Blown Away

There's a secret weapon used as an instant self-esteem booster. It's called a blowout, and if done properly, will change your attitude instantly.

Let's be honest, there's nothing worse than leaving the salon with a bum blowout. It's such a disappointment for a professional to style your hair...spending time and money for your hair to look great...and it falls flat as soon as you walk outdoors. I've searched far and wide for the best blowout. I stumbled upon it several years ago and have kept it my little secret. Blow drying hair should be considered an art, and Aaron at Aaron Emanuel Salon in NYC's Upper East Side, is the Michelangelo of blowouts. Think I'm overreacting? Just hear me out...

Fresh blowout from Aaron at his salon on the UES.

I have the worst hair. It's fine, curly, weird, and blah. We aren't the best of friends even though I do my best to take great care of my hair (still no-pooing with WEN hair care...I bought a multipack to try the different scents...will blog about it soon). My hair resists holding a curl from a curling iron or roller. It takes so much time and so much hairspray to get my hair to look decent. Anytime I get my hair styled I stress that my hair won't hold the shape, and so many times I hear the stylist say "oh, I'll make it last."  Five minutes later it's flat and weird again...and my wallet is empty.

So here's the history...after moving to NYC I unfortunately had to undergo emergency surgery and was left with tubes jutting out of the right side of my neck. I couldn't get water anywhere near the tubes, so showering and washing my hair was a bit tricky. Dennis' birthday was on a Saturday and I was running errands on the UES when I walked past a salon and decided to have someone shampoo and style my hair for his party that night. I had dirty, nappy hair stuck in a fedora when I walked in and met Aaron for the first time. I walked out with the best blowout of my life and 5 hours later, still had a style full of curl and bounce. I was amazed to say the least...because it NEVER happens. 

Dennis and I at his 26th birthday party...so long ago!

As you can see from the picture above (ignore my swollen chipmunk face and bandage), I had tons of curl in my hair...unreal! I told you, he's the Michelangelo of blowouts! I had all that body and curl from a round brush and blow dryer...no curling iron or rollers. Aaron doesn't rush, he takes him time to make sure each section is perfect...and it definitely shows when you leave his salon.

The artist at work and the final results

Guess I'm not so great at keeping a secret! If you live in or near NYC, make an appointment with Aaron:

Aaron Emanuel 

307 East 77th St
New York, NY 10075
Phone: 212.422.3000
Email: aaronemanuelsalon@gmail.com

Be sure and let me know how much you love your hair when you leave! And guys...Aaron has opened a barber shop as well! Check it out: 

 Aaron Emanuel Barber Shop

245 East 77th St

New York, NY 10075

(212) 288-8381

No 'Poo - Update

So, it's been a few weeks into my no shampoo challenge - time for an update. Like I said in my first post, I didn't really think this would be much of a challenge. I honestly don't miss the lathering of normal shampoo and have quickly become accustomed to the feel of the WEN cleansing conditioner. I will admit that I'm not the biggest fan of the scent...I bought the sweet almond mint...but there is a variety of other scents to choose from. I'm very picky on smells anyway. 

In regards to overall performance, I feel like the WEN cleansing conditioner actually cleans my hair quite well. It never looks greasy, oily, or dirty, and I'm still able to go three days without washing. I think the biggest tricks are to make sure you are using enough of the product and rinsing the product thoroughly from your hair. If I've used a lot of styling products, I will actually apply the cleansing conditioner, rinse, and repeat just for good measure. If I'm going to blow dry my hair, I will also put one pump of  the cleansing conditioner from the mid shaft to the ends right before I get out of the shower as a leave in conditioner. 

Have I really noticed a dramatic difference in my hair since using the WEN cleansing conditioner? No, not really. I have noticed that my ends aren't as dry, and I don't have as many splits ends as I normally would this many weeks after my last trim. Maybe that's just the start? 

Oh, and the replenishing mist...it's definitely a nice 'pick me up' between washes, but again, not a fan of the sweet almond mint scent. 

If you're interested in trying WEN, QVC has quite the selection of products. WEN also has a 60 day money back guarantee.  

No 'Poo Challenge - WEN Haircare

I'm taking a challenge...a no-shampoo challenge. I've seen the demos on QVC (my guilty pleasure on Saturday mornings...don't judge me) and the late night infomercials when I can't sleep, and now I'm ready to give up shampoo for 30 days and see what WEN Haircare can really do.

I used to have super thick hair, but the older I get, the thinner my hair gets. I've also noticed it's incapable of growing past a certain length, which drives me crazy. Each time I visit the salon to get a trim, I feel like more than a trim takes place. My ends become so dry, dead, and split that anything that just grew gets chopped off. It's a vicious, endless cycle. I don't have the best relationship with my hair...but in all honestly, who does?

Back to the challenge...

Over the past year or so I've been introduced to products that claim to be without harsh detergents and parabens, specifically sodium lauryl sulfate. Sodium lauryl sulfate is a detergent that's in almost every single shampoo on the shelves (go ahead...read the back of your shampoo bottle...it's listed right there as the 2nd ingredient)...it's what creates the foaming effect. It's super cheap and super bad for your hair. I've tried several brands of "sulfate free" shampoos, and out of curiosity have wondered how these products can foam without the use of sodium lauryl sulfate. The answer: it's little friend sodium laureth sulfate. It's basically the same thing...how sneaky! After reading the ingredients lists on so many shampoos, I decided to completely stay away from anything that had sodium and sulfate together as an ingredient.

Source: sephora.com

Enter WEN Haircare...no harsh chemicals and no crazy and cheap detergents that will strip your hair and scalp of its natural oils. I picked up the WEN Healthy Hair kit at Sephora last weekend and decided to make the commitment of not shampooing for 30 days. It's only been seven days so far, but I don't think this is really going to be a difficult challenge for me. I love how the cleansing conditioner feels in my hair. It doesn't lather, but instantly makes my hair feel super soft and smooth. My hair feels clean and doesn't look greasy or oily. The only downside thus far is that I spend extra time in the shower making sure I'm distributing the production thoroughly through my hair, and that I'm rinsing well. Oh well, small price to pay in my opinion.

I'll periodically post updates on my no-poo journey and include some before and after pics as well.

If you want more info on WEN, check out the website, and you can purchase products there, at Sephora (in store or online), or on QVC.com.

Here's to no 'pooing!

Dirty Secret

I've got a dirty secret: I don't wash my hair every day...not even every other day. My hair is naturally curly/wavy, so it tends to be dry already, and with heat styling on top of that...it can be a recipe for disaster if I don't show my hair a lot of love. In the spring I started seeing a new hair stylist and she urged me to stretch my washes out for three days to help keep my hair healthy. Sounds ironic how washing your hair often can cause it to become even more dry, but it's true. Shampooing daily strips your hair of natural oils and with the harsh detergents used (you know you've of heard them...the sodium lauryl sulfates and parabens), they just strip and damage your hair instead of repairing it. If you're like me, you'd blow out your hair too, maybe finish with the flat iron to get it super straight or add some waves with a curling iron. Think about what we put our hair through! It needs a break, but I'm sure most of you will agree, not much is better than having freshly washed, squeaky-clean hair. So, after my new stylist urged me to stretch my washes out for three days, I headed straight to the drugstore to purchase the aerosol dry shampoo to help refresh my style between washings. But what about the ends of my hair? They're dry and need the TLC of a conditioner more often than every three days. What should I do? The whole purpose is to limit the amount of washes and heat styling, so I shouldn't just "wash" with conditioner. 

The solution? TIGI's Dirty Secret Dry Conditioner. 

TIGI Rockaholic Dirty Secret Dry Conditioner. Source: Amazon.com

Dry conditioner? That sounds like an oxymoron. Here's the deal: it comes as an aerosol spray and is sprayed from midstrand to the ends to hydrate and protect the rest of your hair dry shampoo isn't designed for. Genius! It makes my hair soft and shiny, not sticky and gummy. It helps moisturizer my ends until the next time I shampoo and condition.

So far this is the only brand I've tried, but more and more companies are creating these products. My inner product whore is getting very excited! 

Ridin' Duuurrrty

Do you use dry conditioner? Which one is your favorite?
Want to try Dirty Secret? Buy it here and let me know what you think!