My co-washing method

During the fall/winter season I only shampoo once a month and co-wash during the weeks in between shampoo days. One day I was running short on time so I applied the conditioner (Giovanni SAS) I was planning on using (for the cowash) to my hair while it was dry. The conditioner remained on for about 30 minutes before I was able to finally rinse and detangle in the shower. The results were amazing (to me) and I was convinced it was probably a fluke but I had to test it out a few more times just to make sure.

With the next few weekends that passed I did the following:
-Took down what ever protective style I was wearing that week
-Applied conditioner to my (dry) hair while putting it in four sections
-Let the conditioner sit on my hair until is was dry/stiff and then rinsed in sections
-I detangled each section with my rubber based brush (like a denman) as I rinsed
-Finally, applied a leave-in conditioner and styled as usual

This method was quick and easy. My hair was detangled, extremely manageable, and soft in the end. As a result, I am now doing the steps above with all my winter cowashes.

I love accidentally discovering great ways to revamp my regimen!

Today is the first day of Winter...

This year it seemed like the Fall season forgot to make its appearance in North Carolina and so my hair care regimen has been winterized for some time now. I am shampooing less, conditioning regularly, and keeping my hair in protective styles. Check out my winter hair care regimen here. Also, Google as a great blog search feature that lets you find and read about the winterized hair care regimen of other bloggers.

Have you already put your winter hair care regimen into effect?

(Feel free to share your regimen)

Sharing your regimen may be a way to help someone that is going through their first winter was a natural lady.

From Last Year to This Year

Now that the busy month of October is over I plan to (and will) seriously implement my fall/winter haircare regimen. Some of the things I plan to carry over from last winter include:

• Buns (protective style)
• Deep Conditioning
• Oil Rinses
• Aloe Gro (for moisturizing purposes)
• Henna
• Roller-sets
• Length Retention Tips

Each week I will document every step that I made with my haircare because I am curious to see if I can get a repeat last winter's length retention. This will prove that I have found a method of length retention that works for my hair. My current length has already been documented and I do not intend to do another length check until sometime next spring.

Fall/Winter Regimen Part 1
Fall/Winter Regimen Part 2

Also, since my hair care will be kind of boring this winter I will use the opportunity to deliver some information that I have been compiling for a few months. Simple but effective hair care strategies.

Chinese Laundry: Avona Boot!

Hello Divas!

Despite the ups and downs, Life Is Good!

Chamele is back with the perfect short fall boots!  Did someone say distressed blue is the new "hot" neutral?  Check it out!

Day 23

I have been on the hunt for some chic blue suede boots. "Why blue suede," you ask?  I have no idea. Sometimes, I have these feelings of whimsy that come and go. I get inspired. What can say? I was thinking of an over-the-knee boot in an inky midnight with a cone heel and round toe. Unfortunately, I have not found that exact match. I did however find a cute pair of Chinese Laundry denim colored mid-calf boots perfect for fall weather.

The Chinese Laundry Avona comes in ink blue distressed color, a blue that is gray enough to become a neutral accessory. (Remember last season's neutral was pale pink. Just add a little white or a little black and you have your new neutral.  I will leave the lesson in color theory for another day.) It has a cone heel and is not too high that it can't accompany a day look.  The boot has a slight slouch that would look great paired over dark leggings and a tunic top. The Chinese Laundry Avona can be found at Zappos for 129.95 in the ink blue distressed shown above and in : mauve distressed, stone distressed and black suede.

Until tomorrow,

Chamele

Curel Sensitive Skin Remedy Lotion

Winter's coming soon and before your sensitive skin gets those chapped hands, it's best to protect them now! The formula for the Curel Sensitive Skin Remedy Lotion contains ceramides to create a barrier to protect your skin from the environment as well as provide relief. I have super sensitive skin and this past week, my hands were already red and flaky. :( At the SHAPE Pilates for Pink event earlier this month, Curel was there to display some of their new products including the Curel Sensitive Skin Remedy Lotion. I was able to try and even though it wasn't that cold in early October, my hands felt noticeably smoother and moisturized.

Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com

Scalp Experiment: Moisturizing

All winter because of the dry air if I do not moisturize my body properly or if I use a soap that is too strong my skin will start to feel tight, itchy, and a burning sensation all over. So I started to think....what if my scalp goes through the same thing as my skin?

-When my scalp is itchy I barely have flakes if I have any at all. So I assumed I didn't have a dandruff problem.

-I use the same shampoos and conditioners all year long but only itch during the winter season so I assumed it wasn't an allergic reaction to a product I was using.

-I don't do any weird treatments that would send my hair and scalp into a confused frenzy. And I only switch between two products at a time, just like I do in the summer.

So after days of going through process of elimination....my skin and hair started itching at the same time. A went to get the shea better for my skin, I glanced at the spray bottle of aloe vera....EUREKA! My scalp is just dry and when dry, it itches like my skin. Then I scratch like crazy and it gets sore.

To test my theory I have been moisturizing my scalp every other day with aloe vera....it has been working. To see if it was the aloe vera and not just a change in weather, I skipped a moisturizing session and the itching came back. I am convinced my scalp and skin just hate the cold as much as I do. Why oh why couldn't I figure this out about 3 months ago, LOL.

I also assume that the Castor oil wasn't making much of a difference with the itching because I was applying it to dry scalp - there wasn't any moisture to lock in. So now I oil after washing/co-washing and I have also added a midweek co-wash to my winter regimen. Although winter is near the end when as I make my discovery at least I will be ready for the next winter season.

Sources:

Prevent Itchy Scalp in the Winter

Scalp Itching

Soothe a Dry, Itchy Scalp

Curing Dry, Itchy Scalp in Natural Black Hair

Baggy Method Anyone?

With the cooler weather approaching fast I am starting to think about this year's winter regimen. Last year bunning worked GREAT with my length retention but I never really found something to work for my itchy winter scalp. All winter long my scalp itched in one spot - the crown. It drove me crazy. I am thinking that maybe I need more moisture but that would be terrible for my buns (having to redo them often during the week).

Since I seem to experience more growth during the winter I am trying to add elements to my regimen that will retain length but are still somewhat low manipulation, so I am considering the "baggy method." Keyword: considering

I really like Chicoro's Baggy Method.

For those that have tried the baggy method for an extended period of time, what are your thoughts?

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: Neosporin Lip Health Daily Hydration Therapy

Hello Divas!

How is life treating you?  I hope beautifully!

As I have stated before, my lips become extremely dry during Winter months.  I mean if I do not keep my lips hydrated, they become cracked and peeling. Ugh! So when Neosporin contacted me to try their new Lip Health Daily Hydration Lip Therapy, I eagerly agreed to give it a try.

This product is cream based as opposed to ointment based.  I found this quite surprising because of course I associate Neosporin with ointment.  However, the cream works well on dry cracked lips.  The product immediately absorbed into my lips and they immediately felt soothed and moisturized. Yes, I would definitely say this product is more like a "moisturizer" for your lips. Love it!  What I really like about this product is that I did not have to keep re-applying the cream to keep my lips moisturized.  After one application, my lips stayed smoothed and hydrated throughout the day.  I was very impressed.  And this product contains SPF 20! Yes SPF 20! You Divas know how much I love SPF in my skincare products.  The best moisturizers and eye creams I love contain SPF 15 or higher. Too much exposure to sun causes aging and I want to slow down the aging process as much as possible.

Neosporin Lip Health, Daily Hydration Therapy is a must try.  It retails for $4.99 and you can purchase it here or at any CVS.


Toodles!

How-to: Winter Beauty Survival Guide

Winter Beauty Survival Guide

Learn how to get the cold winter weather to leave your gorgeous looks alone

Winter can be your skin and hair's worst nightmare. It dries out your cuticles, frizzes your strands and makes skin flake -- ugh! To the rescue: tips from Winter Olympics Team USA. Here they share their secrets on how to battle cold winter temps and look gorgeous all cold-weather season long. See tips

Check out more blogs @ target="_blank">TotalBeauty.com

CO Bigelow's My Favorite Lip Balm

Hello Divas!

Boy it is so cooold outside! How are you keeping warm? I am literally freezing! Whew!

Extreme cold weather makes our skin very dry.  During the winter months,  my lips become extremely dry and chapped.  But I have been using this new CO Bigelow Lip Balm that I received as a Christmas gift and it is just fabulous! It is called "My Favorite Lip Balm" and it contains Shea Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, and Wheat Germ Oil. The balm glides on super smooth and it has a nice Sweet Almond smell. The shine is super insane and it looks awesome with my MAC Chesnut lip pencil.  This balm has been a life saver during this cold snap.  My lips stay moist and moisturized all day.

CO Begelow's My Favorite Lip Balm retails for $5.50 and you can purchase it here or at any Bath and Body Works.

Toodles!

Solutions for All Your Winter Skin Issues

Solutions for All Your Winter Skin Issues

Need help with dry, chapped skin and lips? We've got the answers

Cold weather outside and dry heat inside can really do a number on your skin. If you've tried slathering on every lotion you can get your hands on to no avail, then you need these expert tips to fight dry skin. We talked to Arielle N.B. Kauvar, M.D., director of New York Laser & Skin Care, and Liz Earle, a natural skin care expert, to find out what ingredients, methods and products work best to get you soft, silky skin all season long. See tips

(Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link.)
Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com

Cold Weather Regimen

So I think I learned a lesson.....

This is the first year that I actually made an attempt to change my regimen with the seasons. I now see that I only need two main regimens; one for warm weather and one for cold weather. The regimen that I started the following for the fall was quickly thrown to the wayside and now it's just a cold weather regimen.

The first day of winter is December 21 but I guess it really doesn't matter because it's cold already. I hate cold weather. Hate it! It's like we went from summer straight to winter.

This is the update to my regimen:

Cleansing

Alternate between shampoos and co-washes. The winter hair is already drying to I don’t want to shampoo too often. Every week might be too much for my hair.

Conditioning

Deep condition every week with LeKair Cholesterol/Rosemary Oil/Olive Oil Mix Moisturizing: After rinsing and while hair is still damp, leave a small amount of condition in the hair and apply coconut oil to the entire length with special focus on the ends.

Special Treatments

Oil Rinse - Twice a month (I love these!!!)

Styling

Styles for the cold weather will consist of braids, cornrows, buns, and twists that are pinned up or styled in updos. Now that I can do roller sets, I will incorporate those as well.

Trims

Since I have been more loving towards my ends they have not given me a problem with splits and fairy knots. I am going to trim when needed. S&D!!!

Quiz: Could Your Winter Hairstyle use a Boost?

Quiz: Could Your Winter Hairstyle Use a Boost?

Find out with this quiz, and get tips to kick it up a notch

Sure, you may spend most of your time these days bundled up in coats and scarves, but that doesn't mean your look can't still have an edge, right? Find out if your style is lacking and what you can do to change it with this quiz. Take the quiz

(Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link.)

Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com

Holiday Series #5: Holiday Nail Colors from Borghese

I received these Borghese Holiday nail polishes in the Serena set to try and have found the colors I will be wearing throughout this Holiday season. This fall, I was loving the burgundies and purples and so glad this set includes similar colors with glitter! Read about the fall nail polish trends here.

The four colors in this set are dark, festive, and perfect for this season's trend of deep, vampy colors. The kit contains 2 solid colors with the dark burgundy- my absolute favorite- and dark navy, and 2 glittery ones, similar to the effect of the popular Sephora OPI 212 nail polish.

Review: The satin finish of these nail polishes are amazing.. can't stop touching them! The luxe polishes are also long-wearing, no chipping for at least 3 days, and come with a Duale Curve Tip Brush that help with your polish application. This means less nail polish on your skin!

I am extremely pleased with this set and they only cost $2.50 each polish, since the set costs ~$10 at your local drugstore. This is a bargain especially if you're looking for an affordable way to change up your holiday nail look for different parties and events you're going to this season.

Swatches coming soon!

(Disclaimer: I received this product from this company's PR agency to test, try and share my thoughts with my readers.)

Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com

Gucci Fall Winter 2009 Collection

The Fall and Winter Collection for Gucci is available at Neiman Marcus now. Check it out! Isn't this bag gorgeous? :)


Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com