I have so much to do during the holiday season that I don’t have time for bad hair days. I also barely have time to do my hair! Like everybody else, my holidays are filled with so many things to do and so many places to go (or drive my kids to!) that I don’t have a lot of time to spend on myself. I have struggled with my naturally curly, very thick hair for most of my life but finally have learned how to tame it. I will admit that I do love my straightening treatments that I get about every six months at the salon but that doesn’t mean that I still don’t have to “do” my hair. The salon straightening helps IMMENSELY but I still have to deal with sectioning my hair to dry it, using a round brush and a good ceramic flat iron but I have found a few products that speed up the drying, straightening, and styling process by quite a bit. This time of year, with all of the Christmas parties and family gatherings (and New Year’s Eve is just around the corner) these products keep my hair looking great no matter how busy I get. These three styling products are really the only products I need to use on my hair.
Enjoy Hair & Skin Treatment Oil:
I know what you are thinking!! Who puts oil on their hair?? I thought the same thing UNTIL my stylist used it on me. It seems wrong to wash your hair and then put oil on it but this stuff is magic. I have really thick hair so I use about an amount about the size of a quarter and I apply it to the ends of my hair (don’t apply it at the roots or you may lose lift) while it is wet. I usually comb through the ends after I apply it to make sure it is applied to each strand. Then I section my hair and blow dry with the round brush — I kid you not, the oil cuts my blow drying time IN HALF. The oil penetrates into the hair, smooths and conditions and helps to control frizz. I used to use other straightening creams and serums but the Enjoy oil has replaced all of those. I think it works better and saves me so much drying time that it is worth the price. You can find this for about $25-$30. I have tried less expensive oils and found them to be not so great. The cheaper ones that I have tried left my hair feeling greasy. The Enjoy oil absorbs into the hair and just leaves mine soft and shiny.
TIGI Bed Head Masterpiece Massive Shine Hairspray:
I use this hair spray as my straightening spray when I am flat ironing my hair. I just spot spray each section with a light misting as I am running the flat iron through my hair. My stylist started using this hair spray on my hair when she straightened it in the salon and I was amazed at how well it worked to keep my hair straight, smooth, and shiny, even on the days that I don’t wash my hair. So now it is all that I use at home and it does keep my hair looking smooth longer. She also taught me a trick for root lift: Spray the tips of your fingers with hair spray and then rub your fingers on the roots of your hair (like you are giving yourself a scalp massage) and you will get nice, natural looking volume and lift at the roots without making your hair feel sticky. The ‘scalp massage’ trick is a great way to deal with “2nd day hair” too! If I don’t have time to wash my hair and I am feeling a little flat, I use the hair spray scalp massage trick to give my hair a little lift at the roots so my hair doesn’t look like 2nd day hair (everybody has 2nd day hair days, right? It’s not just me?).
TIGI Bed Head Sugar Dust:
When I got this in the mail I thought I had just purchased an empty bottle! This stuff is totally weightless and almost invisible when you sprinkle it out of the top. I honestly thought I had been scammed. This is another product my stylist introduced me to and one of my new favorites. Sugar Dust has tiny micro-particles that attach to the hair fiber to build depth and help create lift. It’s almost invisible so it can be used on all hair colors. My hair is pretty thick and relatively long so sometimes I need a little help to get the volume I want on top. This product helps with that. I have used other root powders in the past and this one is less “gunky”…so I get the volume I want without feeling like my roots are a sticky mess. This gives a pretty strong hold and a little goes a long way — because the particles are so small you will be tempted to use more than you need. It’s best to use a little less than you think you need and reapply if necessary. I like this stuff a lot!
Lori is a content writer for Discount Party Supplies. Lori is married with three kids and hosts many family gatherings and parties. In her free time, Lori enjoys taking yoga classes and in her secret life she likes going to heavy metal concerts (but don’t tell the other soccer moms!).
