Is Your Hair Dehydrated?

July 28, 2017

Summer is in full swing which means, so is the sun. Your hair takes a beating between pool chemicals, more frequent shampooing, and sun worshiping. If you highlight or color your hair this time of year can trash all that beautiful work your stylist spent countless hours on. Fear not, there are ways to rehydrate, protect, and heal those poor strands. Here’s a list of my favorite products and services for quenching your hair’s thirst.

O&M DETOX Shampoo

Do you ever leave the pool feeling like your hair magically transformed into hay? If so this Shampoo will change your life! Detox removes product build up, chlorine, and stubborn oils. My favorite thing about this product is the invigorating peppermint oil. Your scalp feels clean, cool, and refreshed. Unlike most clarifying shampoos, Detox leaves your hair nourished, hydrated, and soft.

G L O S S it up!

Glaze, toner, gloss, are all the same. Keeping your strands glossed every 4-6 weeks protects your hair from heat styling and the sun. It also is a great way to reduce brassiness and revive the shine and saturation of your color.

EVO FABULOSO Platinum

Don’t have time for a gloss? Revive your blonde and kick brass at home with EVO’s FABULOSO Platinum deep conditioner. The bottle says to leave on for 3 mins however, I always suggest my clients leave this brass killer on for a minimum of 10. Your highlights will be bright and hydrated.

OI oil

Unlike Argan Oils, this is a super lightweight holy-grail of shine and softness. OI is good for all hair types. Davines Oi oil contains Roucou oil which is light yet powerful. I recommend using this on your ends every night before bed. This bottle can last at least 6 months when used properly. For the average head of hair less than the size of a pea is more than enough. Oi has healing properties and can be used on wet or dry hair. You will wonder how you ever lived without this. Did I mention it smells amazing?

NOU NOU Mask

Every woman should have a deep conditioner to use at least 1-2 times per week. I prefer to deep condition after I have used my Detox clarifying shampoo. It makes the most sense to do a “deep” cleanse before a “deep” conditioning. NOU NOU mask not only hydrates the hair but it also strengthens weak over worked strands.

OLAPLEX

If you haven’t heard of Olaplex you are being deprived of something truly amazing. Olaplex was the first of its kind in the beauty industry. This take home is the 3rd step after your stylist performs steps 1 & 2 during your color service. This is not a conditioner. This is a bond multiplier which has been designed to prevent breakage during your color service. Basically, it’s an insurance policy for your hair’s health. Use #3 weekly on clean damp hair to maintain the added strength.

P.S. All of these goodies can be found at my salon Thirteenth and Washington in downtown St. Louis 🙂

HOW TO: Glow for the Holidays

December 23, 2014

If you are anything like me, you have worked your face off the past few weeks. Literally! High stress work environments during the holidays bring on such wonderful things like breakouts, dryness, and dullness. Gross. So now is your time to shine my friends! Here are a few things you can do to get your glow back…

STEP ONE: SLOUGH IT OFF!

With the dryness winter brings it’s as if your whole body develops are hard shell. You must break through all the nasty dead stuff to expose the beauty underneath.

FOR THE BODY: Make your own sugar scrub! Its super easy and you can find all the ingredients in your kitchen. Add some of your favorite essential oils if you want to make it a little special. Check out this awesome recipe I found on “Love Grows Wild”

Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

This Homemade Mint Sugar Scrub is the perfect DIY gift idea! Inexpensive and easy to make!

Author: Liz Fourez

Ingredients

½ cup coconut oil
1½ – 2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
1 drop green food coloring

Instructions

Place coconut oil in a bowl and microwave on HIGH 15-25 seconds until softened.
Start by adding 1½ cups sugar to the oil, along with the peppermint extract and green food coloring. Mix until ingredients are well combined and food coloring is evenly distributed. If mixture is too wet, add another ½ cup sugar until scrub is to desired consistency.
Spoon scrub into air-tight containers (such as a mason jar) and decorate with twine or ribbon.

FOR THE FACE: Which is a little more sensitive. I have discovered the holy grail of exfoliates! Blissoma’s “Glow” exfoliating powder is pure genius. Instead of scrubbing away dead skin cells, which can cause more damage than good, Glow contains natural enzymes that dissolves the dead skin! Also, you can mix this into your favorite cleanser or use alone with a little bit of water. Like I said, GENIUS!! For more in depth information on this product click the photo. Blissoma.com has so much valuable free information!FOR THE HAIR: You must remove build up of oils and product before you can feed your hair moisture. My absolute favorite clarifying shampoo is Davines SOLU shampoo. Solu refreshing solution shampoo has an innovative formula that effectively removes hairspray residues and other styling products, respecting the physiology of the hair and scalp. Thanks to its natural active ingredients, deep cleanses and instantly moisturize.STEP TWO: GET GLOSSY!

Now that you have removed all that unnecessary gunk we can create the ultimate vibrancy and shine!

FOR THE BODY: As soon as I get out of the shower, before patting dry, I immediately spray myself with Davines’ DeStress lotion. It’s crazy how soft my skin feels after using this! It has the same effect as Rain-X has to your car windshield! The water beads right off exposing super soft-glossy skin! Its velvety texture ensures fast easy absorption. The formula is enriched with UV filter that protects hair & skin from damage caused by sun exposure. Hair looks soft and silky, and the skin nourished.FOR THE FACE: I can not go a single day without my Blissoma Restore oil! This is literally the only moisturizer that hydrates my skin properly and keeps my lips chap free in the winter. I recommend applying to clean skin in the am, adding a few drops to your foundation, and applying to clean skin again before bed.

“Young, healthy skin is protected by its own natural oils but as skin ages it produces less, leaving it vulnerable to environmental damage and stress. The right balance of antioxidant-rich seed oils offers regenerating nutrients without clogging or greasiness. Restore Oil Serum provides an elegant shield to keep skin looking firm and glowing.” -Julie LongyearFOR THE HAIR: Feed your hair moisture and it will give you incredible shine! When the hair is properly hydrated it is soft and reflective of light due to the cuticle layer laying flat as it should. The Davines OI products were designed for all hair types and textures to create softness, shines, and protect the hair from the environment and natural aging. Roucou oil, which is the most prominent ingredient in the line is responsible for prevent hair aging & having a strong anti-oxidant action.

Is Hard water killing your hair?

September 3, 2014

You would think using great products is all you need to do to keep your hair healthy. Unfortunately there’s more to the puzzle my friends. Think about the water you’re using to wash that beautiful hair. Have you ever traveled and wondered why your hair looked like complete s#*!% after showering? Then maybe you’ve spent the night at a friends place and left the shower with gorgeous mermaid hair. WTF right? Here’s what happened. During your travels you were exposed to hard water which consists of way too many minerals that dry out, weigh down, and straight up ruin your hair. Now your friend, she’s smart. Your friend has either invested in a water softening system or a less expensive approach, a shower head with built in filter.

HARD WATER CAUSES:
-Dryness
-Color Fading
-Buildup on your scalp
-Lack of Lather… which means your wasting your shampoo!

Freaked out? No worries! You can totally beat hard water! Here’s how:

STEP ONE: Install a showerhead with built in filter.

This one is from Culligan and is $28.49 with an Amazon Prime account. The filter lasts about 6 months!

STEP TWO: Use a clarifying shampoo once a week.

Davines’ SU Shampoo has a rich formulation which restores hydration and softness to the hair. It carries out an immediate restructuring action and eliminates residues of salt and chlorine, restoring sun damaged hair to its optimal condition.

STEP THREE: Use a styling product that has a built in treatment.