Hair care

I have naturally frizzy non-curly but slight wavy hair that is thick and coarse. I will never have to worry about going bald. Ever. And thanks to my genes the hair is quite resilient and strong. Albeit super dry and damaged from the coloring, straight perms and regular perms. I used to color my hair at least every 2 months until last year. I saw all the damage it had done to my hair and now I just color every four months - touching up my roots. (I use Japanese foam hair dye called Prettia). I wash my hair every 2 days and use minimal styling products. 

The go-to brand of shampoo used to be Japanese brands such as Shiseido or Essential but they were quite expensive. Early this year I found Clear range via YouTube and I have been loving the results. I have gotten all my friends to use this line LOL. Clear is made by Unilever which is the company that makes Dove and Tresemme, both of which I do like. Clear line is meant to be used on your scalp as well as the hair, even for the conditioner. Their slogan is 'Stronger, more beautiful hair in 7 days, guaranteed'. Quite a lofty goal but I have to say the line does deliver. 

The collection has Total Care, Damage & Color repair, Volumizing root boost, Strong lengths, Frizz control and Ultra Shea. Some of these collections are only available in the US. It is usually $5-7 depending on the store. The price is a little more than the typical drugstore shampoos but well worth it. 

The collection I use and love is Damage & Color repair. I have also used the Frizz control shampoo, ultra Shea conditioner and Clean & refresh shampoo (from the men's line). The ones in the picture are from Target (larger size $7 each). Not sure if the larger size with pump is available in Canada. 

After only one use I noticed a difference in my hair. The shampoo and conditions smell wonderful, fresh and sweet. It lathers very well which I love. The hair feels lighter and moisturized and does not feel like its weighed down. When I use Pantene or Dove the hair seems to 'get used' to the products and get some waxy build up. I am onto my 3rd or 4th bottle of these and haven't noticed any build up. I will continue to use this line. 

Have you heard of 'Wen'? If you watch late night TV you may have come across the infomercial for the cleansing conditioner. Cleansing conditioner is supposed to be better for your hair as it does not contain the lathering sulphate and thus more nourishing to hair that's been damaged. It is supposed to not strip the hair and make the color stay in longer and keep the hair more moisturized. But Wen is about $38 for 16oz and that's only for a 2 month supply. I did some research and found the hair one cleansing conditioner at Sally's beauty supply. This was on sake for $9.99 for 12 oz. I do like the result of using this as the hair feels extra soft and not brittle at all. This one has a slight tingle once applied and even though there are no suds, my scalp does feel clean. It's just a little tedious and weird to get used to. The instructions on how to use this product is a little crazy. To summarize, it says to pump about 10 - 15 pumps of the product and distribute and message the scalp carefully for about 5 minutes on damp hair. Then pump another 10 - 15 pumps and work the rest of the hair; then let it sit for another 5 minutes before rinsing off. I don't know how long you usually take to shower but massaging your scalp for 5 minutes is a little too long (not to mention your arms feel super tired). While I like the results (hair does seem smoother and nourished) the whole massaging for 5 plus minutes, etc deters me from using it all the time. I have noticed that my hair dries a little faster (just a little) when I use the cleansing conditioner. 

After hair has been washed and dried, I use this leave in product - it's from a Japanese line Lux. This feels like a styling cream but does not have any hold. It makes my hair smoother and also less brittle than when I don't use it. I take a dollar size and rub it into the ends of the hair before combing. The results can be seen  when the hair is dry, which is surprising because it does not feel any different when you comb it in.

What do you use for your hair care?

Hits and misses 2012

Well I can't believe it's already almost the middle of January 2013. Where is the time going? 
As a true beauty junky I have tried a lot of products in 2012 and thought it would be fun to recap some of my favorites and not so favorites.

Hits
1. Revlon kissable balm stains (shdes:honey, darling and sweetheart)

I have very pale lips so without lipstick I almost look ill. Enter the world of stains. I love lip stains because the touch up is minimal. But didn't like the traditional stains that tend to dry my lips. Also the shade selections were pretty limited.
Revlon kissable balm stains look like fat crayons and addresses the issues I had with the other stains. This balm stain is moisturizing and is so easy to use. Just swipe it like a lipbalm.
Honey is a neutral mauve that I wear almost daily.
Darling is a light violet that is also wearable during daytime. Both however leave a stain that is deeper than what you see in the stick. I think this all depends on your chemistry as the stains don't look the same on all people. It lasts almost 5 to 6 hours and that means I only need to touch up once and look 'healthy'. 

 

2. Shiseido perfect refining foundation.
A recent discovery that I am enjoying very much. This foundation is very thin and seems to be hard to work with. However it actually gives a very good coverage and is easy to blend. The SPF 16 in the foundation is also a nice plus.
With this I don't need concealer and on my combination skin lasts upto 8 hours!  Bought mine at the Duty free shop in YVR airport for $38. 

3. L'oreal professional Vitamino colour conditioner
My hair has been chemically straightened, permed and coloured constantly. I tend to colour my hair every 2-3 months and am amazed that I still have decent hair left! I wash it every 2 days as it is heavily processed and extremely dry. When it comes to shampoo and conditioner I tend to like Japanese or Korean brands but noticed lately that they weren't working so effectively. The Viamino conditioner was a recommendation from a salon. It is $17 for a measly 200ml but worth every penny. My hair is light and soft and not weighed down at all. The hair feels super moisturized without the waxy film (like Pantene or Dove). Loving the results and hoping this will last a while. 

Misses

1.  EOS lipbalm 

This lip balm comes in such a cute packaging and was crazy popular amongst the beauty bloggers and YouTubers. I had ordered mine online because Canadian drugstores were not carrying them at the beginning of 2012. While I love the package, the lip balm itself and the shape doesn't do much. The balm is waxy and does not help with the chapped lips. It is also not cheap ($4 - 5 each). Definitely will not be repurchasing.

2. elf  Complete Coverage concealer

I tend to like elf products - what's not to like when you can get makeup and tools for $3 or $1! The Studio line is my favourite from elf and I enjoy the 50% off sales they have often. 

While I don't wear concealer every day, at times I look in the mirror in the afternoon and think "shoot, I should have brought some concealer to cover those spots..". Enter the 4 pan concealer palette which was very promising. Alas, the colour is great but the staying power is not. The formula is a thick cream, but does not go on too thick. The coverage is sheer and wears off in less than an hour! So my search continues.