A Dryer That Cares About More Than Hair: Remington Heat Defense.

I dry my hair a lot.

We aren’t just talking every few days, no. We’re talking almost every single day, and that’s usually because I’m sweating my rump off skating, or running, or swimming, etc…. being athletic really makes you have to wash your hair and subsequently dry it as well. I am the type who keeps a dryer FOREVER, so when my last dinosaur fizzled out in a puff of smoke, I went shopping at the Tar-jzay for a replacement.

Now keep in mind, I bought my last hair dryer back in the early 90′s, so there were quite a few more models out there now than back then. I was in over my head, then I thought “What about a dryer that dries hair & is environmental?” OK, no I really didn’t think that…. till I saw the box for the Remington Heat Defense hair dryer.

 

The side of the box had all the usual hair dryer speak….1875 watts, Cool shot, ceramic ionic, and also said, “Everything you’d expect from a hairdryer with all the protection of heat activated micro conditioners! The specially designed outlet grill of this dryer is infused with heat-activated micro-conditioners that actually release into the dryer’s air flow. These micro-conditioners are transferred onto the hair, helping to prevent heat damage and enhance healthy shine!” , but it also listed Eco settings.

According to the box and the Remington website, “This setting saves energy while still drying your hair beautifully.” Now that sounds awesome to me. Who knows how much energy I blow through (see what I did there?) in a year of drying my hair?? In this economy, saving as much as I can would be a win in my book.

The dryer also came with a diffuser and a concentrator, something most dryers didn’t have standard in the 90′s. Top all that off with the cool purple color and we had a winner!

I’ve been using it for a while now and my dry times have seriously shortened. SO easy to dry my hair now. Also, I have dried it on both the regular settings and the Eco settings and I have not noticed any time difference between the two. Now I just leave it on Eco and roll from there! I’m sitting here with perfectly dried hair wishing my old dryer had died sooner, and at $22 from Target ($21.99 online at the Remington site) I didn’t blow a wad of cash on it either!!

Go try it!

Friday Flop: Bb. Texture Hair (Un)dressing Creme

Not long ago I had my first time: The first time I ever returned an item to Sephora. For as long as I’ve been a loyal customer, I’d had yet to take advantage of their excellent return policy. Until I met Bumble and bumble’s Texture Hair (Un)dressing Creme.  

This stuff is supposed to give you that messy, undone look. Being a hopeless hair hopper (this time last year I had a pixie cut, now it’s a shag), I’m constantly in search of the “perfect” hair (aside: Doesn’t exist, at least not for me). When I hear about a styling product that promises something beyond the stick straight look everyone else seems to be sporting, I’m on it, so when I ran across this stuff it seemed just right. I made a special trip to the mall to get it, so I’m extra disappointed that it sucks.

And suck it does. I don’t know who decided that making your hair look like you hadn’t washed it in a week was a good thing, but that’s what this (Un)dressing Creme does. I swear I looked like I was wearing a cheap wig. My hair was dull, sticky, and I couldn’t get it into the shape I wanted, the shape that it normally goes in after I blow it dry with nothing in it. I realize the description says it adds some “grit,” but I use a product called Dirt that gives me some texture and separation without actually looking (or feeling or acting) dirty. I played with using less to see if if it looked less grimy, but no go. Oh, and it is strongly perfumed. It’s not a bad smell, just a bit strong for me.

It may help to mention here that I wash my hair daily because I cannot stand the way my hair looks when I don’t. You may love it; in that case this just may be the stuff for you. I’d give you mine but I took it back and got a great lipstick instead.

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Naturelle Volumax: A Hairspray Love Affair

Just like with mascara, I have tried my fair share of hairsprays. Ok, probably all of them.

And then one day in this random drugstore, I saw this can of Volumax, and it was in the salon section but reasonable. At about $6, this was a deal compared to what I usually bought at $16. Plus they were out of that.  So, I bought the Volumax to give it a try.

Love. Love, love, love. It is the best! I have the limpest hair around, and this hairspray holds AND adds volume people. An almost impossible feat. Whatever style I want, it gives me. Like a hairspray security blanket.

According to its description it “Freezes styles instantly with long-lasting volume, texture and incredible shine.  Great for all hair types.  PABA-free sunscreen helps to keep color from fading.  Never sticky or tacky and won’t build-up.” Yes, it’s all true. It really is long lasting, and it even smells good.

Before this, I used Big Sexy Hair for years. That’s what they happened to be out of when I found this little gem. I still fall back on it in case of emergency. You see, the only bad thing  about this spray is there is only that one store in my town that has it!  I may have to go one day and buy up all the cans! I love it that much.

How to Manage Curly Hair: Product. Product. Product.

I have naturally curly hair that I love.  Now.

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.

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