Oh, hair!

At times we experience much joy…other times, occasional pain. As a girl who literally takes her hair into her own hands (I mainly do it myself at home…go on, judge me!) I often experience the highs and lows of managing rather thick, coarse, non-chemically straightened hair. So when I stumble upon a product, tool or technique that works, I am inclined to share.

The share:

• Towel dry
• Part into sections of 6-10
• Using a light leave-in conditioner, twist two sections of hair into two-stranded braids
• Coil each section
• Secure each section with a hair pin
• Allow to air dry (which is what I do) or sit under a hooded dryer (I have NO time for this!)
• Undo and style
• VOILA!

Now, do you have a hair tip to share with me? PLEASE?!

Faithful ThisThatBeauty followers already know that I am a huge fan Joico products, particularly the K-PAK range. When my dear friend Shana recommended the product line to me, I was moments away from taking a weed wacker to my distressed, tangled head of hair. Thanks to Joico K-PAK, my hair crisis was averted and to this day, I continue to enjoy shoulder length hair. So when I learned of Joico Smooth Cure, a 72 hour frizz-free product line for curly, frizzy, coarse hair, I was really excited to have the opportunity to give it a try.
My first observation is that the sulfate-free shampoo, while effective at cleansing my hair and scalp, is less sudsy than my usual foaming shampoo products. I actually enjoy mountains of lather, so I was slightly disappointed that I didn’t get more suds, but again, the shampoo was effective at cleansing. After washing, my hair felt clean and my scalp was impeccable.

What I generally love about Joico conditioners is that they are quick and effective. In as little as a few minutes, their conditioners seem to work deeply to nourish and restore hair. Smooth Cure conditioner is no different. I followed the instructions to the letter and after a little over a minute my hair was conditioned and soft.

From there I began the process of detangling. While wet, and under the running water of my shower, I used a detangling comb to work the conditioner through my hair from root to ends. I observed good slip, but I must admit, Smooth Cure did not detangle my hair as well as K-PAK, which seems to work through the tangles a lot faster and with less effort.

The final two steps of Smooth Cure include Leave-In Rescue Treatment and Thermal Styling Protectant. These are the products that I enjoyed the most and will continue to use. Both contain the Kerashield Complex, a blend of hair smoothing ingredients like Hydrolyzed Keratin and Brazilian Nut Oil. While I honestly cannot vouch for the claim of 72 hours of frizz-free hair, I truly appreciate the revolutionary composition of hair-saving ingredients in Smooth Cure’s formulation.

So here’s the net-net:

K-PAK remains the star of the Joico family (in my book), but Smooth Cure offers an innovative product line for women in search of a sulfate free collection of hair care designed to refine curly, frizzy textures.

I would love to hear your thoughts on Joico Smooth Cure. Have you tried?

***

It’s almost Sunday, so you know what that means….I’ll soon test another haircare system. Stay tuned for upcoming reviews from:

Shea Moisture

Sojourn

Being a girl is all about options, don’t you think? For a fleeting moment we’re soft and demure…craving sparkling floral scents and charming floor grazing maxi dresses. The next, we’re fiercely proclaiming our independence all the while rocking a tough leather jacket and the season’s best candy coated denim. When it comes to our hair, we’re much the same. Some days we like it stick straight and some days we applaud texture. I happily play both sides of the hair coin. Let’s chart my ever-changing hair story and break down the products and styling tools that make it possible.

When I desire a sleek, polished look, I rely on HANA Titanium 1.5″ flat iron. I am also loyal to Sedu Revolution Tourmaline Ionic Styling Iron. Let’s first start with HANA Titanium 1.5″ flat iron: It is one of the best professional flat irons I have used in a while. It gets my hair really smooth with just one pass of the plates. My hair is super coarse so the 450 degree setting is a major plus in my book. The large plates also help me to cover more hair quickly and complete the task of straightening a whole lot faster!

As for my review of Sedu, follow my beauty thoughts on the Bergdorf Goodman blog.

If I’m game for embracing my natural texture (extremely tightly coiled curls), I wash, condition and apply It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product. Instead of using a blow dryer to dry my hair, I towel dry and twist sections of my hair into two-strands twists, then loop around into tight knots (see left side of pic below), and nighty night. In the morning, photo below (right side of photo) is the outcome:

For the girl who loves loose waves, get to know LIQWD The Perfect Wave. A dime-sized dollop applied to dry hair, then lightly twisted into sections produces, well…see below:

See! A girl likes options, no?

Now tell me…how do you like your “options”? Hair? Fragrance? Makeup choices? Please share!

Surprisingly, I am sort of into Lauren Conrad’s ombre’d, tie-dyed tips. Paul Mitchell’s INKWORKS (a professional, semi-permanent color treatment available in 10 vivid shades) is responsible for the multi-hued strands. If you’re as intrigued as I, read on for Colorist and Paul Mitchell Artistic Director, Lucie Doughty shares tips on how you can work with your stylist to achieve the look, if you dare.

I gotta tell you…if my hair were longer and if I weren’t terrified of hair coloring chemicals, I would seriously consider a slightly subdued version of LC’s ‘do.

Here’s how:

1. To get the full effect, have your stylist pre-lighten [see, THIS is the part that scares me to death] the hair to a pale blonde by using Paul Mitchell’s Dual Purpose Lightener and then the colorist can apply Paul Mitchell INKWORKS over the top.

2. Ask to have INKWORKS painted all the way through the strand or just on the tips like Lauren’s and then isolate each section in foil. Countless colors can be created from the Paul Mitchell INKWORKS color collection, so you can decide which color combinations work for you (to get LC’s look ask for Hot Pink, Green and Blue).  Your stylist can dilute them with any of Paul Mitchell’s daily conditioners to create beautiful pastel tones (like LC’s!)

So there you have it! Now who’s bold enough to toy with this one look du jour? Please share!

Is your hair in need of a little damage control?

Join John Frieda International Creative Consultant Harry Josh for “Damage Control”, a LIVE 30-minute interactive webcast dedicated to safe styling practices. Learn about John Frieda Full Repair Collection and how you can treat overworked, over styled hair.

Date: Wednesday, June 8^th

Time: 6pm – 6:30pm EST

Login: Facebook

Want to receive one full-size product from the Full Repair collection? Simply sign up for the webcast via the Facebook link above or through the John Frieda website, and submit a question that you would like to see Harry answer during the webcast.  It’s that simple.

Healthier hair is en route!

I have been d-d-dying to try WEN Cleansing Cream for at least a year.

Finally, my ship came in! Does WEN live up to the hype? See for yourself:

This post is written by ThisThatBeauty Contributor, Christella Ritchwood. For previous reviews for Christella, click here, here, here, here, and here.

Although my curl has calmed down quite a bit since my high school years (hello 80′s hair!), it is still occasionally out of control! When I heard of Keratin Tropic, a 100% formaldehyde-free treatment, I was very excited to give it a whirl.

The oh-so-friendly-Oregon-native stylist, Mandeep, of Lasio Hair Studios (117 East 7th Street) safely relaxed my curls with Keratin Tropic. She first started with a cuticle opener on my roots to ensure the treatment would set to its max potential. Once the cuticle opener was set and rinsed out, Mandeep proceeded with the Keratin Tropic treatment. Mandeep then saturated my hair with the pleasantly scented keratin treatment. Since keratin is activated by the amount of heat applied, Mandeep first blew out my hair with a round brush. Once my blowout was complete, she used the flat iron, taking very small sections at a time. She finished with a light trim to freshen up my cut. The entire process took about 3 hours….and it was SO worth all 180 minutes of the time spent at Lasio Studios!
Immediately, my hair looked and felt healthier. The Keratin Tropic treatment has cut my at-home styling time by more than half. After my first wash at-home I was able to flat iron my hair straight in 20 minutes. It looks healthy, shines nicely and feels lighter in weight. I am totally sold! See for yourself…

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Alright you little Monsters, here’s a paparazzi alert you won’t want to miss. Remington is sending two randomly selected winners on a VIP trip for two to NYC to see Grace Jones 2.0 herself — Lady Gaga!

As part of the super fancy prize package that’s valued at $4000, you will view the concert live from a luxury suite at the world’s most famous arena – Madison Square Garden! No need to “Telephone”, your entry… Simply “like” the new Remington Red Chair Ready beauty community on Facebook and you’re entered to win!

What are you waiting for?!

Funny girl Tina Fey went sleek and glamorous for this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards.  Remington’s own Richard Marin shares the step-by-step on how he created Fey’s high-glam, low maintenance bun. Do you think you can recreate this look at home?…with a little practice, I bet you can!

1) Marin started off by adding straightening balm to Tina’s damp hair and dried with an ionic dryer (Marin recommends Remington’s T-Studio Pearl Ceramic Dryer) and round brush for a frizz-free, smooth look

2) After spraying thermal heat protectant, he used Remington’s T-Studio Pearl Ceramic Sleek & Curl Iron to bend the ends of the hair for movement

3) Next, Marin backcombed hair at the crown and pulled hair into a side ponytail

4) Finally, Marin twisted Tina’s ponytail until it coiled into a chignon, secured the look with bobby pins and finished with hairspray!

Actress Liv Tyler was spotted at Sundance wearing long, loose, hippie inspired waves. For curly haired girls looking for a softer change of pace, Stylist Creighton Bowman for Leonor Greyl shares how he created Liv’s look for the Sundance premier of her new thriller “The Ledge”.

“On towel dried hair, I applied Condition Naturelle by Leonor Greyl from root to end, combined with Lait Luminescence Bi-Phase detangling milk.

Using a blow-dryer on a low setting, I wrapped her hair around my fingers, creating soft natural waves. Once fully dried, I used a couple of drops of Serum De Soie Sublimateur to finish her style with lots of shine and total frizz control. Her style lasted all day long and into the night.”

“On towel dried hair, I applied Condition Naturelle by Leonor Greyl from root to end, combined with Lait Luminescence Bi-Phase detangling milk.

Using a blow-dryer on a low setting, I wrapped her hair around my fingers, creating soft natural waves. Once fully dried, I used a couple of drops of Serum De Soie Sublimateur to finish her style with lots of shine and total frizz control. Her style lasted all day long and into the night.”

Voila!