Thursday, August 2, 2007

I just spent a steamy lunch hour in the park. No, I wasn’t reading a racy romance novel--I’m talking about steam as in heat…muggy, hot, New York City summer heat. Luckily, it’s almost Friday and I’ll be retreating to the beach for some reprieve from the temperature this weekend. But upon returning to the office, my hot lunch got me to thinking: on days when hitting the beach isn’t an option, how can we get out of the heat?

Here’s an idea for keeping cool--make some waves of your own.

I love the naturally wavy look that complements sundresses and bikinis alike; I call it “beach waves.” My favorite part about this summer hairstyle is that can be achieved without the use of hot styling tools. I use a small amount of a lightweight styling lotion after washing my hair at night. While it’s still damp, I put my hair in a loose braid—-no hair dryer or flat iron—-then sleep on it.

When I undo the braid in the morning I’ve got a summer look that keeps me cool, and saves a lot of time. I usually mist my hair with a light hairspray to keep the waves from turning tsunami, but I avoid the urge to lock them in place with heavy wax or gel. Trust me, when the heat of the day sets in, you don’t want to deal with the sticky drip of hair gel.

If you have stick-straight hair that won’t go with the flow, I recommend using a scrunching spray and your hands to make waves.

So why not put away the curling iron, hot rollers, hair dryer, diffuser or flat iron for the season and give your hair a summer break!

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Too Hot To Handle?

Here in the Big Apple, we've been experiencing a humid, muggy,
gasping-for-air heatwave (the kind that makes you cringe at the thought
of going outside) that can basically be summed up as frizz-inducing
weather. It's so hot that the second I step out of the shower, I can
already feel my freshly-washed locks expanding into a huge, frizzy disaster. Even my trusty flat iron is not an option when my apartment already feels like a sauna.
Luckily, I've perfected my method of fighting this beauty catastrophe
after spending years living in both the humid northeast and the perpetual
warm weather of the south. My formula for combating the misery of humidity-ravaged hair days is simple: add a frizz-fighting serum (I like Collective Wellbeing's Enemy of Frizz, plus I love the name) and one silk scarf (I'm partial to bright pinks, greens and blues in summer)and you've got the solution to tame your tress troubles! The ingenious beauty of the scarf is that it can be folded into a trendy headband and tied at the nape, or, for those days when there's just no salvaging your strands, worn in a
triangular, Pirate-esque fashion that'll pretty much hide your frizzy hair. Stay tuned for more beat-the-heat hair tricks and beauty tips!

*Crystal Fenton

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Welcome to our brand new blog! Stay tuned in the coming weeks for exciting tips, styling tricks and product picks. We hope you'll check in often and let us know what you'd like to see. New makeup to match those hot highlights? Check. Need a recommendation for a product that stops frizz in its tracks? You got it. Just let us know what you'd like to see, and we'll do our best to bring it to ya.