Icing

On Carrie M's recommendation, I tried Pantene Ice Shine Conditioner. And I have to say, great recommendation. The stuff is fantastic. It smells amazing, and left my hair silky and soft. I'm not sure that it was 'ice shiny,' but that's pretty impossible with blonde hair (one of the drawbacks to being a blonde- my hair will never be as shiny as a brunette's).

The conditioner was very impressive, especially given that I tried it during a week that we had 250-degree heat indexes (ok, maybe not 250, but definitely over 100). And it handled the conditions well. My hair stayed soft and manageable, without turning into a curly, frizzy limp mess in the heat.

Finally, another non-salon product that actually works on my hair. Thanks, Carrie!

Color Glaze Me

You'll have to excuse the recent absence... I'm coming off a bad hair and skin week. Speaking of a bad hair day:

So Wednesday night I decided to try John Frieda's Luminous Color Glaze (in "Honey to Caramel"), and I'm not quite sure this product lived up to my expectations. Maybe it's because I have fine, curly-ish hair (don't ask- it's a disaster), but it left my hair stringy and dull. I'm 99% sure I rinsed all of it out, but it almost looked like I had left my conditioner in. I definitely didn't see the "glistening shine and silky, luxurious texture" that it promised. In fact, I ended up having to pull my hair into a bun because it looked so terrible.

I definitely wouldn't recommend this product to try on a work day.- I couldn't wait to get home and wash my hair.

In all fairness, though, I can imagine that this product would work very well for someone with thicker hair. Like I said, mine is very fine, so I have to be very careful about the products I use. If anyone out there (namely with thicker hair) has tried this and liked it, by all means, please let me know. I'm curious to see if it works better for someone with a different hair texture.

So why "My Beauty Mistakes?"

So I am constantly trying new beauty products- anything and everything. I must spend a fortune on products. And do I really need to? No, most of them don't work anyways. So I thought I'd turn my beauty mistakes into a blog that (hopefully) will help other people out there.

Now that we've got the 'why?' covered, onto some products.

I'm definitely a junkie when it comes to hair products, and my shampoo and conditioner are no exception. At any given time, you can look in my shower and find at least 4 different sets of shampoo and conditioner. That's because I firmly believe that if you use the same product day-in and day-out, your hair ends up looking dull and lifeless (or, at least mine does).

So some of my favorites:

Korre's Natural Products- Rice Proteins & Oligoelements Shampoo and Silk Milk Conditioner
These two products make my hair look and feel amazing! I have long, wavy, fine hair, so normally my hair ends up looking dull and limp. But the shampoo definitely adds some body and the conditioner is great for shine. I will warn you, though: Do not leave the conditioner in for very long and make sure you rinse it completely out of your hair. I made the mistake one time and dealt with oily hair all day.

Redken- Body Full Shampoo & Conditioner
Great for fine hair. In an effort to add body, most products for fine hair end up drying it more than helping it. Not this stuff. I've been using it for a few years and still can't get over how great it smells- fresh and clean. I catch whiffs of it throughout the day and love it.

Aveda- Rosemary Mint Shampoo and Conditioner
Another fantastic smelling product. And, as an added bonus, it makes your scalp tingle. And the fact that it's from Aveda (one of my favorite companies) and is mostly natural makes me feel like I'm doing something good for myself.

Dove- Moisture Rich Shampoo and Conditioner
The only grocery store brand I use. It's gentle enough for my dry hair, and, like most of the others, has a nice, clean scent. I actually use a lot of Dove products and pretty much endorse anything they make.