Give Yourself a "Merm."

I am STILL thinking about LOST's Evangeline Lilly (Kate)'s curls in the episode Something Nice Back Home last season. It was nearly impossible to find a good pic of them, but the one at left is the best I could do. How can you achieve curls like Kate's? Read on! (Though unfortunately, I have no advice for the achieving of the Dr. Jack Shephard she did especially well in this episode. Was he not especially spicy in that one? Sigh. Less than a month till Season 5 starts!) If your hair has any tendency to curl at all, you simply need to give yourself a "merm."

What's a merm? Well, get comfy, because a merm (natch) is a play on the word "perm," and you know I'm incredibly long-winded when it comes to hair. Just ask my gal Julia, whom I've recently welcomed to my hair-obsessed world (hi, doll!). Fun fact: in middle school, when people asked if I'd gotten a perm once I'd FINALLY learned to apply product and not BRUSH my curls, I lied and told them I did. Because in middle school in the early '90s... it was cooler to have a PERM than it was to have naturally curly hair. Oh, the '90s.

Anywho, I don't know if it's because my cellular make-up changes every seven years (you know about that right? That every seven years, your cells turn over entirely, making you, cellularly-speaking, a different person), but my hair does NOT curl the way it used to. Observe my curls circa 2001:

I'm in the middle, obv, with my friends Mitch and Marina in New York. This pic was taken in August 2001, right after I'd come home from studying abroad in Paris and thought I was just IT. But apparently, not too IT to drink PBR at Welcome to the Johnsons, thankfully. But behold my curls. They're phenom. And ALL I did was put in some gel and air-dry. Not even fancy French gel at that. If I tried that shit in 2008, I'd be left with a wavy-curly-nearly-straight-in-some-areas hybrid hair hell.

I've spent years bemoaning my curious curl condition. Was it years of flat irons and round brush blow-drying? Is it the aforementioned cellular situation? Is it New York water (my hair curled much better when I lived in Philadelphia and Boston)? I finally arrived at this conclusion: Who cares? Mama just needs to fix her wash-and-go hair situation, fast.

The cure is this: You must TWIRL your hair into individual coils and it will dry EXACTLY the way you set it. You simply must refrain from touching it. And, like all things hair-related, there's a method to the madness. Check it:

1. Blot hair with a regular towel. Forget your Aquis super-absorbant one for the nonce. It's fantastic for straight hair, but curly hair is a different beast indeed. It NEEDS a bit more moisture to form and hold a good curl.

2. Do NOT use a brush or comb to detangle hair post-shower. Use your fingers to rake through snarls.

3. Put more curl cream (or gel, if you're a gel gal) than you think you need in your hair. Start at the hairline, then add some cream to the bottom of hair at the nape, then add a third dollup to the length of hair/ends. Lately, I'm LOVING mixing Cutler Curling Creme ($17 - pictured, left) with NO FRIZZ Wave Shaping Curl Defining Styling Cream ($24 - pictured, below) to be sold in February 2009 at Sephora.com.

4. Start at the nape up and twirl 2-inch sections of hair individually by twisting it with your fingers into coils. Clip up the top part of your hair and remove from the clip to twirl it in 8 sections. When you get to the top, part your hair and twirl your hairline strands in slightly smaller pieces.

5. Once it's all twirled (for my fine-to-medium hair, it takes about 5-7 minutes), scrunch sections of the hair all the way up to the root gently ONCE. You'll look like a mermaid with long, flowing, Boticelli-esque coils. Hence the "merm" name. Then leave it alone until it air-dries at least 50%, after which you can scrunch a bit more if it needs some volume.

Let me know what you think post-merm!

Image credits: parachutingtrees.co.uk, beautybloggingjunkie.com

BBJ Interviews REDKEN Artist & Color Consultant David Stanko

Earlier this week, I trotted on over to the REDKEN Exchange on 5th Avenue, along with some other bloggers, to chat with REDKEN Artist & Color Consultant David Stanko. David filled us in on a little REDKEN background info. In 2010, REDKEN will turn 50. The brand is famous for its ability to renovate themselves constantly. Until REDKEN, hair and nails were believed to be made of calcium. REDKEN took it upon themselves to educate people that hair is in fact, made of proteins. Fun fact: REDKEN's scientists were called upon in the '60s to help out with crime scene investigations to determine the ethnic origin of hair found on the scene - because they knew hair that well.

David told us all about Redken Chemistry, a customized in-salon treatment using advanced technology and salon expertise to meet your own unique hair care needs. Says David, "Redken Chemistry provides protein and moisture to repair, strengthen and smooth the hair from the inside out; and the Shot Phix locks in the specialized ingredients for lasting results."

The two-step in-salon service costs only an additional $15-22! This treatment prepares hair for color services and repairs hair from environmental or mechanical abuse. The process leaves hair super soft, but bouncy with volume as there's no need to bake under heat like in times of hair yore. "You'd leave with hair like Marcia Brady's," says David. "Really smooth hair, but it's flat and plastered to your head." Who wants that? Not you, dolls.

1. Shot Phase: Specialized ingredients compensate for missing components in hair. Each shot contains a more conentrated dose of some of the same nourishing ingredients found in the corresponding take-home hair care regimes. Redken Chemistry offers six Shot Phase formulas to address common hair needs including strength, moisture, color, protection, softness and frizz control:

Extreme Shot Phase deep treatment weakened hair
Color Extend Shot Phase deep treatment for color-treated hair
Clear Moisture Shot Phase deep treatment for normal-to-dry hair
All Soft Shot Phase deep treatment for dry, brittle hair
Smooth Down Shot Phase deep treatment for very dry, very unruly hair
Real Control Shot Phase deep treatment for dense, dry, sensitized hair

2. Shot Phix: Acidic spray-on lotion formulated with REDKEN's Interbond Conditioning System to lock in the specialized ingredients in Shot Phase, rebalance the pH levels of hair, and seal the cuticle. Stylists select the appropriate Shot Phix that corresponds with your hair's stress level. You'll receive either 3.5 for chemically-treated hair or 5.5 for slightly distressed/mechanically-distressed hair. Mechanical distress, BTW, refers to damage from heat tools resulting in swelling cuticles and split ends. Chemical distress results from highlighting, Japanese Straightening procedures, etc. David mentioned he should write a book on the subject of mechanical distress called Is it Bangs or Breakage? Hilar.

David offered this tip for breaking up with a hairdresser: "Say you got a gift certificate to a new salon and you went in just for a blow-dry and were pleased with the results."

Another tip from David for those who have hair that sucks up product immediately in a spongey/absorbant manner: it's the direct result of "lacking something in the wet phase." For those gals with wildly dry sponge-esque locks, he recommends REDKEN Real Control Shampoo and Conditioner. It infuses dry, sensitized hair with moisture for FAR more manageability. It's a bit too much for my hair to use both the shampoo and the conditioner, but after a highlights sesh, I enjoy using the shampoo with a less intense conditioner.





David performed the procedure on the lovely Margaret. Check the before and after:


























The finished 'do (directly above) was smooth, shiny and FULL of bod without a single prod. Truly magical. I'm scheduling a treatment ASAP.

To find a salon featuring Redken Chemistry, click here or call 1-800-REDKEN8.

Morocco. Seat by the Window, Please.

There are so many Morocco cultural references of vital importance to me that I actually refuse to pick just one. The first is my girl Penny Lane (pictured, left), who in Almost Famous had only one plan (besides touring with Russell Hammond, obv): to go to Morocco for one year.

And the second is from my favorite episode EVER of Absolutely Fabulous: The Morocco episode. Check it:




"I'm just going to get some little gorgeous things." --Patsy

The gorgeous thing from Morocco in my lifestyle is Moroccanoil Treatment ($39). It has CHANGED MY LIFE. Creator Carmen Tal discovered this miraculous product based on argan oil, which women in Morocco have used for centuries to treat their hair, nails and skin. Moroccanoil Treatment is a weightless finishing, styling and shine product all in one. Its patented formula absorbs into hair instantly, leaving a glassily silky finish and GLEAMING shine. It even protects against UV damage and other environmental hazards. Applied to damp hair, it reduces drying time and speeds up styling time (I'd say by about 3-4 minutes) . It pretty much does everything for you but drive you to the Hamptons.

Prior to styling, apply a small amount into your palms and work through clean, damp hair. Apply again to superdry hair. In salon, you can even massage a small amount throughout the hair before coloring to enhance the hair's ability to absorb dye. It comes in an amber glass bottle to protect the oil from UV rays, which can cause oxidation.

I've been using it for the past few days and I can't IMAGINE living... if living is without it. ALL of my friends have complimented my hair of late, demanding to know what I'm using on it and ALL I can do is sing its praises. It earns hair product holy grail status, gals. Get some IMMED if not sooner. I plan to rebuy and rebuy it.

Check the shinyness of my hair in my faux prom picture (left) from this weekend's HS reunion with my senior prom date, Ted. Stay tuned for a run-down of the eye makeup situation.

Hot Holiday Hair 'Do

Nexxus Creative Director and Celeb Stylist Kevin Mancuso provided this step-by-step guide to creating the fab look you see to the left.

For your holiday party or next big soiree, don’t be afraid to go for volume. Big skirts and big hair are back in a big way.




Step 1: Shampoo and condition hair with products that
will reduce frizz and tame flyaways like Nexxus Sleektress Shampoo and Nexxus Hydra Sleek Conditioner.









Step 2: Apply a straightening product with silicone, like Nexxus Sleek Memory, all over locks for frizz-free results. Then, mist a volume boosting product, like Nexxus Root Exxtend, directly to the roots.








Step 3: Blow-dry hair with a large, round brush. Set top section of hair into a large roller to create volume at the crown. Use a small amount of a smoothing crème, such as Nexxus Sleek Style, and a flat iron on the rest of hair to maximize smoothness and control flyaways. Then, secure side sections in back of head with bobby pins.







Step 4: Remove roller, and divide the top section of hair into two pieces. Allow back piece to fall over pinned sides, and back comb the front piece to add volume. Gently pull front piece back to form a structured poof,
and secure with bobby pins. Use finger tips to smooth out style, and finish with a light-hold hairspray, such as Nexxus Comb Thru.

Step 5: Gently pull the bottom section of hair to one side, and secure into a low, side ponytail with an elastic. Help tame flyaways by lightly misting hair with a medium hold hairspray.

Says Kevin, “Ponytails are an elegant style trick, no matter the age. It’s one easy step,
yet looks very polished.”

Diversion: Buying Hair Products at Drugstores, Supermarkets or Target? Read This!

I'm on the left, talking to Shu Uemura's Art of Hair rep, Beth, at the Anti-Diversion event held at the Tribeca Grand Hotel last week.

Last week, I attended an event thrown by L’Oréal USA’s Professional Products Division (PPD). PPD brands include Redken, Matrix, Pureology, Logics, L’Oréal Professionnel, Kérastase, Shu Uemura Art of Hair, Mizani and Artec.

At the event, we learned that the brand recently launched an Anti-Diversion Communications Program to educate the salon community and consumers about their anti-diversion strategy. What is diversion? Basically, it's the selling of beauty products at unauthorized retailers. On the list of unauthorized retailers are drugstores and supermarkets, even Ricky's and Target. I've definitely purchased these brands there in my quest for lower-priced products. In fact, I was skeptical about this entire topic, thinking how convenient it was that the L'Oreal was telling me how I need to pay full price for my addictions (hair products) directly at salons.

But what I didn't know is that when you buy from unauthorized retailers (whom I'd never known were unauthorized), you run the risk of purchasing contaminated or counterfeit products. To ensure that the inventory of these products has not been compromised, it's important to purchase salon products only in authorized outlets including salons, professional stores and select brand manufacturer websites. Also? Pricing in mass outlets is typically elevated 10% so there's really no "deal" to be had.

David Craggs, President of L'Oreal's Professional Products Division, educated us on the dangers of purchasing hair products anywhere other than a salon. The few exceptions include Trade Secret, Regis and Ulta.

"L’Oréal USA’s PPD sells professional products to salons and stylists, uniquely for their use and for retail by them," says Craggs. "We are committed to fighting diversion, and have been battling this huge industry problem for many years. In fact, thanks to a high sophisticated secondary coding system that is 100% accurate in tracking products, we have cut off diverters and over $30 million in product sales. Through product coding, PPD continues to eliminate diverters and diverted product."

To do my part to urge you guys to buy authentic, guaranteed products, I'm going to link to the brand's website where you can find distributor info as opposed to linking to online retailers. Let's put a stop to diversion!

Click here to learn more.

Hair Hoorahs

You GUYS. You KNOW how I feel about hair. It is my everything. I never understand why some gals premiere their new expensive, phenom outfit with boring or bad hair. You know. Hastily thrown up into a ponytail (and not a fab one with volume at the crown, for example.) Or they just don't take the time to blow-out their situation. I plum don't GET it. Your hair should match your entire look. It's the best accessory there is. Make the MOST of it, I implore you.

As such, I've been doing extensive labs in my shower involving a hypothesis, control, and a variable just as my fave science professor EVER, Professor Beverly Yu (who went by Prof B. Yu at BU) taught me. Don't think I'm kidding, 'cause I'm not. I typically use shampoo, conditioner, a volumizing product - either a spray or a mousse - and smoothing serum or creme. I will ONLY introduce one never-before-tested item into that mix so that I can isolate the variable to figure out what exactly is causing my hair to look better than ush (when that is indeed the case.) AND I experiment with different combinations of different items that work well together for many different cocktails yielding great hair. Many straight-up suck, many are decent, and many are good--but I really only report the ones that are truly fantastic. I've identified a new combo that makes my hair look voluminous, bodified, shiny, and hydrated - without making it weighed-down or greasy for at least 48 hours. What is it?

Philosophy Shear Splendor Daily Shampoo ($22) and Extra Silky Daily Conditioner ($18)
You FEEL the hydration/manageability commence in-shower. Both the shampoo and the conditioner smell like a dialed-down version of their popular Cinnamon Buns Shampoo, Body Wash & Bubble Bath. Heat-damaged and color treated hair drinks in the moisture this winning combo provides with utter ease and more importantly, with no residue or heavy feeling.


Blow The Heat is on Mist ($18)
Light as air, this light conditioning mist acts as a protective glossy shield to heat. Your follicular knight in shining armor (from a long time ago...), if you will. It's a lot like my former fave heat-protectant, The Big Blow-Off, which is no longer produced by Philosophy. Blow's formula is very similar and keeps my mane bodified and bouncy without weigning it down. I apply it on clean, towel-dried hair and do household chores for, say, an hour. My hair air-dries looking unbelievably silky, frizzless and shiny with NO heat. Then, I simply blow out the kinkiness (my hair is wavy/curly) for smoothness and then twist it up into a bun so I can do the "sexy secretary" (unclip my bun and shake out my hair with wild abandon) to reveal luxurious waves. Can also be used on dry hair for a quick touch up.




Blow Weather or Not Climate Neutralizer ($20)
A little of this on your ends will keep your strands polished and without flyaways - whatever the weather. Use just on tips for dryer days, from ears to tips during especially humid times.

What hair care items are working especially hard for you lately? Tell me in the comments!

Bumble and bumble Partners with Broadway's HAIR

Rock musical HAIR will open on Broadway tomorrow evening and Bumble and bumble partnered with the sold-out production by the Public Theater last summer, and will continue its support for the Broadway run. Bumble and bumble editorial hairstylist Rolando Beauchamp, who has worked with Mary Kate Olsen, Kristen Davis and Christina Applegate, provides some styling tips for anyone who wants to get this loose, natural flower child look that’s great for spring:

For wavy or curly hair:

The key is keeping the hair’s natural texture, just helping it out with some product that gives it some support. Spritz Bb Surf Spray ($22) onto damp hair, and work about a quarter size amount of Bb Styling Creme ($23) into hair, mid-shaft to ends. The combination of Surf Spray and Styling Creme gives the right texture – a bit dry, not greasy. Dry with a diffuser or let air dry if it is warm out. The key is not to brush or comb out, just finger style and let it be free!

For straight hair:

Begin just like curly/wavy technique with Bb. Surf Spray and Styling Creme, but you’ll need at waves to the hair. Using a 1 inch barrel curling iron, take 1 inch diameter sections of hair and roughly wrap the hair around the iron. The goal is to create bends and waves in the hair, not perfect curls. Then scrunch the section up and pin to the head. Continue curling sections, wrapping the hair in alternating directions, then scrunching and pinning the sections until the entire head is pinned up. Let the hair set for a few minutes, then undo sections. Don’t brush the sections out, just finger style.

Products are available at www.bumbleandbumble.com.

Like this post? Don't miss another one!
Subscribe via my RSS feed.

Instant Volume: The Mini Part

The Glamour beauty blog's Beth Shapouri recently pointed out something I've been meaning to discuss with you, dolls. The mini part. She brings the diagonal mini part to our collective attention (a twist on the mini-part I've never tried, but you and I both know I'm GOING to now).

Let's discuss the intense importance of a short part, shall we? They're VITAL. My hair knows no other kind. I know this is kind of weird, but long parts? Gross me out. I know. It's bizarre. I just don't like to see a lot of SCALP, you know? When someone has a part that practically bisects her head, I just get nervous. Think Marcia Brady.

The mini part showcases a minimal amount of scalp AND adds so much volume. Why would you not want that? Exactly. See Ugly Betty's Becki Newton rocking a short part in the photo above? Gorge. Becki is no stranger to a mini part. She nearly always rocks one.

To get those smooth, undulating waves, I recommend using T3's new curling iron iteration, the PRO EverTwirl. The 1 1/4 sized-version is a reasonable (by T3 standards) $89. I love its springy usability. This fast-heating tool has an advanced heat retention system to maintain consistent and even temperatures during styling. Its temperature is adjustable (up to 410°F) and easily visible on a digital dial. The tourmaline-, ceramic-, and silver-infused barrel is designed for maximum heat conduction. I love the EverTwirl's ten-foot cord for watching some shows whilst twirling away. The T3 PRO EverTwirl is available on t3micro.com and Sephora.com.

Like this post? Don't miss another one!
Subscribe via my RSS feed.

Oribe Conditioner for Brilliance and Shine

This shine-enhancing superluxe conditioner is one that The Facts of Life's Blair Warner (and likely, Gossip Girl's Blair Waldorf) would use on a daily.

Oribe Conditioner for Brilliance & Shine is the kind of rich conditioner you feel working as soon as you squeeze it into your hand. And the results in your hair are obv PHENOM, or we would not be discussing it in this forum. My hair is smooth, static-free and ridiculously shiny and hydrated for 2-3 days. Usually within 48 hours of a wash, my ends dehydrate like the dehydrated pizza served for dinner in the future McFly household in Back to the Future II before it's hydrated on level 4 by Lorraine Baines McFly.

Just LOOK at the bottle (above, left). It's pure luxury. I'd posit that Blair would keep it on display in her boudoir at Eastland for use on her "naturally blonde hair." This would, naturally, annoy the hell out of Jo, who would undoubtedly scoff at the price. And you almost can't blame her. The price IS a pretty steep $47. But I ADORE the deep-sea indigo monolith packaging. It's so very 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's the exact shade of my new fave polish, OPI's Russian Navy from their Fall/Winter 2007 Russian Collection. This conditioner is WORTH the splurge, dolls.

In other news, Oribe's Volumista Mist for Volume ($29) has the most satisfying, easy-to-use spritz nozzle ever and produces voluminous locks. In short, this brand rocks the funk.

Holy Grail Dry Shampoo: Klorane

I've seen it dozens of times backstage at Fashion Week, but it took this glowing review on Lucky's beauty blog to precipitate my purchase of Klorane Dry Shampoo ($18) this past weekend.

This dry shampoo is--hands down--the best in the world where we live as people. Most dry shampoos I've tried (Bumble and bumble's Hair Powder, Oscar Blandi's Pronto, even Orlando Pita's T3 360 Refresh--the best of the bunch--) make my hair look better than filthy-- but they don't make it look WASHED.

And aerosol-ing a bunch of cra powder into your locks can yield a totes vomitatious texture. Bumble and bumble leaves my hair untouchable, Pronto is slightly less vile, and T3 360 is decent, but still no substitute for a wet shampoo. Post-Klorane? I want to run my fingers through my seemingly freshly blow-dried mane. It's changed my lifestyle. Four days deep into your blow-out? No problem. I wouldn't have dared go beyond two, previously.

This stuff is SO good, that whilst I was in the super-long Sephora register line, the girl behind me screamed "OMG. I LOVE that stuff. I use it ALL THE TIME." when she saw it in my hand. We proceeded to discuss its virtues ad nauseum until I was called to pay. Then, on Tuesday at drinks with my friend Julia (who's now a big muckety muck Executive PR Director at NARS - yay for Jules!), it came up again and she told me she's been using it for years. She's French and ALWAYS knows about the best stuff first (aren't the French just like that? It takes us YEARS to catch on) and told me she that before it was sold at Sephora, she was bringing home bottles and bottles of it every time she visited her parents in Paris. It's such a classic that her mom even used it when she was in the hospital to have her 29 years ago. I told her I'm on a need-to-know basis re: any and all MAGE French beauty panaceas going forward, lest you worry.

It's sold out EVERYWHERE during Fashion Week, so get on top of that, Rose. And fast. Get it at Sephora.com.