Washing That Pretty Face

Okay, so I've decided to switch it up and talk about that beautiful face of yours today!  I just wanted to share some basic facts with you that I have learned and taught other people over the last 6 years or so.  It was about 6 years ago that I signed up to start selling Mary Kay.  I never would have thought of myself as a "sales-y" type of person so I was very hesitant to start.  I cut and colored peoples hair.  I did a fairly crappy job at doing my own makeup but I knew I looked a whole lot better with it than without it so I just faked it.  I have been using Mary Kay products for over 10 years though and have always loved them.  But one day I got a much needed "make-over" from a lady who my mom bought her Mary Kay from, and thank God I did!  I had finally learned how to apply makeup the right way.  It was only the very basics of course but I was very excited to learn proper colors, application, but most importantly why I needed to take good care of my skin before any makeup has even been applied.  I fell more in love with the products and the idea of educating other women in all of these areas.  I wanted them to not only know the proper way to apply makeup but how to have a good daily skin care routine if they wanted to keep that pretty face looking pretty beyond age 35!  The training and education I have received throughout these years in Mary Kay has been amazing.  I started doing hair because I love working with women, wanted to have my own business and set my own rules, and most importantly because there was no better feeling I had then when someone left my chair feeling beautiful.  I was a listener, an encourager, a therapist, and then a miracle maker when they finally left with their hair being exactly what they wanted!  What a rewarding career and trust me, I cannot wait to get back into it!  I thought Mary Kay would go perfectly with my hair business.  Hair and makeup.  Perfect.  And while taking a step back from doing hair, Mary Kay is something I have been able to keep doing because I can work from home.  I make my own hours, work around my schedule, and can continue this part of my career while having kids at home.  So I just wanted to say sorry in advance for every Mary Kay product that I plug.  It is pretty much all I have used the past 10 years so besides loving it, it's what I know.  I did not create this blog to sell you my product.  I am not on here for you to buy Mary Kay although I will never stop you if you ask, and I know you would be so happy with it!  I started it because I have learned so much over these past 8 years doing both hair and skin care that I figured why not share my information with you, and you can go buy what you feel is best for you, but at least you walk away knowing more than you did before!  So, that being said lets talk face wash!!!

So this is the cleanser I use and I must admit I love it!  I'll explain why later, I just wanted to break up all these words with a picture :)  How many of you wash your face every day?  And not just in the morning "every day".  I mean, morning and night.  If you don't, my hope is after you read this that you will start.  It has been said (now don't go asking me to quote whoever researched this because I don't know, I said, it has been said) that for every night you do not wash your face, that your skin ages by 13 days!!!!  Take it or leave it but after all I have learned about your skin, I can almost guarantee you that this is in fact total truth!  The problem is, when you are 18 or 25 you are not thinking about what your skin will look like when you are 50.  Well ladies, it's time to start thinkin!!!  What is the first thing people see when they look at you???  Your face!!!  So why not do everything you can to always keep your face looking great?!  Washing your face and using a moisturizer is the most important thing you can do for your skin.   You not only need to prep your skin in the morning to put makeup on it, and take all that makeup off at the end of the day, but there are so many things in the air that we cannot see with the naked eye, that get on your face and need to come off.  Think about it...when you get in the shower every day you do not just turn on the water, "rinse off", and get out do you?  Hopefully you said "no" there.  You most likely use some sort of body wash to clean yourself off with.  So don't think just throwing some water on your face in the morning and at night will count as washing.  It doesn't.  You need to find a good quality cleanser to be using on your face twice a day.

So now that we've established that cleaning your face good removes makeup and impurities from your skin, lets dig a little deeper.  Exfoliating your skin should be an important part of your skin care routine as well.  Face wash alone only does so much.  Reason #1 why I love the Timewise cleaner by Mary Kay is because it has tiny little beads in it that lightly exfoliate your skin every time you use it.  You do not want to use something harsh on your skin every day.  If you can find something with gentle microbeads in it, I recommend that.  Remember: nothing harsh.  If you cannot find something like that, then use an actual facial exfoliator twice a week.  Exfoliating your face helps really get in there to get out that deeper dirt that just face wash alone cannot do.  Your skin will be so much smoother if you do this.  And the better you are at cleaning out those pours and removing all the dirt and yuck that builds up on your skin, the better your skin will look in the long run.  And that's what we are going for...the long run. 

Using a toner is also very important.  Too many companies think toner = rubbing alcohol.  Smell most toners out there and that is what you will smell, alcohol.  Toners are meant to balance out your skins natural pH level.  People with oily skin need a toner that will absorb those oils and keep your skin looking healthy, not oily, but not drying it out either.  Most toners for oily skin just dry the heck out of your skin.  If you have dry skin, a toner will work to balance that out so you are not overly dry, but do not get greasy at all either.

Now this is another reason why I love my Mary Kay cleanser.  This particular cleanser I use (they have a few different ones) is a 3 in 1 cleanser, so it cleanses, along with having those microbeads in it to give you a very gentle exfolient every time you use it, and it also has a toner in it!  No need for 3 different products, and its only $18!  Oh and one more thing...it comes in 2 different formulas.  One is for normal to dry skin and the other is for combination to oily skin.  So you can use something that is tailored exactly for your skin.  

And the most important reason why I love this cleanser, is because it is anti aging!  Which will bring me to my last point for todays post.  (We will cover moisturizer next time)  If you are over the age of 25 you really should be using something that is anti aging on your skin.  Your skin is constantly regenerating itself.  When you are younger (under age 20) your skin regenerates itself every 24-48 hours.  Mature skin (over 50) can take up to 120 days to do the same thing!!!  Mary Kay products are meant to work with your skins natural renewal process but you really will get similar results if you are using a good line that has anti aging properties in it.  When you wash your face every day, twice a day, with a good cleanser you are taking your first step to healthy looking skin.  Toning and exfoliating will give you much better results and of course add an anti aging product if you are over 25 and you are really taking the right steps to keeping your skin looking younger and healthier for longer.  The goal is to kick that regeneration process of your skin into high gear and get it back to regenerating itself as often as possible.  Because this (pictured below) is not what you want your skin to be looking like!!!

So, I hope I didn't overwhelm anyone!  There are definitely some more things I want to cover on this and will do so on my next post about the importance of moisturizer.  Don't forget, your face is the very first thing people see when they look at you and always will be.  So even if you are under 40 and have what you feel is great skin and a great complexion, it will not stay that way forever.  I'm sure we can all agree that time flies!  It feels like just yesterday I was playing on the playground and getting in trouble for talking too much in class.  Now, I'm pregnant with my second baby and I'm teaching my first one the same "stop talking when the teacher is talking" lessons my parents taught me 20 years ago!  So thinking you will "one day" take care of you skin, is not the best idea you've ever had :)  The younger you are when you start taking great care of your skin, the better.  Us moms are busy.  So many times we just get into bed exhausted at night and the last thing we want to do is wash our face.  So decided to get ready for bed 5 minutes earlier.  Take that extra time for yourself.  You might not notice a huge difference right now, but you will be so glad you did in the future.  You take care of your kids (and/or work) all day.  You owe it to yourself to keep that beautiful face looking great forever!

Ok, so a quick run through of what you can look for if you want to really start taking great care of your skin.  

1. A good face wash.  Be careful with Neutrogena and Proactive.  They are very drying to your skin.  Even if you have oily skin and want something that is going to "dry it out", be careful.  By drying the heck out of your skin, it starts making more oil to replace all that is being lost and you can end up with dry yet oily, acne prone skin.  But that being said, if you feel like it really does work for you then great!  Just watch out for these things that could happen and switch to something else right away if it does.  Also remember ladies, if you are over 25 you need to start looking at anti-aging products.  There are so many additional added vitamins that our skin needs to start replenishing itself more often.  Lets not wait until we are in desperate need of botox before we get on an anti aging line!!!  
2. Try to find something with gentle exfoliants in it.  If it feels like sand paper is is way to harsh and should not be used daily.  If it's too gritty to use every day then use it a few times a week.
3. Find a good toner for your skin type, not just a universal one.  Try to find one that is aimed more towards if you have normal/dry skin or one that pairs nicely with more oily skin.
4. Moisturize moisturize moisturize!!!!!  But we will talk about that next time!

If your budget does not allow for all of these things right now then make it important to at least get yourself a good cleanser and moisturizer.  I cannot stress enough the importance of getting something that is anti aging if you are at least 25.  It might cost a little bit more but when you are older you will be so glad you spent that little extra money.  Add more to your skin care routine as you have to the money to do so, you don't have to do it all right now, but the sooner the better.  It's amazing to me how we will spend money on clothes before we take care of our face!  Those clothes will not matter at all 30 years from now, but your face will thank you for taking great care of it!  If you are already using a good cleanser and moisturizer and using it twice a day then good for you!!!  I hope I showed you why what you are already doing is so important, so keep up the good work!  If you have a good cleanser and moisturizer but are only using it in the morning, in the shower, or when you feel like it then I hope you see the importace now of those 2 little bottles and start using them more frequently.  And for those of you who don't use anything and rarely wash your face, I really hope you are able to spend a little extra time and money on yourself and start really taking great care of your pretty face!

If you have any questions regarding anything I talked about please feel free to comment below! If you have any interest in any Mary Kay products then go ahead and email me at clrobertson818@marykay.com or text me/Facebook me!  I hope you are able to find something that works great for your skin and that you make it a point to wash your face morning and night!  You can thank me in 20 years :)  Hope you all enjoy the rest of this cold weekend and are enjoying some time with you families.  At a time like this, being a mom has never been more of a privilege.  Make sure you read my next post that will follow this one up about the importance of moisturizer!  Oh, and one more thing...

"Keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling.  Because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about." -Marilyn Monroe

Xoxoxoxo,

Christina

Choosing A Shampoo

Alright, well here is a little follow up from what we talked about last time.  Hope you were all able to find a great dry shampoo if you were one of the ones needing some help in the greasy hair department! I did forget to mention one thing in that last post that is definitely worth touching on, it's a little pointer for when you go to use it the second (or third) day.  After you are done spraying it (remember, don't get too close) on your hair and roots, comb through it with a brush and turn your blow dryer on low and just get some medium heat on it.  You don't have to style it necessarily unless you have to get out any kinks that formed while you were sleeping.  But if your hair for the most part still looks decent and workable, then give it a good brush after you've applied the dry shampoo and zap it with the blowdryer for a few minutes before walking out the door.  It will liven it back up and make it look like you just styled it.  I love second day hair considering it takes me 40 minutes to blow dry and round brush out my hair after I wash it.  The dry shampoo, brush, lightly blow dry trick will take you less than 5 minutes!  And hey, I'll take that extra 30 minutes of sleep any day!  

Okay, so on to part 2.  I guess it's not really "part 2" because that sounds like more of a dry shampoo follow up post.  But today I'm going to focus more on just regular shampoo.  There are a ton of people who have beauty blogs out there and they are full of great info.  Over time I will be doing things that I am sure a lot of other people out there are already covering on their pages.  But in starting this blog I wanted to be able to give you some insiders tips on how and why things work and why you should do or not do something.  Anyone can sit there and show you a bottle of shampoo, a palate of makeup, and some face wash and talk it up.  I can show you my soft and shiny hair and tell you this shampoo will make yours looks like that.  I can tell you to buy this cleanser and moisturizer because it will give you a good complexion.  But I don't want to limit myself to just that.  I really wanted to make this blog to actually educate you.  So when you go buy a bottle of _______ you know why you are choosing it.  I don't want you to buy something because I have 15,000 twitter follows and you just listen to what I say because I am some internet beauty guru.  Although I must admit, I would love to be some internet beauty guru someday :)  So, know I am here to do a lot more than just shove a good product at you.  I hope you can really learn some good tips and make the best educated decision before buying your products from now on, because that's whats going to give you the best looking hair and skin.  You can go buy such and such shampoo one day because I said to buy it, use it up, then get bored and want to try something else.  Well, if I didn't tell you why it was so good to begin with, then the next shampoo you buy in a pretty bottle might be filled with all kinds of other crap that will actually harm your hair.  Ok, I'm done ranting now.  

NOW lets talk shampoo.  Let me start out by showing you this picture...

Now who remembers the old commercials for this stuff?!  So try not to think about the screaming, hollering, "yes yes yes" girl.  Instead, try to remember her super sudsy, foamy hair that looks like my sons bubble bath by the time he's done dumping the whole bottle of Mr Bubbles in it.  This shampoo really made a statement with their lathering soap galore shower scene.  Not only did it lead you to believe shampoos could do a whole lot more then cleanse (!) but it left a permanent impression on people that the more lather the better.  Well, this is simply not the case.  Quite the opposite actually.  The more a shampoo gets "suds-y", the harsher chemicals (sulfates) it has in it.  We are so used to wanting this crazy big-lathering shampoo that we feel if it doesn't lather very much that it's not cleaning.  Well, I got news for you.  The bigger the lather does not mean the cleaner your hair is when you're done.  You are actually stripping your hair and damaging it more by using shampoos that contain those harsh "big lather" producing chemicals.  The foaming agents actually dehydrate your hair and strip color and are only there because people expect bubbles.  

So now that you found out you've probably been using crappy shampoo your whole life (sorry, I had to deal with this reality too a while ago too), the question is, what should you be using?  Well the answer is quite simple really.  A sulfate free shampoo.  I use this and LOVE it.

It's an organic shampoo which pretty much just means it's free of your crappy, extra, unnecessary chemicals.  You will not get a very good lather with this but your hair will feel SO clean when its done.  I love it because it's a conditioning shampoo so it won't dry your hair out at all and it has argan oil in it so it's going to help make it smooth and shiny.  There is either a conditioner or a mask that goes with it.  I use the conditioner and again, I just love this stuff.  It is not a super heavy product but if you have really fine thin hair you might feel like it weighs your hair down a little bit more than normal.  It's more for your average hair type.  A little bit really does go a long way and it's the best shampoo I have found for cleansing super well and getting all that product buildup off the hair.  You can find DermOrganic at certain salons and Ulta carries it for $16.  It will also tell you (along with many others) that it's paraban free.  Everyone is jumping on the paraban free bandwagon and let me shed a little light on that while we're at it.  Parabans are in everything and yes they are bad for you in excess.  But what a lot of people don't know are parabans are an agent used to preserve something.  And any company out there can claim that their products are "paraban free" if they do not contain more than a certain percentage of parabans.  So yes, always feel free to go paraban free on something but you probably won't find anything out there that is truly 100% paraban free.  (Sorry to burst your healthy bubble).  Truth is, if a product was 100% paraban free, it would need to be stored in the refrigerator and would last you only about a week before turning brown and rotting.  Some parabans are needed to enable a product to sit out at room temperature and last for more than a few weeks.  So when a product says it's paraban free, it just means it has less parabans in it than the product that doesn't say that.  (That paragraph says "paraban" way too many times.) 

Now I could make this post super long and talk about all the different types of shampoos.  I could explain the pros and cons of the hydrating shampoos, volumizing, softening, color extending, curl enhancing, etc shampoos but I want to keep this as short and simple as possible.  Truth is, if you just switch to a sulfate free shampoo, you will notice a huge different in your hair.  Let me give you a few bullet points to also think about when choosing a shampoo, then if you have any other questions just let me know and I can try my best to help you pick the best one for your hair!

• Volumizing shampoos work to an extent but they work by opening up and exposing the cuticle of your hair.  Under a microscope a piece of your hair will look like shingles on a roof, and the goal is to have them all laid down nicely.  Volumizing shampoos will open that cuticle up so they are no longer laying down but stick out, making the hair thicker and fuller all over.  They not only don't work that well (in my opinion) but by exposing the cuticle like that your color will fade much faster and by using this as a regular shampoo your hair can become dry and brittle.  Instead, try a lightweight conditioner that won't weigh your hair down or as I always told my clients, get your full, volumized hair from products you put on after you wash it.  Or just use your volumizing shampoo occasionally.

Healthy hair cuticle 

Damaged hair cuticle 

• You really don't want to go with a conditioner that is going to make your hair feel slippery when  you've washed it out.  When your hair feels really slippery after being rinsed from conditioner it means that there is something in it that is leaving a film or coating on your hair to give it that feel. Soft, yes.  Slippery, no.  Also, do not put conditioner on your scalp.  It is only to be used at where the hair meets the top of your neck and below.  Using conditioner on your scalp will leave it greasy and will cause it to fall really flat.
• Hydrating shampoos are good for people that have medium to thicker hair, coarse hair, and/or live in a very dry climate.  If your hair feels dry and you are using a hydrating shampoo/conditioner on it and it's thin, all you are going to do is weigh it down.
• Feel free to get a type of shampoo customized to your hair type (color, curl, volume, etc) but if you have normal hair that is not too thick or thin, all you really need is a normal conditioning shampoo that is of course sulfate free.  It is nice to have options but don't throw something that is completely unnecessary on your hair.  You could be unhappy with it over time.
• You will still get some foaming and lather with sulfate free shampoos.   You just wont have Herbal Essances, bubble bath hair.  Don't be afraid of a lighter lather  :)  Your hair will thank you soon enough.

Here is a small list of some different sulfate free shampoos you can get at your local salon and Ulta.

Most Bed Head products are sulfate free.  They are not my favorite but give them a try!  They are reasonably priced.

Loreal's EverSleek is very affordable, about $6 a bottle.  Have not tried it so I cannot personally say if it's good or not.

All Alterna is sulfate free.  Great line, but very high price point.

All Pureology is sulfate free.  Great line, but very high price point.

My current favorite but I use the conditioner not the mask.  Reasonably priced for a professional line.

There are SO many others out there, these are just a few examples to get you thinkin!  Again, feel free to ask any questions if you are thinking about going with a certain line.  Unite and Aveda also make sulfate free shampoos.  Both lines are absolutely amazing (although more spendy) but you cannot purchase these anywhere except a salon that carries them.  

Okay well that's it for this post!  I hope this will help you be able to pick a better shampoo the next time you are on the hunt!  There are so many great ones out there but if you stick to sulfate free (and paraban free if you choose) than you will always be happier with the results.  Hopefully after cutting back on the amount you wash your hair and using a not so harsh line, your hair will be even more beautiful than it is now, it no time!!!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!  Do something for yourself, you deserve it!  And never forget, you are beautiful.  If no one else has told you that today, I have.  

Xoxoxo,

Christina 

How To Have Great Second Day Hair

First post on the new blog!  Let's start out simple :)

First off I just wanted to say hello and welcome to those of you kind enough to check out my new adventure!  If you didn't read the little "About Me" section then let me start off by saying that I've created this blog to discuss all kinds of things related to your hair and skin.  I am a mom of an amazing but wild 3 year old and 7 months pregnant with our second baby (a little GIRL!!!!).  I have been a hair stylist/cosmetologist for 8 years now but I am not currently working in a salon.  I decided to take a few years off to stay home and raise my son and it has been SO worth it!  Enter baby number 2...looks like I will be taking a few more years off to raise my sweet little girl.

I have kept up with my license and have been and will continue to do outside education so in a few years once I jump back into this thing, I know what I'm doing :)  I plan to open up an in home salon in a few years and I am so very excited about it!  Until then, looks like I'll be telling you the things I have learned these past 8 years and all I will continue to learn in the future.  I think it's going to be a fun way to still keep one foot in the beauty world by updating you weekly on all kinds of hair, skin, and makeup tips.

I have another blog that is fairly new that's more family oriented, where I talk about my growing family, what it's like being married to a police officer, what it's like living in a new city where I don't know a soul, starting up my little business of making handmade adorable things for your kiddos, and everything in between.  Check it out!

My beautiful little family 

Okay, enough about me.  Let's get to the point of todays post.  I'm going to be discussing something that might be a big "duh" for most of you.  But hey, if just one person learns something new then it's totally worth it!  And like I said before, let's start out simple.  Considering I will covering one main topic every time I post and there are an infinite number of things I can write about concerning your hair, skin, and makeup, I figure some days you'll read and learn a lot, and some days I might put you to sleep!  Sorry in advance if today is one of those "put you to sleep" days :)

On the agenda today...hair!  I'll keep this post pretty short and pretty strait forward.

How many of you wash your hair every day?  If you said "I do" well I say, don't.  Not only is it completely not necessary to wash your hair every day, it's actually not good for it.  I would say about 90% of my clients when I was working in a salon who did in fact wash their hair every day, didn't know there was anything wrong with it.  The other 10% knew it wasn't good, but they just couldn't live with that greasy second day hair.  Well, if you are one of the ones who said, "I do" about washing your hair every day, I can give you a few tips on how to keep that greasy second day hair under control!  But seriously, you really should not be washing your hair every day.

Your scalp produces natural oils.  Most of you I'm sure know this because whether it takes only 1 day or 5, your hair will eventually get oily.  These oils are essential in keeping your hair shiny, healthy, and in great condition so that it doesn't get damaged as easily.    These oils travel down the hair shaft but when you are washing it every day you are not allowing it to travel beyond just your scalp.  You might feel "cleaner" and less oily if you wash it every day but eventually you will notice your hair is breaking off easily, it's dull, and just lacks the manageability that it would have if you waited at least every other day to wash it.  Women with ethnic hair, course hair, thick hair, and/or curly hair can go much longer in between washes.  I had clients who would only wash their hair once a week!  They couldn't wash it more than that or it would get too dry and break off.  Keep in mind too if you are professionally coloring you hair and especially bleaching it, that you are going to have a much harder time keeping you hair in prime condition if you wash it too frequently.  There are no permanent colors out there that will last forever without fading.  So you will notice some fading (unless you are getting it bleached), but if you wash it every day you will notice much sooner that your "permanent" color is looking a lot more like your natural color.

Bottom line...you just shouldn't do it.  Since shampoo removes your natural oils and excess skin cells from your scalp, you are really going to notice overtime how dull and brittle your hair will become.  Maybe some of you have been washing your hair every day for years and think your hair looks fine.  And it might!  But I can guarantee you that if you did an experiment and went 3 months with washing it no more than every other day, you will notice a difference.  Now of course I know things happen.  Some of us moms can get all kinds of mysterious crap in our hair.  That is different.  I'm talking about when you go through your day and don't get any extra random crap in your hair.

Okay, so I'm going to make this part 1.  Not washing your hair every day will go great with some shampoo tips that I can give you when choosing the right shampoo for your hair.  I'll save that for the next post.  Your hair is important!  If you dont think so shave it all off.  (Didn't think you'd go for that) :)  You should want to do whatever you can to give yourself the best, healthiest, prettiest hair possible.

So here are a few tips for how to deal with that greasy second day hair.  Some of you might want to wait 2 days in between washing (if you can manage that, then that's even better).  There are of course the obvious things you can do.  I only need to wash my hair every 3 days.  So by the third day I often go for the cute hat look.  No one will see that oily scalp under your hat!  Unless of course your 3 year old rips it off your head!  But you can get all kinds of cute things like headbands, bandanas, those cute knitted head warmer things, hats and anything else you may have that will hide or help disguise that greasy head.

Then you have your product options.  Blondes can get away with using baby powder.   If your hair is dark brown, be warned!  There is a very good change it will look like you dumped baby powder in your hair.  Leave this tip to the blondes and those with light brown hair.  All you will want to do with this is lift up sections of your hair and sprinkle a small amount in the roots of your hair and repeat throughout the whole top of your head.  Then just use your fingers and lightly work the powder into your scalp and roots until it has soaked up the oil and your hair is looking clean again!

As far as products go dry shampoos are great!  They were designed for this purpose and are still a fairly new addition to the hair product world.  There are many different lines that make dry shampoo so shop around and find one thats best for you.   Most dry shampoos come in 2 forms.  A spray which is the most common and powder form.  The powders can be used to soak up excess oil but were more created to be used to give your hair some volume throughout your roots.  

I love the powder form and currently use Sexy Hair Powder Play (above) when I'm wanting to get rid of some oil but mostly to give me some volume on top.  I have long hair, so it's easy for it to look super flat.  You would apply this the same way you would the baby powder.  And yes, it is a white powder but dries colorless so you don't see any white.  A couple other professional lines that make this similar product in powder form are Redken and Schwarzkopf.  I have been using professional products now for a long time so I don't know what's out there that would be comparable to this that you can get at Target or wherever you get your products.  I know going with a professional line is much pricier but if you can make it work, there is such a big difference in using professional products (I will blog on this another day).

 These products are all going to be in the $20 price range (give or take) but they will last you forever!  They are in a small bottle but you just need such a small amount that they really do last.  I have had my Powder Play for over a year and I sometimes use my Schwarzkopf which I also love, and I have had that for 3 years!  Now I do not need this all the time so yes, it is going to last me longer.  But still, you should get at least 4-6 months out of it if you are using it every other day.

So the other form of dry shampoo is the spray form which is the most popular.  And this one doesn't have any fancy name, it's just dry shampoo.  Again, I do not know what they have in the stores where you might buy your products so I cannot recommend something in a lesser price range.  Most hair salons will carry a variety of these professional products so you can just buy it at your hair appointment or walk in to your local salon and see what they have.  You can also get these products at Ulta.  Keep an eye out for their sales because you can get some great deals through them and they have a very large selection of professional products.  So for dry shampoo in spray form I have not tried a lot but I have used Sexy Hair and Redken and I have been very happy with both.  For these you don't necessarily have to section out parts of your hair but instead, you will want to hold it about 12 inches away from your head and just quickly spray all over.  Be careful and remember you can always add more.  Some product lines tend to leave a white residue on dark hair if you get too carried away.  Oh, and for some reason, the stuff in the can is like magic.  If you leave the can tipped on its side or just throw it in a drawer where it is not standing upright it will magically disappear.   I have no idea why but I know several people who have had that happen to them in several different product lines.  So keep it upright under the sink or in the medicine cabinet.

   

So there ya have it!  Hopefully those of you who are wanting to go longer in between washing your hair have a few ideas of some products (or baby powder) that will help you do that!  Keep in mind dry shampoo is NOT to be used in the place of actual washing.  It does not have the cleansing proporties that regular shampoo has.  It is just be used to help control oil and make your hair look as if you had washed it.  There are so many products on the market so I hope you can find one that works great with your hair!  Keeping those natural oils in really is essential for beautiful, shiny, healthy hair!  :) 

Have a great weekend everyone and don't ever forget how beautiful you are!

Xoxoxo,

Christina