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.

How to Get Million-Dollar Hair for Under $10

Today, I read that Rihanna spends $1 million dollars on her hair every year. That's INSANE!!! Then again, her perfectly styled, fiery red locks are a huge part of her image and stage presence. (Plus, she has the money to spend, so why not?) Celebrities like her have teams of people who work around the clock to keep her looking gorgeous.

As for poor little ol' me (emphasis on the word "poor"), I don't have the dough for celebrity hair maintenance. My wallet already takes a beating from my financially-crippling online shopping addiction. :(

Horrible spending habits aside, I've recently made it my life's mission to have hair as shiny as Camilla Belle's. Luckily for me (and anyone else on a budget), getting super shiny hair is pretty inexpensive.

Camilla Belle, you are my hair idol

 

After reading the book Can You Get Hooked on Lip Balm?, I found out that avocado and coconut are two of the best things to put in your hair because the oils penetrate the hair shaft better than other oils. I break out from using avocado oil or coconut oil directly on my hair or skin but, for some reason, I don't break out when I use mashed avocado and coconut milk. I make a hair mask every once in a while with both of those ingredients to strengthen my hair and hydrate it a couple days before coloring:

 

Ingredients
1 Can Coconut Milk
1 Avocado
Medium-Sized Pot
Mixing bowl
Stirring Spoon
Shower cap
Someone to help you (if possible)


Directions
1. Simmer down the coconut milk on LOW heat until it is a thick cream. Stir constantly to prevent burning/sticking to the bottom of the pot.

2. While waiting for the water to evaporate from the coconut milk, scoop out the avocado, removing the skin and the pit, and mash in a bowl until smooth.

3. Pour the coconut cream into the mashed avocado and mix until blended.

4. Let this mixture cool until lukewarm and then massage into DRY hair from ends toward roots. Saturate well and cover your hair with a shower cap.

5. Let the mask sit for as long as possible (at least 30 min). You can wrap a hot towel (fresh from the dryer) around your head to help it penetrate your hair better/faster.

6. Rinse the mixture out of your hair in the shower and shampoo and condition your hair.

Short and Sweet: Do this avocado and coconut hair mask a few times a month and you'll have crazy shiny, healthy hair, sans the huge dent in your non-celebrity bank account.

Orange Hair: Tolerable on Muppets, Tragic on People

My new 'do :)

I got my hair cut and highlighted yesterday! I've bleached my hair in the past, so I know that going lighter means a lot more upkeep. (Brassy hair is the worst.) To keep my hair color looking fresh, I looked up sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners that wouldn't strip the color off of my hair.

Enjoy Sulfate-Free Luxury Shampoo and Conditioner, $40, Amazon.com

Enjoy Luxury Shampoo and Conditioner have rave reviews all over the web. I don't think many people have heard of Enjoy Hair Care yet but all of their products look promising. Unfortunately, this is a salon-quality line, so it's pretty pricey, so I looked for the best prices and found them at Amazon.

5-Piece Enjoy Luxury Travel Kit, $15, SkincareChoices.com

I just ordered a Enjoy Luxury Travel Kit to test the products out before I drop a ton of money on full-sized (or even Costco-sized) bottles. I like that these products don't contain harsh sulfates, which irritate my sensitive skin, or oils, which break me out.

Ardell Red Gold Corrector Plus

To counteract any brassiness or yellowing when I get my hair highlighted, I always add a few drops of Ardell Gold Red Corrector to both the shampoo and conditioner bottles to deposit a very sheer violet-blue color (opposite of yellow-orange on the color wheel) each time I wash my hair. This helps tone my hair to keep it from looking orange.

I'd be upset, too, if my hair was that orange...

I'll write a review on the Enjoy products as soon as I can. I'm hoping that my hair will look healthy, gorgeous, and vibrant for the full 2 months until I go back to the salon :)

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.

High-End Beauty Brands for Less

I can't be the only girl whose wallet (and makeup bag) is suffering because of the economy. When a trip to Sephora for a few "essentials" can run you about $100, you need to get a bit creative when it comes to finding high-end cosmetics for cheap.

One of my new favorite websites to find high-end beauty brands for less (besides BeautyTicket and AllCosmeticsWholesale) is BuyMeBeauty.com. You can find discounted items from Lancome, MAC, Bobbi Brown, Stila, Trish McEvoy, Borghese, Elizabeth Arden, Kiehls, Origins, Smashbox, Phyto Pro, Clarins, Clinique, Yves Saint Laurent, Adrien Arpel, + more. I bought my MAC Select Sheer Loose Powder there for only $16!

Lancome Professional Blending Brush #17, $10

MAC Studio Stick Foundation, $23

Phyto Pro Ultra Shine Cream, $8

Smashbox High Definition Healthy FX Foundation SPF 15 Oil Free, $27

Another great site is MakeupShop.com, which sells quality cosmetics and luxury skincare brands for cheaper than retail.

Happy shopping!

When Demi Moore Gives You Anti-Aging Advice, You LISTEN!

If you're like me, cold weather tends to make you lazy. Who wants to do anything in the winter except snuggle under a warm blanket and watch TV? The laziness also extends to beauty regimens - most people don't want to spend any extra time moisturizing but this might change your mind:

When asked by Allure magazine what her beauty secret was, Demi Moore said, "I moisturize, moisturize, moisturize..."

Clearly, moisturizer is not the ONLY thing that has made Demi Moore look 37 for the last decade... but any piece of advice from age-defying Demi is worth taking.

During the winter, keeping your skin and body hydrated could prevent early wrinkles. Hydrating keeps skin supple and maintains elasticity. That said, here are five products you should never skimp on during the colder months:

1. Eye cream - Even if you're too young for wrinkles, the skin around your eyes needs some extra hydration to keep it smooth and soft when it's cold out.

Avon Solutions Plus+ Maximum Moisture Eye Cream, $12.50, avon.com

2. Body cream - Definitely apply lotion right after a shower, the best time for skin to absorb it. Use a creamier formula rather than a lighter one for maximum hydration.

Nude Moisturising Body Cream, $48, sephora.com

3. Hand and foot cream - You probably noticed that your hands and feet get drier during the winter, especially since most people wash their hands excessively to avoid catching colds or the flu. Apply hand cream every time you wash your hands and keep travel sized tubes in your purse for on-the-go application.

4. Face moisturizer - Gloves cover your hands, boots cover your feet, a hat covers your head and clothes cover your body but unless you wear a ski mask every day, your face is more exposed to the cold air than the rest of your body. Choose a richer face moisturizer for the winter than you would use in the summer or, if you can afford it, have one for daytime and a richer one for night.

Tea Naturals Extra-Rich Lavender Facial Moisturizer, $25, amazon.com

5. Leave-in conditioner - Cold weather wreaks havoc on hair. Make sure to use a leave-in conditioner to help hair stay soft instead of drying out and turning into straw.

Alterna Anti-Aging Leave-In Conditioner, $32, sephora.com

Bad Hair Day? There's An App for That

Nothing gives you a bad hair day like humidity-  remember the Friends episode when Monica's hair poofed up in the tropical Barbados weather? Well, thankfully, the iPhone really does "solve life's problems, one app at a time". Some genius has come up with the Haircaster App, which tells you how the weather is going to affect your hairdo. It's a lifesaver!

Clearly she would have benefited from this app

Now you can check the humidity, rain probability, and wind velocity before stepping foot outside! Forget spending half an hour styling your hair only to have it get ruined by the weather- this baby will save you time and aggravation!

The Haircaster app... don't leave home without it!

Boho Waves: How to Curl Hair That Won't Curl

I'm Asian, with pin-straight hair, so I know how frustrating it can be to spend 45 minutes curling my hair only to have it return to its normal stick-straightness after about an hour. That said, I found a styling tool that every girl with hard-to-curl hair should own- the Enzo Milano 25mm Professional Clipless Curling Iron ($110, amazon.com).

Enzo Milano Cilindrico 25mm Pink Clipless Curling Iron

This iron will transform even the most curl-resistant hair into gorgeous boho waves (a la Vanessa Hudgens).