Shampoo & Conditioner Empties!

My reviews of skin and hair care products continue! This time I collected a bunch of shampoo & conditioner products that I finished over the past few months.

First up! Moroccan Oil Hydrating Shampoo. This is a fancier salon product, which obviously I did not buy, but I stole from my cousin, probably when she left it behind at my grandma's house. There wasn't a ton left but I used it up. This was nice shampoo but I think knowing it was fancy made me like it more? It's sulfate free which is something I'm thinking about getting into, but you want sulfates to clean the silicones out of your hair and I love the silicone laden conditioners & leave-in products that beat my hair into submission leave my hair tangle-free.

LUSH Big Shampoo sample, and not pictured, Rehab shampoo sample. I got this when I was on my quest to deal with the patches of dry & flakey scalp that weren't responding to dandruff shampoo and I eventually cured with a visit to dermatologist and rx-strength shampoo & steroid treatment. Anyway. Big is a weird shampoo with large sea salt grains in it, it's supposed to exfoliate your scalp or something. It was fun to use, if awkward, smelled great, sudsy as all get out, but really, kind of a gimmick? I was sad to find out that Lush hair products have SLS (see: sudsy) so I don't think they are worth the price. I mean, it made my hair feel light & fluffy but also dried it out a bit. As for the Rehab shampoo, at least I think it was Rehab because the label wore off, I kept the sample so long it started to separate so it couldn't have been that good. Personally I love the strong smell of most Lush products but I know they are not everyone's cup of tea.

It's a 10 Miracle Hair Mask sample. I love a hair mask, I love a free sample, I love It's a 10 leave-in spray, so I loved this. Similar to Aussie's 3-minute Miracle this is a heavy, creamy hair mask that you can use while in the shower shaving your legs or whatever. I got two uses out of this packet even on my long thick hair. Makes my hair silky soft. Win.

John Frieda Root Awakening shampoo - I could not WAIT to be done with this shampoo, I probably had it for 5 years! Longer? The bottle was literally disintegrating by the time I finally finished it. Side note: the bottle is super annoying because of the cap at the bottom, which allows water to pool up in there and grow slime. This did not cause problems with my hair but it didn't do anything either. I was probably on my endless quest for products that will keep my super-thick and fine hair from just lying there heavily and limply, dragged down by its own weight, and keep my problematically dry & flaky scalp happy. This didn't deliver. 

I have nothing to say about this hotel conditioner except it was fine for travel but not memorable.

Not sure why I took this picture in front of the toaster. 

Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Shampoo, and, not pictured, Conditioner - This name is accurate because I bought this when I started spending a lot of nights at my then-boyfriend's house, and now we're married, and I finally finished the products, like 5 years later. Why does it take me so long?? I have too many products in use at the same time, and I wash my hair only twice a week. I used the conditioner first because I use a ton of conditioner (thick hair) and it was pretty serviceable, not super thick. The shampoo was also fine. I started to hate them before I was finished.

Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Conditioner - this used to be a bit of a cult product for curly-haired people, but I heard they changed the formula. It's super cheap, like $4 or something, and it's a nice, light, I think silicone free conditioner. I got it when I used to dye my hair with henna and needed copious amounts of cheap conditioner to wash out the henna paste. But it also lasted forever. I really prefer super thick conditioners but this did a good job despite being thin.

also pictured: an empty jar which held homemade shaving cream, which wasn't that impressive and I went back to using soap and/or BioOil or homemade sugar scrub when I'm feeling fancy, and a small jar that held homemade salt & oil exfoliating scrub which was fun but honestly, most homemade products like that go bad before you can use them up, especially living in the humid environment of the shower, and especially things you dip your wet paws into. Hence the tiny containers, but still I didn't use this very fast as the salt was pretty abrasive and the oil made the bath surface slippery.

Skincare and Coconut Hair Oil Empties

Hiya, I'm back with more exciting pictures of empty bottles. WHY? Don't care, embrace the mystery.

Here we go!

Vatika Coconut Hair Oil. I bought this at the Indian store on Devon for about $4 and it lasted me a really long time. I think I got it even before the coconut oil craze. My logic was that if I used this maybe I'll look like a non-Indian Aishwarya Rai. Although that didn't work, I highly recommend it! I used it as a deep oil treatment, usually putting it on dry hair and leaving it overnight then washing out in the morning for shiny, silky hair. My friend with very curly, much thicker/coarser hair used a little bit to tame down her dry hair. It smells great - not just pure coconut oil. I'm on the fence about re-purchasing - I might try to simplify, avoid more products and unnecessary ingredients, and use straight coconut oil or other DIY concoctions for my oil treatments.

Alaffia Africa's Secret Multipurpose Skin Cream: Oh boy, oh boy! This stuff deserves it's own post, coming up next!

The Body Shop Almond Oil Intensive Hand Rescue - This was some really thick hand cream I'm pretty sure my cousin got when she used to work at The Body Shop. It also came with an almond oil brush pen for the cuticles. I'm really into putting cream on my cuticles (so much that clients have commented) but I didn't think these were particularly special. The cream was a bit too thick to use throughout the day so I mostly used it at night.

Nip + Fab Coconut Latte Dry Skin Fix Body Butter - I think one time my husband (boyfriend then) went to the UK without me, and I said, "bring me back some stuff from Boots," and he got me this and some Boots hand cream. First of all, he's sweet, secondly, I should be more specific with my UK-only beauty requests. I love shopping the sample areas at Boots especially in the airport, there's just so many new skincare products! This was nice and light, I think, I used it up really quickly. Now you can buy Nip + Fab stuff at Ulta and I think at Walgreens, now that Walgreens & Boots have merged.

Clinique "Take the Day Off" Makeup Remover - This was particularly for eye makeup. I don't think I ever had the full bottle as this is part of the stuff I took from grandma's bathroom ages ago. It worked fine on a q-tip or cotton ball to remove any eye makeup left over after cleaning my face, but I don't think I'll buy eye makeup remover again. I did pick up some fancy French Bioderma Créaline when I was in Paris this summer because there is so much hype about it and other micellar water. So far it's pretty impressive but I don't need it very often. When it runs out I might DIY some or just go back to using lotion only.

OM SHE Anti-Aging Rosehip Oil - This was good stuff! According to this post, rosehip oil is super-orange and like a self-tanner, however I did not find that to be the case at all. I was just as pale when I used it as when I didn't. It went pretty fast, but my favorite way to use it was to spray on some kind of light mist, Evian or even better, water and glycerin mixed together, and to put it on while still damp, as referred to in my skincare holy grail article about dry but acne-prone skin, plus every other article ever about sealing in moisture. I actually used up two small containers of rosehip oil, but think I forgot to get a photo of the first one. It has a strange, strong, almost woodsy smell. I've got a skin oil now from L'Oreal (even though the reviews aren't great, I got a sample in a magazine and used it when traveling which is a weak spot for me, when I can't see all my other stuff at home!) but when that's gone I might go back to rosehip. It should be cold-pressed, this one is. The useful little bottle is now filled with a castor oil, almond oil, rosemary and lavender essential oil mix for oil cleansing.

Andalou Naturals Fruit Stem Cell Revitalizing Serum - Another TJ Maxx purchase! This was a nice vitamin C serum which I used under moisturizer to repair my skin from sun and pollution damage. Sometimes it tingled a little which was strange. To be honest I didn't see any big changes but it was really more of a preventative measure and also I just plain enjoy skin care.

This ECO.Organic Rosehip Oil is the other rosehip oil I used up back in August. I got it at my local TJ Maxx for super cheap. I can't remember where I bought the other one. I actually checked with the company and it is also cold-pressed. Both are from Australia. This bottle was super messy, you can see how it's gross and crusty on top. It had a stupid lid shaped like the pump which led to wasting some of it. I think I bought this because the other stuff isn't pure rosehip oil so I wanted to try it straight up. I think either way is fine, but 0.5 oz doesn't last long.

Aveeno Protect + Hydrate Sunscreen Lotion - I got a sample of this at Target. I'd already used up another sample before, see here. For being super tiny this tube lasted a freakishly long time. This time it didn't make my skin sting, I don't know what I was doing before to irritate my skin but it wasn't a problem with this tube. I somehow just don't like this product though so I am glad to see it finished.

Dry Shampoo

I use a lot of dry shampoo because I only wash my hair about once a week. It does get pretty greasy by the end, especially when I'm working out, or biking, or it's summer. So by the end of the week it's usually about 50% dry shampoo. I've tried Klorane since it came highly reviewed by every blogger and magazine and website, but to be honest it didn't seem anything special, and the bottle went super fast. I felt I only got a few uses out of it, and for the cost, it was not worth it. 

I got a three-pack of these batiste dry shampoos at Ulta on sale. They have horrible scents, like "sassy and striking mamba." I have no idea what these smelled like besides artificial. However. They soak up oil like a boss and make my hair magically look clean and fluffy again, which is the job of dry shampoo. They also barely leave any white residue and I can just fluff and go rather than rubbing it in a lot and brushing. Despite being tiny, I feel like they lasted longer than the Klorane, and they were super cheap. Batiste in general is cheap and I would buy it again, in an unscented version.

Except, I've been using plain cornstarch and it actually works fine. It's much messier and takes longer to apply, and it doesn't make the hair as fluffy as an aerosol can of dry shampoo does, but it works. I either keep it in an Altoids tin, where I just put my fingers in there and pick some up sticking to my fingers, then work it into my hair and repeat and repeat, or in an old cleaned out spice container with the little holes so I can sprinkle it in my hair. But cornstarch is kinda clumpy and it tends to not come out and then dump a ton out. The cornstarch also tends to really need a lot so it builds up if you are using it a few days in a row. However it is basically free, and it's travel-friendly as it is not a liquid, gel or aerosol. The internet also suggests using arrowroot powder which I also purchased fairly recently, and might try out. I think the same issues would apply. Although it's cool to go DIY, save money, and reduce the waste and chemicals associated with aerosol and packaging, though they no longer destroy the ozone layer, sprays tend to work better for me. I'm still looking though, and might try the Bumble and bumble Prêt-à-Powder.

Another similar product I've tried is Sally Hershberger Caffeine for Major Body 3-in-1 Volumnizing Spray. I read this review and went to a bunch of shops until I found it at CVS. At first I really thought it was working, but recently I've noticed if I spray it on hair that maybe already had some dry shampoo in it, it leaves this horrible sticky white residue. So, I no longer recommend. Maybe it's best to add volume to clean hair but that's not why I need dry shampoo.

tl;dr Dry shampoo is a life-changer.

Skincare Empties & Blue Lagoon

Good for me, I have been using up more products! It drives me crazy having four shampoos with half an ounce left in each, but that's where I am, so hopefully I can finish those soon. Here are some that I finished while on vacation in UK & Paris, because I'm fabulous.
Clinique Comforting Cream Cleanser - good but kinda greasy. I have had this for ages, I think it was another product I got from my grandma's house. I have never bought a Clinique product in my life and I don't think I will, I'm too snobby and they come from the mall. Turns out this product has been discontinued, so, it was pretty old. However, for my dry skin this was a pretty good cleanser, but it didn't make my skin feel clean. It is like putting on a thick lotion and then rinsing it off, with the residue you'd expect. The residue wasn't there if I wiped it off with a cloth but I'm not a huge fan of using a cloth, I feel it makes my skin a bit red and irritated. Started to smell funny by the end of the bottle which was probably about 5 years past its expiration date but don't judge me. I really do recommend a cream cleanser for the super dry-skinned like myself, maybe a cold cream?
Aveeno Protect + Hydrate Sunscreen Lotion: My mom left this at my apartment when she visited, and then she didn't want it back. I realized why later when I was in Target and a nice lady was giving them out for free! So now I have another one. I like travel sizes for my daily products -- SPF face lotion, concealer, mascara -- so I can take them to the gym in the morning and not carry something big around all day, but, it makes my skin sting a little. I have no idea why, even the new one does. I'll finish it off since it's so tiny but, no thank you, lotion shouldn't hurt. I don't really have sensitive skin either, and I put it on in the morning when I don't even wash my face so it's not like it's getting into overly-exfoliated irritated skin or anything. I guess I could use it on my body but it would cover maybe one leg.
Blue Lagoon Algae and Mineral Body Lotion: this lotion was just OK despite the Blue Lagoon's status as the most magical, other-worldly, lunar landscape spa which is simultaneously bizarre, packed with people, relaxing, and good for your skin. Oh and also you can drink booze while in the pool/spa. The Blue Lagoon is a natural hot springs, the likes of which are everywhere in Iceland, and the water and the sediment in it (not sure how to describe this) is full of minerals like silica and algae that are really good for your skin and extra-relaxing. It has been turned into a huge super-modern spa and it is extremely popular. We only got to spend an hour or so in there due to arriving at the same time as about 5 other coach buses, long lines and somewhat poor planning by the travel company we booked with, but it was a magical hour. And then my brand-new-fiancé left his iPhone by the pool and I had to race back through the maze that is their locker rooms, fully clothed in my boots, to retrieve it minutes before the bus to the airport left. Anyway what was I saying... yeah, we got cheap flights to Iceland that included hotel, transport to and from the hotel via the Blue Lagoon, and while that was easy, really, the hotel left a lot to be desired and we didn't even stay there one night as most of the interesting bits of Iceland are more than a (5 hours of daylight in winter) day's drive away. But, I got engaged there! And Iceland is a fantastic, beautiful, near-perfect place. I think our travel package came with a coupon for $10 off something at the Blue Lagoon store so I got a small travel set which was $10.

Here I am in the Blue Lagoon, with some white silica mud stuff on my face. You can kinda swim/wade up to areas with buckets full of it and you put it on your face, then it just goes back into the water, and you can feel it around your feet all squishy. It's very clean and white so it doesn't feel disgusting like you would think. Afterwards my skin was all soft and smooth and wonderful. However the packaged products do not deliver the same effect. You have to go to Iceland for that.

Gratuitous second picture of the Blue Lagoon lotion, and Jergens Natural Glow lotion: I had an old bottle of this from, you guessed it, my grandma's house. I don't think gma was the fake-bake type so some other female relative must have left it there. I used it up but didn't feel like it actually delivered any color, gradual or otherwise, to my super-pale skin. I chalked it up to an old bottle and irregular use, but I was disappointed. Later I tried Target-brand Up&Up gradual tanning lotion and I was very impressed, but that's a subject for later. I went to Austin for a friend's bachelorette weekend and I wanted to look tan, so all the outdoorsy fit tan Texans would accept me as one of their own. I fake-baked using a serious, all-at-once self-tanner, which turned out horribly splotchy. I had to soak most of it off and scrub some of it off, which led to skin abrasion disasters. I reapplied much more carefully using a lotion instead of a spray, which turned out less dark but more even. I saw this travel size at Walgreens before I left and decided to buy it to use in place of my normal body lotion to keep my tan topped off and keep it from fading too quickly if I was in the pool or shaving frequently. I felt it did a good job for that purpose but in my experience, this won't help you actually get darker over time, even with daily use. 

Long Hair

So this is the post in which I make it clear how obsessed I am by my hair, and putting weird things on it. First of all, this is my hair sometime last month, freshly brushed but not washed for about a week. I probably last henna-ed it in... I don't even know, over a year.

Then I started washing with some sample sizes of John Frieda "Go Blonder" Lightening Shampoo, because I'm trying to lighten the darker henna-ed parts and bring it all closer to my natural dark blond color. This product gets some majorly mixed reviews, but I figured I would try it since I wash my hair so infrequently, it can't do that much damage. So the next picture is a couple days later, after having my hair up all day. I tried to be scientific and take the photos with the same lighting, in my bathroom.

But then I wasn't home at the right time after a shower, and took this after what looks like a rough day, in the daylight. No wait, this was on a Sunday. Anyway, this is what it usually looks like. And this is probably after 2 washes with the lightening shampoo.  But I only wash my hair once a week, so change is slow.

Then I decided to try curling it, and I was really pleased with the results! This hair is the second day after sleeping on foam rollers, pulling them out in a fit at 3 am, touching them up with a curling iron the next night, and wearing that another day. The amount of hairspray I put in was ridiculous, so I washed them out.

This is what my hair looks like when I braid it at work. The layers don't like to stay in a braid. I think my hair looks like this 50% of the time. Not really the cutest look.

Oh my god, this is my best hair. It's so shiny! In this picture it's clean, and I put some Josie Maran Argan Oil which I got as a free sample from Sephora.

But this is what it usually looks like. I took this picture right after getting home from work on Thursday. This was taken with some natural light coming in the window, so I really don't think my hair has lightened at all... although compared to the last natural light picture, it looks like the red is really faded.

So far, I am not impressed by this John Frieda business. I don't think its particularly damaging, given that the shiny hair picture was after 3 or 4 uses, but it doesn't seem to really be lightening my hair either. I'll try a few more pictures later.

I did it: Red Hair

So I actually went through with it and dyed my hair. It went from looking like this (above) to this (below).
Oh my. This is exactly one day after I henna-ed it, so it has mellowed out a good bit since then. It's now a pretty solid red. I missed a few spots, since I put it on dry hair, so I might go back when I start seeing roots and redo it a touch. Anyway, it's a big shock and rather hard to get used to, but I really like it.

Red Hair!

So I like red hair. I started this post in April and was compiling images of pretty redheads long before that, drooling over their hair. When I was little and read Anne of Green Gables, I decided that I wanted to have blond, red, or black hair. I guess I didn't quite realize that only left out brown hair, which is beautiful too. I was born with black hair, then it turned super blond (really freakishly--I still suspect I was somehow switched out with another baby around 12 months), and the blond slowly darkened until recently when it's become a kind of light brown, sometimes blond. Sometimes it looks red in pictures or in the sun, which always pleases me a lot, so I thought I'd take the plunge and dye it.

Oh yeah, I found the cookbook image I think first through frolic, and it looks like it's published in Australia only but you can buy it here. I like how her red hair manages to look all rustic and laid-back.

A banner from Ruche, an online store with vintage-inspired and often eco-friendly good deals that impresses me a lot and I've blogged about before. I like her strawberry-blonde.
This is actress Piper Laurie, best known for her role in Twin Peaks, a show that I like in theory but fall asleep during every time I actually try to watch it.
This is from an old Toast catalogue, whose images were SO GORGEOUS that I ordered it from the UK and brought it with me for airplane reading on a trip. I was actually looking at it last night too. Some people think its weird to re-read catalogues, but I really don't get bored looking at the good ones.
It looks like I found this on daydream lily but I think it may be from some street style blog? Also, I love her bangs. LOVE THEM.

This is the super-beautiful Alison from the band A Fine Frenzy. I first saw her in this awesome video called Lost Things. I suggest you take a look. She's so pretty it makes me kinda sick.
Oops, there she is again. If you'll forgive me, I kinda tend to obsess. The photo is by Angela Kohler who made the video I linked to above, which is cool and dream-like fantastical magical and stop-motion and you should watch now if you didn't before, ok?
This is some model, shot by Gabor Jurina and found on Dustjacket Attic.

Ok! So it comes as a shock to no one that there are a lot of beautiful redheads out there. Since Jessica Rabbit (and probably before), red hair has been a blaring sign that says SEXY. I've never really been one for blaring signs, but I feel like a change and think I might be able to make it work for me. My grandpa had red hair, and I've got the ridiculously pale Scandinavian skin, so I decided to finally try.

I'm always super-wary of chemical dyes and like to be all eco-friendly and stuff, so I looked into a lot of natural dyes before deciding to use henna. Using websites like this and this, and asking Claire who has used henna on her dark hair before (but didn't want to right before her wedding, although that would probably be the proper Uzbek thing to do), I decided to buy some at an Indian imports store. I lucked out and got a ride to Devon Ave (where all the Indian/Pakistani stores and restaurants are in this city and is super far from my house) but wasn't prepared to choose a brand, and ended up grabbing a packet of "instant henna" which later research revealed to be not real henna and probably suspect. So, I pestered everyone I knew with a car until I got another ride up there and bought some Jamila brand henna (I also got weird herbal Emirati toothpaste and a huge cheap box of tea). It's not the "body art quality" that the henna enthusiasts say is necessary/preferred, but it's also not a "henna hair dye" that promises a color other than red (which means: suspicious unnamed chemicals--ugh, I hate it when people harbor a blanket suspicion of "chemicals:" chemicals are in everything! but some hair dye chemicals really are quite harsh and can dry out your hair and give you a rash). So last night, following the recommended recipes from the internet, I mixed it up with some lemon juice, and today I'm going to add some other stuff (tea, paprika, something to make it not smell like hay) and put it in after work (it takes hours for the dye to "release," and then it has to sit in your hair for hours. T says it sounds like I'm cooking up some crack.) I got Princess Mononoke from the library so I guess we can watch that while I let it do it's thing.

I've almost never changed my appearance in a major way, and when I do (cutting bangs, ear piercing, shorter haircut) it usually takes me months to decide and obsess over, so thanks, friends, for listening to all my self-centered ramblings on this hair topic.

Hair

I haven't had a haircut in a salon since high school, with the "nice lady" who used to cut our whole family's hair. My roommate cut my hair about once a year in college, except for one time when her friend did it instead. But now this roommate lives in New Haven, so I need a new haircutter. I did get one haircut on her Connecticut porch this summer, but I'm due for another. I like my long hair, but I kindof want bangs or a "style" or something interesting. I saved this pictures merely because I liked the hair. Anna Karina, in the black and white photos, is some 60s Swedish babe/actress, Emmy Lou Harris is basically my idol, and I dig the piecy hair on the illustration for this 70s sewing pattern.