Laid Brand No More Headaches Hairspray Review: 3 Sprays in One!

I'm not a big hair spray girl. I blame it on the early 1990's. My heyday, and it was the time of grunge, Nirvana and plaid shirts. Nary a teased and sprayed bang in site! So, I'm not a big spray girl. I'll use it maybe... twice a week? And when I do I want it to have touchable hold, not be sticky or flaky, my hair can't turn crunchy.... basically I don't want it to be there. That's a bit of a tall order, in particular since I use so little actual product.

So, this hair spray does everything that you expect/want it to do. Yes, it holds. Yes, it is touchable. And it isn't even sticky, flaky, smelly or crunchy.

What makes this hairspray really amazing is the nozzle. Yes, you can dial it to set how much hold you want. Have a light day? Set it to Low. Heading out to your best friend's wedding? That should probably be on High to hold that elaborate up-do in place. All of that from 1 can! Ingenious.


Laid Brand Hair Care

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Ask David: How to Add Volume to Your Flat Braid Without Backcombing

Yes, see that braid? It has volume, is a very small piece of hair, and this is second day hair and I didn't even use a dry shampoo to do it! I did it following David's directions below. First, here's this week's question!

How to braid your hair so it doesn't look thin and limp? (Without backcombing or teasing?)
-Shannon

David's Answer:
First, you'll need to improve the appearance of your hair's thickness.

Blow dry your hair with a volumizer, this will add the fullness that you need.

When you are braiding, you'll want to be careful not to braid tight to your scalp. Instead, start about 1/2 to 1 inch off of the scalp, this will add a lot of volume. If you're going to be braiding your hair all the way down then start the braid at midshaft and braid all the way down, rather than starting at the very top of your hair. The free flowing section from your scalp to mid-shaft will add the appearance of more volume.

So, this morning I spent a little time playing around with David's directions. You can see that I braided my hair with his directions and the "traditional" french way, which was wrong. There's actually a lot more hair in that flat looking braid, I couldn't even pin it in place! Hence, the ugly little butterfly clip. Obviously I wouldn't wear it like this in real life, only on the interwebz for 2 minutes!

David's little tip makes a huge difference! Do anything and everything you can to avoid pulling that braid tightly against your head. I loosely held my 3 sections, started braiding roughly 1" from my scalp, and kept each "fold over" nice and loose. Pulling extra hair from only 1 side, rather than both sides, also helped. In person my hair looked quite a bit larger, so I skipped the step of pulling my braid a little bit in certain areas to make it a bit looser, but you could certainly do that as well.

David L Hensley is the Chief Creative Officer, Head Stylist and basically hair guru for Laid Brand Hair Care, one of my newest obsessions. David has worked in both Los Angeles and Florida and works with both celebs and us normal people. He has a great understanding of hair and how to work with hair to create great looks!

David has agreed to help with a series of posts answering your hair care and styling questions. Please let me know if you have questions you'd love to see addressed!

Laid Brand Hair Care
David L Hensley

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Perfect Wedding Hair: How to Create it at Home

The little birdie that is Nicholas Penna, Jr., (the Owner and Lead Stylist of SalonCapri in Newton and Dedham, MA) sent me an amazing email yesterday! I had to share these styles. They're perfect for a wedding, whether you're the bride, a bridesmaid or just a guest. Which one is your favorite?

• Evenly distribute your favorite volumizing mousse (Nick’s is Shu Uemura’s Ample Angora Volumizing Mousse) throughout damp locks.

• Blow-dry hair with a large, round, boar bristle brush for a voluminous finish.

• Using a 1.5-2” curling iron, curl the ends of your hair. Take two inch sections and keeping the iron vertical, wrap the sections around the wand in an upwards spiral until you reach just above your ears.
TIP: keep the iron on medium heat.

• Add a spritz of heat activated hair spray and hold the iron in place for about 20 seconds.

• Using a wide-tooth comb (or your fingers!), gently brush out the ends of your hair; this will get rid of the stickiness that hairspray can cause and also loosens up the curls.

• Next, part your hair down the middle.

• Take a two or three inch strand from both sides of your head, near the temple, twist lightly and pull behind your head.

• When the twists meet at the back of your head, begin to weave them around one another so as to create a “crown,” making sure each twist reaches its opposite side.

• Secure with bobby pins beneath the opposite twist’s origin.

• Finish the look with Shu Uemura’s Sheer Lacquer spray.

• Apply a shape paste or gel to towel-dried hair. Nick recommends L’Oreal Professionnel Artec Texturline Texture Paste to keep the twist in place and stop pieces from falling out as you begin to create the style.

• Blow-dry hair with a large, round, boar bristle brush for a voluminous finish.

• Part your hair in the middle. Take the layers at the crown and top of your head and tease them by combing against the grain with a fine tooth comb. Add hairspray for more lift and volume (try L’Oreal Professionnel Texture Expert Infinium Spray).

• On either side of the part, grab about three inches of your hair and begin twisting it back, one side at a time.

• As you twist your hair, mimic the technique you would use for a French braid and grab pieces of hair as you continue to twist. Keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be perfect, the look you’re going for is loose and whimsical.

• Once your twists meet at the nape of your neck, tie the ends in a knot and spritz with hairspray.

• Take the loose ends and twist them so as to create a messy bun, tucking the remaining ends underneath the heap and into the side twists.

• Secure with bobby pins and more hairspray.

• Evenly distribute your favorite volumizing mousse (Nick’s is Shu Uemura’s Ample Angora Volumizing Mousse) throughout damp locks.

• Blow-dry hair with a large, round, boar bristle brush for a voluminous finish.

• Begin a French braid on either side of the natural part, just above your ears.

• Begin with small portions of hair, and as the braid begins to form, start incorporating generous sections from beneath the braid.

• Pin both braids at the back of your head, making sure to tuck one into the other so it appears a continuous crown around your head.

• Gently pull out a few wisps of hair around your face to soften the look.

• Finish with Shu Uemura Sheer Lacquer.

Nicholas Penna, Jr., is the Owner and Lead Stylist of SalonCapri in Newton and Dedham, MA. Nick has received international recognition with awards from Vidal Sassoon (for “Excellence in New Design.”) and the Guillaume Award in Berlin, Germany. Nick is routinely called on her expert hair tips and tricks and his advice has been featured in countless beauty magazines. He regularly styles hair for photo shoots and high-profile events such as New York City Fashion Week.

SalonCapri to be one of only 12 salons in the country to house the L’Oreal Professionnel Haircolor Center on premise. SalonCapri is also one of three L’Oreal expert teaching centers in the country, along with Fred Segal Beauty in Santa Monica, CA and L’Oreal’s own headquarters in New York’s SoHo neighborhood.

SalonCapri

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Laid Brand Shady Girl Shampoo and Conditioner Review: Do Pheromones Make a Difference?

Last week I had my hair cut and colored. As always, after paying that much money for hair color, I left the salon swearing that I'd do everything in my power to help my color last as long as possible and to keep my hair as healthy as possible. Which means that I immediately swapped out the shampoo and conditioner in my shower for this new duo from Laid Brand, Shady Girl.

First, this duo does everything that a good product for color treated hair should. It's sulfate free and gentle, so it won't strip the expensive color right out. They've gone the extra steps of adding some SPF to the shampoo (I'm forever hiding my hair from the sun all summer long!) and there are coconut oil, avocado, and olive oil to help hydrate your hair and keep it healthy.

The products are pretty concentrated, so a little does go quite a long way. They are pretty thick, and I've found that my ADHD tendencies mean I don't have the patience to deal with their pumps and I just use the pump straws like dipping sticks to help me get the product out. (They do come out of the pumps, I just think they're pretty thick and I am a highly impatient shower person.) I found that the shampoo has a great lather, especially when you take into account the lack of sulfates. The conditioner did a great job of making my hair feel amazing, I swear every time I rinse it out my hair just feels healthier. Both rinsed out really easily.

The real reason that I love both of these products is actually what happens outside of the shower. My hair has looked healthier and seems to be easier to style when I'm using these products! I actually tested this out by going back to my old stand-bys, Abba Pure Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner. I ended up throwing them away. Really. My hair is much more cooperative and shinier with the Laid Brand products, they'll be the ones featured on my next "Everyday Favorites" post!

And finally, what about those pheromones?

I've had a discussion about this brand with a few friends and family members, and it always centers around Laid Brand's niche, the little ingredient that sets it apart from other products. Those little chemicals that our noses smell and our brains interpret to help us feel a certain way or to be attracted to certain things. I heard a lot of skeptical remarks about whether they make a difference or could actually get you laid.

David L Hensley, Laid Brand CCO says, "The pheromones are really to make you more attractive to yourself. To make you feel more confident and feel empowerment. Having you feel your own energy and have that just radiating from you." Which makes sense, right? You aren't the skunk in Looney Tunes, Pepe le Pew had his scent to help him attract a woman. You really want to attract someone just by being yourself. "This confidence will help you attract a great person," David says.

So, are the pheromones overwhelming? I don't think so. I've been using the products for a while now, and to me they just smell like regular shampoo and conditioner. Note that there is Menthol as the carrier for the pheromone, so when I apply the conditioner there is a little tingly smell but it isn't overwhelming at all. (And no, it isn't like I've just used Vick's VapoRub!) They smell pretty similar to me, though there is the menthol tingle and a little bit more minty-ness to the conditioner. Otherwise they are both floral/fruity perfume scents that are pretty subtle and I can't smell either of them on my hair once I've rinsed them out.

Do I notice a difference with the pheromones? I do feel more confident in how I look. I can't say "yes, this effect is from the pheromones" for sure. Because you know what? I think some of that confidence come from just having my hair look good. Which these products definitely help with. Good hair or pheromones? I'm not sure I care what made me feel good about myself on a given day!





- None in the shampoo, Yes in the conditioner though they're in the middle of the ingredient list.


Laid Brand Hair Care

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Ask David: Will Coloring My Hair Affect it... Forever?

I am so scared to dye my hair and I was wondering if dying my hair a lighter or darker color (I am currently light brown) will change my texture and color FOREVER.... obviously it will change it immediately, but will it have long term effects?
-Marla

First, nothing is forever, after you dye it new hair will grow.

You need to have healthy hair before you can have great color. I'm a big fan of depositing color. This will add more health, you're adding molecules into the hair instead of stripping something from your hair. This can help to restore the hair's natural strength.

Anytime you are bleaching, whether that is highlighting or all over color, you are stripping color from the hair. The result is that the natural integrity of the hair is jeopardized. Highlighting hair will definitely cause more damage than color because you're stripping color from the hair rather than putting something in the hair with color depositing.
-David


So, no long term effects. But color will always look best on healthy hair. Coloring your hair can damage it, especially if you are intending to go lighter. Consider going darker instead!

David L Hensley is the Chief Creative Officer, Head Stylist and basically hair guru for Laid Brand Hair Care, one of my newest obsessions. David has worked in both Los Angeles and Florida and works with both celebs and us normal people. He has a great understanding of hair and how to work with hair to create great looks!

David has agreed to help with a series of posts answering your hair care and styling questions. Please let me know if you have questions you'd love to see addressed!

Laid Brand Hair Care
David L Hensley

image via brandon milner

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Angelo David Volumizing Spray Review: A Volumizer to Use With Caution

Yes, big hair is kinda in. Teasing combs are everywhere, there are tips all over Pinterest for giving yourself a blowout with volume and I'm not even going to mention Adele. A lot of those methods work, but they can be pretty time consuming. So, here's the perfect spray to quickly add lots of volume to your hair.

A light spray is really all you need to freshly washed hair. Apply to your roots and then a little bit down the hair shaft, only where you want volume. Then just blow dry and style as usual! The spray seems to be activated by the heat of your blow dryer. The result is added volume, but you can't tell there is any product in your hair at all. It feels just as soft and touchable as before, but the volume only took about 10 seconds to add.

When I say a light spray is all you need, I really mean light. I over did it one day (and yes, I had gone to get my hair cut the day before and they did debulk my hair a bit, so it tends to get more volume after it stops really weighing itself down). My hair was huge. Seriously, it was amazing to see how much volume was created by only using this product, there was no backcombing needed.

I've also noticed that this product is great to use if you plan to go more than 1 day on a shampoo (which really, you should consider doing just for the health of your hair). I can add a little dry shampoo, wait a few minutes, and then instead of shaking my hair all around to get rid of any whiteness, I flip my head over and hit it with a minute or two of heat from my blow dryer. Once things have warmed up I then cool it down quickly with the "cool" setting, and that's it! This little trick resets the Volumizing Spray, and my volume is restored. No more flat 2nd day hair! This is definitely more volume that lasts longer than with just dry shampoo alone.


The spray is available from Angelo David for $18.50. For every bottle sold, $1.00 will be donated to the Lupus Foundation of America

Angelo David Volumizing Spray

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Borghese Shampoo and Conditioner Review: Super Hydration in an Everyday Hair Duo

I have somewhat dry hair, likely my own fault as I like to color it and subject it to heated styling a few times a week. So, when a new hydrating shampoo and conditioner set from Borghese showed up on my doorstep, you know it went right in my shower.

This duo has a light perfumed scent that I liked, but it quickly dissipates once rinsed out. The shampoo has a nice lather and rinses out easily, while the conditioner is definitely creamy and a bit thicker. I did find it a bit hard to get out of the bottle due to the thickness, but it wasn't horrible. It rinsed out well also.

I've been testing this set for quite a while now, because it's actually taken me a while to figure out how it works best for me. Why? Because this stuff is crazy super hydrating.

Yup. It's the most hydrating "everyday" shampoo and conditioner duo that I've ever used. It's taken me a while to figure out how much I should use lest I weigh down my hair and lose all volume. For me, with my slightly dry hair, I need about 1 1/2 quarter sized amounts of shampoo (which isn't much for me, I have a lot of hair), and then about 1/2 that amount of conditioner. The conditioner needs to be kept to the distal 1/3 of my hair shaft, any higher and I'll lose volume. The conditioner stays in my hair about 2 minutes. When rinsing out the conditioner, I do bring the ends up and scrunch so very watery conditioner coats the rest of my hair (and then quickly gets rinsed out), that seems to be enough for that bit of hair. I can use this duo about 2x a week.

Using this duo is almost like doing a deep conditioning treatment for me. My hair is definitely softer and looks healthier after using it, and once I found the correct balance for me I did still have good volume. It's going to stay in my shower for a while!


Voluming Hair Gel
I also tried out the Voluming Hair Gel, and I've been sneaking it in to my routine here and there. I admit that I'm not entirely certain how a gel can be volumizing, but it definitely gets the job done with good hold and doesn't turn crunchy. When using it on my hair for Beachwaver days it holds those curls all day long and never feels sticky or heavy. (I guess that's how it is volumizing? It is so light weight it doesn't pull stuff down?) Borghese says that it has "superior humidity resistance", but I've only tried it mid-shaft and below, so I haven't really tested it for that.

I'm throwing this one into my "keep" drawer for hair styling products, which is a pretty rare occurrence. If you need some serious hold but don't want to feel like you have heavy and sticky gel in your hair this is worth picking up.


Shampoo




Conditioner




Volumizing Gel





The line is available at retailers nationwide such as CVS/Pharmacy, Walgreen’s, and Duane Reade.
Borghese

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How to Make a Pretty Pony Tail: Matrix Artistic Directors Ammon and Nick Show You How!

Recently, 30 Rock's Katrina Bowden celebrated her engagement in New York. For the occasion, Matrix Artistic Directors Ammon Carver and Nick Stenson created a sleek and voluminous pony tail that works for almost any event this spring! While they recommended Matrix products, you could substitute other brands as well.

Prep
• Prep hair with Design Pulse Go Big Mousse on damp hair, distribute evenly throughout hair.
• Roughly dry your hair using fingers. I found that drying my hair upside down helped maintain volume but got the job done quickly. When hair is mostly dry, use a paddle brush to help dry smooth.
• Wrap sections around a med sized curling iron, alternating the direction of the curl and maintaining the ends straight.
• Apply Total Results Sleek Silk Wonder Smoothing Oil to each section before wrapping on the iron to help protect hair from damage, and add shine.
• Gently open up the curls with your hands and finish the look with a light mist of Amplify hair spray.

Create the Pony
• Back brush a few sections at the front top hairline.
• Gently sweep all hair back into a mid-height pony, keeping a soft amount of volume and movement in the top.
• Using Total Result Sleek Silk Wonder on your fingertips, take a small piece of hair from the pony and wrap around the rubber band for a perfectly polished pony.


Matrix

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Get Celeb Worthy Color at Home Thanks to Clairol Color Director Marie Robinson

Recently I received some great hair color tips from Clairol Color Director Marie Robinson. Direct from the red carpet for the People's Choice Awards, she saw two big trends: Blondes wearing pretty shimmer and sparkles, and those with rich brown hair wearing bold, bright colors. So pretty!

The problem? Sometimes it can be really hard to translate those looks over to your own look, particularly if you're doing your own color at home. Luckily, Marie shared exactly which colors you should buy to recreate those looks at home!

Bright "California Blondes" such as Julianne Hough coordinate well with sparkle.

To get the look: Try Color Blend Foam in 9-Light Blonde

Dark brown hair is the perfect backdrop for a pop of color! The Vampire Diaries' Nina Dobrev really was amazing in this Kelly Green. Ginnifer Goodwin also showed off in a bright pink for a similar look.

Try: Color Blend Foam in 5A- Medium Ash Brown or 5G-Medium Golden Brown

The night of the People's Choice Awards Marie did the hair of The Office's Angela Kinsey. Angela was a great example of the Blonde & Shimmer trend, though lighter than Julianne.

To duplicate Angela's look: Color Blend Foam in 10-Extra Light Blonde, the same color Marie used on Angela.

If you're nervous about at home hair color, Marie recently gave me some great tips on at home hair color.

Clairol

Image Credit: Please note I purchased the rights to use these images. Check Dreamstime to purchase them yourself.
All three celeb images: © Carrienelson1 | Dreamstime.com
Marie Robinson c/o Clairol.

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