VA Reviews: Clear Scalp & Hair Beauty Therapy - 7 Day Intesnive Treatment

I'll admit, I was a bit weary about trying an intense repair hair treatment for a couple of reasons. First, my hair is not color treated (and hasn't been since 2008). Second, my hair is not dry.  My hair is actually on the opposite end of the spectrum from "dry". My hair is OILY.

As a teenager, reading women's magazines, I was always so disappointed to find that my hair type was never included in articles. "Oily hair" is rarely talked about. There's no shampoo for oily haired ladies on the shelves at the stores, there's not talk about how to handle oily hair at salons, and there's certainly not products that openly advertise "removes shine!" in our magazines.  I'm one of those women who has to wash her hair once a day, no exceptions. No amount of dry shampoo or baby powder would ever mask the oil that would creep into my hair  10-12 hours after washing.  In fact, my mother used to wash my hair with a bit of dish soap if it got bad when I was a child.

So what would an intense 7 day treatment for damaged and color treated hair do for me? I decided to bite the bullet and find out. When the Clear Scalp Hair and Beauty Therapy package arrived*, I took some photos of my hair before starting the treatments.  The photo to the right is on a Sunday afternoon, after allowing my hair to air dry. (Notice the oil in the scalp area? This was after putting in some dry shampoo!)

Like I mentioned before, I was weary about trying this out for seven days because usually products that claim they "add shine" or "intense moisture" usually weigh down my hair to the point of it being completely unmanageable. What I found after the seven days of using this product completely shocked me.

To start, there are seven tubes of an intense conditioning formula in each package. In the shower, I would wash my hair with my regular shampoo** then apply the treatment in lieu of conditioner, making sure to get it all through my hair, rubbing it into my scalp and getting a generous amount of it onto the ends, then used a butterfly clip to get my hair out of the way while I finished the rest of my showering.  Right at the end, I would rinse out the treatment, paying close attention to getting it out of my scalp. (I was afraid that leaving too much in the scalp area would leave my hair greasy). Simple as that. Easy-peasy.

Seven days later... my hair is smoother and shinier than ever. The best part though - my hair was less greasy at the end of the day that it ever was before! I really think that the intense treatment actually altered the amount of oil my scalp was releasing throughout the day leaving my hair still looking good after working 9+ hours. Even after just the second day of the treatment, I had to mentally stop myself from touching my hair all day long. It was just SO SOFT!  I received compliments from people I didn't even know! And I haven't had a haircut in almost a year! (yeah, yeah, I know!)

 Check out the before and after:

This treatment left my hair with incredible softness. Styling my hair was a breeze, (no straightener used in the "after" photos) and I think it even cut down on the amount of time it took my hair to dry.  Does this treatment repair split-ends? No. Nothing actually "repairs" split-ends; since hair is dead, it can't grow back together. But, I did smooth down the hair more to make the split-ends less noticeable. (Note: the product says that it repairs visible signs of damage after 7 days, not actually putting back together ends that have split. I believe this to be absolutely true.)

I would definitely recommend this product for people with ANY hair type.  I'm sure color treated hair that has lost a bit of shine would benefit greatly from this product and if you have JUST had a haircut? Give yourself a jump on lasting shine and split-end control.  Best part though? Oily haired ladies finally have a product that gives the RIGHT kind of shine!

I actually have an extra set of the 7 Day Intensive Repair Treatment that I'll be giving away to one lucky reader tomorrow this week, so stay tuned!



Notes:
*I received this product free for my review from BzzAgent. If you are interested in joining BzzAgent and reviewing products, visit BzzAgent and sign up!
**I  use Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy's shampoo/conditioner for normal hair as my regular shampoo. I purchased this product before receiving the repair treatment for review (because it was on sale at Duane Reade). I have not purchased any other Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy products... yet.

I would frame this

I'm so tired.

Spring Things

 

There are a few things that are keeping me from purchasing these pants.

1.) They're $200.00
2.) They're dry clean only

I can't possibly commit to dry clean only denim; but in a perfect world, one where I make a lot more money and frequent the dry cleaner weekly, these would definitely in my possession.

If you are in the market for a statement jean this spring, these Koral Los Angeles jeans from Piperlime might be prefect for you.

I love you Kate Spade..

But this? This is a NO.

Go back and try again.

Stuff My Boyfriend Says

Him: "Have you ever heard of the movie 'This is Yo'?"

Me: "Um, I think that says 'This is 40'."

Him: "Oh. This is going on the blog, isn't it?"

Oh, Sandy Baby!

Since so many people last year found my blog by Googling "Flush a toilet in a hurricane" I thought I would do a reprise of last year's post before Hurricane Irene.  Originally posted 8/26/2011 -

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Unless you have been locked up in a dungeon somewhere being asked to “put the lotion on its skin”, you know that there is a major hurricane coming toward the northeastern part of the United States. 
I know that a lot of people are really freaking out about the impending storm, but there are far more people not paying attention to the warnings. So, from my knowledge of hurricanes (living in North Carolina), here is the advice I can give about preparing for a hurricane.


What can happen:

Rain: This storm will bring a considerable amount of rain. While rain falling from the sky in itself is not hazardous, the accumulation of rain over a small period of time can be very dangerous, leading to excessive runoff and flooding. When it comes to a place like New York City, underground tunnels have the capability of serious flooding, basically halting all traffic in and out of the nation’s largest city.

Wind: The wind will be excessive. Strong, over 100mph winds are nothing to joke over. Trees will topple over, crushing power lines and cars. Some houses may suffer from considerable damages due to falling trees and limbs. The wind will be so strong that cars will be pushed from one side of the street to the other. Rain will come in sideways, ocean and river waves will swell 3 or 4 times their usual height. Which brings me to:

Storm Surge: With New York’s five boroughs being surrounded mostly by water, this could very well be the most dangerous. When the bodies of water are disturbed by the hurricane, waves pick up and slam into the shore. That, combined with natural tides, a storm of this size could bring swells of water in the 20 feet range. This could be detrimental to low-lying places such as Downtown Manhattan, Coney Island, and the Far Rockaways in Queens. New York City has never (EVER) issued a mandatory evacuation for flood zone areas. Take heed and evacuate if you are told.

Power: Power outages across the five boroughs will cause a great inconvenience to most people. It may take a large amount of time to restore power to the masses if downed trees and flooded areas cause problems.

Water, Gas: I don’t foresee the water or gas lines to be messed with within the city, but if for any reason, New York City’s water becomes tainted by sewage, having bottled water on hand will be you only option. If the water does go out, you will not be able to flush your toilets. It may be a good idea to fill up your bathtub full of water so you can manually flush the toilet in the event of a water outage.

With power outages and extensive damage to the transit systems, you may have to stay where you are for several days. This means having non-perishable food items on hand to eat for a few days. Please remember that if you have an electric can opener, it will not work if the power goes out (That seems obvious, but you’d be surprised). Do not open your freezer for any reason. Once the power goes out, you need to keep that cold in there for as long as possible in hopes to save some things that may be in there.

Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t go swimming before a hurricane comes. And don’t rush out to clean things up until emergency personnel have at least taken a look. Don’t touch downed power lines and don’t stand underneath leaning trees. 

One thing to note: If the storm comes straight across Manhattan, it will stop for a period of time. This does not mean the storm is over! The eye of the hurricane is an eerie, slightly sunny, calm period where many people think the worst of the storm is over. STAY WHERE YOU ARE! The second half of the storm will be along shortly. Stay up to date about where the storm is and when it is expected to be over with a battery-operated radio.

It should also be noted that there is a chance that nothing happens at all. I’ve seen storms look like they’re going to barrel straight into North Carolina and disappear overnight as if they never existed. The storm could turn at any moment and go straight out to sea. But, you should always be prepared for the worst. Katrina was the worst hurricane we’ve had in a very, very long time and the catastrophe was heightened by the people’s refusal to listen. They thought the storm would turn, they thought it would die down, it would all be okay. And it wasn’t.

Please keep yourselves (and your pets) safe and be sure to check on your neighbors, friends, and relatives. By law, all pets are allowed to accompany you into emergency shelters. Don’t let people tell you otherwise. Make a plan now so that if the time comes to evacuate, you already know what to do. Phone lines will be flooded with people asking questions. Save yourself the trouble and figure out where to go now. Also, did you know that failure to comply with a mandatory evacuation is a misdemeanor? It is actually punishable with jail time up to 90 days!

Be careful, be safe. Keep your pets and loved ones near you. And remember to stay inside and stay calm. We’ll all be alright.

See you on the other side!

-VA 

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Also - this is all I can think about when people talk about Hurricane Sandy:

Pinterest Pins That DO NOT Work!

Cleaning your makeup brushes:

The Pin says: You will surprised to see all the makeup that is left in the water. How to properly clean your makeup brushes. (a tablespoon of white vinegar in a cup of hot water, and a 20 minute soak, followed by a hot, then cold rinse and pat dry will do it. Disinfects, dissolves grease/makeup, leaves no film, and inexpensive.)

Let's start with a story: I'm in Germany and I've been conned into purchasing a specialty soap for cleaning makeup brushes thinking that nearly $40 is a great deal.  I keep that block of soap for years, still trying to cling to every bit of soap even when the tin has completely rusted...  Since then, I'll admit, I don't clean my makeup brushes as often as I should.  

Anyway, most of the time I can't be bothered to clean my brushes because of how long it takes them to dry. But, when I saw this pin today, I thought, "why not? let them soak for 20 minutes and rinse? Sounds easy enough."

I doubled the "recipe" so that I could fit all of my brushes in it. I watched an episode of brand new fall TV (yay!) and went to rinse the brushes out.  Yes, there was some makeup in the bowl, but when I went to dry them, there was still a TON of makeup in the brush.

So, this idea simply did not work.  If you want to get your old makeup out of your brushes, I would suggest you use the old stand-by of using a little bit of dish soap and some water, whip those brushes around in the solution like you're whisking up some eggs, then, rinse with warm water and blot dry.  Give them a swirl after they're halfway dry on a towel to keep their shape. Then they'll be clean, soft, and ready to use once they're fully dry.

Pinterest Grade: 1

Stuff My Boyfriend Says...

"Whoa, this peanut butter is like, whipped! That's why choosy moms choose Jif!"

How to Make a Life

First:

Take everything you’ve ever learned and everything
You’ve yet to discover and place it in a box labeled Thank You.

Second:

Take a picture of your face and remember
That in many years time you will be amazed at how gorgeous you were.
Be amazed now.

Third:

Find someplace to live.
Make sure it has the ability to let light fall
Across the room in such a way that every so often,
You’ll stop and mouth the words “Ah, sunlight.”
Before you finish dusting the books.
Don’t let the books get dusty.
Open them and reread your favorite sentences
Or give the books away.

Fourth:

Fall in love.
Touch. More than you think.
Have a child if you want one.
If you don’t, don’t.
Let your child out into the world
Discovering for themselves just how magical
It is. Or it isn’t.
It’s theirs to decide.
Give your child a lot of books.

Fifth:

Get a job.
Remember this job is not who you are.
You get to open the silk door of You,
And decide, over and over, as many times as your socks,
Just who you are.
You get to say your own I am.

Sixth:

Do yoga.
Let your body discover what it’s like to move
without your brain holding it’s hand.
Tell your brain to take a hike.
Let your body believe fully in it’s own powers.
Let every person you’ve stored inside your muscles out every so often,
to breathe.

Lastly:

Do things that make you feel good.
Let your joy be contagious and spread through
Your home, your job, your children.
Let it spread through the world
Like a virus so that when you forget it,
Every so often, you’ll catch it from someone else.

- Jen Pastiloff