How To Make Hair Healthy Again: My Hair Journey

I have always cared a great deal about my hair however, have not necessarily took care of it hence, my hair journey. If I could sum up my take on how to make your hair healthy again I would simply suggest to cut off as much as you can withstand and leave it alone!

I have been blonde for the majority of my adult life. It began when my mom let me get highlights at 14. From that point on my hair progressively got blonder and blonder.

I am naturally a medium brown and always had hair reach down to my chest.  At the beginning of 2008 I decided to go brunette. This lasted about 3 months before I reverted back to my highlights and eventually went all blonde again. That being said, my hair has been through hell and at that point, it was really starting to show. I have naturally very thick hair so I have been able to pull off having long, bleached hair for years however in 2011 I noticed my hair was not looking as thick anymore and therefore trimming inches off the ends regularly in an attempt to make it look better.

Here is a picture of how my hair looked in 2010.

 

 

 

 

It looked like the above since 2008. At the end of 2011 a new hairdresser did this:

 

 

I was in a panic! I never mentioned wanting anything but blonde in my hair and she somehow translated this as red streaks through out my whole head. Streaks or red hair is simply not my thing. Never had I wanted or had red in my hair. I was devastated and drove 4 hours the next morning to my much trusted hair dresser who cancelled her morning appointments and fixed my hair.  This is how it turned out:

 

 

So I was platinum blonde and my hair was more damaged then ever. It was also the shortest I had ever had it...but the red was gone! I kept up this blonde and it looked like this when I tried growing it out:

 

My new years resolution for the year 2012 was to go back to brunette and make my hair healthy again. We went on our annual vacation to Antigua in April and when I returned I took one last picture:

 

...and went to a salon to make my hair dark. Here it was... the beginning of my journey:

 

 

It was so hard to do but I worked myself up to it. I set the date, told people of my plans and was then held accountable. I even committed to cutting off  a few inchs which was also hard for me at the time.

So, since July 2012 I have not died my hair. I've been letting it grow out hoping that by now (October 2013) I would have longer, healthier hair however...hair grows pretty slow my friends. Here is my hair 4 weeks ago:

 

 Shortly after taking this picture,  I cut off another 2 inches. I am striving to get rid of all the hair that was damaged (blonde) but that means even though it is now shorter then I would like, I still need to cut off more and then I'll finally be able to have less breakage therefore longer, thicker hair.  Why be so picky you ask? Dead hair is not pretty. To make dead hair pretty, you must use heat styling to create the illusion that it is in fact healthy and by using this tactic to create an illusion the reality is you are making your hair even worse. I want my hair healthy again. I want it to have it's fullness and thickness back.

 If having short hair is just to hard for you to commit to try purchasing hair extensions and this way you can still have the illusion of long hair while make your hair healthy again.

 

Of course cutting it is just one commitment I have made in the past year to achieving healthy hair. I have also reduced the number of times I straighten/curl/blow dry my hair (eg. I have not straightened my hair since June). I have found other ways to make my hair look good without using heat when I need to have my hair looking good. I also deep condition it twice a week and am working towards only using organic hair care products.

 XoX

 

Shampoo and Condtioner That Does Not Dry Your Hair: Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco + Calia

Good afternoon all!

I have been searching for a while for my HG shampoo and conditioner are sulfate free. 6 months ago I found my favourite shampoo and conditioner purchased at walmart (not organic)....Marc Anthony's Oil of Morocco duo! Sulfate free, smells good and makes my hair feel like it had a treatment every time I wash it. That's what I really need in a shampoo and conditioner...my hair feeling and looking soft and healthy because I find a lot of shampoo dries out my hair.

 



I've purchased so many high and low end brands of shampoo's and conditioners and this is by far my favourite that is not organic. I bought mine at Wal-Mart for about 10.00 each before taxes but they can both be purchased for 9.99 each here : http://well.ca/brand/marcanthony.html/utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=brand&gclid=CIWM9oeSoboCFYk-MgodFjgArg.

A few month ago I found out about an organic line called Calia. Here is the site if you are interested in learning more about the company: http://www.calianatural.com/ .

I heard good things about their products and decided to try out the shampoo and conditioner. In particular I am using the balancing shampoo and conditioner and I love it.

 

I ordered my shampoo and conditioner from amazon.ca. I want to try their deep conditioner next and maybe some body washes too!

 

The way I tell if a shampoo dries out my hair is looking and feeling my hair after it has air-dried. I can tell right away by looking at the ends. The Calia balancing shampoo and conditioner are very gentle and smell like a visit to the spa! I love this stuff and will be keeping stalked up so I never run out.

 

 

XoX

DIY: How I Lighten My Hair Extensions With Marc Anthony's 'Easy Lites' Spray

Good Morning Beauties!

I recently uploaded a quick you tube tutorial on how to lighten hair extensions. It's quick, easy and I find it works well! So, this is my easy advice on how to achieve a lighter look on dark hair extensions.

I know how much is sucks to have purchased hair extensions only to have them sitting in your closet because your hair color changed...money down the drain? Nah. Try dying or highlighting your extensions. Do a few practice runs with small pieces and whip those beautiful locks back on your head. I purchased my hair extensions at proextensions.com. I purchased the Pro Premier Remy 20" #1b Off Black. They cost me $149.99.




What you need:

You need the Marc Anthony Easy-Lites spray, a brush to brush out your extensions before applying the spray and a flat iron to engage the spray to lighten your hair extensions after applying it.

Its super simple! You brush out the hair extensions, spray a section of hair from your extensions and run the hair straightener over it several times (the instructions indicate to run the hair straightener over it 7 times however I just keep going until the hair dries and looks lighter).

The Marc Anthony Easy Lites spray works gradually. The more you use it, the lighter your hair will become. Initially, I used a color remover by Loreal on my Black extensions to remove the harsh black color:

 After first removing the harsh black with this color remover, I've only used this Marc Anthony spray and find it works great at slowly lightening my hair extensions and bringing out natural golden highlights.

I've been able to achieve a medium brown with natural looking light brown/golden highlights.

For those who are interested, here is a list of the ingredients in the Marc Anthony Easy Lites spray:
water, hydrogen peroxide, cocamidopropyl betaine, polysorbate 20, parfum (fragrance), vaccinium myrtillus fruit/leaf extract, saccharum officinarum (sugar cane) extract, acer saccarum (sugar maple) extract, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) fruit extract, citrus madica limonum (lemon) fruit extract, chamomilla recututa (matricaria) floer extract, ext. D&C violet 2 (CI 60730). May contain phosphoric acid.

The spray retails for about 7.99. It can be found here:
http://www.myessentials.ca/marc-anthony-easy-lites-instant-highlighting-spray.html?gclid=CMXuyI_guroCFe1aMgodHXYA8g

I hope this was helpful and here is my video tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALnkcuUwvIQ

XoX

Eyeshadow Colors That Make Green Eyes Pop!

Hey Beauties!

 

I made the perfect couple and want to share it with you all.

No matter what color, shape or size you're eyes may be, the two eye shadows I want to share today make all eye's stand out. I have personally found that with my eye color, these colors make the green in my eyes really pop.

First is a mauve, deep berry shade. My most favoured eyeshadow in this shade that I own is a frost shadow by Mac called cranberry

Beautifully pigmented and blends flawlessly. Now who have I married Cranberry to? A bronze, kaki color by Lorel in their infallible line called Bronze Divine:

Incase you didn't already know, this formulation by Loreal is a pressed eyeshadow and has great pigmentation. A little bit goes a long way.

Now, put Cranberry and Bronze Divine together in you're eye look and you have the perfect couple :)

I have been wearing this look a lot this month. Try it out!

XoX

 

 

 

Night Time Skin Care Routine

Hello,

This is the night time skin care routine that has worked for me for approximately two years. I currently have normal -combination skin.

BACKGROUND: I had normal skin all my life and had never suffered with acne. 5 years ago, I started experiencing cysts on my chin. They would last for weeks (sometimes months) and were sometimes painful. When this began happening to me I started my obsession with makeup as I was determined to hide the cysts that had become an annoying part of my face. Long story short - I tested and tried hundreds of kinds of makeup and skin care product and finally found what works for me! The 'cysts on my chin' phase lasted about 1 year and never returned. I have had none for years now.

Before I introduce the face products for my night time skin care routine I want to say that I had also gone to see a dermatologist who after less then 60 seconds had tried to encourage me to go on harsh acne medications. I refused, knowing the side effects but also because I would only have a maximum of 4 of these cysts at a time! I didn't have severe acne. I asked if there was another kind of cream I could try and he prescribed me the following:

Clindoxyl (Apply once a day: AM)
Tactuo (Apply once a day: PM)

I strongly encourage trying these product before taking any harsh medications. I believe they played a big part in my skin improvement.

Now, on to the products I've found work really well to keep my skin clear and healthy looking. I have used products that seemed to strip my skin of the 'natural glow' and would create a lot of redness and irritation. Yes, these products helped to keep my skin clear but I then went on a mission to find less-harsh products.

Everynight, the first product I use is eyemakeup remover. The following is by Neutrogena and has a somewhat thick creamy consistency that I apply with my finger on my eye's to remove waterproof mascara...layers and layers of waterproof mascara. I love this stuff. I let it sit on my lashes for almost a minute before I wash my face.

The next product I use is to remove all my makeup and is by Vichy. It is made for sensitive skin and is a paraben free cleansing milk. *I apologize for how beat up it looks but I'm telling you I use the crap out of this stuff*.  This has a great, fresh scent and helps get rid of my coverup and eye makeup. I sometimes use a full coverage, waterproof coverup (Estee Lauder Double Wear) so I feel this step is necessary to ensure I've taken off all my makeup.

Third is another product by Vichy that is very gentle but gives me a slight bit more of a clean after the cleansing milk removed the makeup. It is a foam formulated for sensitive skin and has a great slight floral scent.

Fourth, I use a pea-size amount of of this product by PeterThomasRoth. It is a Glycolic Acid Facial Wash. Now, I only use this on my chin where cysts had been prone to appear...I do not use it anywhere else on my face as it is more on the 'harsh' side when it comes to facial cleansers. It has no specific scent. Be sure to rinse off very well as it can cause your skin to be flaky otherwise.

After washing my face I use Bioderma with a cotton pad to remove any makeup that may be left on face (especially useful when I wear full coverage foundation's that stick to the skin). I love this stuff...it also removes waterproof mascara flawlessly. Just be sure to not tug at you're eyes when using cotton pad to remove makeup- be gentle! Next, I apply my eye cream. Right now I am using NeoStrata eye firming moisturizer. Face moisturizer is the next step and I use the Neutrogena oil-free brand for sensitive skin. Also, Once or twice a week (depending on my skin) I will not use the Neutrogena and apply vitamin e by Jamieson. It makes my skin look great the next day.

This is a lightening gel I use on areas that have the beginning of the dreaded 'sun spots' or 'age spots,' It has to be purchased over-the-counter at the pharmacy. If used consistently it does reduce the appreance of spots.

Now my secret for longer lashes. I use Rapid Lash and I swear by this. My lashes look longer and thicker thanks to this stuff! Just need a quick swipe of this magic wand on my lash line before bed every night.

Lastly I need to moisturize my lips every night and I've been loving this little guy by Vaseline. This particular one has coco butter and smells delicious.

I hope this offers some options for people to try out. Let me know if you love these products (or not) and if you tried them, share your experiences!

XoX