A lot.

One could surmise that I have a lot of tension in my life, or possibly that I have horrible posture and my spine is all out of whack causing my neck and back to always be tight and messed up and hurting my head.

Whatever the reason, I get tension headaches – the kind that starts in your shoulders, go up through your neck, and end up right behind your eyebrows.

Obviously, I try to keep ibuprofen on hand.  But I’ve also discovered another more natural – and immediate – solution for my headaches, courtesy of my local Aveda salon.

(Seriously, those people know me by my first name.  They should send me Christmas and birthday presents.)

I love my Aveda Blue Oil.  They call it a “balancing concentrate”, because they are Aveda and airy fairy fancy.  It comes in a small bottle with a roll on dispenser top.  That’s the official name of the dispenser thingie, I’m sure.  Basically, you roll it on wherever you hurt.  I roll it on the back of my neck and on my temples when I get headaches.

Do you remember Icy Hot, or Bengay?  It’s kind of like that, with much less of an old man smell.  It is slightly mentholated, but not overwhelming.  It’s soothing, not stinky.

Aveda describes it as:

“Our stress-relieving blue oil helps dissolve tension and raise energy levels with the balancing aromas of refreshing peppermint and soothing blue camomile. When gently touched to skin, its special rollerball applicator releases the perfect amount of concentrate for on-the-spot, cooling acupressure therapy.”

Rollerball applicator.  Yeah.  That’s what I said.

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Post tags: aromas, aveda, aveda salon, blue oil, camomile, headache cure, peppermint, tension headaches

It makes me feel smart and better than you.  I mean, helpful.  It makes me feel helpful.

My point is – someone asked me a question.

Elizabeth asked:

“do you know of any good facial cleansers that control oily and dry spots? As in, both at the same time? My forehead is both. I have no idea how this is scientifically possible, but my old cleansers aren’t working anymore. Help!”

Allow me to pretend to be an expert in skin care.

My immediate answer is your skin is probably not actually both oily and dry.

Truly oily skin is very, very rare.  And while cosmetic companies have been talking about “combination” skin for pretty much EVER, that is also pretty rare.

And yet, you’re breaking out AND having parts of your skin flake off, right?

Been there.

In fact, I actually had black heads and zits once right not top of skin that was dry and flaking off.  I googled and googled and then finally broke down and scheduled an emergency facial.

And then I rolled around for a few minutes in the idea that I was someone that scheduled emergency facials.  I started imagining myself using terms like “the help” and “my Jimmy Choos” and “that lovely woman who does my toes.”

But back to my schizophrenic face.

As it turns out, what was actually going on was that my face was really, really, really dry.  The blackheads and zits and oiliness were a result of my skin trying to work overtime to make up for the fact that I was stripping away the moisture in my skin by trying to fight the zits.

At least, that’s what the very expensive esthetician told me.

I didn’t believe her, of course.  Because it doesn’t make sense that dry skin would have blackheads and oil slicks.  And also – maybe I made my skin more dry by trying to fight the acne, but I had to do that because the acne was there in the first place, right?

My very expensive esthetician told me to shut up and do what I was told.

1.  Wash your face with a very mild cleanser.

(OH!  Look!  Something that actually addresses your question!)

aveda all sensitive cleanser

You need to clean your face, but resist the urge to use anything too harsh.  What you are focusing on right now is getting your skin back in balance.

I use All Sensitive Cleanser by Aveda.  Unfortunately, this stuff is not cheap.  At all.

I’ve heard people rave about Cetaphil, a drugstore brand you can pick up just about anywhere, but I hate it.  It was way too harsh for my skin.  (Although, come to find out I was using their “for oily skin” version and not the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, but at that point I was too spooked to try again.)

The cheapest thing that I have used and liked is Equate’s Daily Renewal Cleanser – which is basically Wal-Mart’s version of an Oil of Olay product.

But still, as long as I can spring for it, I stick with Aveda’s All Sensitive line.

2.  Moisturize.

OK, technically, my very expensive esthetician told me to use a toner after cleansing.  I did.  I have.  I also have not. I don’t see a major difference, to be honest.  Although toner sure feels nice and cool on your face, I have never seen a noticeable difference between using and not using.

That’s probably going to get me kicked out of some beauty experts club that I was never invited to join in the first place.

Again, I use All Sensitive Moisturizer by Aveda.  Or rather, I did, until I ran out.

And then I went to Wal-Mart and bought Equate Beauty Lotion.  I can’t find it on their website, because obviously Wal-Mart sucks ass.  But this is what it looks like:

the best reviewers use blurry cell phone pictures

You should know, I hate Wal-Mart.  With a passion.  But I absolutely love this stuff and I love how cheap it is.  It is, in my opinion, the perfect moisturizer.  It adds moisture to my face without being too heavy or sticky or icky or goopy.  I really, really, really love Aveda’s All Sensitive Moisturizer, but this Equate stuff is pretty damn close for 1/10th the price.

OK – so the daily drill is wash, (tone – or don’t), moisturizer.  Morning and night.

But then, once a week, you need to kick things up a notch.  This is especially important when your skin is totally out of whack and giving you dry spots and oily spots.

3.  Moisturizing mask.

Aveda Hydrating Masque

I promise you that adding moisture to your face in the form of a light mask (or masque if you’re fancy) will not make your face more oily or more zitty.

At least, I don’t think it will.

It never has for me.

Dear FTC: no one is paying me so please don’t fine me if I give advice that makes people have really bad adult acne.

Surprise, surprise, I use Aveda here as well.  The fact is, I have tried lots of other masks (or masques) and haven’t ever stumbled across anything else that I liked well enough to remember and/or recommend.

I highly recommend Aveda’s Intensive Hydrating Masque.  A $20 tube will last you a very, very long time, so this is one area where I don’t think you have to go searching for a cheaper alternative.

Now, you can add this mask to your nightly routine one night a week – OR, you can go full out and give yourself a weekly at-home facial.

Weekly At-Home Facial

1. Wash with regular cleanser.

2. Exfoliate. Again – nothing too harsh here.  I make a little paste concotion using brown sugar and olive oil.  (And maybe add a teeensy bit of sea salt and lime or lemon juice if you have it, but it’s really not necessary).  The exfoliation will help work out those blackheads – but don’t go crazy.  You have to be patient with your skin or it will rise up and revolt.

3.  Steam. Two ways to steam at home.  One, get yourself a big bowl of water, stick it in the microwave until it’s basically boiling, and then put your head over it with a towel draped over yourself and the bowl.  OR, you can fill your sink with hot water and dip a wash cloth in it and put the hot cloth on your face a few times.  I usally do the hot cloth trick.

4.  Mask according to directions.

5.  Moisturize.

6.  Resist the urge to do this every night until your skin clears up.

Once a week.  Seriously.  That’s it.  Wash, dry, moisturize twice a day and just WAIT.  You should see results within a few days.

If you don’t, I’m obviously full of shit.

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Post tags: aveda, combination skin, dry skin, equate, exfoliating, facial cleansers, facials, masks, masque, moisturizers, oily skin, product, skin, skincare, soap

That is not my wet curly hair in that picture.

Nor are those my eyelashes.  Good Lord, I wish.

Ahem.  Anyway.  I do, however, have naturally curly hair that I adore.  I have learned how to manage curly hair using product and a diffuser with my blow dryer.

But I have a confession to make:

Sometimes I am far too lazy or busy to spend the extra five minutes necessary to blow dry my hair.

Unfortunately, I have short curly hair so making use of a cute pony tail when I’m in a hurry is out of the question.  Recently,  I’ve stumbled on some great new products that allow me to very quickly tame my curls and get predictable results that I’m willing to go out in public with.

How To Manage Curly Hair When You Don’t Have Time To Blow Dry:

1. Wash my hair.

I’m still relying on Aveda’s Be Curly shampoo and conditioner.

I’ve been using these products for almost four years now and I still swear by them.  They don’t dry out or strip my hair and they provide the extra moisture that naturally curly hair needs.

And?

It smells nice.

2. Aveda Be Curly Curl Enhancer

This product looks and feels like a conditioner.

It doesn’t add any kind of hold, but increases the natural texture of curly hair.  It also adds even more moisture to your hair.  Runn this through your curly hair when it’s wet.

3. Aveda Confixor Liquid Gel

This is a new product for me.

My hair stylist has been using this on me for the last month but I refused to betray my loyalty to the Sap Moss styling spray.  And then Aveda went and broke my heart and discontinued the Sap Moss.  I finally broke down and got the gel.

I love it.  It’s super light and it’s not at all sticky and it doesn’t leave my hair feeling crunchy.  It’s just exactly the right amount of hold for curly hair.

4. Aveda Brilliant Medium Hold Hair Spray

This is also a new product for me that the saleswoman at the Aveda store convinced me to try.  I normally use Aveda’s Pure Abundance hair spray, but it’s too much hold for wet curly hair.  The Pure Abundance leaves my hair heavy and crunchy if I put it on without blow drying.

The Brilliant medium hold is perfect.  It’s designed to add a little shine and has added proteins for thickness – which is what helps curly hair hold it’s shape and volume.

And that’s it.  My hair isn’t crunchy or flat and it only takes me about 90 seconds from start to finish.  I still recommend using the full curly hair routine when you have time – you’ll have more volume and shape.  But this does the trick when I’m in a rush and doesn’t make me look like I was in a rush.

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Post tags: aveda, curly hair tips, hair care, how to manage curly hair

It took me years of trial and error to get here.

I spent decades of my life walking around with a frizzy sort of kind of wave thing going on and I hated my hair.  I brushed and brushed and blow dryed and sprayed and it always just poofed.

My senior year in highschool, I discovered gel and scrunching.  Then, instead of a poofy triangular shaped fro, I had a crunchy spiral perm that always looked wet.

I’ve tried every cut, product, and gadget on the market.  From the very, very cheap to the very, very overpriced, I’ve experimented with everything in an effort to manage my curly hair.

About three years ago, I stumbled on the secret recipe.  I’ve tested it since then – trying to swap out one part of the formula or another – and time and time again I have proven to myself that this is what works on curly hair.

The results are predictable.  Every single time I follow all the steps, my hair will look great.

In an effort to spare you (or your curly haired loved ones) the same pain I endured, I’d like to share my secret with you.

How To Manage Curly Hair:

Curly Hair Tips That Work Every Single Time

1. Get a cut designed for curly  hair

You can have short, medium or long hairstyles with curly hair.  I’ve done them all with success.  I’ve also done them all with disastrous results.

• The key is layering and shape.
• Call a salon and ask for someone who has a reputation for cutting curly hair.
• Tell them you want “volume on the top, take the weight out of the bottom without getting rid of the length”.  That’s how you avoid the triangle shape and show off the unique texture of naturally curly hair.

2. Use Aveda BeCurly Shampoo and Conditioner

This is one area where you cannot skimp on price.  If you’re lucky, no one else in your house will have curly hair and you can stock up on $0.99 Suave shampoo for them. You cannot use shampoo or conditioner with alcohol in it on curly hair.

• Do not wash your hair every day.  Curly hair dries out and it doesn’t need to be shampooed every day.
• It’s OK to just use conditioner some days.
• When you DO shampoo – just shampoo at the scalp and roots.
• Leave the conditioner on while you finish washing up, shaving, etc.  Give it a few minutes to penetrate your curls.
• My routine basically looks like this: Day 1 – Shampoo/Condition.  Day 2- no washing.  Day 3 (and maybe 4) – Condition.  Day 4 or 5: start over.

The good news is, you’re not using your expensive shampoo every day so it will last longer.  And even if you have really thick hair (which I do) and long hair (which I have), you only need a dime size amount of shampoo and about a quarter size of conditioner.

3. Aveda BeCurly Curl Enhancer on wet hair

Get out of the shower, comb through your hair with a wide tooth comb or pick, and rub a quarter size drop of Curl Enhancer through your hair.

• Yes, this product is important.
• Do not ever, ever, ever again in life put mouse or gel in your naturally curly hair.
• This product is going to intensify your curl and condition your hair – so you’ll actually have soft ringlets instead of crunchy or frizzy waves.
• Don’t scrunch.  You’ll want to scrunch – but there is no need.  Just coat your hair with the product and it will do it’s job.

4. Add hold

Normally, this is where I would tell you to use Sap Moss Styling Spray.  Unfortunately, Aveda recently discontinued that product.  I am still weeping and searching for a black market supplier.

Instead try…

• A teeny, tiny amount of gel WITH NO ALCOHOL IN IT
• A few spritzes of Aveda’s Pure Abundance hairspray (this is what I use)
• A few spritzes of some other very light hold spray that will not crunch or frizz your hair.
• Aveda’s Confixor Liquid Gel – this is what my stylist uses.  It’s no Sap Moss, in my opinion, and it’s not worth the added cost since I’m already buying the hairspray.

The goal here is a LIGHT hold.  The Curl Enhancer doesn’t offer any hold, so you need something here – but it’s tricky to find something that won’t sap the moisture from your hair once it’s dried.

5. Blow dry with a diffuser

If you let your hair air dry, you never know what you’re going to get with naturally curly hair.  If you take five minutes to blow dry it, you’ll get perfect results every single time.

• Use a diffuser.  Don’t ever go near your curly hair again with a blowdryer that doesn’t have a diffuser with the fingers on it.
• Stick your head upside down (or lean to the side) and dry it a section at a time.
• Don’t overdry.  Get it mostly dry and let the air take care of the rest once you’ve locked the shape in.

I recommend using an 1875 watt ionic blow dryer for faster drying times and more frizz control. Pictured is a Revlon RV544 1875 with Diffuser – $29.99

6. BeCurly Curl Control  – Pomade, basically

This is your finishing touch that will add shine and keep your curls looking perfect (for days, if necessary).

• Use just a very small amount – you don’t want to weigh down your curls or make your hair look greasy.
• This is where you get to scrunch.  Put a small drop in the palm of your hands, rub your palms together, flip your head upside down, and scrunch, scrunch, scrunch your curls.

The end.

I actually add a little bit of PureAbundance hair spray, but I love volume more than most girls so I go out of my way to make sure the curls don’t fall by breakfast.  It’s not one of the Elements That Cannot Be Messed With.

REQUIRED PRODUCTS FOR CURLY HAIR:

• Aveda Be Curly Shampoo and Conditioner
• Aveda Curl Enhancer
• Aveda Be Curly Curl Control
• Blowdryer with a diffuser

The other elements you can play with, but these are the key ingredients.

Unfortunately, you can’t get Aveda products just anywhere.  Offline, you’ll only find them at an Aveda Salon or an Aveda store (which are rare, if not impossible to find, in many areas).

Online, you can get it from the Aveda site or Amazon.  Once in a while you can find Aveda products on sale at Amazon.

Let me know if you try this out – and I hope that you will.  You can manage curly hair and have predictably good hair results.  Yes, even your hair.

Try it.  Trust me.  You’ll thank me.

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Post tags: aveda, aveda hair care, curly hair tips, hair products, hair styling, hair tips, how to manage curly hair, styling products