BellaSugar

Here's How You Can Get a Free Full-Sized Fekkai Conditioner!

Jaime Richards — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:05:48 PDT

'Tis the season for dry hair, but Frédéric Fekkai isn't going to let straggly strands happen to you. On Thursday Oct. 27, just head to a Saks Fifth Avenue store for the "Calling All Conditioners" event, where you can trade your regular full-sized conditioner for a full-sized Fekkai conditioner (a $25 value).

Choose between Brilliant Glossing, Full Blown Volume, or Salon Technician Color-Care formulas. Even better, a Fekkai representative will be on hand to ensure you get the right one for your hair type. So save the date now, and your hair will thank you later.

The $6.99 Vegan Conditioner That Leaves Hair Frizz-Free

Annie Tomlin — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:38:13 PDT

Is there anything more annoyingly earnest than a newly made teenage vegetarian? Ask me; I used to be one. "Someday, people will choose to eat less meat and buy vegan products," my self-righteous teenage self declared to anyone who would listen. And while I'm less prone to herbivorous proselytizing these days, there's no denying that vegan beauty products have finally gone mainstream. Case in point: L'Oréal EverSleek Intense Smoothing Conditioner ($6.99) is completely vegan, it isn't tested on animals, and it's available in drugstores everywhere. In addition, it's free of sulfates, parabens, and silicones - three ingredients that some women don't want on their hair. Best of all, though, this stuff leaves hair smooth and shiny without weighing it down. Not much more to say about it than that. If you're looking for a smoothing conditioner for less than $10, go for this one and go vegan at the same time.

This Might Be the Best-Smelling Shampoo You'll Find in 2011

Annie Tomlin — Wed, 25 May 2011 04:00:06 PDT

If you don't want to spend any money right now, then stay away from Carol's Daughter Monoi hair care ($18–$29). Because here's the thing: after you smell the shampoo, conditioner, or mask, you will pretty much be powerless against its sway. It smells that good, like a perfect tropical blend of suntan lotion and a salty breeze. (This makes sense, considering its star ingredient is Tahitian monoi oil, a blend of coconut oil and tiare flower.)

The products promise to dramatically reduce breakage, but I haven't been using the collection long enough to tell whether that's the case. However, the formulas are incredibly moisturizing - seriously, you could easily confuse the rich shampoo for conditioner - and they've left my hair smooth and shiny without weighing it down. Still, considering how amazing this stuff smells, it could turn my hair green with purple polka dots and I'd still rush out to buy another bottle. Obsessed.

Tabatha Coffey: How to Get the Most Out of Your Shampoo and Conditioner

Guest Writer — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 06:00:00 PST

Editor's note: The following post is written by celebrity stylist, reality TV star, and author Tabatha Coffey. Do you know how to shampoo and condition? You may think you do, but the fact is that most people don't really know how and are using the wrong products for their hair type. As trivial as it they may seem, properly shampooing and conditioning your hair are actually the most important steps in your hair maintenance routine. When correctly selected and applied, shampoo and conditioner set the foundation for everything that comes after.

So what do they do? Put in the simplest terms, shampooing slightly opens up the cuticle, removing dirt, oil, and product buildup to create a clean, optimal environment for conditioning. Conditioning, meanwhile, delivers essential, nutrients and moisture, then seals the cuticle to keep hair healthy, balanced, and protected. Now that we have that down, let's get on to the details!

Do You Always Seem to Run Out of Shampoo Before Conditioner?

Jaime Richards — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 06:00:00 PST

You might match your shampoo and conditioner brands, but when it comes to using these shower staples, do you ever seem to run out of one before the other? In my household, there's usually about 10 times the amount of conditioner than shampoo. What about you? Tell me in the comments below and I'll come up with some solutions for a future post.

The Shampoo and Conditioner in the Sweet-as-Honey Bottle

Jaime Richards — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:00:00 PST

From A Beautiful Life, makers of the incredible natural nail polish remover that really works and I Heart Unicorns Perfume, comes these cute as can be Honey'do Shampoo and Conditioner ($16 each or $30 for the set).

While they look like something you'd keep in your kitchen, much like FarmHouse Fresh Goods' Sweet Cream Body Milk ($26), these goodies are best left in the shower - and not drizzled atop your Elvis-style peanut butter and banana sandwich. Made with organic honey to promote bounce and shine in the hair, these orange-blossom-scented products are also sulfate- and paraben-free. Will you get your buzz on?

6 Different Ways to Mix Up Color Conditioners

Jaime Richards — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 10:00:34 PST

Color conditioners are products I count among my absolute favorite beauty items, and with good reason. Not only do they enhance and intensify hair with a burst of color, but they can even counteract unwanted hues like brassy tones of gold and orange. You can definitely use a color conditioner on its own, but for even better results, you can also easily create a customized blend by mixing up two of these four different shades: red, brown, yellow, or blue (or violet). So to find out how you can channel your inner colorist and perk up dull strands, just keep reading.

Getting Steamy With Gilles Marini

Miriam Lacey — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 07:00:51 PST

Gilles Marini may be best known for his successful foray onto Dancing With the Stars and his role as Luc on Brothers & Sisters. But he's also an expert shower-taker, as anyone who saw his turn as Samantha's sexy exhibitionist neighbor in the first Sex and the City movie knows.

I got the chance to meet Gilles a couple weeks back when he was in San Francisco. He's a L'Occitane ambassador, which makes sense: he grew up in Provence and even used to take lavender from the L'Occitane fields as a child. And now I know how he shortens his bathing time. Instead of using his shampoo and conditioner separately, Gilles says he makes his own two-in-one by mixing his products, lathering, and then leaving them on for two minutes. Why he would ever want to save time in the shower, however, is still a mystery.

We Found a Vegan Styling Lotion to Love

BellaSugar — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 08:00:47 PDT

In the quest for a natural-leaning hair care line, I've been blowing through about a dozen brands. More on those soon, but for now, let's look at Evolvh. If you can get past the oddball spelling, you'll find a vegan and mostly organic collection of shampoo, conditioner, and styling products. They're free of sulfates and parabens, but they're filled with extracts of plants such as mallow, flax, pansy, and marigold.

That's all fine and dandy, but how well do they work? Actually, pretty well. The shampoo and conditioner have a light, pleasant scent and leave hair shiny and moisturized. But the star of the line is Ultimate styling lotion ($28), which claims to provide volume, hold, and shine. It's super-lightweight, keeps frizz at bay, and gives hair a glossy but not greasy look. Win!

Splurge of the Week: Kérastase Nutri-Thermique

BellaSugar — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:00:10 PDT

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.