My Side Bun

Inspired by the woman that I saw over the weekend, here is a side bun I did the yesterday. I used a phony pony and pinned it up. It's ok...I'll work with it more but it was a pretty cute do.

Haute & Hair: Culy Cuties

I have ALWAYS been a fan of rollersets. And they have come a long way from our granny's too tight, Sophia Petrillo looking do's. Natural or Relaxed and everything in between; you can wear the up, down, half up, in a ponytail, etc. Don't believe me?!?!! See below....

Wait how did that last one get in there?!?!?!?!? LOL Anyhoo, you get the idea...rollersets can be the chic, hair growth friendly way to go....

Happy Hair Growth!

Haute & Hair: Gain an Edge Over Stinky Hair

Ever have "stinky hair?" Not because you don't wash your hair often enough or anything (I know my Nikko's cousins know better *hands on hips*). I mean it appears that your hair absorbs odors from smoke, food, etc. You make yourself dizzy spinning around in circles trying to figure out where the smell is coming from (ok, well I hope you don't do that...LOL).

Well here is a solution...run over your hair with a Gain dryer sheet. Not only does it minimize static cling in hair (although our texture of hair doesn't have it to often); but it also freshens the hair. This is a good trick if you do have to postpone your wash day by a day or two. But please be warned that it does NOTHING for dandruff, dirt, dry scalp, etc. Ewwwwww...

So I have a box of gain dryer sheets in bathroom. I most frequently use it when I use heat to minimize any smells associated with that appliance.

Try it and let me know if you can smell a difference...I know I did!

I Need More Than Water

So I co-washed and reset my hair last night. But this time I wanted to try it using just water to set. I usually use a setting lotion mix. All other things were equal, but my roller wrap didn't come out nearly as well as I'd like...so bad that I refuse to post pics...LOL

So I'm at work debating whether or not I'm going to reset tonight when I get home.

Lesson learned: I need more than water to set my hair.

Rollerwrap using Anchor Method

I pretty proficient at rollersetting. A couple of rollersetting challenges will definitely help with that. However, I was never good at using clips in my hair. So I became resigned to having creases in my hair. This made doing a smooth, silky rollerwrap nearly impossible.

While on LHCF one day, there was a thread on the anchor method. Since that day was my wash day, I decided to try it. So I watched Buildable Beauty's youtube video a couple of times and embarked on a new rollersetting adventure.

And boy what an adventure it was! Since this was my first time doing it, it took nearly 25 minutes LONGER than my normal rollersetting time (which is pretty lengthy to begin with--30-40 minutes). So over an hour later I finally sat under the dryer. Well, imagine my suprprise and disappointment when after my normal hour and 15 minutes of drying time my hair still wasn't dry. So I sat under the dryer an additional 45 minutes before my hair was dry.

But I won't totally bore you with the details of my numb butt after 2 hours under the dryer. Here's my process:

• Pre-pooed with cheapie conditioner and oil
• Shampooed with diluted shampoo in color applicator bottle and co-washed
• DCed with Motions CPR and oil
• Rinsed and towel-dried
• Applied Lacio Lacio leave-in

After I was dry, I removed rollers, sprayed with ORS Olive Oil Sheen and wrapped overnight. Here are the results...

Not exactly sure how I feel about it. It's ok for a first attempt I guess...Some of the rollers weren't as tight as I wanted...especially the anchor rollers. I guess I'm not pinning it in the right place.

Things I will do differently next time...

• Just water setting lotion
• Steam treatment (using Sam Jones homemade method)
• Smaller rollers for more curl
• Not so much oil sheen (i like the shine at first, but it weight it down a bit)

I actually look forward to trying this again soon. It's Day 2 and it still looks really good!

Huate & Hair: The Best Flat Irons

I recently read the Dec/Jan issue of Shopsmart, the shopping magazine published by Consumer Reports.

In the article, they tested 9 flat irons, including the ever popular Chi brand. From their testing, they picked 3 smart picks, 1 being a bargain buy.

Smart Splurges

Infiniti Nano Silver by Conair SS9

Bespoke Labs T3 narrow Duality 83145-se

Bargain Buy

Revlon Perfect Heat Ceramic RVST2001C

Wondering where the Chi is?????? So was I. One tester felt that it burned their hair. Another said it took a long time to get hot, then it was too hot.

Now I know for those of us with a coarser grade of hair, the Chi has been a lifesaver. I have even considered getting one. But this has made me broaden my horizon.

I don't think this study rings true for most readers of this blog, but just wanted you to see what other people were saying about our favorite flat irons.

Happy Hair Growing!

The Way I Wash

For the past few months I've been on the co-wash kick. I actually like it and how nice my hair smells afterwards. I can no longer stand my hair smelling at all!!!! It drives me CRAZY...

But I was wondering how clean my scalp was getting. I didn't really want to wash all that often (except when I go to the salon) because I didn't want to strip my hair too much. And then one day I was reading Mane and Chic's blog and the answer appeared (insert heavenly angelic chorus here)...

Shampoo your scalp not your hair. If you're going to use a sulfate shampoo, try diluting it with filtered water and use a color applicator bottle so that the shampoo only gets to your scalp.

So I started doing this January 2, 2009. And can I tell you that I love it! I use a skinny point applicator bottle

and apply diluted shampoo (last time I added a drop of peppermint oil because I was having some itching) directly to my scalp and massage.

I get the cleanliness I desire, without draying out my hair. This is definitely a staple for me in 09!!!!!

Try it and let me know how it works for you...

Bridal Hair Candy...

I coordinated my cousin's wedding, which was held December 20, 2008.

The veil she chose was beautiful, but very, very long! Her dress was absolutely stunning, especially from the back, so we wanted an opportunity to showcase the dress. So I came up with the idea of making some hair candy, or a hair fascinator.

When she arrived at the reception, her hairstylist updated her hair and added the hair accessory.

So for about $10 she had an amazing hair accessory that incorporated flowers from her bouquet and peacock feathers. I didn't do a bad job, if I do say so myself...LOL