HAIR CARE REHAB

Hey guys! Today I am beyond excited to tell you about a new book I've had the privilege of reviewing.

HAIR CARE REHAB.

Let me tell you what. Whether you prefer to blow dry and tease everyday, or if you're more of an air-drying, laid back girl... you think about your hair. Come on. You know you do. You may even be a tad-bit obsessed with your hair. Face it, most girls are. We are identified by our hair. I was always the "blonde cheerleader," or the "blonde who runs the 400," or the "blonde who is so smart and awesome" (right?)... but either way, people know me as a blonde.

And you know what? Whether boys brake for brunettes, get razzed over redheads, or swoon toward blondes... they notice your hair, too. In fact, I bet many guys make first impression judgements simply based on how our hair looks.

That means it needs to look good. And for most of us, we could use a pick-me-up. That's where Hair Care Rehab comes in.

 

 

Written by Audrey Davis-Sivasothy, it's, as she calls it, the "ultimate hair repair and conditioning manual." I know when you think of a "hair" book, you may be yawning already. Let me tell you what... Audrey wrote it for US, ladies. She keeps it interesting. She keeps it fresh. She answers the questions we want to know... from "What is hair damage?" to "How do I get my hair to grow faster?" to "What's the best product for my type of hair?"

The book is filled with helpful answers to all your question, includes tons of awesome photos, and is written in a voice that makes it fun. It's not a cut and dry book. She's humorous, she's witty, and let me tell you, Audrey is smart.

Overall, I loved the book. It helped me, especially with this 365-day project I've got going on right now where I try to eliminate my "drug of choice" as she calls it (blow dryer, straightener, etc.). I learned a lot of things. Such as, getting a trim regularly will NOT make your hair grow faster. Wait... what?! They've always told me that... and I got suckered into believing it. Yep. Want more details? You need to read the book!

I loved the answers provided in this book. They're complete. They're detailed. They're to the point. I had so many questions answered. I'm amazed at how much I learned... and how fun, surprisingly, it was to read about hair.

I really have hardly any criticism for the book. Honestly? I'm a mega-fan of color photos. I think that's the only thing that would have upped my level of love for this new book. Yes... that's it.

Seriously, you guys, you need to read this book. And you know what? 5 of you are going to get your very own copies! Yep!! Enter via Rafflecopter below. Giveaway is open internationally and closes at midnight on June 7th!

But wait—don't want to wait to read the hard copy? Download the ebook for FREE now here! Don't wait... the free promotion ends June 3rd!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


*The product in this post was provided to me for review purposes. I was not paid to endorse this product, and all opinions are 100% my own.

Goody Pony Pouf.

Mornin', Ladies!

Have you heard of the Goody Pony Pouf? It promises to give your hair oomph and fluff without the hassles of teasing. I was convinced that I had to give it a shot, so I picked it up at my local Walgreens the other day.

You're supposed to secure your hair in the barette and then pull little sections into the holes to make them pouf out, giving them that teased-to-perfection look.

The only problem... it's not all it's cracked up to be. It didn't hold my hair in place and seemed to keep slipping down my ponytail. That's probably because my hair is so fine. My hair didn't stay in those little holes... so that looked weird. And even when my hair was in the pouf-holes, you could still see them so it just looked like I was wearing a funky barette all day. Not a fan.

If you insist on giving this a shot... be my guest. But it wasn't my favorite.

[[UPDATE]]

WELL... THIS IS EMBARRASSING. I was informed by a lovely reader that I put it in upside down! No wonder!! 

Headband Braid.

When I was a little girl, my mom used to always braid the front of my hair from one side to the other to make it look like a French braid headband. I thought it was so cool. And really, it was.

My mom used to show and jump horses when she was little, so she has plenty of experience with braiding. She used to braid the horse's tails and manes so intricately. It figures that she could make braiding magic with my hair.

Now, I'm fairly good at braiding. But when it comes to the headband braid, I struggled. It took me three times to even get it to look presentable. Also, since my hair is entirely lacking in volume, I braided cornrows (as I was informed that they were called, instead of reverse French braids... hehe) down the back of my head before bed as well to help give my hair some good body.

I'm going to warn you ahead of time. DO NOT be fooled by the photo. The picture actually makes this style look pretty sweet.

However, in person... not so much. it was so flat and dull. Also, on the left side, by my ear (no photo for you... sorry), there were lots of little hairs sticking out all over the place. It was just a mess.

I decided to scramble and re-do it at work. It ended up in two reverse French braids with a chignon in back. (I know... I did one yesterday... but I had to do something). And it looked lovely... so I let it stay in all day.

The best part about chignons is that they can be a little messy but still so chic at the same time. Want to know another secret about them? They even stay in during my workouts at the gym. Now that is a fool-proof hairdo!

Bantu Knot-Out.

Ban-a-what? Don't worry, I didn't know what Bantu knots were, either. One of my natural hair buddies on Twitter checked out my blog and suggested I try Bantu knots for a fun and different style. I had to Google search them and even had to watch a YouTube tutorial to see what these were and how to do them.

As soon as I figured them out, I decided I was going to opt for a "Bantu knot-out." That is where you put your hair in Bantu knots, but then take them out for luscious, spiraled curls. Well, that's the intention anyway. I just couldn't resist this style! I went straight to work after I got out of the shower last night. It is recommended to do Bantu's on your hair when it is wet or slightly damp to help the knots stay in, and to also help your hair hold the curl. I added a leave-in conditioner as well to hopefully help preserve the knots.

About an hour and a full box of bobby pins later (since my hair is so fine it did not want to stay in these knots), I ended up with this look:

Yep. Sexxxayyy.

Within 10 minutes of having my knots completed, I was told that I would look good as a bald person and that I also looked like Buckwheat from Little Rascals. Awesome.

O-TAY!!! I guess that's at least more realistic than saying that I look like Bo Derek.

Before I went to bed, I sprayed the knots with water since they were starting to fall out. I then wrapped my hair with a silk scarf so my tossing and turning during the night wouldn't disrupt those little babies. And guess what? I even took a photo. Just for you... because once again, it's just such an attractive look for me.

Duck face.

This morning when I woke up, each knot was still in place. In fact, I don't even think I moved more than once or twice last night because my hair didn't budge a bit. After I finished getting ready, I removed all my bobby pins and unwound the knots.

Some of my hair was still a little damp (bummer) so I left it like this while I drove to work. I turned the air on high in my car in an effort to help dry the few spirals that were still damp.

When I got to work I ran my hands through the spirals and ended up with a kinked, funky look. I think I know what it feels like to have naturally curly hair now!

Ha! The back is simply dreadful. I was really not too happy with this look because it is just all over the place. I decided to grab a couple trusty bobby pins and secure the hair into bumps on each side of my part to help it look just a little bit more styled. I'm actually quite happy with how the front looks now.

The back is definitely still struggling, though. Sorry for all the photos today... I just couldn't resist the montage.

Overall, Bantu knots are so fun. They are a LOT of work, but they create a totally unique look that I would love to try again to see if I can make it look better. Who knows... maybe next time I'll just opt for Bantu knots (not the knot-out)... and go to work with those little balls all over my head! Wouldn't that impress the boys?! Hmmm... In fact... maybe I will try that. :)