In the aforementioned blog, I already discussed how I came to discover that my roommates – Erin and Jennifer – never washed their faces with anything other than water while they took their showers; and curse them, they had poreless, pristine skin without a blemish to be spotted.  I was reminded of this story when one of my male colleagues was dared to use a Bioré® Deep Cleansing Pore Strip.  Not only did the strip come off without a single whitehead or blackhead attached, but he professed he never washes his face, outside of splashing it with water in the shower.   Sounds familiar.  (And as if all the female colleagues couldn’t possibly hate him more, he went to further reveal that he doesn’t wash his hair either.  Now you may think that’s repulsive and unsanitary, but I’ve known this guy a while and I would never have speculated as such.  This is, however, another revelation worth discussing another time.)  Coincidence?  Doubtful.

Over the years, I’ve been too eager to try product after product, looking for the next best thing, that I eventually forgot about how great my skin looked when I adopted the minimalist approach to cleansing to my skin.  After my colleague’s confession, I decided to go back to cleansing my skin only at night to remove my makeup.  What I use might make your jaw drop and deserves its own blog – so I’ll just tell you that it’s a gentle cleanser that requires no water.  By the end of the week, my skin is happier than it has been in a while with less blemishes and more clarity.  Now, if only I could work in that no washing my hair thing! ;-P

I will continue to discuss this issue in my upcoming posts.  I’ll share with you my own routine, including that jaw-dropping secret; I think you guys are going to be surprised!

Photo c/o xkcd.com.

The summer months in muggy DC had begun to take a toll on my hair.  Frequent showers (all one has to do is stand outside and in minutes the sweat beads swell at your every pore), matched with frequent blow drying began to sabotage any potential for good hair days.  On top of that, my long hair would sweep my neck and back when I went on long, sweaty runs; the salt collecting on the ends of my hair began to really dry it out.  And after trying SO HARD to grow my hair out, I was now contemplating hacking a chunk off in order to have healthy looking hair again!  That was until something happened three weeks ago.

I had been sitting at my desk doing some late night work.  The television was on in the background, and I was so engrossed in my work that I hadn’t noticed the transition of late night programming into later night programming – and you know what that means: infomercials galore.  Excited voices claiming drastic improvement was enough to pique my interest, and I tuned in.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve learned the hard lesson – repeatedly –  that most of that stuff is complete garbage sold in pretty packaging by pretty people.  Sometimes – albeit rarely – there’s a gem in there, and Wen cleansing conditioner happens to be that outlier.

Hollywood stylist Chaz Dean created an innovative way to cleanse and condition hair in one easy step using natural ingredients and no harsh and damaging detergents.

Wen® Cleansing Conditioner is a revolutionary new concept in hair care. A 5-in-1 formula, this one product takes the place of your shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, detangler and leave-in conditioner. It cleanses hair thoroughly but without lathering and all the harsh ingredients that may be found in ordinary shampoos—it is designed so it won’t strip your hair and scalp of their natural oils. Your hair is left with sheen, moisture, manageability and better color retention.

Dean went on to use a brilliant analogy that made a lot of sense.  He compared washing one’s hair with shampoo to washing clothes with laundry detergent.  What happens if you wash a black shirt every single day in the washing machine?  It wears down the fabric and fades the color.  Hello!  That’s exactly what the detergents in our shampoos are doing!  Maybe, just maybe this hair guru was onto something.

And after a plethora of celebrity endorsements, I didn’t need any more convincing that this was worth a shot.  I bought a bottle the next day.  I was stoked when my purchase arrived and wasted no time in testing it out.  I didn’t use anything else in my hair and then gave it the real test: air drying.  Not only was my hair shinier than I had seen it in a long time (particularly on the ends), but I was able to get my fingers through my dry ends without getting them stuck in dry, tumbleweed tangles!  Sold.

Some useful tips on use:

• Use as directed!  You’ll use a lot of product, but you should definitely apply the cleanser as described in the directions for the best results.
• If you have dry hair, use a regular conditioner afterwards – I do and it makes my hair even more lush!
• If you skip washing your hair daily, I love this tip provided on the website: Combine 4-6 pumps of Cleansing Conditioner with a quarter-size amount of Styling Crème in a spray bottle with water. Shake vigorously to mix completely. Spritz it on 12-18 inches above hair to provide a light mist. Shake out and restyle or fluff up your hair!
• Use it as a body wash!  It’s less harsh than most body products and it gets you clean!
• Use it as a shaving cream! (Gosh, this really is an all purpose product!)

If you’re not one for purchasing items through infomercials, especially ones that place you on auto-ship, I’m on the same page.  QVC, thankfully, sells it on their website, providing you with several purchasing options.  Additionally, if you’re trying to save on funds – or if you’re like me with crazy, long hair that needs a ton of product, there is a generic formula sold through Sally Beauty Supply.   The generic brand is made by Fiske, called Hair One.  It also has four formulas.

I won’t promise you that you will suddenly have a glorious mane if you’ve been abusing those tresses for some time.  I will, however, tell you that your hair will look instantly better with one use, and over time you’ll see that lessening the stress on your strands will gradually get you to that glorious mane of luscious locks.

To all of my readers, I’m terribly sorry for the lag in posts – I keep asking myself where does all the time go!  I promise there are some really great posts to come!  I have exciting products to review – so keep an eye out for them!

Slider image c/o arteunporro.

These clinically and consumer tested eye shadows provide a sheer wash of gorgeous, natural color. The long-wearing formula is free of fragrances and artificial dyes and contains both the Youthful Synergy™ Complex and a Balkan Botanical® Infusion. The Youthful Synergy™ Complex has Brown Algae, Diamond Core Powder, and powerful antioxidants that lift, hydrate and revitalize the appearance of skin. The Balkan Botanical® Infusion soothes, softens, and hydrates the skin.

Research Results:

-Clinical result reported at 1 hour is:
29% increase in skin hydration.

-Clinical results reported at 4 weeks are:
Appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on upper eyelid and brow area are reduced.
Appearance of upper eyelid puffiness is reduced.

-Consumer test results after 4 weeks of use:
70% noticed reduction of the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on the eyelid
77% noticed eye area appears illuminated
83% noticed eyelid appears smoother
70% noticed eyelid appears firmer
68% noticed hooded lid appears less visible
83% noticed overall eye area appears lighter/brighter

Need I say more ladies? Your makeup just got bumped up a grade.

After the doctor learned of Melanie’s nickel allergy, she was able to quickly diagnose the stomach rash.  As it turned out, the culprits were the coin sized buttons from her jeans.  If you knew Melanie, you would also know she was not about to give up on her hot denims.  She even considered letting the rash have a permanent spot on her belly.  Luckily, instead of having to toss out her jeans or give up her savvy fashion sense, the dermatologist told her there was a much more attractive and simple solution: clear nail polish.

Melanie now coats all the buttons in her pants with clear nail polish, and has not seen her rash reappear in the past year.   If you’re finding yourself with the same problem, try the nail polish out.  And don’t let it stop there!  You can even coat jewelry.  So go ahead and get those cute dangle earrings you passed up yesterday.

Photo c/o JBEwing.

Generally, I’m not a fan of a lot of over the counter spot treatments.  I find that they irritate my skin and mostly worsen the blemishes.  Whenever using salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, my pimples tend to become larger, redder and take much longer to heal.  So instead, one of the treatments I use comes from Lush.  Lush’s Fresh Pharmacy is a facial soap that is good for oily skin types.  While too drying for washing my entire face with, I have found that it does make a great spot treatment.

A main ingredient in Fresh Pharmacy is calamine powder, which reduces redness and irritation.  It also contains antibacterial tea tree oil and soothing chamomile.  These are all key ingredients for effectively and gently treating your blemishes.  At night, before going to sleep, place several drops of water onto the soap and rub them around with the tip of your finger until you’re able to make a little paste.  Using a finger, dab the paste on top of the pimple(s) and allow the “solution” to dry before hitting the sack (this should only take a couple of minutes maximum).  In the morning, wash off the treatment during your routine.  If there is still some redness, just continue using the Visine treatment.  In future posts, I’ll give you other options for pimple and acne treatment.  I promise there will be some great tips to come!

First line of defense: Visine.  You should always have this in your makeup bag/shaving kit.  Visine has two active ingredients: tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride (I had to sound that out, too) and potassium chloride.  Tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride is a vasoconstrictor, which causes blood vessels to constrict.  This is why it gets the red out of your eyes.  And this is also why it will get the red out of that pimple!  If there is only slight redness, squeeze a few drops of Visine onto a Q-tip and hold it on the pimple for a while. Then, let the solution air dry on your skin.  If you have a bit more redness, what I like to do is tear off a tiny square of tissue and soak it with Visine.  I fold it to just a little over the size of the blemish and then I place it on top of the pimple.  I keep this on while I finish doing my makeup.  10 to 15 minutes later, I take it off and the redness is usually entirely gone.  A word of caution – be mindful of the size of the piece of tissue you use and how long you leave it on the pimple.  I once used tissue torn to the size of my thumb print and left it sitting on my face for half an hour (until it dried out).  I was left with a completely white square between my two eyebrows.  A little goes a long way!   In the next post, I’ll tell you the second line of defense!