How to Get Golden Globe-Worthy Voluminous Hair

Salma Hayek's Luxe Hair Volume at the 2012 Golde Globe Awards

Sexy, voluminous hair makes anyone look instantly more glamorous- but finding the right product to get your hair to stay up can be a pain in the ass. Usually, people with limp or thin hair need a boost of volume- but my hair is the opposite. My hair is ridiculously heavy... so heavy that my scalp actually hurts from the sheer weight of my hair when it's up in a ponytail. A hairdresser once told me that I have like 4 times as much hair as an average human... so, clearly, those weaksauce drugstore hair volumizers don't work well enough for me.

Luckily, someone up there must have noticed how horrible I look with flat hair and decided to let me catch a break. I tried a new salon a few weeks ago and the girl who did my hair introduced me to Michael O'Rourke Size Matters Big Volume Root Pump Spray. I believe her exact words were: "Girl, let me tell you- if you stick your head in a wind tunnel you won't get as much volume as this stuff will give you!"  And, after she used it to style my hair, I was sold. (And I mean that literally because I paid $21 for it and saw it on Amazon and at TJ Maxx for $10 the next day- but I digress.)

Michael O' Rourke Size Matters Big Volume Root Pump Spray, $10, Amazon.com

Michael O'Rourke Size Matters is a mousse spray that comes in a glamorous pink aerosol can with a rhinestone heart on the front. (Honestly, I probably would've bought it just for the Barbie-like packaging so the fact that it makes my hair defy the laws of gravity is a bonus). It smells amazing and it's so easy to use:

1. While your hair is damp, part your hair where you normally do.
2. Use a comb or your fingers to create another part about two inches under your normal part and spray the foam along the second part. Rub the foam into your roots.
3. Create another part about two inches under that part and repeat the spraying and rubbing.
4. Repeat these steps all over the top and crown of your head, making several parts in your hair and spraying and rubbing the foam into the parted areas.
5. Blow dry your hair upside down or with a round brush and style as usual.

This product creates and holds volume REALLY well without making my hair too crunchy, like other mousse products I've tried. I also love that it sprays a relatively thin line of mousse (just enough to cover each part) so you're not applying too much product and wasting it- so this 13 oz can should last me a few months.

Short & Sweet: I definitely give this mousse spray a 5/5 for volumizing, holding volume, fragrance, amount of product, and packaging. ;]

Tip: For even more lift, tease your hair a bit at the crown and then spray with got2b Voluptuous Volume Hairspray to set and to tame flyways.

The Mary Poppins of Styling Products: Tough Love for Bratty Hair

My hair is like a bratty little kid, living on my head. It refuses to do what I want it to, it stays up when I want it to lie down and lies down when I want it to stay up, and I have to beat it into submission on a regular basis. (Ok, so I wouldn't beat a kid but you know what I mean.)

On top of that, my scalp is super sensitive to all kinds of ingredients-  so if my hair was a bratty kid, it would be one of those kids that constantly needs an inhaler and an Epi-Pen and has to live in a bubble to protect itself from the outside world. You can imagine the trouble I have finding hair products that work for me.
Luckily, I stopped by Naimie's Beauty Center last weekend and spoke to a really friendly sales girl who knew exactly what my hair needed: Osmo Essence Aqua Wax Hard.

Osmo Essence Aqua Wax Hard, $20

I am absolutely in love with this styling product! It's a transparent cobalt-blue wax (think blue Jello) that's firm enough to keep flyways and frizz at bay but soft enough that it doesn't make my hair stiff at all. It imparts glassy shine, touchable hold, and a very light unisex scent. (I literally have to hide it so my boyfriend won't steal it.) It's also water-soluble so you can mix a bit of water and product in your palm to thin it out.
I use it straight out of the jar, on dry hair, for maximum hold. Just grab a dime-sized amount, rub it between your palms, and apply to the middle to ends of your hair. Then, lightly pat down any baby hairs at the roots.
I highly, HIGHLY recommend this finishing product to anyone whose hair needs some tough love! This stuff is firm enough to keep my bratty hair in line-  but in a gentle, non-irritating way.

If This Clay Mask Were a Man, I'd Marry it

I couldn't sleep the other night, so I ended up window-shopping the skincare goods on Amazon. Somehow, I stumbled upon a product called Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay. I was immediately attracted to the mystical sounding name- I envisioned witch-doctors using the clay to heal their patients' wounds... (It was 3 AM, okay- I was delirious.)

Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay, $7-9, Whole Foods or Amazon.com

Then, I noticed that this product had great reviews from over a hundred people who all swore that this stuff could get rid of everything from acne to poison ivy to spider bites. I was definitely intrigued and, after Googling it a bit more, I found out that this calcium bentonite clay has tons of uses and rave reviews all over the internet.

HauteLook Haul: Rock & Republic Eye Shadows

These are the gorgeous eyeshadows that I recently purchased from HauteLook.com! It's a flash sale site for beauty products, clothing, accessories, and houseware that offers CRAZY discounts on designer brands for a very limited time. These eyeshadows normally cost $28 a pop (I've seen some stores mark them up to $50 or more!) but when I saw that they were going for only $7 each on HauteLook I knew I had to buy a few.
As soon as I saw all the richly pigmented hues, I wanted to buy all of them -  but somehow I managed to exert some self-control before I was able to rationalize spending $100 on eyeshadow.

Instead of picking out the same old colors I always do (i.e. various shades of copper, dark brown, bronze), I tried to select ones that I don't already own. These colors are just too pretty:

Wicked: a warm dark brownish-purple (matte)
Denim: a rich, deep navy blue (matte)
Ammo: a shimmery medium bronze

The Cure for Dull, Dry Winter Complexions

Lots of companies are coming out with products that promise to help get rid of dark spots but they can take a huge chunk out of your wallet or take weeks to see any results. The lightening ingredients in those products can also be allergenic (i.e. soy proteins and extracts) or drying (i.e. hydroquinone).

Lumene Vitamin C+ Energy Cocktail

Me, I just rely on good ol' vitamin C, a natural skin brightener, which can be found in Vitamin C + Energy Cocktail Intensive Care ($22, Dermstore.com). apply just a few drops of this anti-aging serum to your face and neck before bedtime and you'll wake up with a brighter, glowing complexion! and at under twenty bucks, you can't beat the price :)

Tip: At night, cleanse face, then apply serum and allow to sink in for a few minutes before applying your usual moisturizer.