Top 5 chemicals to avoid to sustain healthy, luscious hair

Before kids, I always had shiny hair. Maybe I do now too, but I don’t really know since it’s pretty much wash, then throw in a pony tail whilst still wet. Today’s guest post is all about shiny hair. I’d better take note….

Everyone wants beautiful, luscious and healthy hair, but no one seems to know that the products we use to keep our hair looking shiny are actually doing the complete opposite! Most products on the market these days are riddled with chemicals that set out to destroy your hair – this will make you think that you need the products more and subsequently creates an evil cycle of consumerism that in the end only destroys your crowning glory! To help you out, here are the top five chemicals you should be avoiding in order to keep your hair looking healthy, luscious and beautiful!

Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS)

Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS) is also known as sulphuric acid. SLS is not only found in heavy duty cleaning products, but in many brand name shampoos! Most commonly, SLS is found to dry out hair, which often leads to breakage! Something that is used to clean garage floors definitely should not be put in your hair to clean that too! Next time you’re buying shampoo, look out for SLS in the ingredients on the back.

Isopropyl Alcohol

Isopropyl alcohol is found in many hairsprays, gels and volumizers, as well as in antifreeze, shellac and wood finish. This product is used mainly to dissolve oils, which is great for things like shellac, but not so great for your hair. Since it dissolves oils, isopropyl alcohol strips the hair of its natural oils and moisture, leaving your hair victim to breakage!

Proplyene Glycol

This chemical is found in a terrifyingly large range of hair care products: shampoos, conditioners, lotions, hairsprays, hair dyes and much more! This product breaks down the proteins in healthy hair, giving it a false “shiny” appearance, but in reality is just causing your scalp to become itchy and irritated, and your hair weak and dry.

Mineral Oil

You’d think mineral oil would be good for your hair and would keep it shiny and healthy – but no! Mineral oil will just make your hair look greasy and unwashed! It will find its way into your pores which will block the natural oils from coming through and cause breakage in your hair. Unfortunately, many hair moisturisers contain this product, so be careful next time you’re looking for a new one – always check the ingredients!

Ammonia and Peroxide

This may seem obvious to most people, but constant hair salon go-ers need to understand that the ammonia and peroxide you are putting in your hair to change it’s colour are really damaging! The peroxide will dry out your hair and cause it to become brittle, and break really easily!

There you have it – five chemicals you must avoid if you want your hair to be as long and luscious as possible! If your hair is starting to thin, there’s always something you can do about it! Check out online sites like Transitions Hair to get your personalised hair loss treatment sorted – you’ll have a full head of hair again in no time. In the meantime though, keep avoiding those harsh chemicals!

*This post was brought to you by Transitions Hair.  All opinions and research are from of the guest writer.

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Copyright 2014 Sheri Thomson

Inside guide: 5 top hollywood hair secrets

Right now I’m trying to grow my fringe out a bit.  Not to the length of the rest of my hair, but just to about my chin or so.  At the moment it’s at that really annoying length that’s a bit too long to be a nicely kept side swept fringe, but too short to be a face framing fringe.  Plus I’m usually wearing my glasses so it hangs down to my glasses, the kind of shoots out over the sides.  It looks pretty ridiculous, but I can’t really do anything about it, I just have to wait until it’s that little bit longer and less silly looking.  In the meantime, I can dream about how nice it will look when it’s grown to where I want it, and take the advice of this week’s guest post so that the rest of it looks luscious:

Why is it that all celebrities seem to have the magic formula that creates flawless hair 24/7? Atevery red carpet event, without fail, their hair looks healthy and effortlessly shiny. Well, there is good news. It is possible for everyone to share in the perfection with the right products and tools.Below you will find five hair tips straight from Hollywood guaranteed to make your locks as luscious as the stars. The plus side is these don’t involve forking out for constant hairdressing appointments and expensive treatments.

Hair Concealers

You never see a spot of baldness, hair loss or hint of scalp on any celebrity – they always seem to have thick, luscious locks cascading from root to tip. One way to get this look is with a good hair concealer, a product that caters for endless shades of colour. Once applied, the fibres cling to the hair and cover up any gaps – making the hair appear full and healthy. Products like BioTHIK have a great range of affordable options that only take minutes to apply and will last through rain, hail or shine.

Dry Shampoo

Dry Shampoo is one of the best products to have on hand at all times – it’s quick, effective and can be applied anywhere. The shampoo works by eliminating the greasy look created by your hairs’ natural oils, and comes in powder form. Simply spray or pat on lightly and watch your hair turn from lanky to fresh and clean. Great if you haven’t had time to wash your hair properly and just need to get through the day without your hair looking like a puddle of grease.

Nourishing oil

The idea of adding extra oil to your hair is probably making you cringe, but nourishing oil is a must-
have for anyone wanting their hair to look healthy and shiny. Made with many natural products and antioxidants, it helps to calm down frizz-prone hair and heal dry ends. It’s designed not to make your hair appear oily or dirty, and is great for anyone who uses straighteners or other harsh tools to style hair.

Extensions

How does all of Hollywood seem to be blessed with voluptuous waves of hair? Well, often times they cheat the camera with the use of good hair extensions. Decent quality extensions are brilliant at adding extra length and volume and can easily be removed and re-attached for future use. Just make sure that the extension matches your hair type and colour exactly; it’s probably best to consult a hairdresser before making a purchase.

Ceramic Curlers Instead Of Metal Curlers

Curlers are generally a must-have in any woman’s hair care arsenal, but many don’t know that metal curlers are actually very damaging in the wrong hands. Because of the extreme heat of the metal, home-taught DIY hairdressers are probably best using the ceramic kind, as misuse leads to damaged, dry hair. Hollywood standard hair can be achieved by anyone with the right products and techniques, even if you don’t have an army of stylists and hairdressers at your fingertips. These products will keep your locks looking like the A-list for all situations, without costing a fortune.

If you enjoyed reading this, please vote for my blog. All you have to do is click the link below. That’s it… Clicking the link brings you to the Top Mommy Blogs home page. You don’t have to do anything else. Any clicks from my site to theirs is a vote.  THANKS!

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Copyright 2014 Sheri Thomson

How to keep your hair away from pulling baby fingers

I can’t wear my hair down around Daniel anymore. He thinks it’s an awesome fun toy made just for him. Any hint of loose hair and his lightning quick reflexes are all over it, pulling at will and attempting to ingest.

Yeah, I’ve used this image before. Whatever, it takes a long time to draw stuff!

Considering I lost half my hair after giving birth to Daniel, I don’t really want him to pull out what little is left. I’m glad it’s growing back, but now I look like this:

So I wear my hair up every day. I’m a bit time poor. Well, it’s more like if I attempt to make a bit of an effort, and take my time doing my hair, a cheeky baby crawls up to me and tries to climb up my leg whilst making irritated mommy-pick-me-up-now noises. Not to mention Hannah will also be there asking me to play with her. So yeah, I just throw my hair in a low pony tail as quickly as I can and I’m done.

Until I was sent some lovely new Flexi Clips from Lilla Rose consultant,Linda Menke. They came with step by step instructions on how to put your hair up in various styles with the different sized clips. The first day, I decided to do a french twist. Since I didn’t have to loop a pony tail holder ’round and ’round my hair, it took the same amount of time as just throwing my hair in a boring low pony tail.

I thought it would fall out since it was just the one little clip holding the style in place, but it didn’t. It stayed firm all day long. Even after chasing Hannah around Grandma’s back yard. I also like to put my hair half up with the clip.

Hannah wearing a flexi clip

I tried the smallest flexi clip in Hannah’s hair. She looked beyond adorable, and it didn’t fall out. Her hair is stick straight and super slippery, everything else falls out. She went to creche at church with the flexi clip in her hair, played on the slides, ran around, etc. and came out with her hair looking exactly the same as it did going in. She does have a habit of pulling out her hair clips though, so I’m kind of scared of using one on her very often. I don’t want to lose them. I like them too much!

I also tried the crystal bead headband.

I wore it the first time when Aaron and I went out to dinner for Aaron and Sheri Day because it’s so pretty. I have the worst time with headbands. I love them, but they hate me. When I wear the hard plastic kind, it feels like it is trying to slowly burrow it’s way into my skull just above my ears. I always end up taking them off because they hurt. The fabric and/or elastic kind I have to bobby pin to stay in place. Otherwise I stick them on and then they move to the back of my head and then fall off. In record time.

I was expecting to have to bobby pin my lovely pink Lilla Rose head band in place. But I didn’t. I put it on, adjusted the elastic strap at the bottom, so that it was just the right size for my head, and then decided to gamble. I went bobby pin free. We went out to dinner and my head band didn’t budge.

Me wearing the headband before going out to dinner

Lastly, I tried the You pins. I love all things stars, so they were right up my alley. I watched a video on youtube of how to put my hair into a bun using only them. It’s supposed to work for all hair types, thin, thick, coarse, sleek, slippery. But it didn’t work on mine. That or I did it wrong…. That doesn’t mean I won’t use them. I will still put them in my hair when I can be bothered putting my hair in a messy bun. Sure they won’t actually be holding my hair up, but they will still look awesome.

To purchase your own Lilla Rose products, click here. Check out Linda’s facebook page here, and follow her tweets here. Those of you outside the U.S. and Canada, you can’t buy products through the website, but you can email Linda at mrsmenk@menk.us tell her what you want, and she’ll send you a paypal invoice.

GIVEAWAY!  Want to win a FREE Lilla Rose product (giveaway provided by Independent Consultant Linda Menke)?  All you have to do is like Linda’s Lilla Rose Facebook Page and comment on this blog post with which Lilla Rose item you’d like to win.

Terms and Conditions:

-Giveaway open to people world wide, however, if winner is not residing in the U.S. or Canada, winner is responsible for postage costs

-Winner will be drawn at random for entrants

-Contest open from 15 May until 11:59pm 22 May Sydney time (Eastern Standard Time). All entries submitted after said time will not be counted

-Winner will be announced 23 May . Please leave your email address in comment (or email it to me) if you want me to contact you if you win, otherwise you are responsible for contacting me after winner is announced.

Good Luck!

If you enjoyed reading this, please vote for my blog. All you have to do is click the link below. That’s it… And if you are an email subscriber, clicks from your email don’t count.  If you would like to vote, please go to my blog and vote from there. THANKS!

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Copyright 2012 Sheri Thomson

The Ringlet

Time since birth: 9 months Yeah, I didn’t write last week. We’re moving next week, and I’ve been flat out packing, organising, etc. Not to mention it takes twice the time to pack when you have to clean every single thing you pack to make sure that no mold/mildew comes with us. Dirty, dirty apartment (I won’t miss you). I don’t really have time to write proper stories and things this time either, so I’m just going to tell a little of what’s been happening: Hannah figured out a few weeks ago how to pick up very small objects and accurately get them into her mouth (she could pick them up for a while, but getting them in her mouth when the little object was in her fist rather then between her fingers was proving difficult for her), which is good when she is feeding herself peas and corn (both of which she loves, and loves to feed herself), but very bad when she’s attempting to feed herself dust bunnies, and random bits of who knows what that she finds anywhere and everywhere. Who knew there could be so many tiny pieces of string all over the floor? Where do they come from? Even after I just vacuum, she finds things. I’m sure she’s eaten her fair share of random stuff, I often see her chewing but can’t pry her little mouth open to remove whatever it is she had before she swallows it. Or maybe she didn’t actually get anything into her mouth but thinks she did, so she makes chewing motions. Or maybe she is punking me. Hannah’s fourth tooth is now free of her gums (much to her delight), and she now enjoys biting even more then she used to. Especially Daddy’s nose. She has been biting Daddy’s nose since the day she was born (there is photographic evidence of this), but now she does it and then gives a cheeky little “ha ha Daddy, I got you!” grin when she’s done. Often she will crawl over to me for cuddles and then bite my shoulder. Or try to eat my hair. She goes in for the cuddle, then when she pulls back again, she has a mouth full of my hair and a very accomplished look on her face. I bought Hannah her first little pair of shoes. It’s getting cold and she refuses to keep socks on (or if she does, she eats them while they are on, so then they are all wet and I’m sure her feet are then colder then they would have been without any socks at all). I know it’s crazy to pay $50 for a pair of baby shoes, but that is exactly what I did. They had cheaper ones, but wouldn’t you know it, she got my wide duck feet and couldn’t fit in any of the cheaper ones. She also had to have the T-bar style ones as her also fat feet stuck out of the other ones too much (again, just like me when I was a baby. I’ve heard stories about my fat little feet not fitting into the baby shoes. Plus I looked like I ate other babies for breakfast). The T-bar ones only came in gold, so now she has bling feet. On the plus side, she can now wear socks and she can’t get them off because there are shoes over them. Booyah. Oh, and she can stand by herself for up to 10 seconds at a time. When she realises, she can’t stand anymore. I took some photos of Hannah’s ringlet. Yes, just the one. Well, I guess there could be more, but all of her long hair just goes into one giant ringlet down the middle of her head. It kinda looks like a ringlet mohawk. Anyway, I put some photos of it in this post for viewing pleasure. She sure doesn’t get that from my side of the family (if you’ve seen photos of me, my mom, or my dad with curls, it’s only because at some point in our lives, we have all had perms. Yes, even my Dad (haha, your secret is out!). If only I had those photos…). Ok, so I didn’t mean to write so much, but, stuff happens.

Might not hear from me next week, still so much packing and stuff to do!! At least I won’t be also running around getting the car inspected for rego (um…that is short for “registration” for you non Aussie’s), finding the cheapest CTP greenslip (Compulsory Third Party insurance that you must have before you can actually register or renew your car’s registration), and transfer of title papers. On an annoying note, you’d think that “comprehensive” car insurance would cover everything, right? Well, not here. Here, you have to have your CTP greenslip, which ONLY covers you for third party injury liability, then if you want any other kind of insurance, that is separate. “Comprehensive” does not include compulsory third party liability insurance. Highway robbery? I think so. And how much does a CTP greenslip cost (I know you are wondering)? Well, for us and our car, it’s $639 for a year. How much does comprehensive cost on top of that (if we want it)? Another $600 something dollars. How much does third party property damage (like if we hit another car and their car was damaged) cost? $100 something. How can they call it “comprehensive” when clearly, it’s not. RUDE!!! Ok, going now, really, I am.