Friday, November 28, 2014

The Secret to Being Hot at Any Age by PETA's Hottest Vegan (In Her 70s)

This is Mimi Kirk. She is in her 70s, and looks absolutely beautiful. She shares some of her secrets in these interviews.

 
 

Monday, November 10, 2014

Mason Pearson: Mixed Feelings About the Best Brush in the World

My Experience with a Mason Pearson Brush

I finally caved in and purchased the best brush in the world, the Mason Pearson brush. I purchased the Sensitive Boar Bristle brush (according to the seller, no boars were hurt in extracting the bristles) from Amazon. The brush set me back $145. It shipped from London, and arrived two weeks early. My first impression of my brush was that it is a beautiful, handcrafted piece of art, and a small part of British history. Each brush is handmade, and the company has been around since the late 1800s. Even Princess Diana had one!

How Did it Mesh with My Hair?

For the most part, it went well. It really did a great job at making my hair look shiny, glossy, smooth, and truly beautiful. Even my husband was impressed. He said I looked like I had just come from the salon! So, where are the mixed feelings coming from? I ordered the sensitive brush, because I have thin, fine hair, and I feel that a lot more hair was falling out with the brush. Maybe these strands were just weak, and were going to fall eventually, but it still left me feeling uneasy. Also, shortly after I noticed some monster/scary split ends. They were frayed, and really damaged.

To help counteract this negative outcome, I bought a Mason Pearson detangling comb ($16), and made sure my hair was completely detangled before I brushed it (not an easy task with my waist length hair). This helped tremendously. I also started using my Argan and Safflower oil mixture that I make (and will be listing soon on my website: velvetbotanicals.com). I stopped using it, because you're not supposed to apply oils to your hair when you use this brush, since it can damage the pad. This helped a lot, but I still found some new split ends. I know split ends are just part of life, but I've never seen split ends like these.

The Verdict

I gave my hair a two week rest, and only used my wooden wide-toothed comb and my new detangling comb, with my Argan Hair Cream, and my hair has been great. I'll probably continue to use my brush more often, because it did cost my an arm and a leg, but I still have mixed feelings about it. Let me know if you've ever bought a Mason Pearson Brush, and what you thought of it!

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Sulfate-free Shampoo is the Way to Go!

Hi Friends!

I know everyone is talking about Sulfate-free shampoos, which is wonderful, because going sulfate-free is the best! I did a good amount of research when I embarked on my sulfate-free adventure. I wanted a shampoo that was natural, inexpensive, and great for my hair. I'm so happy that I discovered Aubrey shampoo and conditioners! Their product is excellent!

Sulfates create suds, but they also strip your hair of its natural oils. These oils (also known as sebum) protect your hair, and shouldn't be stripped away. Some of the complaints by some of the reviewers on Amazon were that the shampoo doesn't lather well, and it doesn't, because it is sulfate-free. I found that it took me an extra 30 seconds or so to get a decent lather, but my hair eventually was clean, and it felt super soft and shiny!

I have acquired a large number of shampoos over the past years that I didn't find to my liking, and I just ended up giving them away. I'm happy to mention that not only have I bought my second bottle of Aubrey's Biotin Repair Shampoo, I've bought the conditioner, as well. I found a good deal this time with Swanson's Health Products, which was about $5 less than Amazon, because of a deal. Do your own research, and give Aubrey shampoos a try!

Bella

Friday, August 1, 2014

Coconut Milk Can Do Wonders for Your Hair

The Wonders of Coconut Milk

Coconut Milk is made from freshly grated coconut and water, and you can find a can of it in most grocery stores. Opt for the full fat kind instead of the light option. I've used it on my hair and my skin, and I have noticed that my hair looks shinier, and it feels softer and stronger. I found another hair guru that I think you should follow, and I've linked a great video she made on making a coconut milk hair mask. Her YouTube channel name is BeautyKLove, and she is based in the Philippines.



 


Monday, March 3, 2014

Is Your Comb Damaging Your Hair?

Can Your Comb Be the Culprit?

Most people know that using a wide-toothed comb is best when combing through tangled or wet hair to avoid causing too much damage. However, did you know that the kind of wide-toothed comb you use can mean the difference between smooth hair versus damaged, frayed hair?

Plastic wide-toothed combs are quite inexpensive and easy to come by; yet, they can be causing unwanted split ends and static. You see when a plastic comb is made, they combine two layers, which creates a very thin ridge around its border, which can tug, tear, and fray your hair. In addition, plastic conducts static electricity, and since human hair has a positive charge (especially if it's very dry), and plastic has a negative charge, when you combine the two, the opposites attract, which creates "flyaway" hair.

If you'd  like to protect your hair, and reduce static cling and general unruliness, consider buying a wooden wide-toothed comb. Wooden combs are carved from a larger piece of wood, so it won't have a ridge around it that can harm your hair. Wood attracts some negative electrons, but it is almost neutral, so you will only experience little to no static cling.

You can purchase a wood comb from Amazon, or from The Body Shop for about $7.

Having Issues With Tangled Hair?

Velvet Botanicals, a company that makes natural and vegan beauty products, makes a natural hair detangling cream. With this detangler, you will be able to comb your hair without it tearing or snagging. To use this Hair Cream, just apply a tiny amount on your wide-toothed comb, and comb as usually.  A small 2-ounce jar will last you a very long time, and you can buy it for only $9.99 on www.velvetbotanicals.com.

 
Etsy store link:Velvet Botanicals on Etsy

Friday, February 21, 2014

Natural Beauty Products Under $10-Velvet Botanicals Featured in Tara Mackey's Blog

The beautiful model and blogger, Tara Mackey, wrote a wonderful review of natural beauty product company, Velvet Botanicals. She gives a thorough description of each item, and highlights the benefits she noticed in each of them. Check out her review here: http://taramackey.wordpress.com/2014/02/12/best-brand-for-healing-skin-velvet-botanicals-everything-10-under/

Velvet Botanicals
www.velvetbotanicals.com

Thursday, January 30, 2014

How to Grow Your Hair Long


Great Hair Advice from Much More Than Beauty

Finally! I've never (not an exaggeration) been able to grow my hair long. I've finally been able to do it, and while many factors were involved, I just wanted to share some (very obvious) advice that I followed and worked for me. First of all, I really enjoy the Much More Than Beauty channel. She gives great advice and reviews. She was criticized and contradicted a lot for her opinion on not getting frequent haircuts, and dealing with split ends, etc., but I followed her advice, and I'm happy with the results.