is suitable for bending and lifting, and that maybe the sun will shine again around here. It’s still awfully soggy!

On this particular day a week or so ago, I tried a simple braided updo from one of my new favorite blogs, Wendy’s Lookbook. You can check out a video tutorial here. While you’re there, go ahead and subscribe to her Youtube channel. Then watch 25 Ways to Wear a Scarf in 4.5 Minutes. You’ll be glad you did.

beauty on a budget: make-it-yourself beach spray

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As my hair gets longer and longer, I’m really into texture and wave and curl. It’s mostly because I’m lazy, and when faced with the decision of an hour of blow-out/flat iron vs. quick easy waves, the latter wins every time.

Until recently, beachy tousled waves eluded me. All the magazines say I need to drop about $30 on a little bottle of surf spray from a-famous-brand-that-shall-go-unnamed to get the look I want, and they’ve almost convinced me to make the splurge…

Almost.

I hit The Internets to look for some kitchen beautician alternatives. My fellow bloggers never disappoint. There were several variations, but the basic recipe is super simple. You probably have all the ingredients right under your nose…

Ready?

Search your bathroom cabinets and find a spray bottle with a fine mist {I used an old body spray bottle}. Clean it really well to remove any traces of its former inhabitant. Fill the bottle about 3/4 full with warm water, and add a couple healthy spoonfuls of sea salt. [Note: some bloggers suggest epsom salt, but I felt like this could leave a yucky film on your hair, and sea salt is probably as close as your going to get to er, the sea.]. Shake things up to dissolve the salt. Then fill the remaining space in the bottle with a water-based hair gel. Shake it again. Done and done.

Since mixing up my first batch last week, I’m a woman obsessed.

There are a couple of ways to use it. In the photo on the left, I washed my hair in the evening and towel-dried, then rubbed a nourishing oil into the ends — I love Shu Uemura Essence Absolue – and sprayed the beach spray generously throughout my damp tresses (avoiding the roots). I slept on it, woke up, and sprayed a little more through the ends. In the photo on the right, I did the same thing at night, but curled my hair with a large barreled curling iron and re-misted.

I haven’t tried the original, so I can’t give you an apples-to-apples comparison to the DIY version. But I will say that this is the closest thing I’ve found to spending a day at the beach to achieve easy surf hair. So it’s a win.