Beeautiful

I woke up this morning with a terrible cause of the oilies despite having washed my hair last night. Apparently I am guilty of the same error as most women: not washing the conditioner out of my hair well enough. Ladies, please take the extra time to rinse and rinse well if you want to avoid washing your hair two days in a row.

This review isn’t about a problem as much as the solution: Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Dusting Powder. Yes, this is yet another solution to bad hair days and an oily scalp, I’m sure you’re beginning to see a pattern. I promise I am not a disgusting, smelly pig (most days); I just happen to enjoy how much texture I get from dry shampoos and powdery products on my scalp and find them to be more gentle solutions to hair spray and gel.

Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Dusting Powder has been an H.G. (Holy Grail) product of mine for multiple reasons, the first of which is the fact that unlike most face powders, it contains absolutely no talc. If your skin has ever felt itchy or raw after using a face powder, I’d be willing to bet you’re allergic to talc. Even though I have no such allergy, at least that I’m aware of, I find that powder products that do not contain talc glide on more smoothly, have better color pay off and do not emphasize fine lines and wrinkles the way other powdery products can. And since kaolin clay is often used in acne-fighting face masks and oil zapping products, this ingredient makes Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Dusting Powder even more effective.

Now that I’ve already interrupted the linear sequence of my little anecdote, I will hurry up and get to the point: my love of Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Dusting Powder stems from the fact that I’ve been able to find many uses for the product. It zaps the oil on my scalp, makes my hair look lighter, works well as a highlighter or under one’s eyes to catch eye shadow fallout, cooks, cleans and does the dishes!

How To Use:

1. Hair—

Dust the powder on your hairline or just shake it into the parts of your scalp that are oiliest. If your hair is a level 6 (light brown) or lighter, Baby Bee you need not concern yourself with brushing the powder out very well and can even expect a subtly lighter appearance to your color.

Platinum blondes that need a root touch-up can expect some (temporary) assistance from this product until you’re ready to hit the bottle (or salon chair) yet again. Using a fluffy face brush, apply the products to the visible portion of your roots.

For hair that is level 5 (medium brown) or darker, be sure to brush the product out really well; the powder combs out very easily so you will not look like Marie Antoinette unless you want to.

2. Face—

Pale lovelies can use a light dusting of Baby Bee as a finishing powder; most skin tones can use this to highlight cheeks, the bridge of the nose and just about any area of the face where the light would naturally hit. Baby Bee is absolutey matte so the highlight will look very natural rather than shimmery—just as if that part of your face is slightly lighter than the rest.

Baby Bee is also effective as an under-eye powder for use while applying eye shadow. Not only does it dust away dark shadow particles easily but it does not irritate the delicate under eye skin nor does it settle into those little lines most of us have in the area. I find that the brightening effect of the powder (under my eyes) often makes concealer unnecessary. I warn you against using eye creams prior to application: the powder will stick to the cream.

Ingredients: Corn Starch, Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda), Kaolin (French white clay), Bentonite (Natural clay), Rosebuds (Powdered), Myrrh (Powdered), Slippery Elm Bark (Powdered), Fragrance

Scent: Baby powder without the cloying, sickeningly sweet aspect.

Price: $6-$9 for a 7.5 oz container but worth every penny. Aside for the multitude of possible uses, the product goes a long way.

Availability: Anywhere!

Image Credit: drugstore.com

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.