After I posted my desperate plea for suggestions on how to fix my daughter’s over-chlorinated hair, y’all came out in force with dozens of great suggestions. Because I live in the sticks, I don’t have access to some of the more specialty products that were recommended (like this, this and this). So, I figured I’d start with whatever I could find readily available at the local drugstore.
Here’s what I did:
First, I took my daughter for a haircut. I didn’t strip the chlorine out yet, I just had the hairdresser cut off a good two inches to clean up the ends.
After her haircut, I went and got a bottle of UltraSwim Shampoo ($4.99). It was the last bottle on the shelf, which I always consider a good non-scientific review. I mean, if people are buying it, that’s a good sign, right? I also picked up a good moisturizing conditioner. In this case, I went with Nexxus Humectress, per another commenter’s suggestion. I bought a travel-sized bottle for $4. (By the way, per Cita’s recent post, you can still get a free sample of Nexxus Humectress here.)
That evening I shampooed my daughter’s hair twice with the UltraSwim and then applied the Nexxus conditioner, being sure to leave it on for the full three minutes. Because I was doing this review (and because it was time for my daughter to go to bed), I did blow dry her hair. However, if I had had more time, I would have let her hair air dry. Many of you suggested skipping the hair dryer, as it only dries the hair out more. That makes total sense. I don’t know why that didn’t occur to me.
I didn’t take a “before” picture of my daughter’s hair because I wasn’t sure the condition of her hair would really show well in a photograph. Her hair looked dull, but the problem was more how her hair felt. Now I wish I had taken a “before” photograph because the “after” was striking: Take a look:
Her hair felt so much better. I couldn’t stop touching it. Even my husband was impressed.
I’m going to be honest, it wasn’t a 100 percent fix. But, I’d say the UltraSwim took care of about 85-90% of the build-up. Part of the problem is that I think I let her hair get too out of control before I did anything. Had I started the UltraSwim/Humectress protocol from June 1st on, I never would have run into the problems I did.
A few commenters recommended a salon Malibu treatment to remove all of the build-up, and it’s something I’m considering once the swim season comes to a close.
The other tip that will definitely become a habit next summer is to wet my daughter’s hair and apply a small amount of conditioner prior to her getting in the pool. The conditioner prevents the chlorine from penetrating the hair cuticle, which causes the damage in the first place. I can then put her swim cap on top, and the heat generated from swimming actually works as a heat conditioning treatment that can help repair her hair as she swims. Pretty cool.
So a big thanks to all of you who took the time to comment. Your suggestions were ever so helpful. And for any of you that might be struggling with the same issue of over-chlorinated hair, be sure and check out the comments on the original post. There’s a wealth of information in there that, quite literally, can transform your tresses.
I’ve been sort of obsessed with painting my nails lately. But as is normal for me, I get really bored, really quickly. Tired of the plain polished nail look, I started browsing for fun nail designs on YouTube.
That’s when I came across Konad Stamping Nail Art. I contacted WowSoCool.com about reviewing a Konad Stamping Nail Art kit for you all and they happily sent me a basic kit.
Konad special polish in white, image plate m57, scraper, and small stamper
I’ve used it many times since I received it and I have to say, it’s really fun and easy once you get the hang of it. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
The Konad special polish is necessary for the stamping. I tried to use a regular polish with the stamp and it did not work. Regular polishes are too thin to hold up during the transfer from plate to stamp to nail.
Once you apply the special polish to the plate and scrape off the excess, you have to work quickly. It dries really fast, so hesitating too long will likely prevent the design from transferring completely.
I found that you have to thoroughly clean the image plate about every 1-2 stampings. Otherwise the residual polish that’s left in the image plate will dry and prevent future stampings from being crisp. Just rub the plate with polish remover and a cotton ball or Q-tip.
Also, make sure your rolling motions are smooth when picking up the design from the plate onto the stamper. If not, the design won’t transfer completely. I have to admit, there were a few times I messed it all up and got frustrated. Now that I know it was a “user error” with my rolling motion, I don’t mess up as much.
Bottom line, the Konad Stamping Nail Art kit is really fun to use. I know people that pay good money at the salon for nail designs. Having your own nail art kit saves you money and gives you the freedom to change your design whenever you want.
In honor of Amy Pederson’s birthday (co-founder of Slimpressions), today only, customers may enjoy 38% off any and all of their flab-u-less(R) shapewear products. (While supplies last.)
Simply input discount code SLIM38 at checkout on Slimpressions.com. Limited inventory on select items.
Take a look at what I had to say about Slimpressions when I tried them. The Have Nots is still my favorite piece of shapewear during the winter months.
One of my favorite all-time perfumes in Ann Taylor’s Possibilities, the brand’s first signature perfume. Their description calls it a delicate and classic fragrance, a bouquet of Bulgarian Rose, Waterlily, Blue Rose, Peach Musk, and Exotic Woods. Doesn’t that just sound amazing?
But I’ll be honest – I’ve never once owned the full-size 3.4 ounce bottle. Though the 0.25 ounce purse spray normally retails for $25, Ann Taylor often has in-store sales that include a free Possibilities purse spray with purchase.
Still, $65 for a beautiful perfume is not as expensive as it might seem. The same size bottle of Estée Lauder’s Beautiful (another favorite!) retails for $82. And if you’re going to get the perfume, the full-size of Possibilities is a much better value than the purse spray.
I like this perfume because it’s casual and light enough for daily wear, yet has a scent so feminine and lovely it makes be feel gorgeous as soon as I put it on. I’ve found that just a few spritzes (aimed purposefully at my hair which holds the scent longer than my skin) last most of the day.
I will say, however, that a friend in Miami found that Possibilities did not last long in the summer heat. She wrote a letter to Ann Taylor to complain about the issue, and received a gift card for the store as well as an apology. I love companies with good customer service!
I like the idea of wearing a headband. They can be really cute and trendy and an easy way to dress up a hairdo. (Or glam up an otherwise, you know, bad hair day.)
I mean, how gorgeous are these?!
Target also has some really darling ones, several currently in their jewelry department. [...]
A couple of weeks ago, I shared that I save money on haircare with the Suave Professionals line. Another way I save is by requesting free samples whenever possible.
In this case, you can get a free Nexxus Shampoo (retails for $8.99), Conditioner (retails for $13.99), and Deep Conditioner (retails for around $14.99) for free.
Nexxus claims [...]
You know what bites about summer? MOSQUITOES.
Every summer, without fail, I get eaten alive. I’ve tried sprays. Skin-so-Soft. Not wearing scented lotions. NOTHING HELPS. And, being the awesome mom that I am, I’ve passed this rather unfortunate trait on to my daughter. I am the coolest! We have matching bug bites!
So I voiced my complaint [...]
A few weeks ago, at Target, I found the craziest-looking hair product: the Goody Spin Pin.
What is it?
Basically, the two spin pins take the job of a dozen bobby pins in securing a bun. Because of the spiraled shape, they grab onto all kinds of layers of hair and help hold the bun in place [...]
Lately, I’ve been walking around the 100 degree weather with owl eyes.
Not that I particularly like that look, but I haven’t been able to help it. When it’s 100 degrees, my eyeliner runs.
I went out last week looking for a waterproof eyeliner, and I found an inexpensive one, hoping it would work.
I bought the Maybelline [...]
Konad special polish in white, image plate m57, scraper, and small stamper
