Posts with tag hair care

We know there are fans fans of Nick Arrojo and What Not To Wear who haven't entered to win this amazing giveaway: an autographed copy of his new book Great Hair plus a set of Nick's signature hair care line especially chosen for your hair type!

How much fun is this hairbrush? We know, we know... "hairbrush" and "fun" don't usually go together in the same sentence, but we think these brushes are worthy of breaking that rule. We especially love the "Vixen" and "Femme Fatale" models, but there are so many other designs to choose from as well. These brushes would make such great gifts, and can you imagine the conversations you would start if you whipped one of these babies out of your purse? Get your own now for only $10 at Jenny's Gifts and Fine Art.

I'm not the biggest beauty junkie, but I do like trying out products when all the magazines are touting them as the next miracle creation. Most of the time, I'm less than impressed, but when I do find a new addition to my makeup bag or medicine cabinet, it's so worth it. (I will never regret the $17 I spent on my Shu Uemura eyelash curler.)

So I decided to give Frederic Fekkai's Salon Glaze Clear Shine Rinse ($28) a whirl after reading about it seemingly everywhere this month. The silicone-based treatment promises it "binds shine, recharges color, and adds silkiness to the hair." Kind of like a DIY glossing treatment--which was just what my blonde highlights needed after a long summer.

Now summer is in full swing and your beauty routine is feeling it. Here are a few words of advice to get you through the rest of the summer in that lovely, ripe sort of way rather than that sticky icky one.

Check out Jennifer's juicy lips and then read on more ways to look spicy in the summer.

We all love the sunshine, warmth, and good times that the summer brings. We don't love the sweaty, oily, frizzy hair. But fear not friends, it doesn't have to be that way! There are a few pieces of advice that will get you through the summer sans frizzes.

As the sun gets hotter and the humidity rises, many girls who straighten their hair most of the year opt to go curly. If you're considering going curly for the season, you might be intrigued by the idea of a curling shampoo.

But, according to The Beauty Brains, you probably shouldn't waste your money.

The Stylelist post about hair myths and truths got us thinking about our favorite hair gear.

Their expert sort of, um, debunked volumizing shampoos, but we love thickening products. In fact, three of our top five faves are thickening related!

They also said that a blow out is vital for high volume, and this combined dryer/round brush is another big favorite.

Now it's your turn. What are your cherished hair beautifiers? Best products, styling tools, techniques? Don't be shy, come on and share!

We can't wait to hear from you!

I'm a big fan of all of the amazing independent designers out there. In an effort to get inside the mind of the indie designer and find out just what makes all of these creative types tick, I present to you an ongoing segment I call Indie Designer Interviews.

Tell me a little about your company. On December 5th, 2005 AnitaGrant.com was created, by the all round self-proclaimed cosmetic-label-reader-ingredient junkie-mixtress, Anita. At anitagrant.com we believe in cultural focus by purchasing directly from farming communities and/or partnerships with fair trade suppliers throughout the world, helping to maintain economic independence & cultural survival. Using a variety of plant-based ingredients from different countries around the globe; we are celebrating ecological & cultural diversity.

How did you get started running your business? It wasn't until I blistered my hands using a store bought bottle of so called "safe synthetics" that I decided not to purchase another off the shelf hair care product again. Since 2005, I've been making my own brand of natural and organic skin care and hair care. You shouldn't need a degree in bio-chemistry to understand the ingredient list of a hair care or skin care product label. It was a bit difficult at first to decipher all the Latin (INCI) nomenclature of the ingredients and separate the "bozwellox" from true benefits but I got there in the end. It's so liberating to be able to read the label of a product, understand the ingredients contained within and say "NATURALLY, I can do better."

What are your top fashion & beauty must-haves? If I were trapped on a desert island it better be one with a Coconut tree and fresh Coconuts hanging from it. I would cut it open and eat the fresh white meat, rub a bit of the Coconut water on my hands and moisturize my skin and curly Afro hair with it - loads of uses.

And sometimes technology doesn't win.

The Beautiful Vending Styler is the latest beauty must-have taking over the UK. What could be more popular than Soap & Glory you ask? A vending machine that comes equipped with "award winning GHD irons."

I'm assuming it works like any other vending machine wherein you put some coinage inside to get your desired product -- except I doubt your bag of Fritos has as many germs on it as these community flat irons do. (Ew, I feel gross just typing that.)

Although the high temperatures of the plates keep the flat irons sterile, the handles don't have a similar type of protection. And considering the fact that people don't even like to touch the door handles in bathrooms, I just can't fathom why thousands of women in the UK are all willing to share the same hair straightner.

I mean, you wouldn't share your hair brush with that many people, right?

[via Missbehave]

What do you do when you wake up looking like your hair is fit for a bird (as a nest) than a public appearance? Well, first you put on a hat, then you put on dark sunglasses, and then you take your hot mess looking self to the nearest Nordstrom for hair care products.

How do I know all of this? I know this because my hair was a hot mess just the other day. My hair looked like a bird's nest. This wasn't just a case of me being overly critical of my own hair; someone else actually said it too! Yikes.

As I was hunting for products at Nordstrom a heavenly light shone down on this bottle of Biosilk. It looked glossy and shiny -- everything my hair wasn't. I picked up the bottle and headed straight for the register (well I may have stopped in the Savvy department on the way).

When I got home I coated my hair with a few drops of the precious hair silk. I put on my D&G scarf and plopped down on the coach to watch 'An American in Paris' (bad hair makes me want to watch musicals). By the time the movie was over my hair had returned to it's non-bird's nest state. Best money I ever spent, that day.

Just when you thought Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) had officially taken over the planet, and there was no escape from the incessant stream of songs, movies and TV shows featuring the teenage uber-star -- now there's yet another way the pint-size pop tart is worming her way into your life. Introducing Hannah Montana hair care.

Granted, you probably won't be using this. Just like the rest of the Montana empire, these 8-oz bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and "glitter spritz spray" are targeted at kids. Lotta Luv, the company behind the move, say they'll be shipping out hoards of the stuff come summer -- just in time for all the girls to make their parents buy it amidst the flurry of back-to-school shopping.

And parents, rest assured, your children will be asking for it. Unless you've been ignoring your daughter for the last year or two, you're undoubtedly aware that Hannah Montana is the number one ranked cable show for kids ages 6 to 14, her concerts sell out in minutes and she was one of Billboard's top 20 selling artists of 2007. Plus, stores like Wal-Mart will be displaying the new hair care products in Hannah Montana "boutiques" -- complete with clothing, bedding, toys and shoes.

Be afraid, be very afraid.

Most of the time, we find ourselves asking one another what we use for wash our faces, moisturize, get ride of zits, erase fine lines. Very rarely do we ask the opposite question, "What do you not use?" Why would we? We don't need to know about something we'd never buy and try. Still, TotalBeauty put together a list of the 12 beauty products that earned the lowest ratings from their editors. I guess the best way to use this information is to watch out:

See which products you should avoid:

• Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss
  
• Revlon Tourmaline Ionic 1875 Watt Hairdryer
• Redken All Soft Gold Glimmer Perfecting Shine Treatment
• Murad Firm and Tone Serum
• NARS Body Glow
• Bobbi Brown Everything Mascara
• Skyn Iceland Arctic Face Mist
• Maybelline New York Define-a-Lash Mascara
• Lush Jungle Conditioner
• Sally Hansen Smooth Glow Stubble Reducing Moisturizer
• John Frieda Frizz-Ease Straight Answer Spray
• Molton Brown Naran Ji Fine Liquid Hand Wash ($23)

I wash my hair with good-old-fashioned shampoo, and I figured I was lookin' alright. But today I learn that if I want my hair to really shine, I need to spend the big bucks.

At least, that's how it works for Catherine Zeta Jones, who apparently has so much money that she can spend more than £200 (about $400) just washing her hair. How is this even possible, you ask? Does she light her bathroom with fires made from burning money?

Not exactly (but almost). The actress believes she got her shiny locks by lathering her scalp in truffles and caviar. A spa near London flies in the fish eggs from Iran five days ahead of every treatment, then, upon Miss Zeta-Jones' arrival, washes her hair in a truffle-based shampoo before smearing on the caviar -- all while the star sips champagne and nibbles on culinary delicacies.

According to a source for the UK's Daily Mail, "The eggs are packed with omega-3 fatty acids necessary for the formation of structural proteins" which are supposed to repair dry and damaged hair.

According to me, this salon is scamming rich people and getting away with it.

Marketing in the UK seems simple: come up with new product; pitch said product to Kate Moss' business handlers; offer her sizable profit share; stick her name on it. Voila! Instant success.

Of course, getting Kate Moss to sign onto something is probably more difficult than I make it out to be.

But the latest Kate Moss project, a hair care line, proves that there is a way to sweeten the deal -- you just have to recruit one of her childhood friends to take part in the project. In the case of the new hair care line, Kate will be working with stylist James Brown, who grew up with the supermodel in Croydon, South London.

Success, however, is not guaranteed as the hair care line won't actually enjoy the best part of Kate Moss -- the Kate Moss brand name. But that could be for the best. Kate isn't exactly known for her beautiful hair.

Last summer I wrote of my secret love for PureOlogy. I hoarded the bottles I got at a PR event for months. Delicious, wonderful stuff but it was hard to justify $20 bottles of shampoo to my frugal life. Perhaps that will change now that PureOlogy has been sold to L'Oreal for an undisclosed amount. The company PureOlogy Research LLC, did $207 million in retail sales for the most recent 12 months. The brand will now join the L'Oréal Professionnel, Kérastase, Matrix, Redken and Mizani brands. I've got my fingers crossed that the end result of this buyout will lead to PureOlogy, magic recipe unchanged, available everywhere for a lower price. Oh well, a drugstore beauty queen can dream...