Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Hair Tip: Hair Not Holding a Curl??

You all know my hair is naturally curly and on a regular basis this is how it looks:



When it is colder out I take advantage of the dryer weather and wear my hair straightened! However, when I try to put curls in my hair (via flat iron or curling iron), they just do not STAY (go figure!?)! Normally when you first curl your hair you should be able to run your fingers through it or lightly brush it to make the curls bigger, bouncier, and full of volume. NOPE! When I run my fingers through it..the curl comes right out! If it does happen to stay..it falls flat within half an hour.

Sooooo what to what, what to do? The key to holding a curl is: HAIRSPRAY! Also, be sure you are allowing ample time for your hot tool to heat up. Turn it on and then go do your makeup or take a shower. On average, I turn mine on about 15 minutes prior to using. Depending on your hair type, you may need a higher heat setting (400 to 500 degrees even!). Coarser and thicker hair need more heat, so allow your tool enough time to reach its maximum heat for your hair type.

Follow the steps below to make your hair hold a curl.

Items needed:
Hairspray: Two kinds
-Flexible hairspray - This is that kind of hairspray that puts a light hold to your hair, but won't crust or flake when you run a brush through it. I used TRESemme Frizz Shield Finishing Spray and bought it at Walmart.
- Stiff hairspray - This is that shell-ac type of hairspray that you would use for teasing or a super duper hold. I used Beyond the Zone Frozen Stiff and bought it at Sally's Beauty Supply
Hair clip/Hair tie
Heat Protection spray: I used Beyond the Zone Turn up the Heat protection spray bought at Sally's.
Flat iron or Curling Iron to make those curls!

Step ONE: Prep your hair with whatever leave in treatment or heat protectant you use
Step TWO: Section your hair using your clip or hair tie. I do a bottom layer and a top layer
Step Three: Lightly spray the section with your flexible hairspray. I do not recommend spraying each individual section prior to curling unless you want a stiffer look. Just spray the whole layer. Run your fingers through.
Step Four: Curl your hair. They say that curls with a flat iron last longer but it takes some practice to do this technique. Alternate directions of the curl to give it a more natural look.
Step Five: Repeat the process with your next section . The initial hairspray should have made the curls be more defined. If not, add more hairspray to the layer.
Step Six: Once the curling is done, lightly comb your fingers through the curls. Tease or shake it out to create volume.
Step Seven: Spray your whole head with your stiff hairspray. I really like the BTZ Frozen Stiff because it gives a great hold but doesn't make my hair feel crispy. It still looks natural and moves.
Step Eight: Put on a smile and rock those curls!


This was my end result:




Anywho...this process works! I went a whole day at work, plus a trip to the mall, and when I got home my curls were still intact. In fact, today was the first time I tried this and on my way to the job I stopped to get gas and this man with beautifully long dreadlocks got out of his car to hand me a flyer to his beauty salon. He said I had BEAUTIFUL hair and would love to provide me with any hair services I may need. That was a plussss!

Good luck ladies..

*FTC Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any companies mentioned and am not being paid to use the products. These are my sole suggestions, opinions, and thoughts.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Keeping the Teeth Squeaky Clean..

Hey all,
Yes I am alive! I wanted to stop by and tell you about my NEW best friend!...

Ta Da!


This is the Oral-B Vitality Dual Clean battery operated toothbrush and it is AWESOME! FYI, I am not affiliated in any way with this company and purchased this product on my own. These are solely my personal thoughts on this product (take that FTC!)

Pros:
It was relatively cheap! I retailed for about $12.67 at Walmart. The replacement heads are also cheaper than most electric toothbrushes. This is significantly cheaper than your $100 electric toothbrushes on the market. I think the directions state to replace the heads when the blue on the bristles are faded half way (approx 3 months).

It has a two minute timer automatically built into it. Two minutes is the recommended time to brush your teeth and you would be surprised at how many people brush for much less than that. Prior to this toothbrush, I timed myself and was averaging about 1 minute 15 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds. It alerts you that your two minutes is up by pulsing three times.

The dual head is fabulous! They have other ones that are just the small round (precision) head. The precision part goes in circles while the squarer part goes up and down. My teeth are relatively straight on top, but my bottom row does have a bit of crowding which makes it hard to get to some places with a regular toothbrush. With this bad boy, I feel the bristles getting in all the crevices with no problem!

My teeth are definitely whiter since using this. Some of you know from my Youtube videos that I do the Crest Whitestrips about every 6 months. I did my last kit about three months ago and this toothbrush is definitely prolonging those results.

I ALWAYS feel like my teeth are squeaky clean after I am done. My mouth feels refreshed and I have noticed less bleeding of my gums (but I didn't have a lot to begin with). I should tell you that before I started using this my teeth had started to bother me a bit as I have missed my regularly cleaning for the past year (before I was going every 6 months like clockwork but things changed due to insurance and crap).

Cons:
Battery operated. Ideally, I would have liked a rechargeable to save some money on having to buy batteries, but it isn't that bad!

This thing can be a bit noisy and loud. If you live alone or don't mind the noise, then you are fine. If you have a toddler that sleeps lightly or a spouse you don't want to wake up..then it is a bit distracting!

I wish it came more than two colors: red and teal. It would have been nice to get a purple one, lol!

Overall, this is a great and I recommend it to everyone! Good luck!