September 13, 2014

Straight to the Principal's office: Kerastase's Discipline

September 13, 2014/ Nicole McIntyre

Goody two shoes here reporting from the Principal’s office for flunking Hairology. I was recently written up by Claire for over washing, so I reformed my ways to please my teacher and then Kerastase dropped the gauntlet. I’ve been told it’s time for a little Discipline.

Finding good stuff that works for my hair has been a long and arduous uphill battle, so much that I once likened myself to Sisyphus pushing his oversized boulder. How does one fight frizz, enhance shine, reach voluminous heights (not the Snookie sort) and minimise the amount of time spent wielding a hairdryer? These pressing thoughts plagued me for years until I once and for all kicked drugstore hair care brands to the curb or is it kerb?

What’s changed? Well, Kerastase’s Discipline range unexpectedly made its way to my doorstep a few weeks back and I really haven’t questioned its arrival. In fact, the shampoo, conditioner and masque have become permanent fixtures in the shower.

Now that I wash my hair every other day, I always double cleanse. The first wash aims to get rid of the dirt, sweat and any other environmental nasties. As for the second wash, it takes advantage of the ingredients in Bain Fluidealiste (shampoo), specifically Morpho-Keratin. I like to think of Morpho-Keratin as the hair shaft smoother/perfector.

Once my hair feels properly clean, I then massage a small amount of Fondant Fluidealiste (conditioner) from the mid-lengths to the ends and allow it to work its magic while I wash my face and body. Fondant Fluidealiste protects the hair and further enhances manageability and shine.

Time for the piece de resistance, Kerastase’s Maskeratine – this masque is the weekly pit-stop my hair looks forward to the most. After (double) washing and conditioning, I work in a dime sized amount of product making sure to start from the roots to avoid weighing my hair down. I swear this stuff is an uptown version of Silkience, a hair conditioner P-Cakes bought in bulk when Gillette stopped making it.

Have my Hairology marks improved? Well, when it comes to managing my frizzy, fine, wavy hair I can confidently say I made the grade (well, my hair did). My mane remains soft and shiny for well over 48 hours, it takes less time to style and the greasy second day hair is no more. Does this mean my days of homework are over?

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Kerastase Discipline:

KÉRASTASE DISCIPLINE BAIN FLUIDEALISTE - $42.00 AUS / $39.00 USD
KÉRASTASE DISCIPLINE FONDANT FLUIDEALISTE - $48.00 AUS / $42.00 USD
KÉRASTASE DISCIPLINE MASKERTINE - $60.00 AUS / $62.50 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

9 out of 10 bags — For every morning I don't have to stress about styling my hair, makes the expense totally worth it.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

The Fluidissime (finishing spray) could so be the cherry on top.

*PR sample provided – Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

April 13, 2014

Increase your good hair day chances with these

April 13, 2014/ Nicole McIntyre

Bumble and bumble's Thickening Dry Spun Finish Spray (left), Alterna's Bamboo Beach Ocean Waves (middle) and Living Proof's No Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream (right)

Now that it’s Fall (Autumn to you) in Australia it’s almost as if the changing of seasons green-lit incessant rainfall. It’s gotten to the point where my umbrella has literally become an appendage and I already carry around enough crap with me as it is.

Heat styling or blowdrying my hair is a wasted exercise most days, because I can assure you my once smooth hair will mushroom cloud above my shoulders — that’s never a good look on anyone, me included.

My hair needs a fighting chance, so I’ve created a cocktail of sorts to help keep the frizz at bay, my waves in tact, perhaps a modicum of texture and even a smidge of volume.

I don’t think I’m asking for too much, right?

In fight club terms, here's a breakdown of how I get my unruly hair to behave on super meh days...

The straight punch - I use Living Proof's No Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream to subdue the frizz.
The hook - once I've combed through Living Proof's No Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream, I'll then spray Alterna's Bamboo Beach Ocean Waves all over and comb through once more. Speaking from experience, I find any variant of Beach Spray (Bumble and Bumble, John Frieda or even Frederic Fekkai) helps to give me piece-y, windswept waves.
The uppercut - Once my hair has air dried for the better part of an hour - but not before tipping my head over to scrunch/jush my waves - I finish with Bumble and Bumble's Thickening Dry Spun Finish Spray to further enhance the texture of my hair and to add a bit of volume.

I realise it's more product than I'd like to use, but it's the only way I can deal.

What do you typically do with your hair on rainy/humid days?

December 27, 2013

Wave bye bye to frizz with a little help from Paul Mitchell

December 27, 2013/ Nicole McIntyre

My war against frizz continues on.

It's tiring -- just when you think you got your hair to fall in line, a few soldiers go on the lam and spring out with guns blazing when you least expect it.

Now that I've upped the maintenance with bi-monthly visits to the salon thanks to my new 'do -- I also need to look after my investment with hair product that will fight the good fight while making it look shiny, bouncy and awesomely healthy.

Paul Mitchell has come in and out of my life over the years; I tend to tumble in whichever direction, especially after encountering a new stylist. Super Skinny Serum happens to be one of my favourite products for its travel-friendly bottle, green apple scent and its ability to quell errant hairs. Because my hair is so fine, I've found I really only need a half pump worth of product.

Tip: Always, always apply the product to your ends first and then work your way up, if not you run the risk weighing your hair down with too much product.

Been there, done that.

As for Paul's Super Skinny Daily Shampoo and Treatment, there was a slight learning curve during the first week of using all three smoothing products. On the first day my hair came out shiny and lovely, but on the second day (after washing and styling) it looked nice yet felt greasy to the touch. I'm a squeaky clean kinda gal, which is precisely why I wash my hair every day. Instead of throwing my hands in the air out of frustration, I changed my approach and used less product. My hair had finally reached its happy medium.

Guess what: Paul Mitchell's Smoothing range is colour-safe, too. Bonus!

Yesterday, I set my style with Paul Mitchell's Freeze and Shine Super Spray and boy does that stuff "freeze" your locks, so much that I thought my man-made waves would last the day. Alas, my curls fell flat, typical. Inquiring minds want to know why my naturally wavy hair refuses to hold a curl after tangoing with the barrel iron?!

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Paul Mitchell's haircare products:

I actually had a hard time tracking down consistent pricing, sorry guys. I've linked back to Paul Mitchell's global website in case you'd like to buy something at your nearest salon/retailer.

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

8 out of 10 bags — good stuff and my hair says thank you.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

Hey @Sarzparella, this might be the thing you've been looking for!

*PR sample provided – Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

April 30, 2013

"Give me a head with hair, long beautiful hair..." // Review of muk Spa Argan Oil range

April 30, 2013/ Nicole McIntyre

A few years ago I discovered argan oil and and fell for its ability to smooth, hydrate and essentially tame the beast -- my frizzy hair.

Then I made a few life-changing decisions and with those changes, my hair reacted. It fell out. Not in clumps, but enough to scare the crap out of me; I went from having a lot of fine, frizzy hair to not much. It was stressful, I shed a lot of tears because I couldn't pinpoint what triggered the great fallout of 2010. It happened in stages too, at first it fell out fast and furious and then things would go dormant for a few months; this vicious cycle went on for close to 18 months.

For a while I stopped noticing the frizz, lost my confidence and ceased caring about myself. I didn't truly grasp how much my hair meant to me until I saw dozens and dozens of strands circle the drain, clutter the basin and tango on the floor. For hours, or so it seemed, I would stare in the mirror, focussing on my hairline and wondered how much I lost that particular day.

Before moving to Australia I was diagnosed with telogen effluvium, basically my hair growth entered a state of rest, thus pronouncing the increase in hair loss. Telogen effluvium effects women post-pregnancy; it's also linked to maintaining a poor diet or caused by abnormal stressor(s). For over a year I've been fighting hard to keep the hair on my head by eating better and exercising regularly. As for the great hair care products, they've helped to nurture the strands that stuck by me through thick and thin. I also stopped staring at my head, which helped calm my nerves and ease my worries.

Now that my head of hair is almost back to normal, I've been open to trying new things like blowouts, braids and hair chalk. Recently muk haircare, a Melbourne-based company, released muk Spa -- a haircare range dedicated to making your hair beautiful from the inside out. Coming off the back of two years spent on research and development, muk aspired to fuse nature and technology; their efforts yielded five products sans "sulfates, phosphates, mineral oil, parabens and contains no added sodium chloride." Now I'm not a chemist, but I think the reduction in serious sounding ingredients is enough to not make my hair jump out of my scalp in fear.

muk Spa Argan Oil Repair Conditioner (left) and Shampoo (right)

I've always been a firm believer in washing my hair daily and it's a habit I don't see myself breaking any time soon. For the past three weeks I've been using muk's Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner daily; using this duo has proven to be too much for my hair -- the one, two punch of shampoo and conditioner weighs my hair down and leaves it feeling not as clean as I would like. Going forward I can see myself using the shampoo every other day and the conditioner will continue to be a daily staple. The plastic bottle with pump dispenser gets a major thumbs-up in my book.

Currently their best-seller, muk's Argan Oil Repair mask serves as a drink of water for your hair. After you've shampooed your hair, towel dry the hair, then apply the mask from roots to ends and comb to evenly distribute the product. To intensify the treatment, wrap your hair in cellophane or a towel to trap the heat. Make sure you allow the mask to sit on the hair for 10 to 20 minutes and then style as usual. I have yet to try the mask out for the simple fact that I don't think my hair needs it.

Ahh, muk's Argan Oil Treatment, my favourite product out of the bunch, however, can we talk about the packaging for a moment? It's annoying, awkward, unwieldy and I despise that it's made out of glass. I don't feel inclined to pop this in my shower kit or even dare take it on a long haul. The dropper is too long, has a tendency to dispense too much product and when it's time to recap, I manage to scrape excess product on the lip of the bottle. The end result: the exterior of the bottle is coated with product -- I'm not sure if the bottle is going to eventually float away in a pool of its own oil or there's going to be one off-morning when the bottle will inevitably slip out of my hand. Good-bye pinky toe. For those far more coordinated in the early morning, simply squeeze a few drops in the palm of your hand, rub your hands together and smooth over your hair.

The great thing about the Argan Oil Treatment is it can be used prior to styling as a way to protect your hair or used to finish for additional conditioning and solar protection. If you were to buy one thing from muk, the Argan Oil Treatment is it.

The Argan Oil Shine Spray is similar in principle to the Argan Oil Treatment, except it's the diet version. Spray on and style. Perfect for fine or curly hair. The spray bottle is glass as well, you've been warned.