KMS Sea Salt Spray Review

Hey everyone! Today I'm reviewing KMS California Hairplay Sea Salt Spray. Sea salt sprays are all the rage lately, because it seems like everyone wants that wavy, tousled, beach hair. I have to say that KMS really came through with this product because I think it's great! The label says it "adds fullness and texture like a day at the beach." and it really does, with a slight matte finish.

Besides the product itself, I actually love the fact that it's in a spray bottle! Goddd I wish more products used that instead of a finger spritzer, I just think it's easier. This way you never lose the tiny plastic caps that go with it. Don't you think? Maybe it's just my personal preference but I think a lot of people would like to have more products in actual spray bottles.

Jeez, rant much? LOL sorry. Spray bottles get me worked up I guess, haha. Anyways here are the main ingredients: Water, Magnesium Sulfate, Alcohol Denat., Propylene Glycol, Isoceteth-20, Citric Acid, PVP, Sea salt, etc.Like I talked about in my post about Redken CAT, Magnesium Sulfate has a lot of uses, but for this product it's probably used to give your hair that matte finish, along with denatured alcohol (Alcohol Denat.) which can be drying to your hair but in this case it's sort of recreating the texture and body you get from being at the beach, swimming in the ocean, etc. Propylene Glycol: humectant, nothing new there. Isoceteth-20 is a synthetic compound made from fatty acids. It's used as an emulsifier. Citric Acid is a natural preservative used to adjust the pH of products. PVP is a film former that gives a light hold, nothing too heavy or drying. Sea salt has been around forver; people have been using it for hundreds of years. It's great at detoxing, drawing out impurities, exfoliating and softening skin, relaxing muscles when added to a bath, promoting circulation, I could really go on and on. And in case you don't know, sea salt is made by sea water evaporating by the sun, or other means.

Personally, I think the best way to use a sea salt spray is to use it on damp hair and let it air dry. When you use heat with a product like this, it sometimes can end up drying too fast and you might not get the full effect. Remember that this does give a slight matte finish, so I suggest not using any other products that add shine. They might not get along and end up canceling each other out... I know that sounds weird, but it really can happen. And don't think that you have to saturate your hair with this product--a light mist is all it takes. Quick tip: If your hair doesn't have that much of a natural wave, try setting your hair in loose pin curls and using low heat if you really wanna get those waves in your hair. I do it to people all the time and it works great!

OH! I almost forgot. It smells like peppermint-grape. I think it smells quite delicious, yet refreshing imho. =)

KMS Sea Salt Spray retails for around $13-$15, and comes in a 200 ml / 6.8 fl oz. spray bottle. All done! You can go shopping now! LOL just kidding. Take care of your hair!

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Redken Real Control Intense Renewal Review

Hello all! Today I'm reviewing one of my all time favorite hair masks! It's called Intense Renewal and it's from the Real Control line by Redken. Real Control, for those who don't know, is formulated for "dense, dry, sensitized hair" and ALL of those apply to me. I've had this for almost a year now, and I seriously don't know how I lived without it. I've only used about half of it, and even though I have short hair, a little goes a very long way. It makes my dry, damaged hair feel SO soft and healthy... well, as healthy as my hair can feel LOL! And the entire Real Control line is safe for color-treated hair.

The ingredients include: Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, PEG-180, Candelilla Wax, Amodimethicone, etc. Cetearyl Alcohol and Behentrimonium Chloride are just your run of the mill conditioning agents. PEG-180 is part of a group of polyethylene glycols. You may have seen this ingredient before, or maybe with a different number, but they're quite commonly used in cosmetics. Anyways, it's used as a humectant which, as we all know is used to draw in moisture to your hair/skin. Candelilla Wax is extracted from the candelilla plant, a shrub that is native to Mexico. It's what gives this mask it's thick consistency, and it's also a good emollient. Amodimethicone is just another silicone derivative.

I love using Intense Renewal right after a CAT treatment. My hair feels stronger, healthier, and my damage is less noticeable. I leave CAT on for five minutes, rinse, apply Intense Renewal under a plastic processing cap and leave on for 15-20 minutes and rinse with cool water. It works wonders for me. In case you wanted to know. ;-)

Redken Real Control Intense Renewal comes in a 250 ml / 8.5 fl oz. pot, and retails for about $15-$17. If you really love it, I've also seen it in a travel size, but I'm not sure how much it is. Google it! :-P

I hope you liked this review! If you try it, comment and lemme know how it works! Or if you have it/have tried it, comment and tell me your experiences! As always, I love reading all your comments. Take care of your hair! :D

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Ion Stain Barrier Crème Review

Hey guys! Just wanted to share a quick review of Ion's Stain Barrier Crème. I picked this up... gosh I don't even know how long ago it was. I think almost a year ago actually, and I kinda forgot about it for a while LOL but I've been using it lately and I really like it! I admit that most of the time I color my hair I just use Vaseline instead of barrier cream, but I find that it doesn't always work (especially with darker/no-lift colors), plus it's kind of a pain to get off.

Anyways, Wednesday night I triple glazed my hair using red colors and after I rinsed out my color each time I didn't have a spot of color on me thanks to this barrier cream! It does have a pretty thick consistency, so make sure you just get it on your hairline and not your hair! I accidentally got some on the sides of my front hairline during the first glaze and I noticed that the color didn't take as well in those spots, so do be careful.

For something as simple as barrier cream, it is actually pretty moisturizing, and even smells good! Kinda fruity, maybe like.. bananas? Hahaha I'm so bad with scents, sorry! The point is, it smells good (to me at least) and it works!. I highly recommend this to all the haircolor DIY divas out there. ;-)

Ion Stain Barrier Crème is available at Sally's for $3.99 ($2.99 if you have a Sally card) and comes in a 50 mL / 1.69 fl oz. tube. As always, please comment and share your thoughts if you use this, or if you use something else that you love! I look forward to reading everyone's comments. :D Take care of your hair everyone!

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It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product Review

Hello! Today I'm reviewing It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product. There's been SO much buzz about this stuff, but I have to admit the vague name had me a little sketchy about getting it but... I'm so glad I did! This product is great! It claims to do 10 things instantly, and I'm going to break down each claim with you guys and share my opinion on whether or not they follow through.

Since parabens have been so controversial lately, I do want to let you know that this product has Methyl and Propyl in it (the third and fourth ingredients respectively). This product has a shelf life of 36 months which is 3x longer than the average hair product. Unfortunately I'm not a cosmetic chemist so I'm unable to tell you why they are so high up on the ingredient list so... if you're anti-paraben, you might not want to use this product.

All that aside, let's take a peek at the rest of the ingredients: Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Propylene Glycol, Panthenol, Cydomethicone, etc. One thing I will say about this product is that it's surprisingly thick. You wouldn't think so because it's in a spray bottle, but if you open it up you can see the consistency is similar to conditioner, which is basically what this product is (if any of you have used Redken Real Control conditioner, the texture is similar to that). I've talked about all these ingredients in past posts and they're all great conditioning agents, but if I hadn't heard so many great things about this and judged it based on the ingredients.. I'd probably pass on it. Just goes to show you the power of word of mouth. Now let's go through all 10 claims individually, and see if it's a hit or miss.

1. Repairs dry, damaged hair: I sort of have a problem with the word "repair" because honestly... once your hair gets damaged, it's damaged. Anything that "repairs" it is only a temporary effect. If they replace it with Conditions dry, damaged hair then that would be a lot better, because it definitely conditions your hair.
2. Adds shine: It certainly does. My hair, and other's who I've tried this on was noticeably shinier.
3. Detangles: Yes! If your hair tangles easily, a couple spritzes and you're tangle-free! With all these conditioning agents it better detangle! Haha. :-P
4. Controls frizz: Because it conditions your hair so well, it does control frizz very nicely. However, frizz control is kind of a personal thing so you should see for yourself if it works well with your hair or not.
5. Seals & protects hair color: Not the most outstanding claim, because anything conditioning will protect your hair color, but I don't disagree with it.
6. Prevents split ends: Perhaps with continued use it will lessen the appearance of split ends, but aside from constant hair cuts nothing "prevents" split ends. Everyone gets them.
7. Stops hair breakage: I think this claim goes hand in hand with #6, but I did notice that damage looks and feels less noticeable.
8. Creates silkiness: Totally agree. It's hard to stop touching your hair when you use this.
9. Enhances natural body: Volume and body isn't really a problem for me, but I did notice that my hair felt fuller than normal. Again, this goes hand in hand with #6 and #7
10. Flat iron spray & thermal protector: I definitely agree that it is a thermal protector, but flat iron sprays are another one of those personal things that's different for everyone. I think it'll be great for coarser hair, but people with fine hair might have to approach with some caution. But hey, even if you don't care for it as a flat iron spray you could always just use it as a leave-in! :)

So even though some of the claims are stretched out a bit, what do you think? I personally love it and I think I'll be getting the large size bottle next time. Comment and let me know your thoughts, I really look forward to hearing what you all have to say. =)

It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product comes in a 4 fl oz. / 120 ml bottle, and retails for around $15. There is a limited edition 10 fl oz. bottle that retails for around $25-$29 depending on where you shop, so if you really love this stuff that will be your best bet!

Another day, another hair product right? LOL Take care of your hair everyone! ♥ ...read more ⇒

Red Haircolor Technique

Hey guys! Just thought I'd share a Red technique I did on a mannequin recently. I was inspired by Clairol's "Blazin' Intense Red" Technique, but I thought it was kinda boring so I took it to a new level. I used triangle partings all around the top of the head, leaving the hair under the occipital free. I lightened some parts to a level 7 and left the other parts natural (about a level 4, maybe 5). Here are some pics, and the products I used will be below them. Let me know if you like it. :D

Start:

Middle:

Finished:

The products I used were:

• Lightener: TIGI Colour Lights Modern Lightener with Coral and Ember Tonal Blends
• Red #1: Wella Koleston Perfect 6/45
• Red #2: Wella Koleston Perfect Special Mix 0/45
• Red #3: Pravana Vivids Red
• Color applied to free hair: Redken Shades EQ 05RV + Orange Kicker + Crystal Clear
• Finishing products: It's a 10 Miracle Leave In Product, Redken Blown Away 09, S-Factor Dream Drops, Bed Head Masterpiece Massive Shine Hairspray, Bed Head Headrush.

I'd love to do this on a real person! Unless they really loved how it is I would probably tone it down just a bit, maybe just slicing using a bright red and breaking up the base inbetween the foils with like a warm mahogany color. Anywho, whether you love it or hate it, you should be awesome and leave a comment! :D Love you all, and take care of your hair!

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TIGI Catwalk Your Highness Collection

Fine-haired divas rejoice! TIGI Catwalk's latest collection: Your Highness, promises to "pump up the volume and create flawlessly full styles." I am so excited for this collection! More so because I've never really been a fan of the Catwalk packaging, so I'm glad they gave Your Highness a facelift. :D

The Your Highness collection promises to "add body, fight frizz and give impeccable body and fullness. Ingredients like Jasmine, Lavender, Wisteria and Violet nourish each strand for soft, touchable hair with incredible volume." I seriously cannot wait to get my hands on these products.

What's in the collection? I'll tell you!

• Elevating Shampoo: Properly cleansed and flexible hair is the fabric essential to create beautiful volume. This decadent sulfate-free formula infused with Lavender, Wisteria, Jasmine & Violet imparts a fresh, lightweight finish.

• Nourishing Conditioner: Violet and Lavender Extracts prevent dry, itchy scalp while soothing and balancing hair. Wheat and Soy Proteins improve strength and manageability while adding fullness and shine.

• Thickening Gel Creme: This formula will promote impeccable fullness with amazing manageability and shine. A blend of Jasmine, Violet and UV filters helps protect hair while making it feel thicker and healthier.

• Root Boost Spray: This fine mist foam delivers the lift and support essential for a long lasting, dramatic style. The active ingredients add strength, elasticity and smoothness while thickening, moisturizing and conditioning hair.

• Weightless Shine Spray: The finishing touch for any voluminous style is healthy shine. This practically weightless spray eliminates frizz while adding luminous shine.

• Hard Hold Hairspray: The sheer, form-fitting finish keeps your style in place. Botanicals of Violet, Jasmine, Lavender and Wisteria, along with a UV barrier help protect hair “on location” and throughout the seasons.

So if you're lookin for a volume boost, go check out Your Highness by Catwalk! Treat yourself, and your hair like a queen... your highness. ;-)

Source: behindthechair.com

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August Favorites!

It's September already?! GEEZ where did the time go? Well I hope everyone's August was good, and I hope your September is even better!
Welllll, here are my August favorites, in case you'd like to know... ;)

Shampoo: L'Oreal Solar Sublime - Paired with the mask, it's perfect for healing the damaging effects of the sun.

Conditioner: L'Oreal Solar Sublime - Smells like fresh peaches and hydrates your hair, leaving it feeling soft and healthy!

Treatment: Joico K-PAK Reconstruct - It was one of my faves last month, and still is!

Smoothing/Shine: S-Factor Dream Drops - These award winning little drops are amazing! They really make your hair feel dreamy....

Volume: Bed Head Superstar Volumizing Leave-In Conditioner - It gives good volume and smells like bubblegum! What more could you want?! ;-)

Straightening: S-Factor Flat Iron Shine Spray - I know I'm repeating a lot this month, but it's only 'cause I really love this spray!

Texture: Goldwell Brilliance Jewel Shimmer Cream Wax - Color protection, piecey separation, and shine! Give it a shot.

Hairspray: Bed Head Masterpiece - Again, I still love this! It's even good at protecting against humidity, while still keeping your hair shiny and in place.

I know I repeated a few products, but only because I still think they're awesome and I use them all the time! By the way, I actually won the L'Oreal Solar Sublime products in a raffle over at http://www.HairstylistsForum.com If you're a stylist you should join! It's a pretty cool community, even cooler since I'm there... LOL just kidding! Anyways, hopefully the products I didn't repeat may have intrigued you enough to go check them out. What are your favorite products? Comment and tell me! I'd love to hear! ♥

On a completely unrelated note, Sweeps4Bloggers is giving away DVD Volumes 3 and 4 of X-Men the Animated Series! If you (or anyone you know) are an X-Men fan you should totally enter! Check it out: http://sweeps4bloggers.blogspot.com/2009/09/x-men.html

That being said, take care of your hair and have a great September!

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