June 21, 2014

You can take it home with you: the hairdresser

June 21, 2014/ Nicole McIntyre

Tresemme's Keratin Smooth 7 Day Smooth System

Stay with me.

We all love the way our hair feels fresh out of the salon and we also feel instantly lighter and brighter, perhaps there's even a skip in our step.

Ahh, fresh coifs. Smooth waves or straight strands, nary a hair out of place, but once faced with having to maintain such an amazing feat I find myself quivering in fear that I won't be able to replicate my hairdresser's handiwork.

Tresemme's Keratin Smooth 7 Day Smooth System works some serious voodoo magic on my ofttimes unpredictable hair, but how does it work?

The shampoo and conditioner both cleanse and hydrate as expected, while the keratin (protein) smooths each individual hair shaft. Upon dragging a comb through my hair, I immediately noticed the teeth encountered little to no resistance. A veritable Slip n' Slide situation.

Finally, Tresemme's Heat Activated Treatment takes things one step further by acting as a barrier, it also decreases styling time and increases the smooth factor. Tresemme suggests using a flatiron after blowdrying your hair, but I usually skip this step because I don't mind the flicks at the ends of my layers.

Granted, it is winter in Melbourne which means most days the frizz factor is low. However, it'll be swell not having to constantly duke it out with my halo of frizz come spring.

The goods:

It takes about eight minutes to dry my hair.
Second day hair looks just as splendid.
My coloured, fine, frizzy, wavy hair is in l-o-v-e.
Cheaper and safer than the once popular Brazilian Blowout.

The mehs:

Looking to curl your second day hair? Think again. My hair is determined to remain unfurled. I mean, you can curl your hair, but it might take extra elbow grease, a little patience and texturising spray.

And that, my friends, is how to bring the hairdresser home.

//Edit: I guess you gotta take the good with the bad, but this stuff managed to dry out my scalp. It's the middle of winter in Melbourne, it's dry and my scalp just couldn't handle it. I've since taken Tresemme's 7 Day Smooth System out of rotation and went back to basics.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Tresemme's Keratin Smooth 7 Day Smooth System (Shampoo, Conditioner and Heat Activated Treatment:

$10.99 AUS / $4.00 - $7.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

3 out of 10 bags — maybe I'll be ok to use this come summer.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

I've been a brand commitment-phobe when it comes to hair products, but I think I'll stick with Tresemme. So, yes.

*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.

November 30, 2013

New 'do, new me?

November 30, 2013/ Nicole McIntyre

Back in September, on my 30th birthday in fact, I set aside hours of pampering.

Nails - check!
Hair - check?

I breezed into Blow Dry Bar with a skip in my step, because I had found Jenny, via a meet-cute if you will -- I brought the hair and she brought the scissors. A match made in this funny lil' blog-o-sphere of a world.

Checked in I did and waited and waited. And then, that's about when my birthday high came crashing down.

Jenny was nowhere to be found.

Left, she did. No one bothered to reach out to her former clients (me, included) in an attempt to salvage something, anything or provide us with an opportunity to make alternate plans.

So, I awkwardly ambled around the elephant in the room and quite rightly exclaimed my disappointment to the stylist tasked with styling my hair that ill-fated day. We had a bit of a to and fro and she even gave me an out. An out! And like a scared little turtle, I pulled in my head and limbs and just sat there. Sad, bummed and reeling.

It was, after all, my 30th birthday, and I wanted to continue feeling special. It's bad enough I already have a complex about my hair from having lost quite a bit of it a few years back.

In the end, the hairstylist did a sufficient job trimming my hair and finished off with a mediocre blowout. I never went back.

Side note: Scott saved the day with a special dining bonanza with a few good friends.

Eight weeks later, my ends were looking pretty tattered and I was still licking my wounds from having lost my hairdresser. As luck would have it Zoe Foster Blake (a super witty and funny Australian beauty blogger) posed the following question in a recent review, "Are you a contraster or a blender?"

This folks, was how I found my new hairdresser, Brent, and colourist, Emma, over at Xiang Hair in Melbourne's CBD.