Author Archives: Thaïs

Help! My hair pattern is changing… what do I do?

Posted in Styling Methods by

Hello hair community! A dear reader sent me the email below. Two years ago, she endured brain surgery. Thankfully, she has healed, but she has noticed an interesting aftereffect – her hair pattern is changing. While I was able to offer her some suggestions, I thought I’d share with the community to see if anyone else can offer insight. Read on…

Hello!

I’m having a hair identity crisis and I don’t know where I can get advice, even googling it. It might be a shot in the dark but I didn’t know if you might have any answers to at least some of my questions.

When I was a little girl I had soft curls. By the time I was 5 it had straightened and thickened. Even though it was straight it still had a lot of body. The ends curled up if it was shorter than my shoulder-length , I had lots of cowlicks, & little frizzy things if I pulled my hair back.

Two years ago, I had brain surgery. Part of my hair was shaved but it was underneath at the base of my skull. With my hair down no one would’ve known it was shaved. As my hair has grown back, it has been wavy and started creeping up to the hair above my incision and seems to be creeping more and more as well as getting curlier underneath.  The hair on the back of my head is all wavy/curly except for one smooth layer.

I think it might be starting to creep to the sides too, the underlayers near my ears are getting wavy. Moreso on the right side then the left.

I don’t really know what to do with it. It’s this weird half and half.  Even more weird than that is it’s only curly to like the middle of my neck, then a lot of it straightens.

When my hair is wet, it is probably 75% wavy but some of that is pulled out by the weight of it.

Does hair texture change gradually from the root?

Do you think my hair will continue to change to being all wavy or stay half/half?

Do you have any thoughts on styling or haircuts?

Thank you,

T.

If you have any thoughts or advice, please share below!

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Espinache (Spin)Styler: Flaxseed Hair Jelly with a Side of Spinach

Posted in Curly Hair Staples, Product Reviews by

Espinache Spin Styler Flaxseed Gelly

I’ve never been one to put a lot of gel on my curls. My hair is fine and build-up occurs easily. Since the point of gel is to coat your hair to hold it in place and prevent frizz, gel is one of those products that makes my hair feel heavy, sticky and limp. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule, and I have found what I consider the best so far: Espinache (Spin)Styler Flaxseed Gelly. (Yes, that’s a ‘g’ in gelly. It’s intentional.)

Espinache is a 100% vegan, small-batch line of skin and body products handmade in New Jersey. True to its name, their products are loaded with the leafy green super food.  It seems odd at first – spinach in your hair? But it makes perfect sense. Spinach is loaded with protein, fiber, vitamins A, C, E and K and more – good things for your body, inside and out.

The (Spin)Styler is a flaxseed-based jelly that, in addition to spinach, contains aloe vera juice, olive oil, and coconut oil. I’d heard great things about homemade flaxseed jellies, but since having my son, making anything other than baby food from scratch is out of the question.

Let me tell you – I LOVE this stuff! On freshly washed hair, I layer it over my Shea Moisture leave-in, and diffuse as usual. The first thing I noticed was how defined and shiny my curls were; the second thing was how light my hair was; and the third was the clean smell that lasts forever! Ever since I tried it a couple of weeks ago, I have been putting this in my hair almost every single day. In the heat and humidity of New Orleans, the (Spin)Styler has worked wonders.

Consistency of Espinache Spin Styler Flaxseed GellyIt’s also great for second and third day hair. I just spritz my hair with water, and smooth some jelly over the crown to tame the frizz. It’s got tons of slip, so finger coiling is a breeze. It does create a cast on the hair, but once I fluff it out, my hair is so soft and full. I’ve gotten a ton of compliments recently on my hair, and I’m sure that how it is styled has a lot to do with it!

I’m smitten with this hair and skin line, where almost every product does double duty (and the packaging is beautiful). I’ve tried the (Spin)Mist Hydrating Dry Oil for hair, beard and skin. While it wasn’t quite moisturizing enough on my hair, it’s wonderful on my skin. It’s got such a clean smell that a little spritz on my pulse points doubles as a perfume.  Next, I’m eager to try the (Spin)Therapy Moisturizer for hair and skin.

I definitely recommend eating your spinach, and putting it in your hair, too!

Review of Function of Beauty Shampoo & Conditioner

Posted in Product Reviews by

Function of Beauty personalized hair care

Hi good people! I have another hair product that I wanted to share with you guys. I’ve been using this for the last few months, so I’ve been able to see how my hair reacts to it over time.

It’s Function of Beauty‘s personalized hair care line that’s uniquely formulated according to your specific hair type and goals. In other words  – shampoo and conditioner made for your very own head of hair. Finally!

Let’s start with the ordering process, which was actually fun and got me to really think about my hair care goals. I filled out a survey that included my hair profile, goals and preferred fragrance. Here were my choices:

PROFILE: curly + fine + dry

GOALS: hydrate + anti-frizz + curl definition + shine + replenish hair (I had lost some hair during my pregnancy)

FRAGRANCE: white tea jasmine

A week or two later, I received in the mail this gorgeous package, with a shampoo and conditioner called Function of Thaïs. I was halfway sold!

Function of Beauty shampoo and conditioner

The products came with a card that recapped my order, listed all ingredients, and offered a personalized hair regimen. They told me exactly how to use the products.

Function of Beauty ingredients

So here are my thoughts:

THE PROS:

My formula smelled divine. It was indeed white tea jasmine, but with clean notes of tea tree and and mint oils. The shampoo was hydrating and did not strip my hair – so important! The conditioner, while a bit on the thin side, had lots of slip and was easy to comb through. When I was done shampooing and conditioning, my hair felt clean and moisturized, exactly what I look for to prep my hair for styling.

THE CONS

I use these products to this day (haven’t run out yet!), but with continued use, I did notice a slight build-up. It could be the dimethiconol in the conditioner, which is not water soluble. No biggie – this can happen with most conditioners, but I did have to use a cleansing shampoo more often than normal.

The other con, which I mentioned above, was the consistency of the conditioner. I like a thick, rich conditioner with lots of slip, and this was on the thin side. As a result, I had to use lots of it!

The beautiful thing about this company is that I can tell them exactly what I didn’t like, so that they can improve my formula for the next order. Overall, I recommend giving them a try. At the reasonable price of $26/set, you may never have to shop for the perfect shampoo and conditioner again!

Have any of you tried Function of Beauty with perfect results? Please share!

 

Deciding on Hair Growth Again

Posted in Healthy Hair by
IMG_4104

Bad selfie taken pre-baby.

My thoughts on hair are like a game of ping pong. I do one thing, then want the opposite. I go for a long time with my natural hair color, then dye it blonde. Friends, I am at a crossroads again.

I cut my hair back in December after having my son. My hair was too long, thick and unmanageable, especially with an infant. I barely had time to shower and eat, let alone care for waist-length hair. So in a flash – I cut it off. And I’ve loved it. Washing, conditioning and detangling is a breeze, air drying and diffusing are quick, and most importantly – it’s healthy!

But… my styles are limited (no more braided side buns), I can’t put it in a top knot (my all time favorite), and I’m absolutely itching to color it. With summer ahead, I seem to want all these things at once.

Perhaps I’ll embark upon a hair growth journey. It’s been years since I’ve done this, so it’ll be interesting to see how quickly I can get it to grow. Any thoughts or tips for fast hair growth?

Don’t be surprised if you see me soon in a celebratory post with an itty-bitty ponytail. :-0

~Thais

 

 

Long Lost Love: A Shower Cap for Big Curly Hair

Posted in Product Reviews by
virtuosa-beauty

Photos: VirtuosaBeauty.com

Hello friends. It’s hard to keep good things to myself when it comes to making my hair routine easier. So I’m excited to share that I’ve found the long lost love that I never knew I had – The Virtuosa Shower Cap, made just for big hair!

On days that I don’t wash my hair, I’ve traditionally had two methods of keeping it dry:

  1. The pineapple. When my hair is very long, I pineapple it when taking a shower. The only problem is that my pineapple is so tall it never quite fits under a regular shower cap. Hair gets wet; frizz creeps in.
  2. The clip/elastic/headband method. I use this when my hair is shorter. Clip for the front layers, elastic for the length of hair, and headband to keep it all together under the shower cap. Needless to say, that’s a lot of stretching and flattening of curls.

The Virtuosa Shower Cap has a nifty design that allows hair to fall naturally while being well-contained and completely dry. This video explains it better than I can:

It was just as easy to use as the video demonstrates. Plus, it’s made from a quality fabric that’s both attractive on the head (as much as a shower cap can be) and dries quickly.

If that weren’t enough, the story of the ladies who created the Virtuosa Cap is pretty inspiring, too. They are three MBAs from Harvard Business School who saw a need and, through dedicated research and product testing, created a product to fill it. You can read their story here.

The shower cap retails for $34 at VirtuosaBeauty.com. That’s a little pricey if you’re used to paying $2.99 for a 2-pack of plastic caps (like I am), but it’s an investment that will save you time and frustration, and preserve your curl pattern for days. Plus, this cap will definitely outlast the drug store 2-pack. I recommend it!

If you give it a try, let me know what you think in the comments below.

**UPDATE** Use the promo code CURLPOWER for 15% off the Virtuosa Shower Cap.