Maintain Your Hair With Cream of Nature

Exorbitant prices at the salon combined with a terrible economy has made some of us dye hard "blondes" return to our natural brunette; what else can be done to trim the proverbial fat off our maintenance routine? If you haven't considered it in the past, now is the time to keep your hair as healthy as possible to extend the life of your hair color (if you dye) and increase the interval of time you can go without a trim by guarding against split ends.

How frustrating is it to see your expensive dye job go down the drain every time you wash your hair? How tired are you of seeing your highlights turn yellow or orange a month or so after getting foils? The reason for this happening is the harsh ingredients (such as sulfates--any ingredient with the suffix "sulfate" such as sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, etc.) that strip the color out once your hair cuticle is opened with the heat and steam when you shower. These harsh detergents attach to your hair shaft and wash away your natural hair oils along with the color resulting in hair that feels dry and flat.

Creme of Nature is designed for relaxed hair and is sulfate-free. It truly is a creamy, conditioning shampoo and delivers upon its claims to condition and cleanse all at the same time. While it does leave one's hair feeling conditioned, I suggest you use a moisturizing conditioner anyway because the protein in the formula may build up and leave hair feeling dry otherwise (*An Aside on Protein: it is good for your hair in small quantities and absolutely must be followed by moisture since the hair structure is a combination of a protein layer combined with moisture--water. If you use a protein mask regularly, it may not be necessary if you plan to wash your hair with Creme of Nature more than a couple of times per week). This is another one of those inexpensive miracle products that one expects to find in a designer haircare line but it can be purchased at Sally's at a price of $6 for a 15.2 ounce bottle. Be sure to get the REGULAR FORMULA (for normal hair) as the other variations in this line have inferior ingredients. Speaking of ingredients, they are:

Water, Trideceth-7 Carboxylic Acid, Decyl Glucoside, Glycol Stearate, Polyquaternium-10, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract (this is just plain ol' aloe), Hydrolyzed Milk Protein (*don't forget to moisturize!), Honey, Citrus Medica Limonium (lemon extract), Triticum Vulgare (wheat germ oil), Abies Balsamea Resin, Pectin (according to Wikipedia, pectin helps to bind cells together and regulates water in the plant), Lecithin, Foeniculum Vulgare (fennel extract), Barosma Betulina Leaf Extract, Commiphora Abyssinica Extract, Origanum Marjorana Leaf Extract, Iris Florentina Root Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Quarentium-15, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Red 4, Yellow 5, Red 33, Blue 1

Creme of Nature made my hair feel clean but not the slightest bit dry. But on a less than stellar note, this does smell like your grandmother's old Chanel No. 5 (a.k.a. rat poisoning). Luckily, the scent did not remain in my hair after it dried. All the more reason to use a conditioner afterwards ;).

Gee Your Hair Smells Like Summer...

Some of us here in California cannot wait for Summer to finally end. The heat seems to get worse with every year; oily faces and dry, parched strands are only part of the problem. Nevertheless, you've got to admit--that wind-blown, textured hair sure looks great (even if it is a little damaged)! Baptiste Tropical Dry Shampoo can give even the straightest hair a bit of texture and with minimal effort at that.

While I abhor the scent of the original Baptiste dry shampoo, I cannot get enough of this coco nutty concoction. It reminds me of lounging on a hammock on Gilligan's Island even if I'm stuck indoors and in front of a computer. And of course, this will make your greasy mane feel fresh and clean so that your boss doesn't even suspect that you rolled out of bed and ran out the door this morning.

Did I mention that washing your hair less often helps preserve artificial color or that a little bit of natural oil keeps your hair moisturized? That doesn't mean you don't have to wash the rest of you, though...

Per the instructions, shake the bottle vigorously between sprays and keep it a 30 cm distance from your scalp. I suggest you use your fingers in a raking motion to distribute the product through your roots, wait about a minute and then use a mixed bristle brush to comb the product through the length of your hair. Be sure to wipe the nozzle clean with a wet cloth to prevent buildup. It doesn't really matter if the product is concentrated around your scalp and roots since that's where hair tends to be most oily anyway.

Baptiste Dry Shampoo is priced at approximately $7 ($6 with Beauty Club Card) at Sally's but the Tropical version is only available in physical stores (not online). This product is also available in the U.K.

Please test the product on a small area of your head (prior to regular use) to ensure that you are not allergic. Baptiste Dry Shampoo does contain Alcohol Denat (denatured alcohol) which can be poisonous if consumed so use with caution. Warning: small amounts of alcohol can be bad for extremely damaged hair and fragrance can affect those prone to dandruff--this product may not be for you.