Babydoll Beauty Secrets: Keeping Your Colorful Locks!

6f1622225935f82a5a1190609e94a6b1As all of you have noticed, bright shades of colorful hair and rich pastels are all the rage right now.(Unless you have been living under a rock then welcome to the world where everyone has hot pink and lime green hair.) From one color to multiple colors, it seems like everyone is coloring their hair as fast as they can so they can have as many colors as they possible can in their hair. Part of the process of this coloring is bleaching your hair which is something I highly suggest a professional hair stylist does in a salon and not something you do in your bathroom. Bleach is a powerful chemical and if used inappropriately can damage your hair beyond measure i.e. hair falling out, burning off or turning into almost a gummy like substance. So best to the leave it to the professionals. Then when the color is on your hair and you have fallen so deeply in love with it you want to do everything you can to make it last. You definitely want to start with high quality professional product which goes back to having a professional in a salon color your hair. Once you have done that then follow these simple steps and that mermaid hair you have will last far longer than you expected.

First, you NEED high quality salon shampoo and conditioner. They can contain harsh chemicaled261b4de0c4638076ee10ddfaf5a7aes so look for shampoo and conditioner that is made for colored hair. Look for the key words of “color-preserving” or “color safe” or “for color treated hair” anything of that sort. These shampoos have more mild ingredients which can help preserve the color of your hair. Even you can find a sulfate free color safe shampoo than that’s a double win. So throw that Suave in the trash! And using a conditioner with extra moisture can help make your hair look extra healthy and shiny. Coloring your hair can dry it out and make it look stiff so really conditioning the ends all the way to the middle of the hair can help make it looks its very best.

Secondly, rinse your hair with cold water. Yes, cold water. The hotter the water the more dryer your hair can get and the more dull it can look. Hot water also makes dye fade super quickly. So use the hot water for your body but cold water for your hair.

Thirdly, do not wash your hair everyday. It’s not good for your hair whether it is colored or not but it’s especially not great for colored hair. The more you wash the faster it fades. I know that is this a very hard habit to breaHair washingk especially if you have oily/greasy hair. I suggest in using a dry shampoo in place of washing every day.

Fourthly, check your hair’s condition before you dye it. If your hair is unhealthy and weak than coloring it will only make it worse. Try some deep conditioning treatments every two weeks to get hair healthy again.

I know some of these tips may be more maintenance for your hair than you would like or are used to but that is part of having colored hair. I follow the tips and my purple hair still looks fresh even after 3 months of coloring. Below are some extra tips that you can definitely incorporate into your routine but are not as important as the four listed above!452735bcc9ac66847cbacfef9f54b1f6

Extras!
1. Protect your hair from the pool. An excess amount of chlorine can strip that color right off. If a swimming cap is not your style (best way to protect) then rinse your hair in the shower first and apply conditioner before swimming. This will help prevent the hair from absorb the water and then rinse after swimming.
2. Avoiding heat tools all together is highly suggested due to colored hair being way more susceptible to damage and heat tools can add to that. But if those tools are necessary than make sure to use a heat protectant product.
3. Eating healthy. A diet full of vitamins and lean proteins can help keep your hair strong and healthy.

 

 

Babydoll Beauty Secret: For the Love of Aloe Vera

aloeMy of my favorites right now is aloe vera. I only ever used it in the summer until I learned of all of the amazing uses it has. I tried to grow it and use it fresh but my cat kept chewing on the leaf so I have to use the gel. But come summer I stock up on the gel to use all year (it’s always on sale and I love a good deal). Of course we all know the uses it is has for burns and help soothing them. But many people didn’t know how many other uses aloe vera has. Some of these uses cannot utilized when using the gel but they are still good to know for whenever you may need them.

 

Regulates your weight. By drinking aloe vera juice helps clean your digestive system which can help regulate your weight. I love this one because with someone who suffers from digestive disorders I love anything natural that can help.

Treats sunburns or burns from minor mishaps in the kitchen. We all know this one. If you have a sunburn (and we’re hoping this doesn’t happen very often) or a burn from cooking (this happens too many times for me) applying aloe vera (gel or straight from the plant) helps soothe the burn.

Dandruff. For those who suffer from either kind of dandruff have probably been suggested to use a harsh shampoo to help dry out the scalp but this also unfortunately dries out your hair as well. A more natural way to help dandruff is aloe vera. With its concentrated mixture of vitamins and minerals and moisturizing properties are exactly what a scalp needs in order to normalize and rid itself of the dandruff. Aloe Vera also contains something called pectin. The pectin in aloe vera has special properties that act as a type of “ce91654b1dd8d105dd63c0d8b34a8fe969ll cement” that causes cells to be stimulated, divide and grow. The fresh, healthy cells result in a fresh, healthy scalp.

Brightens the skin. If your skin has been looking a little dull or if you have dark spots, try using aloe vera. Due to its properties it can give you a natural glow and help decrease dark spots. And it leaves your skin feeling smooth and refreshed.

Ends Constipation or Indigestion. Due to the natural fibers contained in the juice, it can improve your bowel movement, thus improving the digestion process.

Treat Pimples and Acne. 

I love when I incorporated aloe vera/aloe vera gel in my regular beauty/health routine from my digestive system to my skin. And the best part is, I actually saw results. So with summer upon us stock up at your local drug store or even try growing some and hopefully your fur babies won’t try to eat it like mine did.

 

Babydoll Beauty Secret: Best Beach Waves for Summer

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As we entered into the warmer months we have been seeing beautiful blonde melts and long beachy waves. And as any one who has had their hair done, one of the most said comments is “I’ll never be able to do this at home” while I generally agree (I can’t curl my hair to save my life) I do know a great way to achieve beach waves at home.

The main secret to achieving this look is the prep you do to your hair right after shampooing. First you will need to use a very gentle hydrating leave in conditioner; my personal favorite is Lanza’s Keratin Bond 2. a16996d6a14a538122e75ae4ab81184bUse about a nickel size amount and scrunch into hair to work it in. Next you will want to use a light hold pomade. Most people will use this product if they have short hair and want to achieve a spikey or messy look but pomades can be used in longer hair too. But by using a dime size amount and rubbing into your hands and scrunching into the middle to ends of your hair it will help your hair retain hair memory and never be crunchy. If you were looking for more volume try scrunching more product in the areas of hair closest to your scalp.  0e59966de9f5a3c583fb47b2617dade5My favorite pomade to use is Biomega’s Text Me; has a great smell and the perfect amount of hold without making hair too sticky or greasy looking. The last step is let your hair air dry and viola beautiful beach waves (and in under 5 minutes)! And 794bc7525d2dee234f423fa8403345b0if you happen to have some pesky fly aways you can always finish it off with Moroccan Oil’s Smoothing Serum. Just make sure to really work into hands before applying to hair to avoid making your beach waves appear greasy.

Now you’re ready for summer (just don’t forget the sunscreen)!

Babydoll Beauty Secrets: The Power of Coconut Oil!

Well, it’s happened. I have jumped on the coconut oil train and I will never jump off. And the more I use it the more I ask myself how I did I not jump on sooner?! I started using it as a face mask to help treat acne. I suffered from severe aCoconut oil facecne in high school and I still have quite a bit of scaring and redness. So instead of globbing on makeup I looked for a more natural way to help reduce the redness as well treat some of those pesky blemishes that pop up every once in awhile. I came across this very simple face mask consisting of coconut oil (I prefer the coconut oil from Trader Joe’s) and tea tree oil (Doteerra is my go to for essential oils). By mixing these two ingredients together you have a treatment that helps fight bacteria on the face naturally and also will not over dry nor clog pores. It’s what everyone who suffers from acne ever wanted.Hair Mask

After I discovered this face mask that’s when I really jumped into the coconut oil life style. I now use it in my hair, when I cook, in my coffee and sometimes I just rub pure coconut oil on my skin before I go to sleep. It’s fantastic! And because of it’s growing popularity the price dropped significantly since when it first came on the market.  It has now become a staple in my beauty routine as well as my eating habits and I will never look back!

Babydoll Beauty Secrets: Important Beauty Tip!

18edfd66aa9e69bec5dbfd6b45568f6eThere is a very important beauty tip that I feel like needs to be discussed. Shampoo your scalp, condition your ends. Once more, shampoo your scalp, condition your ends. You have some important and also fantastic natural oils in your hair and on your scalp, they are worth taking care good care of. Another great and also important way to do this is only condition every other time you wash your hair. Over conditioning can dry out hair by taking away the natural oils and clog pores on your scalp which can cause hair loss and make your appear very greasy, which none of us want! I used to be a scalp conditioner as well as a frequent user of condition. It was automatic, wash your hair and then condition. It was an incredible hard habit to break but since I have been following this routine I have noticed such a difference in my hair and I am more than happy about that! So remember, shampoo your scalp, condition your ends.

Babydoll Beauty Secrets: No more knots!

tangles-in-hair1Hair gets knotted and tangles happen, as much as we try to avid them, they happen; especially with long hair. And we try everything we can to make our hair easier to brush. It is common belief that wetting hair is the best way to help untangle it. Our stylist Micky says never to do that! When hair is wet is it in its most fragile state. Make sure you turn your brush vertically (not horizontally). When the brush is horizontal the bristles cross each other but when it is turned vertically that are not and this helps with untangling the hair and making it easier to brush. So you start brushing at the end of the hair and go up until your hair is silky smooth and tangle free!