Hair

I’m not one to use a whole lot of hair products, but if I want my hair to be wavy and fuller, it’s kind of a necessity.  My new find is Prive’s Concept Vert Volumizing Froth.  It’s a really interesting product because it’s a non-aerosol mousse (something I didn’t even know was possible!)  By making it a non-aerosol, Prive has been able to drastically reduce the size of its bottle.  I’d say it’s about one quarter of the size of most cans of mousse that I’ve seen, which is great not only for the environment, but also for your closet space and for packing it in your luggage.

To use, all you have to do is apply a small amount to your palms and then rub them together quickly, giving the product about 5-10 seconds to froth up.  The process is kind of fun because it all of a sudden just sort of appears and foams up on your hands.  It’s like magic mousse!  Every single morning that I’ve done it it’s made me giggle, which I admit might mean that I’m easily amused, but still.  Who doesn’t want their morning routine to have a little fun in it?  Once the froth has produced itself, you just apply it like you would a regular mousse on damp hair and style however you’d like.  It adds some volume and body to my hair without making it crispy or sticking pieces together.  (I think I’ve mentioned here before how much that annoys me).  It’s also very environmentally friendly – the bottle is designed to be recycled and the product is never tested on animals.  All good things!  If my junior high self knew that one day I would be using mousse in the mornings again, she would be really laughing at me…

Who: Aida and Selma at Salon AKS

What: Natural, glossy highlights and face-framing eyebrow tweezing

Where: Salon AKS 689 Fifth Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10022, (212) 888-0707

When: Monday-Saturday

Why: Ever since the highlight disaster of 2009, I’ve been wary of anyone touching a hair on my head.  I come into haircut appointments now armed with a swath of pictures, and I haven’t gotten professional color in a year.  Highlight roots were a reality and after hearing someone describe my hair color honestly as “spotty,” I knew that enough was enough: it was time to get over my fear and ditch the two-tone color situation. (more…)

I recently cut somewhere around 7 or 8 inches off my hair, so I’m still getting used to my much shorter ‘do.  I like it a lot (except for the brief moments where I see someone with really great long hair and have a brief moment of longing) but I’m still playing around with new products to use and new ways of styling it.  (My new cut is layered and texturized, so it has a lot of movement to it).  It’s also summer, which is the time of year I like to use hair products that make my hair look like I’ve been at the beach (since in reality, I hate the beach and never really go).

Prive’s Finishing Texture Spray is great for this.  It’s sort of a cross between a hairspray and a volumizer, but it leaves my hair thick and defined, sort of a bedhead kind of look.  It’s also not sticky and it doesn’t make my hair stiff, which is the kiss of death to me in styling products.  I’ve been sort of fluffing my hair with my hands and then turning my head upside down and spraying it underneath, then flipping my head back up and giving a light spray to the top, and it looks great.  (It also probably helps that it’s not so long and heavy anymore, which was really weighing it down).  If you’re looking for a styling product to give you that beachy, windblown appearance that looks so great in the summer, definitely give this one a try.

Editors’ Note: Ever wonder what makes it out of the beauty closet and into our personal beauty routines? Despite the numerous samples we’re lucky enough to test, some of us are very selective about what we use everyday while others like to have a bit of fun! Our new feature, “Editor’s Closet,” will highlight a few beauty products a TDO editor is using that month…hope you enjoy and we welcome your feedback! (more…)

For years, I’d been hearing stories about L’Oreal’s infamous Elnett hairspray.  (Hairstylists love it so much that they used to smuggle it back from Europe before it was available in the US!)  Recently, it became available in the United States for the first time at Target stores, which I totally enjoy because it gave me yet another excuse to drop by my local store.  My store was actually sold out the first time I went (how dare they!) but I finally managed to get my hands on a can a few weeks ago.  What did I think?  Well, in my opinion, it definitely lives up to the hype.

One of the reasons I try not to use a lot of hairspray is because I absolutely hate the way it makes my hair feel.  That crunchy, sticky feeling is so not what I like to touch when I run my fingers through my hair, so I really only use hairspray when I need to, like when I’m going out for the night or have an event to attend.  But with Elnett, there’s none of that.  My hair was barely crunchy at all – it really didn’t feel like I had anything in it – and what little I could detect was gone the second I ran a brush through it.  (And how many hairsprays can you even usually run a brush through after you’ve used?  Not many, from my experience).  It also held my hair in place really well.  I put it up in a high ponytail and spritzed it back with the Elnett and it never budged from the way it looked when I went out for the night.  Plus, it’s a really decent price at $13.99 for a big 11 ounce can.  I’d say this is one product that really lived up to the hype for me.  Don’t you love it when that happens?

Happy Earth Day everybody! This year we haven’t done extensive Earth Day related product coverage in April because we believe that sustainable beauty isn’t just a trend anymore- it’s year ’round and we love that more and more of our favorite beauty brands are now taking small steps to make their products more environmentally friendly.  So even though today’s post is focused on a very “green” product, we would’ve written about it anyway today (or any other day!) because we love what the brand stands for and we love the actual product!

Ever since I started color treating my hair, I’ve had a difficult time finding shampoos and conditioners that actually work for me- without risking brassiness- and that gives me clean, soft results.  I had received a sample of Ojon’s Shine & Protect shampoo and conditioner ages ago, and recently pulled it out of my beauty closet (ok box) thinking that i was going to try yet another shampoo that I don’t love. Boy, was I wrong!  All it took was one wash for me to notice how much better Ojon performed than many of the other shampoos I’d been using before.  Many shampoos without sodium laureth sulfate (key to preserving the vibrancy of your colored hair) do not lather well, thus leaving the shampooing experience feeling more lackluster than luxurious. Ojon, on the other hand, suds up like in a shampoo commercial, without containing any harmful ingredients that may fade your color.  The Ojon conditioner is just as great- instantly detangling and leaving your hair soft and smooth after just the first rinse.  I was also impressed with how shiny and touchable my hair was once it was dry. Needless to say, Ojon is now my shampoo of choice- in April and every other month!

Editor’s Note: A few weeks ago we sent our gal pal Malorie Kaye to cover the new John Frieda Root Awakening launch.  She’s been trying out the products since! Read below to find out what her fav product is from the line!

Known for spearheading the Frizz-free hair campaign over 20 years ago with the creation of Frizz-ease, John Frieda has become an icon in the beauty industry.  As a one-stop shop for beautiful hair, the company has ensured that their first priority be to always maintain their name as innovator, consistently developing products that change women’s lives with simplicity and ease.  It is with this notion that they have introduced their newest line of products, John Frieda Root Awakening Hair Care. (more…)

I color my hair, so I’m always looking for a good shampoo and conditioner duo that will clean and detangle my hair without stripping it of the darker shade I’ve paid good money to achieve.  Although I’ve used a few drugstore brands that I’ve been okay with, my current favorite is Kelly Van Gogh’s Daily Caviar Shampoo and Daily Caviar Conditioner.  Kelly is a renowned colorist whose products are all designed to keep your color looking great for as long as possible and I’ve found that they really deliver. (more…)

Multi-tasking has seemingly become a part of everyday life. While I’m exercising, I’m also listening to my iPod. When I’m “watching TV”, I’m also on my computer. Even while I’m “doing work”, I often streaming Pandora… and have my TV on at the same time! In all seriousness, trying to juggle grad school, an internship, freelance jobs, and my social life can get quite hectic, and I’ve learned that impeccably planning my schedule and maximizing my time is KEY to checking off my to-do list. Many women struggle with balancing their personal and professional lives, but leave it to leave it to Suzanne Cats, founder of (the country’s first eye, lash, and brow beauty spa), to solve our beauty problems and create LuxLash BeautyLab, the destination for multi-tasked beauty services!

Between manicures, pedicures, hair care, spray tanning, and eyelash and brow care, us women spend a lot of time taking care of ourselves. LuxLash BeautyLab can help you with that, by taking beauty treatments that would normally take eight hours to complete and condensing them into three. Your foils set while your manicure, pedicure, and eyelash extensions are being applied. Additional services include body glow treatments, custom facials, and hand massages. (more…)

Beta carotene and organic fruits and vegetables; sounds healthy, right? While healthy eats and taking our vitamins and minerals are important for our health and well-being, they’re also important to maintain our oh-so-healthy glow, good looks, and outward appearance. Combine these ingredients with dead sea minerals, and you’ve got Yes To Carrots, a natural and affordable line of hair and skin products. (more…)