Hollywood Hair

I have a thing against hair dryers. Unless it's at the hands of a professional and I'm sitting comfortably in a chair reading a magazine oblivious to all the hot air being blown at my head, then I really would prefer to leave it unplugged and in a drawer. Only problem is I have a thing against frizzy hair too. And without the mind-numbing, time-sapping task of drying my hair, I have frizzy hair.

One trick I've found to at least tame the frizz is to twist my hair and pin it up while still wet and once dry let it down. Although this works pretty well, it also means spending half a day with wet hair.

In a recent Parenting magazine beauty article entitled 21 Little Beauty Tips That Make A Big Difference I read the following tip:

Give Your Hair Waves This trick works best for medium-to-thick hair that's somewhere between straight and wavy, but can also help boost body in fine hair or curly hair that's been blown out. Before bed, brush (dry) hair and secure it on top of your head with the scrunchie that's been banished to bathroom-drawer purgatory since back when Jon-Bon was shot through the heart and you were to blame. (Don't use a rubber band, which would leave a mark.) If you have fine hair, says Toye, use a bit of volumizer at the roots before putting it up. Wrap the ponytail around the base, and tuck the ends into the fabric. Then simply release the ponytail when you wake up, tousle, and enjoy your lovely, loose waves or fuller-than-usual body.

So, last night knowing that I'd be short on time the following morning and would be lucky to get a shower nonetheless do something with my hair, I grabbed one of my daughter's fabric ponytail holders (not sure that I've saved any of my well-used scrunchies) and gave it a try.

This morning I was eager to check out the results and had to laugh when I took the ponytail holder out and my hair looked as though I had spent a good hour trying to make it look that way: lovely, loose waves--just as the article promised. Knowing that I'd be sure to wreck it before even leaving the house I decided to pin up part of it. So I took about a 2" wide strip of my bangs and pinned them back on top of my head. I threw on some Juicy sweats and headed off to school drop off and toddler music class. I felt so Hollywood.

Minx: wallpaper for your nails

I don't subscribe to beauty magazines, so you won't be getting tips from me straight from Cosmopolitan. If not for the fact that both my mom and sister are hair stylists, I'd have my natural "mousey brown" hair (you only get that kind of honesty from your big sister) and know nothing of this next great insider tip...

My mom, Nita, is now sporting Minx wraps on her toes. She loves them and receives a ton of compliments, especially from my daughter who is so impressed with her metallic toes. In line at Disneyland a couple of days ago, I overheard a couple of "20 something" girls marveling over them. She was wearing the silver, fish-net style as shown here.

My mom and her clients like to coordinate them with metallic sandals. According to her, they last for a couple of months and require none of the smelly chemicals of traditional mani/pedicures.

If a 5 year old, 20 year old, and grandmother all love them, it must be a fashion hit!

Learn more about MinxNails and find a Minx-trained nail technician in your area.

Flip Flop Feet

Here's a tip from my e-pile (from Oprah on DVR) that's too good not to share.

I love flip flops as much as anyone, but what I don't love is seeing my (and everyone else's) cracked white heels. I always assumed this was an unavoidable outcome to wearing flip flops year round, until, that is, I caught beauty expert Paula Begoun on Oprah.

If your flip-flop-wearing cracked heels bother you as much as they do me, then take note.

Before bed, wipe your heels with a Stridex face pad (one that contains salicylic acid), then apply a rich moisturizer (I use Baby Aquafor), put on socks, and sleep your cracked heels away. This works wonders as long as you're willing to keep up the nightly routine.

Visit Oprah's site for the specific products Paula recommended.

Day 2: ACV

This has nothing to do with magazine clippings other than the fact that I received a marketing pamphlet from Sephora the other day titled "BLEMISH BLASTERS. kick acne to the curb—for good." Considering that I've been breaking out recently (ugh!!!!!!) it caught my attention and rather than make my usual stop at the recycling bin with most of our mail, I set that one in its very own pile on my desk. Inside was an ad for Thermaclear an at home device that "delivers a two-second pulse of thermal energy." Sounds high tech, and I was a "submit order" button away from ordering it when I decided to try a different approach.

I have this theory that the acne business is a conspiracy. The cure (although it might be different for each person) is out there in the simplest of solutions but why would a multi-million (or is it billion?) dollar business want us to know that?

I have a feeling that the answer to my on-again skin care problem lies within my pantry. Last week I tried sea salt (although I think I blew it by using the coarse stuff as a scrub—ouch!) as it did wonders on clearing Stella's pierced ear infection, so why not try it on a face infection? I think it actually was effective but probably best as a spot treatment. Felt overdried and then oilier.

I got to thinking about what other "wonder products" are in my kitchen and thought of apple cider vinegar. For the heck of it, I Googled it, and what do ya know? There's a ton of information about ACV and it's health benefits--including treating acne. Last night I mixed it (the organic unfiltered type) with water and applied to my skin. Today I'm going to sip it diluted with water and apply it to my skin.

I smell like a tomato salad, but it beats looking like one!