Four Funky Styling Tools for the New Year: Part 1 - The Waver

Happy New Year, Readers!

Before I begin with my reviews of "Four Funky Styling Tools for the New Year," I have to do a little "blog housekeeping."

First, my apologies for taking a longer hiatus than planned! Between traveling for work at the beginning of the month and the holidays at the end, I found it hard to generate my blog posts as planned. I hope you all understand and will join me in the new year as I get back on track!

Second, thanks to all of you who have been reading and commenting! Unfortunately, Blogger seems to have made it difficult for some of you to post comments to the blog site, and so thanks to those of you who sought to send me your feedback and comments via Facebook, Twitter and email instead. It's nice to know that you're reading and that you're finding my information useful!

Third, I've had some requests to answer readers' questions, and I would be happy to do that! I've gotten a question about tipping at salons and a request to review leave-in conditioners, and so I will most certainly do this for you! Please send me your questions and requests, and I'll do my best to find the answers for you!

Fourth, I wanted to update you on my missing hair stylist. I never found out what happened to her. I did track down her phone number, but she didn't respond to my message to her. So I chose a new stylist at the same salon. Barbara's online bio said that she is an expert in fine hair, and that's why I chose her. I went to her first for a bang trim, and I liked the way she cut my bangs better than my old stylist did, so I am hopeful that this will work out!

OK, now for the whole purpose of today's blog post: Over the next 4 weeks, I am going to review four new hair styling tools that I've been curious about trying.

The Waver

First up: The Revlon Perfect Heat Ceramic 3-Barrel Jumbo Waver. ($24.99)

This product promises to create soft, healthy looking beach waves, reduce frizz and maximize shine. It's supposed to be safe for damage-prone hair.

I like the way my hair looks after spending a day on the beach, so I was definitely interested in trying this product out. But because my hair is dark and only shoulder length, I was concerned that photos of my hair would not come out very well for the purposes of this blog. Therefore, I enlisted the help of my friend, Brandi, who has long, gorgeous, blonde hair. I thought she'd be the perfect model to show off the results of the Waver.

Go slowly to
ensure even waves.

The first step in the process of using the Waver is to divide your hair into one top section, which you should clip out of the way on top of your head, and a bottom section. You should start using the Waver on the bottom section first.

Brandi set the Waver on its highest heat level, but there are levels 1-20, and you will have to consult the instructions to determine which heat setting is best for your hair.

Next, open the Waver, and select a reasonable amount of hair to begin with. Too much hair, and the Waver won't be as effective. Start as close to your scalp as possible, and clamp the Waver into position, holding it for 10 seconds at a time.

For the best waves, move the Waver so that the top roller sits on the last wave created. This not only reinforces the wave, but also ensures that all of your waves are evenly spaced and look more natural.

Don't forget your ends so
you don't get "fish hooks"!

As you arrive at the ends of your hair, make sure the ends are in the Waver, so that you don't end up with a funny "fish-hook" look at the ends of your hair.

Once you have finished with the bottom layer of hair, begin to unclip one manageable section of hair at a time from your top layer, and Wave those sections one by one.

For those of you with bangs, you will have to decide if you want to Wave your bangs, or leave them straight. Brandi does not have bangs, but she does have layered pieces that frame her face. She opted to Wave those pieces, but then clipped them back from her face with a barrette.

Perfect waves!

As you can see, Brandi ended up with a beautiful mermaid/Renaissance look!

After seeing Brandi use the Waver on her hair, I was excited to try it on mine. However, my hair is only shoulder length and definitely not as thick as Brandi's hair. When I tried the Waver, I thought that my hair looked more crimped (remember crimping???) than waved, and it made my hair frizzy as well.

I opted to leave my bangs straight, and they didn't quite blend into the "waved" part of my hair. I did try pinning my bangs back, and that looked a little better, but was not ideal. I think my natural waves probably look better on me than the artificial ones I created with the Waver.

My conclusion on The Waver is this: If you have long hair that is either thick or abundant, this is a great styling tool for you to try. If your hair isn't as long or thick, it might not work as well.

Would you like to try the Waver? Be the first person to send me your comment (via a blog comment post, Facebook, Twitter, or email) and I will send you my used-only-one-time Waver!!

Next week, I'll review the Spiral Comb. (Never heard of it? No one else has, either, but every time I use mine when getting ready at the gym, at least one person asks me what it is and where they can get one!)

I wish all of you a wonderful 2012! (Especially to you, Brandi -- thanks for your help this week!)

Lots of love,
Bethany

Like Your Hair Stylist? Get Her Number

Do you like/love your hair stylist? Then here's a word of advice: Get her cell phone number now.

Why? Because you'll be thanking me when, one day, you call your salon to make an appointment with your favorite stylist, the one who knows how to cut your bangs just exactly right, and are told that she "no longer works here." And that, "No, we're sorry, we have no idea how you can reach her."

Have you seen
this stylist?

That's what happened to me two weeks ago. I don't know if Christie, my amazing stylist of the past two years, quit or was let go, but my salon is completely mum on how I can find her now. And I don't have Christie's personal contact information.  I've tried to find her via Google, Facebook, Yahoo and word of mouth, to no avail. I found a two-year-old MySpace profile, but it doesn't look like she's using it anymore.

If I can't find her, and she didn't have time to get her customers' contact information before she left the salon, that means I have to start the painful process of finding a new stylist once again. *sigh*

So, don't end up in my position! As soon as you finish reading this post, call your salon, talk to your stylist, and get a cell number or email address where she/he can be reached if they ever leave their current employer.

Speaking of leaving... I will be going out of town on business this week through the end of next week, so I will be taking a blog hiatus until December 18th.

Until then, many happy hair days during the holidays!

Love,
Bethany

Hair Doesn't Matter

Hair doesn’t matter.

What? Me, a woman so obsessed with hair that I started a blog to talk about my daily preoccupation with the state of my own locks – I am now telling you that hair doesn’t matter.

Well, it doesn’t.

You’re not your hair. You aren’t defined by it, and no one loves you based on whether you have beautiful hair or not.

So, why am I saying this today? For a few reasons. First, we will all sit down to celebrate Thanksgiving Day later this week, and hopefully we’ll take a little time that day to think about the things that really matter. Second, November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, and so I’ve been thinking a lot about a friend, Kate, who succumbed to this awful disease last year.

Kate had gorgeous hair. It was the first thing I noticed about her when I met her. But as I got to know her, I also discovered what a wonderful person and friend she was. She was funny. She always had time to listen. She was my "techy" friend who convinced me to get an iPod and to start a Twitter account. We loved shopping and meeting for lunch and working out together. Our dogs had play dates together. When I was single, she'd bring her husband to my house to fix things. When I was hurt in a car accident, she helped me with things I couldn't do, like grocery shopping.

When she told me she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, I knew it wasn't good. But for the first year-and-a-half of her diagnosis, it was easy to believe that Kate would beat that disease because she kept her hair. She was on a “smart” chemo, one that attacked the “bad” fast-growing cells like cancer, and left the “good” fast-growing cells, like hair, alone.

But eventually, that smart chemo stopped worked. As she was leaving her oncologist’s office, after hearing this news, another patient, a woman with stage 1 breast cancer and no hair, stopped her in the hallway. "You’re so lucky!” the woman proclaimed. “You still have all your hair! I’d switch places with you in a second!”

The woman’s husband must have caught the look on Kate’s face because he urged his wife on before Kate was forced to respond.

Kate shared this with me later that same day. She was always so brave, but this was one of the few times I saw her crumble. “I’d trade my hair for my life if I knew I’d have a life,” she said. It broke my heart.

We all complain about something related to our looks, don’t we? Our nails, our skin, our weight, our hair. I love that as women we care about what we look like, but I want all of us – myself included – to remember that we shouldn’t measure our worth by our looks. We are more than the sum of our body parts.

The things I remember Kate for most are not her physical attributes. They are her generosity of spirit, her bravery, the way she thought of others more than herself even when she knew she was dying, her adventurousness, her accomplishments on behalf of others with cancer. She was beautiful with her hair, but without it, her lovely, wonderful spirit shone through brighter and brighter.

Ladies, you are all wonderfully and beautifully made, created by God. And while I want you to have the best-looking hair you can possibly have, I hope you never judge yourself by it. Instead, think about what those inner qualities are that make you a beautiful person. Make a mental list of those and focus on those more than on the exterior. I promise you, your friends love you because you’re kind, patient, generous, funny or encouraging, not because you have perfect hair. 

I'd like to end this post by mentioning the Pancreatic Cancer Network (www.pancan.org). Kate was very active in this organization, which is dedicated to fighting the disease. If an early detection test could be developed, it would save so many lives! If you or someone you know is battling this cancer, it is a wonderful resource. 

Thank you for continuing to follow my blog! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I’ll see you back here next week!

Love,

Bethany

Dry Shampoo: Benefits & Brands

One of my absolute favorite hair care products is dry shampoo. Basically, its a powdery like shampoo that sprays on your hair like an aerosol hairspray would. The powder soaks up any oil on your hair, leaving it cleaner looking and feeling.

Have you ever tried it? If you haven't here are some great reasons why you should:

• Dry shampoo saves you time. All you do is spray it on and cover your hair with a plastic cap before hopping in the shower, then brush it out after your shower, and you're ready to go.
• Dry shampoo helps keep your hair healthy. You're not supposed to wash your hair every day anyway, plus your hair isn't being subjected to heat from your hair dryer and styling tools.
• Dry shampoo saves you money. You won't be using your more expensive shampoo, conditioner and styling products every day if you are using dry shampoo in between washes. Dry shampoo can also help you extend the life of a professional blow-out.

Brands
So, now that I have made the case for using dry shampoo, what kind should you use? I've tried out five different brands for you! Since I have fine, curly, shoulder length hair, I thought it would also be beneficial to get feedback from someone with a different type of hair. My friend Brandi, who has thick, straight, very long hair, volunteered to give her input. We both describe our hair as normal-to-oily. here's what we thought of:

TRESemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo for Oily/Straight to Normal Hair ($5.99 at CVS)
This was the least favorite for both Brandi & I. I felt like the dry shampoo actually feels wet when I sprayed it on my hair, and my hair never felt less oily or cleaner after I used it. I felt that, if anything, my hair looked dirtier.

Brandi had the same input, but added that she could see clay flakes in her hair after spraying it on. Brandi has blonde hair, which may be why these showed up in her hair. Up til now, this has actually been the brand that Brandi used on a regular basis.

Suave Dry Shampoo Spray ($3.49 at CVS)
We both liked this brand. It sprays on dry, and left very little powdery residue in my hair, which as a brunette, I appreciated. It also had a very nice scent. However, I did feel that I had to spray my hair with this again mid-day to keep the clean look going.

This was Brandi's favorite, and the one that she said she'll be using from now on. She really liked how it smelled and made her hair feel, and it lasted all day for her. You can't beat the price!

Batiste Original Dry Shampoo ($6.99 at Sally's Beauty Supply)
This is the dry shampoo that I've used for 2 years. I like this one because it does a great job of freshening up my hair for the entire day, and at $7, it is a reasonable price. I should note for all you brunettes out there that this does leave a lot of powder residue on your hair, but I believe that's why it works so well on my oily roots. I let it sit on my hair during my shower, and when I take my shower cap off and let my hair down, I massage it into my scalp. If my hair looks grayish anywhere, I brush through it or I may even put a little water on it to get rid of the grayish hue. You may not like having to do all this, so if not, the Suave Dry Shampoo is probably a better choice for you.

Brandi liked this brand the least. She said that it didn't work on her hair and she hated the scent.

Batiste Blush Dry Shampoo ($6.99 at Sally's Beauty Supply)
I added this one because of Brandi's feedback on the smell. The only difference between Batiste original and blush is the scent. It works exactly the same, but has a nicer scent.

Brandi tried this one at my request, and she did like it better, but still prefers the Suave. I now prefer Batiste Blush.






Oscar Blandi ($28 at Sephora) (Not pictured)
I have also tried Oscar Blandi dry shampoo, and I felt that it worked the same as Batiste. However, I don't think that the price is worth it. The only reason I ever spent this much on Blandi dry shampoo was because I had just learned about dry shampoo in my Glamour magazine, and this was the brand that was mentioned. I was traveling on business to Las Vegas, and there was a Sephora right next to the Venetian where I was staying, so I popped in to buy a can. It worked great, but as I said, why spend $28 when you can spend $7 or less and still get great results?

I hope you'll try a dry shampoo this week and see what a great time saver it is! If you do, please let me know by posting a comment to this blog!

Until next week, wishing you great hair days!
Bethany

Easy Up-Dos Using Clip-In Hair Pieces

My apologies, ladies! I promised you a new post for October 23, and it didn't happen. Life took over, and I'm back now with the promised topic: More hairstyles using clip-in hair pieces!

There are so many hairstyles and brands from which to choose, and they are all very easy to apply. Why use clip-in hair pieces instead of your own God-given hair? My top three reasons:

• It's a time saver. Rather than drying and styling your own hair, you can pull your hair, wet or dry, into a ponytail and just clip on an already styled bun, chignon, or ponytail. 
• It's a money saver. Rather than going to a stylist for an expensive up-do, you can re-use your clip-in hair piece over and over again, and it looks just as good!
• It's weather proof. Synthetic hair pieces don't frizz. Over the summer, I wore a clip-in hair piece to work every single day, and I never had a bad hair day.

I'm going to share some photos with you, along with links to where you can buy my favorite clip-in pieces and many more:

The Chignon

You can wear this at the nape of your neck or the crown of your head (which is my preferred look). Here is what the StyleMaker looks like (in Chocolate Copper; $15) before putting it on:

Step 1: Pull your hair into a ponytail.

Step 2: Using the StyleMaker like a ponytail holder, loop the hair piece around your ponytail, but don't pull the ponytail all the way through. 

Step 3: Loop the StyleMaker around a second time, again without pulling your real hair all the way through. 

Step 4: Now adjust your real hair and the StyleMaker, pulling it out a little more if necessary and fluffing/twisting to make it look right. I personally need to secure this piece in my hair with bobby pins so it will stay in place. 

Here's the finished product: Cute, right? 

The Bun

This Dancing With the Stars Glamarama bun (in Chestnut; $20) looks professionally styled, and takes less than two minutes to put on.

Step 1: Pull your own hair into a ponytail on top of your head, but slightly off center.

Step 2: The bun is secured to the top of a large clip, which you open up... 

Step 3: ...and then slide into your hair next to your off-center ponytail. The reason your ponytail should be off-center is so that the bun can be attached in the center of your head. 

Step 4: After you've attached the bun, you will still be able to see the front of the clip that it is secured to. Hide it by taking your off-center ponytail, and.... 

Step 5: ...Pull it around the front of the clip. Tuck the end of your ponytail under the hairpiece's clip by lifting the top arm of the clip and sliding your ponytail under it. 

Here's what it looks like, and it will stay securely in place all day long!  

The Ponytail

The Jessica Simpson Wavy Bump-Up Ponytail (in Chestnut; $29) is a fun way to wear your hair all summer, and no one will ever know it's not your own hair!

Step 1: Pull your own hair back into a ponytail.

The Bump-Up Pony has two things that secure it to your real ponytail: 1) a tiny comb at the top of the piece, and 2) velcro on either side of the comb that secures the piece, when wrapped around your real ponytail, underneath. 

Step 2: Slide the miniature comb under the elastic you have used to pull your real hair into a ponytail. (If you just slide it down into your ponytail, the hair piece could slide off.) 

Step 3: Now wrap the hairpiece around your real ponytail and secure the velcro fastener underneath. 

Step 4: The hairpiece has a small mini ponytail that hangs off of one side. Now take that mini tail and wrap it around the base of your ponytail and the hairpiece. It will probably wrap around 2-3 times. Its purpose is to hid the comb and velcro completely. 

Step 5: Use the bobby pin that is included with the hairpiece to secure the mini ponytail in place. 

Here's the ponytail when finished! Doesn't it look 10 times better than my real ponytail??? 

So there you have it! As the holidays approach, I hope you'll keep these hair pieces in mind and try them out. You won't spend more than $29 to have a gorgeous hairdo!

Like many of you, I'm now in the busiest time of year both personally and professionally. I'm always looking for time savers, so next week, I'm going to share one of my absolute favorite time savers with you: Dry Shampoo!

Wishing you a week of Good Hair Days,

Bethany

p.s. Please leave your comments and let me know you're reading!!!

Make Your Hair Look Longer Instantly!

Last week I promised I would tell you how you can make your hair look longer instantly, so now it’s time to reveal my secret: Clip-in hair extensions.

As I told you in my very first blog post, I damaged my hair so much that it was unable to grow and it looked thinner than it used to. It just kept breaking off. I was determined to have beautiful hair for the holidays last year, and I began to think about doing something I’d done for my wedding.

Semi-Permanent Hair Extensions

I considered getting hair extensions again. Now, for my wedding, I spent hundreds of dollars to get real human hair extensions glued into my hair. There were several problems with this idea, though:

• First, I was very disappointed that the extensions didn’t stay in my hair for the 6 months that was promised by Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon. The extensions would slide right out of my hair. Sometimes at work, I would look down and see an extension lying on the floor by my chair. It was ridiculous.
• Second, I was also assured the extensions wouldn’t damage my hair, but they did. They broke my hair off so that I had to cut my real hair even shorter.
• Third, I don’t have hundreds of dollars to spend every few months to maintain the look of the extensions.

Clip-In Hair Extensions

So, back to square one. As I searched the Internet for different solutions, I stumbled across the Jessica Simpson line of clip-in synthetic hair extensions. They were affordable, they looked like I could probably put them in easily, and they looked pretty.

Next, I did a search on YouTube for an informational video on how to apply the extensions. I found a video by a makeup/hair stylist named Jennisse, which was so detailed about the step-by-step process, that I knew I’d be able to do it myself.

(I’m sharing the video with you here. There are lots of Ken Paves-produced videos on YouTube that I could share with you instead, but the truth is that I get a kick out of Jennisse. She’s probably a Jersey Girl, and you’ll see why I say that when you watch the video. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL9sx-SSMr0)

I decided to make a visit to Ulta to take a look at them up close. The hair piece is all one piece, with the hair attached to a net-like piece that fits around the back of your head and clips into your existing hair with a series of clips attached to the netting. You simply comb the hair on top of your head up and out of the way, place the hairpiece around the back of your head, and close the clips on the sides and back of your head. Release the top portion of your hair, comb it in place, and that’s it!

I ended up purchasing the Jessica Simpson-Ken Paves 20-inch clip-in soft waves synthetic hair extensions. I bought them in R10 Chestnut/Light Brown. They are usually $99 but they were on sale, so I think I paid $79 for them that weekend. Here is a link to the product if you’d like to see it: http://www.hairextensions.com/product.php?productid=16356

So, how did the hair extensions look? See for yourself:

 BEFORE

AFTER

I’ve been very happy with my hair extensions! I don’t wear them every day, though. These are only for when I’m going somewhere special and want my hair to look better than usual. It saves me money on going to a salon for a professional styling, too.

Where to Buy Clip-In Extensions

The best places I have found to purchase hair extensions are Ulta and extensions.com. There are many other websites that sell them as well, and there are many brands besides Jessica Simpson’s, but I am partial to hers. I tried a clip-in extension that was made of human hair, and didn’t like how it looked at all.

How to Care for Clip-In Extensions

Clip-ins are very easy to care for. When your extension piece starts to look a little dull or matted, you just fill your sink with water and a gentle shampoo, swish your extensions in the water for a few minutes, rinse them very well, then use a hair pick to get rid of any tangles and lay it flat on a towel to dry. You can spritz it with a little wig spray to brighten it up. I clean mine every 4-6 uses.

Are Clip-In Extensions Safe for Your Hair?

Ironically, this past week, hair extensions made national news. Apparently, some women have experienced problems because of the use of hair extensions, including hair loss. This includes both semi-permanent and clip-in types, whether they are made of human hair or synthetic material. It would be irresponsible of me to not share this article with you:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/hair-extensions-beauty-trend-dangerous-beauty/story?id=14731624

As the doctor quoted in the article said, you really can’t wear these all day, every day or you may have problems.

My personal experience with clip-ins has been much better than with semi-permanent extensions. The clip-ins have not damaged my hair. However, I don’t wear them every day, nor do mine feel too heavy or uncomfortable on my head, and I’m careful to fully unlock the clips before I remove them.

I hope this blog post has been eye-opening for you. Let me know if you decide to experiment with clip-in hair extensions, even if it’s just for Halloween!

Next week, I’m going to continue on the topic of clip-in hair pieces. There are many more hairstyles available, and I want to share them with you!

Sincerely,

Bethany

Three Ways to Make Your Hair Grow Faster

Well, my chat with Christie, my stylist, went better than expected! She did say that she thinks if I grow it longer, it will just look thinner and that at some point, hair just stops growing. But she did acknowledge that my hair is in much better shape than last year, when she first started seeing me.

You see, I’d really destroyed my hair. I have fine, wavy/curly hair, and I had been blowing it dry and straightening it just about every day. I’d also highlighted it in an effort to hide a few gray hairs that were sprouting up in my bangs. From my ears down, you could actually see through it.

Christie helped me get my hair healthy. She made me promise not to blow it dry anymore or use any styling tools on it, such as curling or flat irons. I don’t wash it every day and switched to an olive oil cleansing conditioner. I stopped the chemical processing and instead started using Clairol’s Root Touch Up to hide those few little gray hairs when they appear. One year later, my hair is very healthy – not even a split end since my last haircut three months ago!

So now on to my mission of growing it longer. I’ve been hearing about all sorts of things that are supposed to speed the growth of your hair, and I’ve either already started using them or am going to start. Here they are:

Biotin

Last year, a woman at my pool told me about Biotin. She said that it’s supposed to promote hair growth. I actually began taking this nightly last year, and I do think it works. I used to be able to go 9 weeks between hair cuts. This was the perfect amount of time between cuts because my hair never got that shaggy, in-my-eyes look and my stylist wouldn’t have to cut my bangs too short, either. I hate that “It’ll grow out in two weeks and be perfect then” look.

Now I have to go every 4 weeks for a bang trim. So I do think that Biotin works.

Prenatal Vitamins

Last week, I was listening to the Kane Show on 99.5. A female caller revealed that she was taking prenatal vitamins because they make her hair and nails grow like crazy. Dozens of female listeners called in to say that they, too, take prenatal vitamins for the same reason, with no intention of getting pregnant. Well, I’m going to give it a try. Why not?

Coconut Milk

The August 2011 issue of Glamour magazine said, “Coconut milk helps the hair grow long and thick. Rub it onto the scalp, leave it on for an hour or so, then wash it out.” I bought some coconut milk and used it last week. After washing my hair, I towel dried it and poured the coconut milk over it. It felt thicker on my hair than it looked in the cup. I soaked the ends in it as well, then I pinned my hair on top of my head and put a plastic cap over it. I found I had to wrap a towel around my neck because the coconut milk dripped a little (annoyingly) from under my plastic cap.

Once I rinsed it out, my hair felt smooth and shiny even while wet. When it air-dried, it retained some of that shine, and it didn’t frizz at all. It even still looked good the next morning. Maybe it’s also a great conditioner, although Glamour didn’t say so. I will definitely keep trying this each week just because it made my hair feel so good!

What Really Works?

So how will I know which of these hair growth methods is working? I guess I won’t, since I’m trying all three at one time. I measured my hair, and right now it is 9 inches below my ears. I’ll measure in a month and let you know how much longer it is. Christie has agreed that as long as I have no split ends, she won’t cut anything off the length.

In the meantime, you are welcome to try any of these methods. Tell me if you are doing them, have done them, liked or didn’t like them. Do you have any other suggestions for speeding up hair growth? Let me know!

Til next week (when I’ll talk about how to make your hair look longer instantly),

Bethany