Saturday, February 11, 2012

5 Day Challenge + Dry Shampoo Reviews, tips & tricks

Howdy doo friends and happy weekend morning to ya!

No this is not a post about diet or exercise silly, this is a hair challenge! How do you do a hair challenge you ask? Well I decided that I need to expand my every day "work hair" routine...boring and sloppy. And turn it into something more interesting and fun! Not really for other people but mostly for myself.

So I decided that for 5 days during the week I would challenge myself to style my hair different every single day! 

Piece of cake you think- not for me it wasn't. I like my shut eye, even if it is only 7 more minutes. :) 

This will do several things for me and my hair (and hopefully you can try out your own challenge):
1. force me to get up earlier, potentially getting me to work on time (a girl can dream right)
2. eliminate the need for washing (we all know your hair holds style better when it's not freshly washed)
3. give my hair a break from hot tools

What makes this easy is if you kind of try to plan it out before the week starts. 

Monday: Triple Knot
This one is super easy to do:

-pull out your bangs or your side sweep.
-take a section of hair from the center of your head, starting from an inch or so above your temples slide your fingers to the back of your head till they touch
-lift it up give that section a little tease for some volume.
-Roll that section into a bun or tie into a messy knot right by the little bump/bone on the back of your head and bobby pin.
-The remaining hair separate into a left section and a right section. Then repeat the previous step.

This look is not coiffed or sleek by any means. It's more loose and laid back looking. It's okay if pieces stick out from your knots/buns.






Tuesday: Carrie Bradshaw Top Bun/Sock Bun
Yes ladies I wore a sock in my hair to work! HAHA!

Follow the steps in this blog to create this chic bun.

If  you want to wrap your hair around it like I did in this version below, then before you turn down the sock, pull out a 1" inch section, wrap around the bun and bobby pin! 



Wednesday: Natural
I am SO not a fan of my limp sorry excuse for waves natural hair.
BUT I tried out a restorative mask (post coming soon) the night before and went to bed with wet hair and I was actually okay with the way it turned out the following  morning. Don't get me wrong I felt a little disheveled going to work with my hair like this.

But it's always good to give your hair a complete break from any hot tools.


Thursday: Messy Bun with Faux Braid
This sweet gal gives a good tutorial on how to do the faux braid. The braid is easier to do when your hair has a little 'staying power' thanks to the natural oils from not being washed.
Then just pull your hair back in a pony, side braid or a chic bun or a messy bun like I did.



Friday: Side part + Side braid
I had a fancy little party to attend right after work so I put quite a bit more effort into my hair on Friday morning. Right before I left I took a small section of hair, braided it and bobby pinned it in the back.

Here is my inspiration pic from the beautiful The Beauty Department Blog:

 




Tricks & tools needed to achieve certain looks and to extend your washings.

*shampooing strips your hair of the natural oils that it needs, so try to only wash your hair ever 2-3 days. And if you're boss like me {okay, or just don't care like me ;-)} then you can go 4-5 days. haha! Yes friends I can wash my hair, style it for going out on Saturday and not wash it until Wednesday night the following week. Thanks to these products below.
(Obviously though if it's in the dead of Summer or I had a serious workout this would not be the case.) 

*eliminate the oils with a dry shampoo. this may take a little getting used to if you have never used it before. always start with a little bit because you can always keep adding. my first time  my two faves are:

**warning to my beautiful brunettes: these are white, like baby powder white! I know you can find dark powders and sprays that are meant for us brunettes but I just haven't found a brand I like yet**

A bit on the pricier side but this is the first dry shampoo I have ever used and I bought my first bottle with a Sephora gift card my Momma gave me 3 years ago! That's how long this bottle should last. It doesn't have a scent which kind of sucks because when you're 2 days into not washing your hair you need a little fresh scent. But my tip for this is squeeze the bottle into the palm of your hands and then rub it into your hair, leave on 2 minutes and brush the excess out. 

This is stuff comes out wet similar to hair spray and like I said it comes out white so it makes you look like you're graying. but don't be alarmed. It is also a bit on the tacky side so you can actually use this for several other things besides toning down the greasy-ness. 
if you're going to braid the front of your hair it works nicely to help keep the sections together and in place. 
if you have just blow dryed your hair and need a little extra volume and don't like tease your hair, lift up a few sections where you want the volume spray lightly at the root, let it dry, set the down and ruffle that area up a bit with your fingers.

I challenge you to try and do a different hair-do for 5 days next week and see what you can come up with! If you do, I would love to see your styles.

peace, love and good hair days every day,

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