Intensive Treatment in Under 5 Minutes: Kerastase Fusio-Dose Review

I Bought It, Affiliate Link



I've been pretty open with my hair struggles. I have thick, but fine hair. And it's pretty straight, and an in between brown that's kind of blah on it's own. So, I mess with it, a lot! My hair can take a lot of abuse, but eventually even my hair can't take it any more. There was that time a few years ago that I fried my hair, and too much heat styling (aka- obsession with my BeachWaver) resulted in hair that felt like a Brillo Pad. More recently, I've colored, bleached, permed and heat styled my way into damaged hair. I've been using deep conditioners, hair treatments like Olaplex, and avoiding heat styling. But still, my hair is breaking off and split ends are multiplying!

I recently went to my salon for a root touch up and trim (I've been going for more frequent trims with the damage), and my stylist was surprised to see how dry my hair had gotten over the last few weeks! She decided that we would "go for the big guns" and do a deep treatment.

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A More Intensive Hair Treatment: Jose Eber Therapy Rx Review

Product Sent for Review


I know what you're thinking. Another flat iron? Yawn.

But, it isn't a flat iron. Using this thing will affect your hair, but it isn't going to be straightening (or curling) anything. I have to confess that I was about to buy this, when Jose Eber sent me one to try out. I really, really wanted to try it out. I was convinced it wouldn't work and would be a waste of money. But if I was wrong, how could would that be?

I'm proud to report that I was wrong.


So, what exactly is this thing? It's an infrared iron that also uses ultrasonic vibration. The idea is that you apply something conditioning to your hair, then use the Therapy Rx on your hair. Per Jose Eber:

Used in conjunction with any hair conditioner or oil, the Therapy RX penetrates the cuticle, breaks down the conditioner or oil into nano particles, and pushes it into your hair giving your hair an incredible moisture blast.

You apply whatever product you want to your hair after a shower, turn on the Therapy Rx (there's a simple switch) and you'll see the lights go on. Simply run the iron over your hair. There's no heat, and it feels like you couldn't possibly be doing anything to your hair. Once you think you've done this enough, just style your hair like usual.

So, while I didn't think I was really doing much to my hair, I can tell you that I definitely noticed a difference right away! Using the Therapy Rx definitely seems to do something to conditioners. My hair was immediately softer than it should have been with the leave in conditioner I used (or at least, than it usually is). It was especially effective when combined with Darshana (check out my review of Darshana Hair Oil). Using the Therapy Rx is like leaving Darshana on your hair for another 6 hours.

So, while I rarely rave on and on about a product, I have to say that I really do think this tool is worth the $200. It does pop up on occasion on sites like Hautelook, so snag one if you see it. This is a must have if your hair is damaged, you color your hair or do a lot of heat styling.

Jose Eber
Product Sent for Review

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Darshana: The Answer To Your Hair's Woes

Product Sent for Review



Years ago, I was on the Moroccan Oil band wagon. I loved that stuff, and yes, it did make my hair feel softer and shinier. I used it daily for about a year, which is when I realized what was really in that stuff (check out Kevin James Bennett's post about what is in Moroccan Oil), and that I wasn't really doing my hair any favors. So, my bottle of Moroccan Oil has sat in my bathroom for years. Untouched. (And I should probably throw that thing out! I can't believe I've ignored it for this long.)

With all of the hype on Pinterest about oils for pretty much anything you could imagine, I haven't totally given up on oil. (I do really like the Redken Diamond Oil.)

Recently, I was asked to review Darshana, a new hair oil that just launched a few months ago. When I heard that it is a blend of oils inspired by the oils frequently used by both men and women in India, I had to try it! I know it's a stereotype, but everyone I know that is Indian has amazing hair (and I'm pretty sure all of my Indian friends would be completely fine with me stereotyping like that!) I really wanted to try it out.


So, here is the reason that Darshana is so amazing. That ingredient list. There's not a single silicone (which is most of Moroccan Oil), only natural oils and extracts!

And yes, this stuff is really amazing. It is a little thicker than other hair oils I've been using recently (aka- that Redken Diamond Oil), but I think it is probably similar to Moroccan Oil in consistency. From what I remember of it from years ago, anyways. It smells yummy. There's no other way to describe it. It's citrus and fresh, but not over powering. I can smell it while the oil is on my hair as a mask, but it does wash away.

You apply Darshana to your hair as a mask. You can apply a little, or enough to look really oily, it's up to you. Darshana recommends leaving it on at least 30 minutes before shampooing the oil out of your hair (be careful, it can make your shower slippery). You can leave it on overnight if you want. I've used the treatment a few times now, the first time I left it on roughly 3 hours, the second I left it on about 30 minutes.

The results are obviously more dramatic when Darshana is left on longer or you use more oil. The result is soft, shiny hair that really looks healthier. The best part is that the results aren't temporary, they last! And, my hair still had plenty of volume. I admit that I was afraid putting oil on my hair (especially because I included my scalp as the directions recommended) would just give me flat, oily hair. Instead, my hair was healthy, easy to style and I still had plenty of volume.

Note that I have tried Darshana as a styling product as well. I've applied it to both wet and dry hair, then styled as usual. If you are going to use the oil in this way, you will need much less than with a treatment. Think on the order of a few drops. A little goes a long way! It does help calm frizz, but start with a very small amount as it is easy to overdo it.

What's your favorite intensive hair treatment right now?

Darshana
Product Sent for Review

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Loving This: Color Wow One Minute Transformation

Product Sent for Review


So, back before I chopped off my damaged ends, the nice people from Color Wow sent me a tube of their One Minute Transformation. I'm not going to lie, this stuff is pretty amazing. It is a lightweight lotion that de-frizzes, smooths and shines all in one step! You can use it on wet or dry hair, though I like to do both.

I was using about a nickel sized amount on my hair when wet and then blow drying as usual. The heat from the dryer seems to really help it work well on your hair, and adding this product really did make a difference to the appearance of my damaged ends! I couldn't smell it in my hair, feel it in there (no added weight is huge for me!), but my hair looked much healthier and more shiny.

You can also add a little One Minute Transformation to your dry hair, though you should also hit it with a blow dryer to really get the full benefit. Simply rubbing a little in won't do the trick. On dry hair I used about the size of a lima bean, rubbed it all over my hands and then my hair to get a very fine distribution. Then I would pull out my dryer and hit it with the warm heat for about 30-60 seconds. After fluffing my hair with my fingers I can brush my hair and the result is all kinds of magical. It could take my hair from straw-like to incredibly soft, shiny and healthy.

This is forever going to be in my bag of tricks!

Color Wow One Minute Transformation
Product Sent for Review

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Makeup Wars: The Coconut Hair Mask, Is it a Miracle?

I Bought it Myself

This week for Makeup Wars, we've decided to show case our favorite masks. And while usually that means face masks, I'm feeling a bit tapped out on face masks this week. Truly, I think I've discussed them a bit much lately (I'm sure I'll be over this sentiment next week).

So, here are a few of my favorites:
First Aid Beauty Instant Oatmeal Mask: Super soothing and hydrating
Kiehl's Rare Earth Mud Mask: Pulls stuff out of your pores like other masks, but is gentle on your skin
Gelatin Face Mask: Yes, you can pore strip your entire face for when you really want to clean out those pores!

I thought I'd share something that I've been trying to find the way to write up for about... 9 or 10 months now. Really.


Surely you've seen the Pinterest Coconut Oil Hair Mask pins? The ones where girls have their amazingly long and healthy hair and claim that a little coconut oil cured their damaged areas, let their hair grow a few inches overnight and smelled like an Almond Joy? Yeah, me too.

I could not stop repinning the coconut oil hair pins over and over and over last summer. Especially after I fried my hair and damaged it so badly it felt like a brillo pad. I was pretty desperate. But, my husband hates coconut, and given how often he has to put up with nail polish fumes I was not going to make him suffer through coconut oil treatments too.

Luckily, I was going out of town for work, so I decided to take advantage of some alone time in a hotel room. Yes, I packed a bag full of beauty treatments, and each night was masking away!

To do a coconut oil hair mask, there are a few things you will need. Obviously, coconut oil. I bought a jar of it from Whole Foods, and inside it was a milky-white transparent goo. I've seen pictures of coconut oil as an opaque white waxy substance that is most definitely solid, so this is likely related to the low melting point. I took that really blurry cell phone picture in my (air conditioned) hotel room.

Taking a handful of coconut oil, you simply slather it through your hair. I started at mid-shaft and worked my way down at first, but then since I was targeting damage that started about an inch from my roots in some areas, I went back up and covered those areas as well. I stayed away from my roots since I was concerned the oil with weigh my hair down and I'd have no volume left! I used enough coconut oil to cover my hair, each treatment took about 1/4 of the very big jar. I then combed it through with a long tooth comb and twisted my hair up and secured it with the clip. I covered my hair with the shower cap and then blasted it with a warm blow dryer for a few minutes to heat everything up. To hold the heat in, I twisted a towel around my head.

Once you have the towel in place, it is really up to you how long to leave it on. I read varying times from 30 minutes to overnight. Really?? I had no desire to leave the oily mess on my head while trying to sleep, so I left it on about 2-3 hours, I did 3 treatments total (every other night, I was out of town for 5 days). I then showered and washed my hair before going to sleep. I had to wash 2-3 times each night to ensure that all of the oil was out of my hair.

Did it work? Well.... not so much. It was kind of messy and I did have less volume in my hair for a little while. It helped a bit with the fried hair, but no where near as much as these conditioners, and then later on I discovered DermOrganic's Hair Masque and the new L'Oreal hair mask, both of which made a huge difference in the damaged areas of my hair in a much shorter period of time.

Did I do something wrong? I wonder if the coconut oil was better for healthier hair, and wouldn't really work for the damaged areas that I was trying to treat. Have you tried coconut oil on your hair? Did it work?









Photo Credit: Alex via Compfight cc

25

Fried Hair Update: What's Working?

Remember a few months ago when I confessed that I fried my hair with my curling iron? And I was in serious need of moisture for my hair? I luckily wasn't so bad off that I needed to cut all of my hair off (thank goodness, because it was the very top layer of my hair and the entire hair shaft. I would have had to basically shave my head!) Instead, I was able to get a haircut and super moisturizing treatment at my salon and things felt much better. Which gave me hope for saving my hair with products.

Since posting my admission, I've had my hair cut twice, both with intensive moisturizing treatments (which made my hair feel like butter, buttttaaah). I've gone a bit crazy with intensive treatments, different shampoos and conditioners, etc. I will fix my fried hair!

There was a lot of stuff that worked for the majority of my hair (which is a bit damaged from highlights and heat styling, but isn't completely fried to a brillo pad consistency), but some of that didn't help those really bad areas on the very top of my head. So, after much searching, trial and error, I have managed to find a few things that have helped. I thought I'd share them here, let me know if you've had a similar experience or found something that works for you (and not all of them are in that picture above). In this post I am only referencing my super damaged areas. I have been trying out some other products as well, and I'll be writing up reviews, but these are all the products that worked the best for my super fried, dried out and frizzy areas.

Just a few comments on my general strategies. I don't wash, dry and style every day. I typically go every other day or every 3 days for washing my hair. Day #2 is usually fine, if I need to squeeze in a day #3 that's when I will go for a bit of dry shampoo.

I've noticed that I can't let my hair air dry. (Which would be nice, wouldn't it? To avoid the heat?) Air drying seems to make it frizzy, frizzy, frizzy and nothing will take that away. So, I need to blow dry.

After my last hair cut, my hair is much easier to style straight rather than curling or leaving my waves in place. So, I dry it straight and then use a flat iron on the frizzy areas. I know that sounds bad, I damaged with heat, and I'm just using more, right? However, I can't get those super frizzy areas to look remotely decent without a little bit of heat. I'm using the HSI 1" Flat Iron, which has a heat selector and can go as low as 140 F. I don't go quite that low, but I use it at a very low setting, go over the area only enough to smooth things out a little, I certainly am not going for perfection. Once slightly flat ironed, my hair then seems to defrizz itself over time (this only happens with the small amount of flat ironing), and day #2 is always the smoothest and softest day for me.


Shampoos & Regular Conditioners
I was a bit surprised at how much different shampoos would affect my hair. I kind of knew it would, but really, I thought the biggest difference would be in which conditioners.

My hair likes gentle shampoos, sulfate free seems to help, and if there is a lot of hydration involved, that is also good. Laid Brand Shady Girl was a good option, as is Pureology Hydrate. Pureology also sent me their new Precious Oil products to try out (pictured here) and I did even better with this line than with Hydrate.


Intensive Treatments
I've found that my super dry area needs to be deeply conditioned at least twice a week. If I'm only washing ever 2-3 days, this means that I'm usually using an intensive hydrating treatment with each washing. I can not take the time to do this the "right"/super hydrating way. Which is to put it on your hair, put on a shower cap or towel or something, and give it a loooong time to sink in and really do the job. Instead, I only have time for the quick and dirty way, to apply it to the damaged areas. I do this after washing, while I'm washing my body and shaving. The steam from the shower does help it sink in and work a bit better, and I probably let it have about 5 minutes to do its job while I'm multitasking.

I do need to clarify that I don't apply the intensive mask treatments to all of my hair each time. About once a week I do all of my hair, but in general I'm applying the intensive treatment to the damaged area and regular conditioner to the rest of my hair.

My favorite Intensive Treatments so far are: Pureology Precious Oil Softening Hair Masque, Agadir Moisture Masque and Bracato Cloud 9 Miracle Repair Treatment. The Pureology was obviously sent to me by Pureology, and is basically just a thick conditioner that works pretty well. The Agadir is more like an almost solid oil masque (it has a lot of Argan Oil in it), but it does not make my hair greasy. Finally, the Bracato has the consistency of a regular conditioner, but is much more moisturizing. It's the same product my stylist used in the salon for my hydrating treatments, so I ordered a giant bottle through Amazon.

I've been rotating through the 3 intensive treatments, which seems to give me the best results. Somehow if I repeat a treatment a few times in a row, it seems to not be as effective, and my hair is more frizzy/dry on those days. If I'm rotating through and use an intensive treatment for every washing, my hair feels much better though not quite normal.

I should mention that there are a few intensive treatments that I mentioned previously which seemed to actually make my damaged area worse. These were all great for the rest of my (just typically) damaged hair, just not good for the very damaged areas.

The first is the infamous Coconut Oil mask. I tried this when I was out of town right after really messing up my hair. I left it in for hours. (I did this in the hotel because my hubby really hates coconut, and really, I didn't have anything else to do.) I was pretty disappointed, my damaged areas were actually worse. They were more frizzy and dry. They were more apparent because the rest of my hair was super hydrated, shiny and looked really healthy without being weighed down. I'm sure I'll try this again when the damaged areas are gone, it really seemed like it was great for my hair otherwise. Just sometime when my hubby is out of town.

The second one was the Paul Mitchell Keratin Intensive Treatment recommended by my stylist. Just like the other treatments, this was great for the rest of my damaged hair, but it truly made the really damaged area feel like straw. I've hoarded my tube away for use after my hair has recovered.


Oils/Styling Products
Finally, I've noticed that there are a few styling products that I need to sneak in to my routine. I am not one of those people that uses the same item each time, I'll randomly grab a mousse and throw it in if I think that I *might* possibly consider curling my hair the next day. I'll use a leave in conditioner randomly (it doesn't really help much, so I feel like it is a stupid extra step, but then I sometimes feel guilty and thrown some in to the mix). But, there are 2 things that I'm always adding in now.

While I'd used hair oils previously, I've switched from Shu Uemura's Essence Absolue to a L'Oreal. While I've loved the Shu for years (I'm still using that same bottle from my review over 2 years ago, and I use it at least 4-5x/week), for some strange reason the L'Oreal EverSleek Precious Oil Treatment does a much better job on those damaged areas. It smooths and softens like no other. I just use a little in my palm and rub it over wet hair, then use a wide tooth comb to evenly distribute it.

Next, I grab about a nickel size of Garnier Frucis Sleek and Shine Anti-Humidity Smoothing Milk, which I also comb through my hair. I used this a lot years ago, and I randomly grabbed a bottle (it was on an end cap when I was at the grocery store), and I've found that it really helps to keep all the hard work I've put into my hair lasting longer. Without it, things do get frizzy and dry looking again. This really allows me to go 2-3 days without feeling too straw-like or frizzy.


So, after all of that rambling, I'm sure there are only about 2 or 3 people still reading. If you've had this same problem, please let me know! I'd love to know what intensive treatments have worked for you.




Some of these products were provided, some I purchased myself.

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Confession: I Fried My Hair, Now I Need to Fix It

So, I have a confession. It's really, really horrible. I completely. I mean really fried my hair. I went too crazy with my Beachwaver, using it way too often, using it at max heat, and being lazy and not using my heat protectant spray like a good beauty blogger. I thought that stuff didn't do much except make my hair a bit greasy. Apparently it actually does something...

So, roughly the top 1/3 of my hair is basically feeling like a brillo pad. Whenever I wash it, I just cringe. I need to dry my hair if it gets wet (it takes well over 6 hours to dry on its own otherwise), and that just seems to make it worse. Luckily if I do that at night, by the next day the brillo-padness seems to calm down quite a bit. For better (or worse?) I can't follow David Hensley's advice and just cut off my hair, it's the entire hair shaft for the top 1/3 of my head. I guess I could shave it off.... but I've always had long hair and things are just super frizzy and dry, nothing is breaking off. I can save my hair!

So, I've been coming up with a plan of attack. First, I bugged my beloved Shannon, who did my hair when I lived in the OC. Her advice (via Facebook):

Go get a good hair cut and conditioning treatment. Also, you can put Coconut oil in it at night if it's really dry. (Use a crappy pillow case.) Use the Purple (for moisture) Pureology and wear a hat in the sun.
~Shannon
My former hair stylist, who I miss dearly

Luckily, I already had an appointment with Heather, my hair dresser here in Michigan. (Who I also like, but she just isn't Shannon, so it isn't the same. Does that make sense? It does to me.) I got a hair cut, Heather did some "texturizing" in the top layers that took out more of the damaged top bits, and we did a very intensive moisturizing treatment. She had some advice as well.

Avoid heat, but if you must, use nothing over 390. Use your heat protectant spray all the time, wash at the most every other day and use the intensive treatment twice a week. When you use the treatment, try to put your hair in a shower cap or a towel to keep it moist, and the longer you can leave it on your hair the better. It will take time, but after a month or so you'll be better.
~Heather
My Michigan hair stylist

So, I've purchased Heather's preferred intensive treatment (Keratin Intensive Treatment), I have my Pureology Hydrate Shampoo and Conditioner Duo in the shower, though I also have Matrix Total Results Repair products to test out. I've discovered that Laid Brand Shady Girl Shampoo & Conditioner are the ones that give me the softest and healthiest hair after washing (almost no frizz at all pre-styling products), so I'm already preferentially using those. I've broken out all of my leave-in conditioners as well, and I even bought some coconut oil, so I'll let you know if I turn into a grease ball with that.

So, watch for a lot of intensive hair treatment posts in the near future!

PS I forgot to add, that after my hair cut and intensive moisturizing treatment at the salon, my hair felt AMAZING. So healthy and silky. I know it can be saved, I'm just going to need to spend a lot of time with conditioner on my head to do it!



I received some of the mentioned products for consideration, though some of them I purchased myself.

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Damaged Hair: John Frieda to the Rescue? Full Repair Review

Damage control is definitely a hot area in hair care right now. Unfortunately, that usually means products that are overly hydrating, resulting in flat and greasy hair. This is particularly true in the mass market price range. If I see "damage" anywhere on the packaging (or "heat protecting") in my mind that equals "greasy hair".

Fortunately, John Frieda has a damage control line that won't weigh down your hair. The line features Inca Inchi Oil, from teh Sacha Inchi plant. This oil was used by Incan women and is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids. True, hair is really just dead proteins, but somehow the oil and moisture does seem to make a difference. The line includes Shampoo & Conditioner, a few serums to help with damage, a root lift foam and a mascara-wand with fly away tamer. You can watch a how to use them all on the John Frieda Website.

So, does this line deliver weightless moisture to help improve your hair's damage? It didn't weigh down my hair and it certainly did seem like my hair looked healthier. It was shinier, easy to style and my fly aways were tamed. The shampoo & conditioner do have a stronger perfume scent than I typically like, though the scent was gone once my hair had been dried. I used the Perfect Ends Sheer Mist as well, and I noticed that this did weigh down my hair a little if I applied it near my roots. When applied to the ends of my hair I still had great volume and my hair was smoother. I think my favorite product of the line is the Touch-Up Flyaway Tamer. It looks like a big mascara wand, and when I run it over the little hairs that are "flying away" on the top of my head and smooth them down.... amazing! They actually stay down and I can't see or feel that I've put anything on my hair. Love it!


John Frieda is also hosting a Damage Control: Live Webcast with International Creative Consultant, Harry Josh on the John Frieda Facebook Page. You can sign up starting today.

Date: Wednesday, June 8th
Time: 6pm – 6:30pm EST

Each participant who signs up will be asked to submit a question for Harry Josh and in return will receive one full-size product from the Full Repair collection: Those with fine hair will receive a Perfect Ends Sheer Mist and participants with thick hair will receive a Perfect Ends Deep Infusion. Harry will answer all submitted questions during the half hour live webcast and will provide a special code that participants can use to enter to win the grand prize – a trip to New York and a haircut/style with Harry!

John Frieda Full Repair

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