Curly Hair Secret- tie it up

Whenever I wash my hair at night and go to bed without doing anything to my hair I end up with super curly hair on one side of my head and completely flat hair on the other side of my head when I wake up. Alternatively, my hair can get frizzy and annoying when I let it air dry when I forget to put products in it or if I'm just having a bad hair day. One solution I use is the hair tie. Now, I'm not going for the crinkled I-obviously-just-had-my-hair-in-a-ponytail look, so I put my hair up in a simple bun by gathering my hair super high on the top of my head and twist   until my hair forms a bun. I loosen the strands a little and wrap my hair tie loosely around my bun, keeping it only tight enough to barely keep it in place. This takes maybe 30 seconds to do so it's okay if it comes out after a while. When you wake up (or a half an hour or so later) your hair will have the prettiest waves! Set with hairspray and voila- gorgeous hair! There are three different hair ties that work really well with this hairstyle.

1. Regular no-snag hair ties (the kind for thin hair- not the super thick ones)

These are probably something every girl has one or two of laying around. They work, but if you're not super careful putting them in your hair they can cause creasing.

2. 80's style scrunchies 

While these work really well they're kind of unsightly. I wouldn't wear them out of the house! They are pretty cheap at the dollar store though- I do use them while I'm sleeping because they cause significantly less damage to your hair and I've never had trouble with creasing. 

3. Crease-less elastic hair ties

These are super great! They look super cute in your hair or on your wrist and don't cause any creasing- even if you're wearing your hair in a ponytail! I've had a couple friends with these and they all love them- I haven't purchased any yet because they are usually pretty expensive ($4 plus each!) but I've just found some on etsy for 7 for $1.50 (plus $2.50 shipping) which is an amazing deal that I'm about to order right now!! link (pictured above): http://www.etsy.com/listing/91840361/the-love-pack-foe-hairties-set-of-7?ref=sr_gallery_3&sref=&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=elastic+hairties&ga_order=price_asc&ga_ship_to=ZZ&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_page=0&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade

-Elle <3

My Curly Hair Secrets

Hair is cause of great concern for most girls  whether it's style or management everyone has their issues. Personally I feel I've gotten my hair under control with the products and tools I use on a regular basis to get it that way.One of my friends even asks to borrow all my "curly hair stuff" every time she comes over! I have medium to dark brown hair with a loose curl/ wave to it, my hair is pretty thin in texture but isn't lacking in weight because I have a TON of it. I'll insert a picture here when I get a chance of what my hair looks like from the back on an average day.


My Routine

When I first get in the shower I wash my hair right away to get all the dirt out (I hate having even slightly greasy or dirty hair) and to prep my hair for conditioning. I use the Biolage color care shampoo (I don't think the conditioner is worth the price... or really anything at all!) You can actually get this pretty cheap on Amazon  for around $20 which could sound like a lot to some but this size lasts my pretty long hair around 6 months actually saving me money. Also, even though it IS geared towards colored hair it works wonderfully at not stripping the hair of all its moisture which us curly girls can appreciate!! Also, this is seriously the best smelling shampoo I've ever used. Get it here-http://www.amazon.com/Biolage-Matrix-Color-Shampoo-Ounces/dp/B0007CXXDM

Right after I shampoo I put a quarter sized amount of the Aussie Deeeeep 3 Minute Miracle conditioner in my hair. I leave it on for a couple minutes while I shave, wash my face, and go about my business in the shower. Even though it is a deep conditioner I use it every day, it's my all-time favorite! It conditions without making my hair oily or greasy and it smells like coconuts which compliments the smell of the shampoo to make the most heavenly scent- I get TONS of compliments on how good I smell and it's always this!!! You can buy this at drugstores for around $3.

Right when I get out of the shower before even so much as brush my hair I put some serum in it. The serum I'm using right now is Beyond the Zone Straight shot (yes... I know we are going for the curly look here :p). It is discontinued but it's not particularly great anyways- I feel like most serums are created equally. Another I've like more than this one in the past is the Chi silk infusion which smells great as well and the Beyond the Zone Frizz Zapper Anti-frizz serum is really amazing as well as long as you only use a couple drops as it goes into greasy territory quite easily. You can get the Beyond the Zone Frizz Zapper Anti-frizz serum here: http://www.sallybeauty.com/hair-glosser/SBS-140222,default,pd.html?cgid=Hair04 .


After I put the serum in my hair I use a leave in conditioner or a curl cream. After all my products are in I brush them through my hair. Unfortunately the ones I use are discontinued. However, I've heard the leave in conditioner from Garnier in the green bottle with the water bottle-type pull lid is great and I plan on trying it after I run out. Another option would be the Sunsilk curl creams I've tried the one in the pink bottle and the one mixed with gel. they're both really good as long as you're okay with ordering online if you live in the US. 

After I have all my products in I blow-dry my hair. This step isn't necessary but since I take showers in the morning I prefer no to go out with wet hair. If you do blow dry make sure to use a heat protectant. 

After my hair is dry I brush through it with a brush to get all the tangles out.Also brushing gets all of the frizz out of your hair from blow drying it. Yes, brushing curly hair IS fine once its dry as long as your curl pattern isn't too tight! 

After I've brushed my hair I spray some of my Pantene curl lock hairspray into the palm of my hand two to three times, rub my hands together and work it into my hair and repeat one more time. After I've put all that I need in I lightly scrunch my hair at the ends to give it its natural curl back without all the frizzies it had before. 

If my hair needs it I'll add more serum or curl cream, if not, I'm ready to go! 

-Elle <3