Phyto Botanical Hair Relaxing Balm!

Stop the presses!!

A few weeks, I saw a video by Sardun on You Tube about a new product she had tried - Phyto Hair Relaxing Balm.  Her hair looked beautiful and shiny and I HAD to try this product.  My hair is unruly and unbehaved unless I really work with it.  If I let it dry untouched, it is frizzy and wild.  Before this product, I spent forever blow drying, the flat ironing, then curling if I wanted the look I now get with this product.  I love the body my waves give me, but my arms get tired!    lol

The directions say that with repeated use, the results get better and better.  I've used it 3 times and I've already noticed continued improvement - not just with each use, but each time getting easier and less to do.

Here is a photo of my hair wet (from last year):

My hair is longer now and it really takes forever.....

So now, check this out (and this is AFTER a long day.....probably 7 hours from shower and style):

This is such an improvement and the key?  Very little work.  I get out of the shower, put some Phyto Botanical Hair Relaxing Balm in my hand, put it through my hair, use a wide tooth comb through my hair, then do it again.  Blow drying is then a breeze!  My hair is now silky smooth and so easy to manage.  I run my fingers through it all the time!

I am telling everyone I know about this... I purchased mine at Sephora directly, thinking it would be easier to return if it did not work for me.  I was thrilled when it did.  More time in my life now!

Let me know if you try it and how it works for you!

Hair Day

Just had my hair appointment and she asked if I wanted flat ironed or curly.  I was in the mood for curly.  She worked and worked, we chatted, meanwhile I was facing away from the mirror.  She turns me around and my eyes got huge - I have Taylor Swift hair!  Very cool - hubs was in town for an appointment of his own so I sent him a text asking if he wanted to see my "do" before it fell.  Well, sure enough he did (having a fascination with my hair and all.....)

 

I met up with him in the parking lot of his doctor's office and needless to say, he DID love it.  He took these photos so I could remember how to do it myself.  lol   Last month, I came home with "Barbie" hair.  So fun!! 

Do you have a creative stylist or do you get the same ol' same ol' every time?  I love being surprised. I love having long enough hair that many different things can be done with it.

You know how quite a few blogs have "Outfit of the day", or Style of the Day"?  I wear the same thing over and over, being home all the time.  But I could do "Hairdo of the Day" of "Makeup of the Day".  lol  Seriously, I have a major makeup obsession and go through eye makeup remover like we have 5 girls in this house (just me, sorry......).  Always playing, trying new things.  And hubs?  Well, he loves that too.  As he says, never knows who he's coming home to every night.  Plain, simple?  Cat eye sexy?  Smokey eye, red lips?  I buy those kits for a steal with all kinds of color (the decent ones from Sephora or Ulta, not from the corner drug store, lol).  Like this one:

That is 98 eye shadows, 70 lip glosses, 6 cream eye liners, 2 lip pencils, 3 eye liners, mascara, 4 applicators

This is still available from Sephora for $48.  Click HERE.  I use almost every color you see here.  I have a fan brush that I sweep over all 3 of those blushes in the middle for a beautiful light blush color on the cheese.   The only "oops" I had was when I took that reddish pencil there to the left in the middle?  And lined my eyes with it.  Ha!  Seriously, don't know where my brain was.  But I had quite the look - bright red lined eyes....just take a moment and imagine that......and then I looked at the pencil and it  said..........LIP pencil.  HA HA HA HA  So then,.....more eye makeup remover.  lol  Do you see the purple pencil just above it?  Gorgeous to rim the eyes!!!  And those lip glosses - some are VERY pigmented and a little goes a looonnnngggg way.  My favorite is to take a medium dark pinkish color and then use that top left gold color on the right hand lip gloss area to cover - gives a gorgeous gold glow with speckles over the pink base color.

OOops, looks like that set is sold out due to high demand.  I also have this one - HERE.

What I love about this set is you can take the "color set" you are using for the day and take it with you in the travel case (to the left in the above photo).  Very cool!


Seriously, you'd think I was 14.   lol  And if you think I'm not kidding, have you seen my "Makeup Organization Station"?  Enjoy -  Cheri's Makeup Organization Setup

When people ask me how I handle my daily nerve pain?  This is one way!!

Have a glorious day!

Curly Hair Update

Still growing the 'ol hair out but got in a mood the other day to go "au naturale" and see what's cooking in that department.  

Previous Curly Girl Posts in the last year as I grow my hair out.

You know how some blogger gals post their outfits of the week?  Well, since I wear the same thing over and over (yes, I'm channeling my mother!), I could post my hairstyles of the week.  I change it all the time.  Hubs NEVER knows what I'll look like when he comes home and he loves it.  lol

How can I get the ends not to look so........scraggly?  I've just had a haircut!  I'm sure it is my "fluffing" or some technique I'm either lacking or screwing up.  Help!  BTW, none of my guys agrees it looks scraggly.  Hmmm...

OK, now here I have run my fingers through the ends to "fluff" them (after dry).  Did it help or make it worse?

 

Hey, I'm getting an Angelina Jolie vein straight down my forehead.  Cool!  Are our eyes supposed to disappear when we smile as we age?  Hello???

And here we have the rat's nest, on the girl who did NOT know she had curly hair until she was in her late 30's.  Ummmm, can I blame my mom for not pointing it out?  LMBO  This is with NO special technique OR product.

I've decided, I much prefer indoor light - look definitely younger!  Ha!

A photo I took last week, my slightly curled, wavy look.           (Taken on Iphone - sorry.)

Have a great weekend!

Barbie Hair

I was told today that I have "Barbie" hair - thought that was funny.  I do love my hair this style and wish I had the strength to do it more often.  It is accomplished by using a round brush in sections with the blow dryer.  No curling iron or hot rollers.  My hair has enough body and curl, I guess.

I am still in the "grow out" for the curly style coming up one of these days.  I'm loving it and hubby is over the moon - he LOVES my hair longer.  I am aware that I am 44 years old, and won't be growing it to my hips,  lol.  (Pointing that out in case anyone is worried about that!)  

Here is the Barbie photo:

September, 2010

I was looking through photos and my hair was so much shorter just a few months ago (this style flat-ironed straight with no curl shortening it:

April 28, 2010

And 8 months ago, a few months after I started the "Curly Girl" journey - how short my hair was with it naturally curly:

December, 2010

The length difference between the last two photos shows you HOW much my hair spirals up when curly, losing length.  Depending on the type of curl dictates how many inches you "lose".

Friends have thought me a little odd that I not only care what my husband thinks but also wear my hair to suit his preferences.  For us, this is a "give and take" - each doing these "easy" things to bring joy.  For example, he shaves on weekends because I prefer to kiss a smooth face.  (Most guys we know take the weekends off from shaving.)   I figure, I can't give him a voice like Whitney Houston or a back end like J Lo, so why not work with what I have?  Is that so "old-fashioned" or oppressive to women?

When we were first married, he commented on my hair all the time.  It took me a while to realize he really truly LOVES my hair.  When he would run his fingers through it spontaneously and then started brushing it as affection?  I realized then that this guy takes his wife's hair seriously!  In fact, it's been a standing "joke" in our house that if I ever come home with my hair chopped off in those new spiky styles, he will know I want a divorce.  lol   He does plenty of other quirky things that make ME happy.  Two peas in a pod, I'd say.

Also, he has told me he loves when I change my hair up - whether with color or style.  When I occasionally do go "curly", he loves it!  I was playing around with the mosaic maker at BigHugeLabs.com (free) and made this collage to show how much I've changed over the years.  Ha!

How fast does your hair grow?  Do you care what hair styles/colors your husband prefers and do you wear your hair to suit him?

Update on Curly Hair Progress

I wrote several months ago about growing my hair out and planning to "go curly", having just discovered I have curly hair.  lol  I KNOW, that seems ridiculous, doesn't it!  To be 43 and find out a few years ago - Hey, I have curly hair!  I just thought I had "messy" hair, never knew with the right product and styling technique, I could wear it curly.

So, I tried it out a few months ago and did NOT like it - too short!  My hair kinks up quite a bit, so I decided to go on a "grow out" mission.  This was in October, 2009:

Now today, we had been swimming all afternoon and decided to go run errands, I jumped in the shower and very quickly put product in my hair and used the diffuser on it a bit.  I had no rhythme or reason and didn't even remember what to do, honestly.  But I have to say I am impressed - considering the circumstances, I am thrilled with the progression of my curls.  Here is a photo we just took, after our errands and after sitting in a chair flattening it a bit:

 With the proper styling products and techniques, the "crown" won't be flat in general, but look how cork screw curly my hair is underneath?  I won't be "going curly" for probably another year at this grow rate, lol, but I look forward to it.

It was so funny watching Andy tonight - he has the weirdest "affect" - he said it was freaking him out how different I looked, like I was spunky or gonna be feisty or something.  He LOVES the curly look,and frankly loves any change I do to my hair (short of cutting it off short OR going red, neither of which he would enjoy).  lol

I alternate between completely flat (with a flat iron), mildly curled, heavily curled or now this naturally curly style. 


I don't think I posted this, but this photo was taken after my last hair cut/color last month.  Totally flat but with a new cut - hubs says it reminds him of the girl on Castle.  lol

Looking at this picture, you can really see how "much" my hair kinks up when allowed to go naturally curly, huh!

Do you change up your hair or hair style, or do you look mostly the same? 

Have a glorious day!

Ever used a Microfiber towel on your hair?

As some of you know, I am growing my hair out to be able to wear my hair curly for a few months.  I tried it a bit ago, but my hair was too short and by the time the curls formed, my hair was then too short for my taste.  While reading all about curly hair and how to take care of it, I came across a recommendation to use a microfiber towel on hair, regardless of whether one has curly hair or not.

The microfiber towel actually soaks up the water so fast and efficiently, it cuts way down on frizz.  I kept it in the back of my mind, but did not want to pay $20+ for that towel online.  

We were at Marshalls one day and I saw this product:  A microfiber towel for dogs!!

As you can see, it was only $5.99.  I brought it home and put it away, knowing I was months away from needing it (thinking only to use it on curly hair).

We were in Bed Bath and Beyond the other day in the sheets section looking for those elastic things that hold sheets on your bed, and I saw a"fancy" microfiber towel for hair drying - for $21.99!!  Yikes!  That reminded me to come home and get mine out.

I am writing this post because you HAVE to go get one!!  Wow!!  Here are pictures from what my hair looks like after taking a regular towel down and after the microfiber towel.  I have not touched the hair with my fingers at all yet.

Notice all the frizz?

Do you see the huge difference?  Now imagine you don't have curls, but tons of frizz.  This microfiber business is awesome and makes styling so much easier.  

These curls are my natural hair after shampooing and then wrapping my hair in a towel "turban" while I put on my makeup.  And can you believe I never knew I had curly hair?  HA!!  I'm not even kidding!  My hairdresser had quite a look on her face one day when she asked if I wanted her to style my hair curly that day.  I looked like a dumbstruck 2 year old.  "HUH?"  I said?    

So now, I have these beautiful curls, and I can't wait until my hair is long enough to have beautiful curly hair and some length.  

Always true to my frugal ways, see if you can find that pet towel at Marshalls or TJ Maxx.  You will LOVE IT. 

P.S.  It is so much lighter on the head than a regular towel  - no more headaches!

Have a great day!

Flat Iron Results Photos

I am growing my hair out to go "curly" for a while.  Until then, I need to manage this wavy/unruly hair I have going on.  This is day 2 of adjusting to my new Sedu Flat Iron.

Before:  I just blew dry my hair with no plan - just straight blow dryer.  It looks wacky in the back.

After:  

I didn't quite know the right technique, so my hair is just straight down. I will work on getting it to turn under just a bit.  And this only took me about 10 extra minutes!

Have a great day!

Curly Hair News

Added a photo of the Coke Salad a few posts down, FYI. 

Second, I got a Sedu Flat Iron and I am in LOVE!!!!!!!!!

I chose this one based on research and the thousands of testimonials of folks who say this is the number one best flat iron for my type of hair.  I had already purchased a cheaper flat iron and it just simply destroys my hair and frizzes it to pieces.   I talked about my curly hair HERE, and I swear, I do NOT know what is up, but my hair is just getting curlier and curlier.  Could it be the surgeries and anesthesia I've had over the last few years?  Who know!  I am in a "grow -out" period right now, as keeping it curly before just ended up with too short hair for my taste.  My curls shrink up almost 3 to 4 inches, so I'm growing it out to have longer hair overall.  When I then go curly again, it will still be longer.  Make sense?  Andy is loving my longer hair right now.  He is definitely a guy who could not handle those short hair styles many women get nowadays.  But shoot, when your man brushes your hair and plays with it, why not keep it the length he likes?  Right?

I took this photo one morning after I took the towel down - see what I mean?

Anyhoo.......in the mornings, I can barely get the curls untangled to do anything with it.  As it gets longer and longer, it is getting harder to even comb out.   I am loving the products from Kinky Curly - specifically the Come Clean Shampoo -

(This product is AMAZING and MUCH healthier for your hair than the Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo, which is almost pure Ammonium Laurel Sulfate AND has both Methyparaben and Propylparaben -  3 chemicals all women want to avoid, all of which we are working hard to eradicate from our home entirely.  This is likely why Neutrogena only recommends using that product no more than once a week.)  Parabens are known to mimic the hormone estrogen, which has been implicated in breast cancer.  Lots of info online if you look in to it.  Studies conflict, but I'm not taking any chances.  Not when there are some great products without any parabens. 

And my big-time favorite?  The Knot Today Detangler -

I keep a wide tooth comb in the shower, and when I'm ready to get out of the shower, I put the Knot Today through my hair, use the wide tooth comb to get the product through my hair and untangle everything.    Smells heavenly as well, and I am very scent-sensitive.  A very mild fruity scent.

These products can be purchased online or at Wild Oats.  If you go to Wild Oats (which I think is now Whole Foods Marketplace?), you may have to ask for it.  It is not with all the other shampoos.  At ours, it is an aisle over near the makeup in a glass case. 

Today, I had to leave for an appointment and rushed through with the flat iron.  Even with the pitiful job I did, my hair looks SO different, so smooth, and hubs was tickled when he came home.  He loves it when I change my look.....always has.  lol  The trick is sectioning the hair and taking time to flat iron all the sections, so will take a bit longer than I'm used to devoting to hair care in the morning.  But as soon as I get the hang of it, I will take before and after photos so you can see the difference.

Having so much fun and loving all my hair style choices these days!

P.S.  I was not paid to advertise any of these products.  Just honestly love them and wanted to share!

Curly Girl Method - Day 3

Who knew I had curly hair?  Did I always?  I have no idea.  I do know my mom gave me perms for much of my childhood (4th grade to high school and beyond).  Did I get these curls with pregnancy?

One day I was at the salon and the girl asked me if I wanted to go "curly" that day.  I was like "HUH?"  Thought she was a nutcase.  Nope - I was the clueless one.

Every time I tried to go curly, it was unruly and a mixture of curly and flat.  I ran across the Curly Girl method last week, got the book Curly Girl by Lorraine Massey, and am on day 3.  It takes a few weeks at a minimum to get hair to behave and I am totally impressed with my day 3 results.  Wish I took a picture of day one - just washed and left to dry curly.  Very flat and barely wavy.

Did you know curly hair is classified into 4 different categories, and the subcategories?

1 - Straight
2 - Wavy
3 - Curly
4 - Kinky Curly

And then from there, 2a, b, or c; 3a, b, or c; etc.

If anyone knows how to tell, please tell me what you think this hair is!! Is it 2b or 2c? I do have some spirals, so is that 2c?

Have a great day!