Everyone, meet my sister Annie. Annie is 18, and has naturally curly hair. She prefers to wear it curly, so she pretty much never straightens it. Enter the Ken Paves Nano Silver Tourmaline Ceramic Styling Iron (Travel!) and some down time of an afternoon, and you have two giggling girls playing with hair.

Ken Paves, as you may or may not know, is a hairstylist to the stars. He has a line of clip-in hair extensions with Jessica Simpson, and also a line of products including styling tools. The Nano Silver Tourmaline Ceramic Styling Iron (whew!) is a travel version of his flat iron. The tourmaline ceramic plates are supposed to heat hair strands evenly, and the iron reaches 410 degrees. It features a swivel cord and comes with a thermal lined travel pouch.

Let me say that my sister and I are basically flat-iron newbies. I really don’t know what to look for in a flat iron other than “does it work” so that’s pretty much the basis for this review. Did it work? Yes! Does her hair feel fried? No! It’s a win! LOL.

So, I sectioned her hair with a big clip, and set to work straightening out those glorious curls. The 1 inch plates mean doing a whole head of hair is going to take some time, but it is a TRAVEL iron after all. Presumably using the regular full-size version would be faster. It took me about 25-30 minutes to do her whole head. Since her hair is so curly, it did take multiple passes to fully straighten each lock.

When I was finished, her hair was reasonably straight, although there was still some wave in places, but was also quite smooth and not fried. I liked how smooth the plates were, no catching or grabbing of the hair. Overall, I think we are both pleased (as the owner of the hair and the “stylist”) with how it came out. Due to the size, this is definitely not going to be the iron you want to use on your whole head every day if your hair is really curly. It would be perfect for touch-ups, travel, and anyone with shorter or perhaps less curly hair.

Good job Ken!

As anyone who has seen a picture of me on this site knows, I have very short straight hair. Not a curl to be found. Luckily, my sister, who is living with me while she goes to college, has very curly hair! No longer do I have to reject curly hair products when they’re offered to me, because she’s happy to be our guinea pig and dish on the goods! Today’s review is about John Frieda Frizz-Ease Style Dream Curls curling spray, a product she says is great!

The curling spray is an alcohol-free formula that is supposed to “transform wilted waves and limp curls into sexy, highly defined swirls and curls that are soft and silky, never crispy or sticky.” The magnesium-enriched formula “penetrates hair to restore elasticity and spring, boosting and enhancing your natural curl pattern” and the formula also contains conditioners to leave your curls soft and glossy. So, what’s the verdict?

She says it’s definitely NOT crispy or sticky, but leaves hair soft to the touch. She likes how it makes her curls bouncy and more defined. It’s not greasy or heavy, but leaves the hair more “fluffy” (but not frizzy!). She says Two Thumbs Up!

I can add that her ringlets are super-bouncy (I love to SPROING her curls!) with the spray, and overall her hair looks really pretty and soft. John Frieda Dream Curls gets the Claire’s Beauty seal of approval.

Sometimes I get a pile of products that I want to write about, but don’t really have enough to say about each one to merit a whole blog entry. So… a list! Here are five shampoos I like enough to recommend them to my dear readers. (In no particular order…)

1. Depth Drench Hydrating Shampoo contains a concentrated blend of marine botanicals combined with plant-based cleansers that are gentle on the hair. It’s also infused with certified organic aloe vera to nourish and restore essential moisture, leaving hair soft and repaired. I love the scent! This one is good for dry, damaged, and/or color-treated hair.

2. L’Occitane Soothing Shampoo smells amazing, thanks to the blend of five essential oils that also soothe the scalp. The blend consists of mandarin, basil, chamomile, cedar, and lemongrass, and I really can’t say enough about how nice it smells. The shampoo leaves my hair very soft and not dry at all.

3. Modern Organic Products Basil Mint Shampoo for normal/oily hair also smells great (I just love the scent of basil!) and works very well for oilier hair or removing product build-up. I like to use it once a week or so as a clarifying shampoo. It’s effective but doesn’t leave my hair feeling like straw.

4. Nature’s Gate Tea Tree Calming Shampoo is for itchy/flaky scalp, but also makes a fine clarifying shampoo, in my opinion. I bought this for Dear Husband, who likes it just fine for his itchy scalp, and I like it for occasional use as well. It’s not medicated, but contains a blend of essential oils to do the job. It’s another one that doesn’t leave my hair feeling like straw.

5. Collective Wellbeing Moisturizing Shampoo has a nice clean scent, and is great for dry hair. I used this several months ago when my hair was long and I was heat-styling it all the time, and it was really dry. It’s a great shampoo for adding some bounce and softness back to your hair.

Dear Readers,

In a few weeks, I will be meeting with the at-home hair color experts at L’Oreal, and so I have a request. If anyone has any questions they would like me to ask regarding coloring you hair at home, please leave a comment with your question and I’ll bring it with me!

Thanks!

I’ve been using some more Collective Wellbeing products lately, namely the Cinnamon Cleansing Clay and the Watercress/Jojoba Body Lotion, as well as the Quick Fix Conditioner.

The Cinnamon Cleansing Clay is the definite winner out of these three products, for me. Love it!  First of all, it smells like pie. You practically can’t go wrong with a cleanser that smells like pie. It also offers light exfoliation with cornmeal, the clay helps to absorb oil, and cinnamon is apparently a good skin cleanser and purifier. It’s a creamy cleanser, not a foamy one, but it rinses very clean with no residue. Despite the high clay content, it won’t leave your skin feeling dry or tight because it also has a smattering of plant-based oils to moisturize. I use it twice a week or so, more as a deep cleansing treatment – but mostly just because I have a pile of cleansers to use up/test. It would be fine as a daily cleanser. Two thumbs up!

The Watercress/Jojoba Lotion is okay. The texture is lovely, it moisturizes well, but I don’t love the scent. It’s a blend of ylang ylang, jasmine, and clove, but it just smells kind of odd to me. I’ll happily use up my sample, but probably won’t re-purchase.

Still to come, I have a sample of the Cardamom/Mint Foot Butter to try, as well as the Active Charcoal Body Wash, and hubby’s report on the Flake Fighter Shampoo.

Quick Fix Conditioner is fabulous! It’s lightweight but moisturizing, and gives immediate softness and shine to your hair. I love the scent, very herbal and fresh. It’s definitely not going to weigh down your hair, and is perfect for everyday use. Love it!

I finally made up my mind to cut my hair today. I used to wear it like this, for years, before I decided to grow it long a couple of years ago. Quite honestly, the long hair never felt like me, so I decided to go back to the short style I used to wear.

There’s a lot of reasons I love short hair. The first is that styling is a snap! I just towel it dry, use a little Aveda Light Elements Styling Whip to piece it up, and voila!Instant hairstyle. I was a big Control Paste fan until I discovered the Styling Whip, and I haven’t found anything else I like as much. The original Jonathan Dirt is okay too, but a little greasy sometimes. I also love to mess with my hair color, and having it short means low-commitment. If I’m tired of the color, it’s gone in two or three months, all cut off. I think first up is a cherry-brown color.

The downside is I can’t go more than about 6 weeks without having a cut, and 5 weeks is ideal. It’s not a low-maintenance look where upkeep is concerned, just in my daily routine. This is okay though, because I like going to the salon and being pampered.

In this picture, I’m wearing my new MAC Aquavert eyeshadow, along with an old favorite Too Faced Label Whore. Label Whore reminds me a lot of MAC Club, the color the SA demoed for me yesterday, a brown color with green shimmer. Label Whore has more of a teal shimmer but it’s still pretty greenish to me. I’ll do it again soon and take a closeup picture – they look good together.

Happy Day!