Hair Crisis

A major hair crisis occurred this summer. I tried to change it up and go more natural with my haircare products. Don't want to die too soon and all! But honestly is bad hair worth good health? Still on the fence about that one so in the meantime I've been mixing and matching my natural products with my old drugstore standbys. I've always used Herbal Essences Shampoo & Conditioner - am I 12?? They're cheap and smell nice even if the bottle makes my bathroom look like a tween's - seriously the design is horrible. I started with Totally Twisted, but lately buy Tousle Me Softly on the reg. Every few days I use Suave Daily Clarifying shampoo to remove chemical build-up (fancy!). On a whim I bought Nature's Gate Biotin Strengthening Shampoo. Not sure why I bought the Strengthening version, but none of the other versions (color-treated hair, dandruff) fit me. Nature's Gate didn't sway me right away, but now I'm in love. Maybe my hair just had to get used to it? It's the best shampoo I own.



Thinking that all organic shampoos are the same (spoiler alert - they aren't!) I bought Avalon Organics Rosemary Shampoo and Conditioner at Target when I was feeling really rich one day. They smell great, but the overall effect on my hair is just blah. My hair often feels more dry on the days I rotate these in. I do rotate my shampoo routine - used to do this based on my mood, now I do it based on how good I want my hair to look - so no day is the same, but I have found some combos that work well for me. Nature's Gate + Herbal Essences Conditioner is the best match-up I've found. It seems to be the magic formula and it makes me feel less guilty to use one natural product plus one "chemical" regular one. The Avalon Organics Conditioner works best with the Suave shampoo or Herbal Essences Shampoo - even still I use only a tiny amount of conditioner since I don't want to look like Kramer with no water pressure.

Returning Faves

I went into The Body Shop yesterday and to my surprise, some of my old faves are back!!! For a limited time only, the Body Shop is bringing back some of their original products from the 80's. Let me highlight my top 4:

Passion Fruit Cleansing Gel. I've talked about this one up before because as I kid I loved this stuff. It's gentle and smells great. I don't use it as an everyday cleanser because my oily skin needs acne fighting ingredients every now and then. This is more along the lines of a "special occasion" shower gel. A few years ago I found this product in London and stocked up. Is it bad to still be using products after 4 years? It doesn't seem to have affected the way this gel works and the scent is still fresh.

One product I had forgotten about until I unleashed the scent again was the Green Apple Shower Gel. This stuff is genius! It's a little on the fruity side for those that try to steer clear of these kind of scents, but it's their loss. It's got more of a zest fragrance than an overwhelming sweetness, and I love how strong it is. Obviously it goes without saying that if you get the right scent than the Body Shop shower gels are the da bomb. See: Strawberry shower gel.

This last product is a little controversial for me. Banana Shampoo and Conditioner. The scent is a very pleasing banana, but I've just found that it's a basic shampoo that sometimes has left my wavy hair limp on occasion. Which is ok! Because every now and then I need that scent life to perk up my shower plus it does leave my hair feeling soft. Does anyone else do this? I sometimes buy products knowing full well that overall it's just standard, but some aspects of the product makes it worthwhile for me. In this case, it's the scent and the softness factor. Which let's just all agree - the Body Shop does scents well. I think these products are more about nostalgia for everyone and when I use these they remind me of being 10 and getting beauty products for the first time.

Mid-Winter Update

Happy 2010! Here's what's new for me product-wise this January:

Laundry - I'm digging the new Cheer brightClean formulas. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like my whites are whiter and my colors brighter. Good job guys! As for dryer sheets, I'm in a bit of a bind. Downy stopped making the lemon verbena soothing sheets, and I was forced to pick up some Bounce sheets at Target. Bounce has never appealed to me as a brand, so we'll see how it goes. So far, the scent is more obnoxious in the box than it has been on my clothes so I will be using all 40 sheets.

Side note - Why doesn't Target stock more diverse brands? The dryer sheet selection was limited to 2394872384 Bounce and 2 Downy scents. What gives? I feel like Target is creating a monopoly with select lines and it's affecting my selection.

Shampoo - On a whim I purchased Nature's Gate Herbal Daily Cleansing shampoo last week. I really wanted to like it but the scent! The scent kills me. I felt like I had washed my hair in my grandfather's old spice. It is just too much for me to have to smell all day. I like Nature's Gate though so I'll give them another chance with another formula.

I'm also looking for suggestions on where to get a good brush. My trusty old cheap-y Revlon one from the last 5 years is basically RIP. Any ideas/suggestions where to go? I'm trying to avoid Target/Wal-Mart in the hope of a more substantial investment.

Soap - During the recent cold snap, my skin could have been in real trouble. Lucky for it, I use Johnson & Johnson's 24 hour Moisturizing Body Wash during the winter. This stuff is a life saver. It's just like the package says - all day moisture without being greasy. I've been using this for the past 3 winters and the smell is forever tied to this time of year. Also of note was a new find this year - Irish Spring's Moisture Blast bar soap. I like this variation because the smell is great. Aren't all Irish Spring smells great though?? I really like the zest it can put into a shower. Moisture Blast is a nice winter substitute for the regular formula.

Tea - Just because. I've really been enjoying Bigelow's Lemon Lift this month. It was good for my throat when I was getting sick.

dry shampoo

I was wondering, does anybody know of a nice talc-free, dry shampoo? If you haven't gotten into dry shampoo, it is a lifesaver. Well, it has been for me anyway. Especially in the winter, when the heat is on 24/7 and hair tends to get dry, dry shampoo is the way to go. I only have to wash my hair once every three days when I use this stuff. And hair is shinier and more healthy from not washing it so much. Just put some on your roots to get rid of the greasiness. If you are blonde, its especially helpful because roots tend to look a lot darker after a few days of not washing. It also seems like it saves $ and time from not having to wash and condition your hair so often.

I've been using baby powder, but I would like to try an actual product meant for this purpose. I worry a little bit about putting baby powder on my head a lot. Apparently inhaling too much baby powder can cause breathing problems. I'm not too worried because I know enough people who do this, but still. It seems a lot of dry shampoos come in spray form these days. I'm not sure if I'm down with that. But if it works, I may be! Also, I'm pretty cheap, so I'm not going to shell out for expensive brands like in the picture unless they last a long time.

John Frieda Weather really Works

About a month ago, I was strolling around the Target beauty product aisles with the intention of purchasing shampoo & conditioner because I was really bored with my old ones. So I scanned the mass groupings of Herbal Essences and Suave and Dove for something new & exciting. It was tough to find due to it's shape and lack-of-color, but I finally came across John Frieda's Weather Works shampoo & conditioner. Now I've never really had a major issue with frizziness since my hair is so straight, but I thought, why shouldn't I go for a shampoo that promises smoothness in any weather condition? You really can't do any harm. I mean, the worst that could happen is that it could make my hair flat, but I have no volume anyway, so it doesn't really make a difference. I made sure I liked the scent (I did!) and then I had my mom smell it for a second opinion and then I dropped the shampoo on my foot. I was wearing sandals. It really hurt. But accident aside, I was pleased with my find.

Upon first use I noticed it gave me the softness/smoothness I get from Matrix Smooth & Sleek and the scent I like from Dove. It combined two of my favorite shampoos! Awesome! I continued to use it for a week or two and I just found it to be delightful. I wasn't sure if that was because I recently had my hair cut and dyed, but nonetheless, it was pleasant. I totally recommend this stuff, especially going into the rainy and cold months.