No Poo... Week 2

My hair at work today.. Quick blow out and it looked decent for work... you can see it is nice and shiny now, and has nice body even with no product in it.  The ends are a bit crunchy, but I think that is just due to my natural oils not making it down to the ends yet.  Or... could be I need a trim.  I'm letting it grow out some.  But I think the No Poo thing is a winner.  My hair isn't oily at all and feels great.  I think there is still adjusting to do, and I'm still trying to figure out how often to rinse or BS/ACV... My ends might be a little crunchy cause I'm doing it too often too...  I call this experiment a success.  

,

Day 5 and 6 of the "No Poo" shampoo experiment (evening of day 4 too!)

Ok folks... here it is.  So I just rinsed my hair on Thursday night and I'll admit it did feel pretty "heavy" on Friday, not quite but almost on the verge of dirty.  Which it was Friday, and the end of the week, so I put a wide fabric hair band to cover as much hair as possible and didn't worry about it.  Friday wasn't what I would call horrible... but on that day I would say I was ready for my hair to do the magical adjustment that I keep reading about.  I didn't have any plans on Friday night, so I hit the gym after work and went home and chilled.  (Side note, I finished my 10 week zero to running program and ran a little over 2 miles in 30 minutes.  Slow but I ran for 30 minutes straight, and I was thrilled with that!!)  I did a quick rinse off before I went home.  I was planning on hitting a spin class Saturday morning, so I figured I didn't need to be squeaky clean to sleep, and I was going to change my sheets anyway on Saturday so I just didn't care.  :)  So what, call me dirty.  This is the end of day 4.  So Thursday rinse, Friday Rinse.

Saturday rolls around and yea, I'd say my hair was dirty.  I hit spin, then cleaned up at at the gym because Kerri and I were going to go get pedicures.... I rinsed my hair at the gym and let it dry naturally... because let's face it, the hairdryer they have at the gym sucks.  My hair still did it's curly frizzy crazy woman thing... and I didn't like how it felt, but again, I survived.  I ran errands that day and eventually made it home.  That evening I decided I needed a proper shower and was going to baking soda/apple cider vinegar my hair.  The difference is I decided to blow it dry vs. letting it dry naturally.  Uhm.  My hair looked and felt great.  I didn't use any smoothing products (like I usually do) and just blowing it dry it looked pretty darn decent.  I pulled out my flat iron and ran it over the ends.  Wow... my hair looked really great.  It looked like it does when I spend a lot of time on it and use all kinds of "hold" products.  It was smooth and shiny, but still had body.  I kind of fell in love with the no poo thing last night.  Would I say it was perfect and totally adjusted?  No, not quite yet.... but it's definitely on the upswing.

IS my hair totally adjusted?  No... I think I still have another week till I really see a difference, then maybe another one or two before I see a difference letting it air dry.   I may be wrong...but we shall see.  I think my hair is short enough that a once a week baking soda/acv rinse won't be enough.  But It's easy enough that I could do it daily if I wanted.  Today (Day 6) I haven't done anything to it besides roll out of bed, and I think I could get away with just a rinse.  I know you have to find your right "formula", and every one's is different... so I'm thinking for now I'll BS/ACV every other day... and see how it goes.  I think this is going to be a success.  The key is just sticking with it.  How many years have I been stripping the natural oils out of my hair?  Uhm, all my life.  I really recommend this no poo thing, just give it 2 full weeks.  If your hair feels too dry, cut back on the BS/ACV, too oily, do it more often.  I will say I think the clarifying shampoo I did (no conditioner) on my "day 1" helped.  That stripped all the silicone and other crap out of it, which is making for an easier adjustment period in my opinion.

I will keep giving updates until I feel my hair is totally adjusted and give a final thumbs up or down.  As of today, I think it is going to be a thumbs up.  Now I'm really determined to go natural for my hair color too.  Uhg.  I know how much of a mess henna (and how much it stinks) is... but I'm going to give it a go in another few weeks.  I will for SURE write about that.  And no, I won't do straight henna.... I like my dark hair... so I'll be doing a henna/indigo mix.  Yes, the same indigo that is used to dye jeans.  Man, am I turning into a hippie tree huger?  Nah.  But maybe modern technology doesn't always have it right.

No Poo Shampoo experiment Day 3 and 4

I know I slacked off yesterday and didn't provide an update.... sorry about that!!

So, I said I was just going to rinse for day 3, and I broke down and did the baking soda and apple cider vinegar thing again.  As usual, I let it dry naturally that evening, and for work the next day I did use the cornstarch/cocoa mixture to soak up some extra oil.  Not that my hair was greasy really, but just felt "heavy" like when you get too much of a silicone based product in there... like I described on the first update.  So I did my homemade dry shampoo.  Sprinkled it in my hair close to my scalp, sort of worked it in and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.  It did an adequate job of soaking up any extra oil, but when I brushed it out I had corn starch everywhere.  I had to rinse my brush out... and my hair looked dull.  I'm wondering if this might be better to do BEFORE you get in the shower, then you can rinse it out.... on days you just rinse not "wash" with Baking soda.  I will say my hair did smell cocoa-y, which made my inner child happy.  My hair does not look greasy or dirty, it just feels like I went 2 days without washing it... I am looking forward to things evening out some like every post I see says it will.

So, today... day 4... I did just rinse my hair last night... air dried and shot it with the hair dryer this AM so it looked quasi ok to go to work.  I will note that I NEVER do much to my hair for work.  I dry it and that is it.  I've struggled some (ok a lot) with this hair cut because unless I spend LOTS of time "doing" it, well, it looks like poop.  This is a big reason why I have decided to let it grow out just a bit.  I like doing different things to it too, and when it is short I feel like I just have to wear it that one way.  But I need it to be easy for work, and this cut just isn't.  I told my boss that my hair was just going to look bad till it grew out some, and she just shrugged her shoulders and said "ok".  My point of that ramble is since I already warned her about my hair not looking its best for work because of the cut, and the past month or so it hasn't... I'm not too worried about it looking any worse as my hair adjusts to the no poo treatment.  

THAT being said, Day 4 with just a rinse is going ok... it looks about the same, and smells like 2 day old hair.  Not bad, but not fresh either.  I'll definitely be "washing" it with my baking soda mix tonight.  I need to see if it is looking less frizzy, but I'm really not holding my breath on that for another week or two.  

I started this experiment because I had changed shampoo's (to Suave Professional's Naturals... the one that is supposed to be as good as Pureology...yea... that one... and IT IS... so if you don't want to go no poo, I highly recommend it!) and I noticed a rash on my neck.  So I have changed soap, laundry detergent and now shampoo... the rash still persists, but I'm going to change my soap one more time back to something I've used before with no problem... I like fancy soaps and maybe my skin doesn't.  Dove, here I come!

So, there is my update... :)

No "Poo" Shampoo experiment day 2

Well, this is just going to be a quickie....I don't have a lot to report today.   Last night I did do the baking soda and apple cider vinegar routine... it felt fine afterwards... still a bit frizzy like the day before when I did a clarifying shampoo.  I'll tell ya I put the apple cider in a squirt bottle, the kind you use when you work out... and it worked really well.  I'm going to do the same for the baking soda solution.  It was hard using a cup to get the baking soda solution just near my scalp... I ended up covering my whole head.... It was much easier to target the ends of my hair with the ACV in the squirt bottle.

Again, I let it dry naturally before going to bed.  This morning I did wake up to a bunch of body and curls...but still frizzies.  A couple shots with a hair dryer and it looked good enough to throw a headband in it and go to work.  I wouldn't say it feels greasy today, but a little heavier... like when you get just a little too much product in your hair... There is no bad smell either.  Just smells like me.  Tonight I'm just going to rinse it out with hot water.  I think I'm going to do a every other day baking soda routine for the first couple of weeks, then back it off to hopefully once a week.  It is easy enough I could do it daily... but part of the beauty of this is you don't have to.

I was a little disappointed that I felt it wasn't oily enough to use my cornstarch/cocoa mixture to help absorb some of the excess.... I'm sort of wanting to use that.... and still hoping my hair comes out smelling like cocoa.

My No Poo experiment, kicking shampoo to the curb... Day 1

Ok, so I've been reading about the no shampoo craze that all the kids are doing now days.  Ok, actually, it's not really hipster I just like to think it is.  But I've decided to give it a try.

In a nutshell, you mix baking soda with water, pour it on your head and sort of massage it in...rinse then you use Apple Cider Vinegar in water as a conditioner.  (I'll post links with more specifics below.)  It's cheap, and you only have to do it 1-3x a week... just rinse your hair in warm water between poo's.  It is supposed to completely change your hair for the better, if you can live through the adjustment period of 1-2 weeks.  So shampoo wasn't even invented until the 1930's.... and if you look at old pictures, the ladies had really lovely hair.  The no poo method is supposed to completely get rid of frizzy hair and make your hair healthy and shiny... most of the people who have tried it said they also gave up styling products except for maybe hairspray for an updo... supposedly they didn't need other products (to boost volume, smooth frizzies, etc) after going no poo.  So shampoo strips your hair of it's natural oils, so your scalp produces more.  Same concept as people with oily skin stripping their skin with harsh cleansers... it makes your skin more oily (yes, I love the oil cleansing method... and use it on my oily skin.  It has never looked better).  So, I'm convinced this is going to work for me.  One of my friends who does it says it even stopped his hair loss.  That's pretty awesome.

Last night, I shampooed my hair for the last time.  I read using a clarifying shampoo helps with the adjustment period... so I used one last night.  No conditioner... just shampoo and air dry.  I will say that my hair felt soft... but was a bit of a frizz ball.   Yes, this picture was taken as I was getting ready for bed... don't mock my sleep shirt.

So, tonight I'll just rinse.

Some things I was concerned about and found satisfactory answers for:

• What about when I work out?  Uhm... rinse the sweat out of your hair.  It won't stink. Ok, that's easy enough, and my biology knowledge does back that one up.  
• What about when I swim?  Wear a swim cap and rinse afterwards.  
• What if I just feel too oily to go to work while adjusting?  Use cornstarch with unsweetened cocoa powder to absorb excess oil.  That's more or less a natural dry shampoo.  The cocoa doesn't do anything really, except add a little color for brunettes so you don't have a white haze in your brown hair.  Personally, if it adds a little cocoa smell to my hair...bonus.  
• What if I want my hair to smell flowery and good like my shampoo makes it smell?  A few drops of essential oil rubbed in your hands then rubbed through your hair will do the trick.  
• What will my hair smell like?  Nothing really... sort of like your skin just smells like you... your hair will just smell like you.  

So I went to the grocery store and got my supplies.  Arm and Hammer baking soda, Apple Cider Vinegar, Corn Starch and unsweetened powdered Cocoa.  Conveniently all found in the baking aisle.  I did also pick up a boar hair bristle brush....I remember them being super expensive, but found a Conair one with a wooden handle that I liked for $10.  There was also a Goody one with a plastic handle for about $6.... but I liked the feel of the wooden handle so I splurged.  The boar hair bristle brushes are supposed to help distribute the natural oils your scalp produces all along your hair.

Depending on how this turns out, I might go natural with my hair color as well.  I JUST colored it last weekend, so I have some time to decide.  I can do a blend of  1/3 Henna, 2/3 Indigo and Alma for my cool dark brown.  If it isn't dark enough I can up the Indigo.  I know Henna is a mess and not quick (you have to let it sit for 1-2 hours on your head... but regular hair color is 45 minutes, so it isn't that big of a deal... Stay tuned for updates on my going hippy natural with my hair.

No Poo links:
http://www.love-yourself-naturally.com/2013/04/welcome-to-no-poo-hair-care/
http://hhandtw.blogspot.com/2013/06/no-poo-method.html

There is lots of no-poo info out there...these are the two that I found helpful.

Re-packaging Lip Tar, Too Faced Melted Lipstick isn't all that, DIY Cosmetics and other ramblings...

Hello my lovelies!

So, today I have a bit of a ramble... The main point being that I totally totally transformed a product that I wanted to love, but just didn't.  After one small change, I'm in love now.  

The backstory: Too Faced just released their Melted Lipstick product, and I didn't want to like it... but I do.  You all know I'm a bit of a bargain huntress, and I think there are inexpensive options that are just as good.  I'll admit I really like the delivery of Too Faced's product, and the bold bright colors are really amazing. But..... after I actually wore it for an evening it felt a little drying and I had to apply it more than I thought I should.  That doesn't mean it isn't a great product...but I probably won't buy another one.  Part of what I really like about this product is the delivery system.  It is in a squeeze tube with a fuzzy tip applicator... but even that I have a like/don't like relationship with.  It is great.... but with color this bright and opaque, I think it should be more precise.  (Bonus Mini Review achieved!)  Bottom line, I like them, but don't love them.

  

Of course I started to search the internet for an inexpensive but similar product.  I found one by LA Girls, with similar colors, but the review I read said it was more like Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar.  And I didn't like the tube it came in...the applicator was just a hard plastic slant with a hole in it.  If this product is like Lip Tar... that applicator will just be bad.  I know this because I have 8 Lip Tars.  (This brings me the long way to the point of this blog.)

I have 8 lip tars... but I NEVER wear them.  Why you ask?  Certainly not because the product itself is inferior.  Not because I dislike the colors.  It is because I hate that I have to apply them with a lip brush.  While the squeeze tube / brush seems like a good idea... it just isn't.  The lip brush lends itself to getting too much product on your lips, and isn't practical for reapplication when you are out and about.  Sure, OCC gives you a little plastic pouch to stash the mini lip brush and the lip tar in, so you can throw it in your purse (can you say gloppy mess if you don't wipe your brush off before throwing it in the pouch?)... but we all know that touch ups with a brush are just a pain in the ass.  Add a few beers into the mix, and I'd rather go without anything on my lips vs. touching up with a brush.  So yea... I never wore them.

I started thinking about the review of the LA Girls product, and how it compared them to OCC Lip Tars.... and it compared the Lip Tars to the Too Faced Melted Lipstick.... that they were actually pretty similar, EXCEPT the Too Faced product had that cool applicator.  That's when it really hit me... I didn't "like" my OCC Lip Tars because they didn't have an applicator!!!! I jumped on the interwebs and went over to diycosmetics.com and ordered 8 empty lip gloss tubes with an applicator like this:

And can be found Here:
 http://www.diycosmetics.com/lip-gloss-container-matte-silver-top/   

For $1.60 each, I figured I didn't have anything to lose.... maybe I'd ruin one of the Lip Tars and throw it away... no biggie for a product I NEVER wore.  So I took my least favorite color, Yaoi and squirted it in the tube.  It was easy to do, and just took a few seconds.  OMG.  This changed my life.  Having the doe foot wand makes this product SUPER amazing.  I excitedly did all 8 and I am totally in love!  Putting the Lip Tars into a tube with a wand makes this an AMAZEBALLS product.  The Lip Tars (when in a tube with a wand) totally kicks Too Faced Melted Lipstick in the crotch.  Ok, maybe not in the crotch... but I like it better... and OCC has SO many more colors than Too Faced's (yawn) 5.  Another benefit... the crystal clear tubes let you really see the color.  The Matte squeeze tubes don't.  Black Metal Dahlia shows it's true glory in the tube.  I forgot how beautiful that color is and can't wait for Fall to come back around so I can rock it every day (Seriously, if you don't have this color go order it NOW... with an empty tube and wand too).  The Lip Tar's aren't cheap ($18), but I might actually start buying them again.... there just isn't anything out there that can compare to the colors.  Don't like opaque color? OCC also has Stained Glosses.  Amazing colors but a little sheer... and they stain the heck out of your lips.  Oh yea, Lip Tar's are cruelty free and vegan.

Moral to this story?  Sometimes products are amazing, but how you apply them just don't work.  Don't be afraid to de-pot, repackage, etc. It very well may change your makeup life.

End Notes:

 Just FYI, Rimmel's Show Off Lip Lacquer is pretty amazing and very similar to TF's Melted Lipstick, and OCC's Lip Tar (a la Paula) with a much smaller price tag (approximately $5-6).   The colors are a little tamer, but they have 13.  It is a really good product that I might like better than the TF Melted.

I also want to mention that DIY Cosmetics has mineral foundations that are amazing!!  I got a "sample" for $5 which is enough to fill my empty Bare Minerals container.... it is beautiful!  The website isn't the best... but I emailed their customer service department and they guided me to a color that was closest to what I wear in Bare Minerals... and it is actually a BETTER color for me.  Bargain Huntress strikes again!!! 

Makeup Geek Eyeshadow Haul

Hi my lovelies! 
I'm sitting here at Genghis Grill waiting on my food so I thought I'd do a quick review on my lovely Makeup Geek eye shadows I just received in the mail.  I ordered the following: 

Shark Bait -  a matte medium teal
Rockstar -  a silvery nude duo chrome with a pink shift
Simply Marlena -  a lovely medium matte bright pink
Corrupt - black black black
Drama Queen - a dark purple shimmer
Razzleberry - berry red with gold sparkle
Pop Culture - medium lavender shimmer

http://www.makeupgeek.com/store/eye-products/eyeshadows/makeup-geek-eyeshadows.html?p=1

Shark Bait - feels smooth and soft in the pan, great color, but sheer.  Will have to build this one up if you want an opaque look.  It's nice to have a matte shadow feel soft and buttery to the touch.  

Rockstar - If you only buy one Makeup Geek eyeshadow this one should be it.  It is a silvery duochrome with a pink color shift.  Think mother of pearl.  It looks quite grey/sliver in the pan, but it just blends in with your skin and leaves an iridescence that makes you look ethereal.  Really beautiful... Marlena did a great job with this shadow.  Soft and buttery feel in the pan as well.  

Simply Marlena - This is a fun bright matte pink.  It feels dry and chalky in the pan, but still goes on great, has amazing color payout, super blendable and easy to work with.  I say it all the time, mattes are hard to formulate... even though this feels chalky in the pan, it is not on the skin.  Really nice pink.  Very happy with it.  

Corrupt - This is the blackest black you can buy.  There is very subtle glitter in there... and I mean very subtle.  It just gives the black a little dimension.  This also feels a bit dry and chalky in the pan but wow, it is my new favorite black.  SUPER pigmented, super blendable... VERY happy with this one too!! 

Drama Queen - Very dark purple with warm shimmer.  This is like if an eggplant had a baby with Corrupt.  It's super pigmented, very soft and buttery in the pan... This is a great dark color if you want something softer than black.  You can blend it out for a soft but dark look, or build it up.  Will be great for an alternative color for a smoky eye.  

Razzleberry - Berry Red with gold glitter.  This is a really pretty matte berry red that has some fun gold shimmer.  Like the other mattes it feels dry and chalky but has great color payout, pigmentation, is super blendable and easy to work with.  Love this color and can't wait to wear it.  It's a berry red, but sort of warm if that makes sense.  

Pop Culture - Nice iridescent lavender shimmer.  This one is a nice shadow but sort of underwhelmed me.  It is sheer, and it says so in the description.  Soft and smooth in the pan, has good color payout but is VERY sheer if that makes sense.  If you want to see this on your skin at all you will need to wear a primer.  Without primer it is like a watercolor wash on your lid, which can be pretty too.  This will be a good versatile shadow that can be worn sheer for day, but built up if you want more of a pop of color.  

That's it!!!  I really like the MUG shadows.  Everything I have ever purchased has been excellent quality (Except for Neptune... I was really not happy with that one) and are a great price at 5.99.  The swatches below are without primer.  I really built up Pop Culture, but everything else was one swipe of my finger in the pan and rubbed on my skin.  Great colors!!