Product Reviews

Hola, chicas bonitas!

Ever heard of the old saying, “Go big or go home”? I think it mostly refers to trying your best and striving for the top, but as a child of the 80’s, I can’t help but automatically assume it’s also about the quest for big, voluminous hair!

Let me explain.

My hair was so big from 1987 to 1991 that it could’ve commanded its own orbit. Tall bangs, spiral curls, side wings (soooo tragic) — my crispy, poofy ‘do walked that fine line between madness and genius.

Back then, if you wanted big volume it came with a price. Gels left hair crunchier than a potato chip! To get hold that lasted all day long, you had to douse your mane with a cloud of hairspray (between classes) to maintain the bigness.

But that’s no longer the case. If you crave lots of volume, you can totally get big hair sans the crusty side effects.

Lately, I’ve really been wanting the look of bouncy, touchable, Victoria’s Secret runway hair. To get a full mane without the crunch, I’ve been using two volumizing styling products from Tresemme’s new 24 Hour Body Collection: 24 Hour Body Sculpting Spray Gel and 24 Hour Weightless Creme ($5 each)

What is it?

Tresemme’s 24 Hour Body collection hair products deliver volume and hold while maintaining a touchable look and feel.

I spray lightweight Tresemme 24 Hour Body Sculpting Spray Gel onto my damp, wavy hair and then gently run my fingers from the root to tip to loosen the waves. When my hair dries, the gel leaves it with lots of volume and hold that lasts from morning until night.

I really like how it performs, but there’s one thing I wish I could change. The spray pump feels uncomfortable in my hand, and I can only spray the right side of my head comfortably. When I try to spray the left side, my hand and wrist end up twisting at an odd angle. I’ve tried several things to remedy the sitch, like holding the bottle in my left hand and moving the angle of my head, etc., but no matter what, the pump still feels a little awkward in my paws. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B-

Tresemme’s 24 Hour Body Weightless Creme, on the other hand (LOL!) is much easier to use. After spraying my hair with Sculpting Spray Gel, I run a dollup of Weightless Creme on the top layers, concentrating it on the ends. The non-greasy styling cream reduces frizz, adds shine and leaves my ‘do bouncy. It also has a light, fruity scent that smells great. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Bounce!

Tell me girls, do you have any volumizing tips and tricks? How do you get big, bouncy hair?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What’s up, ladies! Do you ever go through phases where your hair just looks whack?

For three or four months now my hair’s been looking extra shagadelic — and not in a good way.

I was planning to hack off a few inches this month but changed my mind after reading my March horoscope on Astrology Zone. Susan Miller suggests Geminis delay any makeovers until after April 17, and since Suze’s predictions tend to be dead on for me, I’m sticking with my bird’s nest-y ‘do for a few more weeks. I am not about to mess with the stars!

For now, I may as well make this extra 10 pounds of hair sing for its supper by using it to test some new hair products.

Over the weekend I put some goodies from Pantene’s new Nature Fusion Collection to the test, comparing them to the Aveeno Nourish+ products I reviewed last week. The star ingredient in the new line is the Cassia plant, a shrub related to beans (prooot!) and peas.

Pantene claims Cassia helps to create smoother, shinier and generally better-behaved hair.

How does it work?

After using the Nature Fusion Balance Shampoo ($4), Moisture Balance Conditioner ($4) and Smoothing Creme ($6) three times since Friday, my hair has seemed shinier and more manageable than usual.

Products in the Nature Fusion line cost roughly half as much as the Aveeno Nourish+ products I reviewed last week, but I like both lines for different reasons.
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I have combination oily/dry skin and have been using Aveeno’s kick arse moisturizing lotions for years (“Ahhh, Aveeno!”). I expected a lot when I found out the company plans to release a new hair care line this April.

Nourish+ contains what Aveeno calls Nourishing Wheat Complex (LOL, reminds me of my endless quest for fiber), a compound that targets damaged hair.

A few days ago I started my testing, running Aveeno Nourish+ Revitalize Shampoo, Nourish+ Revitalize Conditioner and Nourish+Condition Leave-In Treatment ($7 each) through their paces.

The marketing said I’d see results in just three washes — that’s an incredible claim, right? — with the product supposedly working by zeroing in on the weakest part of the hair follicle and then depositing just the right amount of proteins to make hair look and feel stronger, softer and shinier.

Three washes?

Softness, shine and volume: check!

Well, three washes later, and the verdict’s in: I do see an increase in softness, shine and volume.

But in terms of damage repair, I think it’s harder to tell. Even though my ends are dry, I didn’t have many split ends to begin with, and I haven’t really seen a visible change in hair strength. I’m glad to see that the products haven’t made the situation worse… That’s always a good thing.

The change in softness and shine were both obvious enough for me to notice, and for that I’m sold on Nourish+.

A clean, fresh scent and fewer knots

Beyond the added softness and shine, all three products are excellent detanglers. Since I started my Nourish+ regimen, brushing my hair has been easier. I have fewer knots and have been seeing less hair go down the drain in the shower.
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