Since I'm just lounging around in my pajamas today, I figured it would be a great time to do one of those things that I've been meaning to get to for awhile. You know what I mean - you pick something up as a project thinking, "Oh, I'll be able to do that really soon!" and then forget about it because you just get busy/lazy/whatever. That's what happened when I picked up Clairol Professional Radiance Clear Gloss at Sally Beauty recently.
I can't resist Sally's when they are having a sale. And they are always having a sale. Plus, throw your discount card on there (you absolutely need one - it's $5 and they give you a $5 coupon to offset the cost) and you've got yourself quite a deal.
At any rate, even if you don't like coloring your own hair, this is for you. If you purchase the clear gloss, you don't have to worry about color at all. It's just clear shine and glossiness for your hair. Apply it with a color bottle or brush if you have one (and really, the bottle costs about $1 at Sallys - use your discount card!), and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes. After that you'll have shiny glossy hair with very little effort. It also helps condition and smooth hair as well.
I applied heat when I did my treatment, and I don't know if it made a difference or not. I have a bonnet hair dryer, so slapping a plastic cap on my wet hair and putting the dryer on isn't any big deal, but I've heard of people using hot towels or even sitting in the sun with excellent results. In my experience, color and treatments seem to do better when they are hit with a bit of heat.
The large bottle runs $14.29, and will give you four treatments. You will also need the developer in the same line which is always found right next to the various color selections.
Quite a bargain versus going to your salon for a glossing treatment!
Recession Beauty: Hair Glossing At Home
Special Offer from Ouidad for My Cali Girl Readers
If you are near the Santa Monica Ouidad salon, be sure to take advantage of this amazing offer!
Book a "Carve and Slice" haircut and receive a signature Deep Treatment for free. That's a $90 value! And I'm told that it really brings your hair to life! Print out this email and bring it in with you to take advantage of this fantastic offer. Good only at the Santa Monica salon, unfortunately.
For those of you who aren't familiar, Ouidad is geared towards helping us curly-haired girls make the most out of our curls.
If you take advantage of the Deep Treatment, be sure to drop me a line and let me know if you liked it.
MoroccanOil Winner! Congratulations!
The MoroccanOil contest has wrapped up, and I'm so excited to announce that Lisa G. has won!
I hope she loves it as much as I do, and for those of you who entered, thank you! We will be running another contest very, very soon, and I can't wait to tell you about it!
Moroccan Oil Daily Hair Treatment Review and Giveaway!
MoroccanOil is one of those things that I use every single day. While I waxed poetic about the hair masque that is part of this line, I neglected to mention how incredible the daily treatment is.
Applied after washing and before any other styling product, MoroccanOil has managed to truly tame my frizz, make my coarse hair easier to work with, and get this: reduce the drying time on my hair.
That's right. I don't spend nearly the time blowdrying my hair that I did before I started using this product. I don't have any scientific way to measure this, but my best guess estimate is it's reduced by about a third.
I love it. I've sung it's praises to just about everyone I know. If there was one downside to it, I'd say that it is on the pricey side.
BeautyChoice.com is running a special right now, just click through this to get the good deal: MoroccanOil $5.00 Off. Coupon Code: AFFMG5 Expires: 10/01/08 .
BUT! I have a brand new bottle that I'm giving away! Yes, indeed. I love it so much that I'm sharing the love. Just enter below, and you'll be notified via email if you win. Good luck!
My New Hair Treatment Holy Grail: Moroccan Oil Masque
Oh my. I don't know that there are enough words to describe how I feel about my MoroccanOil Masque.
Let me start by saying that I am a big believer in hair treatments. When you have curly, coarse, ridiculous hair like mine, it takes all kinds of things to make it behave and be straight. And even when I style it curly, I like to have just a bit of touchability to it.
Well, touchability is the key word when talking about the Masque. Just one treatment left on for about 10 minutes almost completely changed my hair. It was so soft, so touchable that I was taken aback. I have not had such results from a hair treatment in a long time. Truly, it was amazing, and I don't say such things lightly.
With continued treatment, I found that the results continued to last even on days when I wasn't using it. And you don't really need to use it that often. I'm a once a week kind of girl when it comes to hair treatments, because I don't always have the time to hang out in the shower all day and let them work.
And did I mention the good work it did with my frizz? I am the queen of frizz. After using this the first time, I allowed my hair to air dry (the true test of whether or not something actually helps frizziness, in my opinion), and I'd say that my frizz was reduced by about half. That's pretty stunning for me, given very little actually works to reduce my crazy frizz.
I was personally introduced to the MoroccanOil line by my stylist, but there are so many great places to purchase this. My personal favorite is BeautyChoice.com, and right now they are having a special: SAVE $5 on orders $25 or more. Coupon Code: SPC99056. Expires 11/20/08. Click through and see if you don't absolutely love this line as much as I do.
MoroccanOil Hair Masque retails for about $37.95, and is worth every single penny.
Just As Good As I Remember: Aussie's Three Minute Miracle
Cue Purple Rain right about now, because I've rediscovered one of my favorite beauty products of the 80's.
Aussie Moist 3 Minute Miracle Moisture Treatment is simply as good as I remember. Shampoo hair well, then apply a goodly-sized amount of 3 Minute, and let it set for, well, three minutes. When you wash it out, you will be amazed at how soft, shiny, and manageable your hair is, especially if you're dealing with coarse, thick, curly, or damaged hair.
And the price is right, too, for my recessionistas: only $3.99 for 8 ounces of product, which will last you an incredibly long time. You can find Aussie Moist 3 Minute Miracle Moisture Treatment at just about any mass reseller such as Walgreens, Target, CVS, and Rite-Aid.
I Have a Fairy Godmother!
Not too long ago, I reviewed Aussie's Opposites Attract line and I mentioned that I remembered Three Minute Miracle quite well.
Well, look what showed up in my mailbox today! I am so excited to see if it is as fantastic as I remember. You'll be seeing a review from me tomorrow, I bet. It will be soaked in 80's nostalgia. I might listen to Prince when I let it sit in my hair.
Thank you, Fairy Godmother! Thank you!
The Quest for Straight Hair
My quest for straight hair has been going on for several years now. See, I'm one of those girls with curly, frizzy, coarse, tangly hair that is always completely out of control. I've spent money on countless products, hours blowdrying, brushing, ironing, you name it.
I'm tired of messing with all of it. Since curly hair will obviously never be in style (sob), I want a quick, easy routine that I can knock out in the morning before work. I want something that doesn't take me 55 minutes to do every day, should I choose to do so (which I don't - every coarse and curly haired girl knows that washing every day is just too much of a pain when you have to flat iron all that out later). So, I'm switching it all up. On the advice of my fabulous (and I mean truly gifted and completely fierce) stylist, I'm trying a Chi flat iron and the new Paul Mitchell smoothing products.
Right now I use a TIGI Bedhead flat iron, and it's okay. But so many people swear by the absolute righteousness of a Chi, so I'm giving it a shot. Expect a full and detailed review very soon on both the Chi and the Paul Mitchell.
My love affair with Ojon
Really, I had to write about these products because I heart them so much. Plus, while surfing QVC.com to see if Heidi Klum's new jewelry collection was online (it wasn't), I found that they sell this entire line. I don't think it's cheaper than Sephora, but I didn't look that hard. Anyway. There was this great "tips" page that has ideas for using each of the products, which I found incredibly helpful. If you're new to the line, I would start with the treatment. Here are some tips, courtesy of QVC.com, to help you out:
Tip #1
If your hair is ultra dry, damaged, or dehydrated, apply Ojon to dry hair and leave it in overnight, placing a towel over your pillowcase or shower cap over your hair. In the morning, use Ultra Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner.
Tip #2
Apply Ojon to hair before swimming in a pool or salt water. This will help protect your hair against the harsh chemicals, UV rays, and sea salt that dry out your hair and affect your hair color.
Tip #3
To keep curly hair hydrated and defined all day, emulsify a very small amount of Ojon between your hands (the size of a grain of rice) and scrunch into damp hair before diffusing.
Tip #4
For the ultimate rejuvenating repair treatment, shampoo with Ojon Detox Recovery Cleanser and dry hair thoroughly. Apply Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment and leave in for 20 minutes or overnight. Rinse and shampoo with Ojon Ultra Hydrating Shampoo. Condition with Ojon Ultra Hydrating Conditioner. Then, detangle and condition with Ojon Revitalizing Mist. Style as desired. Try this ritual every two weeks.
Tip #5
Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment makes a great massage oil for your body and scalp and is currently being used at prestigious spas. The Tawira have been using this moisturizing oil on their skin for over 500 years!
Tip #6
Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment can be used as an incredible nourishing cuticle/nail treatment.
Tip #7
Ojon users tell us that Ojon Restorative Hair treatment is a great grooming treatment for dogs and horses. It leaves their coats incredibly shiny and hydrated.
Enjoy!
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