hair care

From the sweat to the flyaways, having good hair at the gym can feel impossible. Rather than using your locks as an excuse to skip the gym altogether, grab the right accessories or rethink your 'do for your next workout. Aside from locker-room hair care, here are five effortless ways you can tame your mane in minutes!

1. Be bold with a bandanna: Bandannas are a great gym hair accessory; just ask Halle Berry! Not only are they affordable, but they can also be styled in a variety of ways. Keep it simple by wrapping it around your forehead, or use these tips for locker-room inspiration.
2. Bring on the braids: Braids are a fuss-free solution for having to constantly fix and tighten your ponytail. Try a variety of braiding styles to switch up your look, or let your braid out for wavy locks when your workout is complete.
3. Rock a headband: Handle unruly hair with a headband. Headbands are a fun accessory that help prevent bangs and sweat from being a distraction. This Lucy endurance headband ($10) is reversible, and this Under Armour workout headband ($15) ensures a tight fit.
4. Tie a topknot: Follow a dancer's lead and rock the topknot. Not only is this look glamorous enough for the red carpet , but it will also stay put during your run. A simple twist does the trick; this tutorial will teach you how.
5. Embrace the hat hair: If you work out outdoors, the solution is simple — add a hat! A standard baseball cap will keep your hair out of the way and protect you from the sun, while running beanies are perfect for the Winter months. If you're heading to work after the gym, complete your outfit by accessorizing with a stylish hat.

Venezuelan actress and model Patricia Velásquez has been seen in The Mummy and The L Word, but to me, she'll always be Marta from Arrested Development. She's as funny as she is pretty, and now she's becoming a beauty entrepreneur, too. On Feb. 9, she's officially launching Taya, a hair care collection that incorporates sustainably harvested ingredients from the rain forest.

Patricia looked to her personal heritage in titling the collection. Taya means "I am" in the dialect of the indigenous Wayuú people, whose traditional beauty recipes inspired the formulas. In a statement, she said, "I wanted every person that uses the indigenous botanicals and generational recipes embodied in Taya's formulations to feel the energy of the rain forest, and feel a part of it, and to experience what for me is our source of life, spirit, and replenishment."

If you are indeed eager to feel the energy of the rain forest, you can peruse the goods on HSN.com now. (We haven't tried them out yet, but you have to admit, Patricia has always had gorgeous hair.)

My friend Samantha is a total surfer girl — and she has the cool, beach-tousled hair to prove it, even when she hasn't been on a board in weeks. She just let me in on her secret: a styling product she stole from a guy friend (who happens to be a model). "I'm always on the prowl for texture enhancing goo — think dry shampoo meets molding wax," she says. "My latest male model-influenced fascination is Hanz de Fuko's Quicksand ($16.50)." The 100 percent organic hair care line is targeted toward guys, but hair knows no gender. So if you're looking for matte texture beach hair without hitting the actual beach, sink into Quicksand.

A couple of weeks ago, Kérastase sent a package of its new Nutri-Thermique hair care collection. Naturally, the first thing Mr. Bella did was put his nose by the shampoo.

"This smells like Holiday Inn stuff," he said.

"But it's French," I harrumphed. "They don't even have Holiday Inn in France!" (Not true.)

Fast-forward to our next date. I show up after using the shampoo and conditioner, then blow-drying my hair without any products. At one point, Mr. Bella smells my hair and says, "Wow, your hair smells really good." Sigh.

At any rate, he's right: the shampoo leaves a beautiful, soft floral scent. More importantly, it cuts down on frizz and flyaways, plus I can go one extra day without washing. At $34 for the shampoo and $38 for the conditioner, these items are definite splurges. But if it fits into your budget — or you merely seek great-smelling hair care — it's worth a look.

It's been a month, and boy have things changed. I've totally overhauled my hair and skincare regimens, learned how to make my own makeup, and even gotten rid of antiperspirant. Today, I put on concealer for the first time in five weeks and it felt utterly strange (but awesome). Looking back over all my posts, there are a few things I'd change, and though I'm definitely wearing makeup again, there are a lot of products I definitely won't be going back to. I've got a few things to wind up with you, so just keep reading