So as I have mentioned in my post about What sucks about arthritis, I am currently in a battle with the shimmering angel that is psoriasis. Although I have had a couple little patches over the years, it is still rather new to me, and I am trying my darnedest to figure it out. The part that is the most frustrating to me is the psoriasis that is on my scalp. I can’t cover it up with clothes like I can with other patches of psoriasis, and I seriously cannot pull off hats. One example of this is below with a photo that Jen posted of me wearing an Aritzia toque. Other girls can pull them off. Not I.
This has lead me to much endless research online to prevent parts of my scalp from coming off at embarrassing times. One thing that I found was a suggestion of brushing your hair with a boar bristle brush. Now when I heard that, it made a lot of sense. I find myself scratching my head and finding little to no relief and the idea of having scratching little bristles caressing my aggravated head sounded amazing. So I looked online for the one that was most recommended for people with itchy but sensitive scalps, and I found the Mason Pearson brush.
After looking all over the inter webs, I cannot believe that I had not seen it before! I am a card carrying member of the useless objects of desire club and paying way too much for things that celebrities use. So I hopped right on Amazon to see what options were available. There are so many options, ranging in size and bristles. There are all boar bristle options for thin to medium hair, a mix of boar bristles and nylon bristles for medium to thick hair, and all nylon bristles for thick hair. I settled on the Mason Pearson Pocket Sensitive All Boar Bristle Hair Brush which you can find here because it is good for sensitive and thinning thin hair (like mine!) and it is the small size which is fine for now, and I can also see how much I like it before investing $150 plus in a full sized option.
When I received the brush in the mail, I couldn’t have been more excited. Once I pressed the button to buy it, I researched even more to confirm why it was reasonable to spend $100 on a brush. People were saying how it reduces flyaways, and split ends. It also makes you need to wash your hair less as it effectively spreads the oil from your scalp all the way to your ends.
From the week that I have had this brush, I can say that all of the above is true. I have added an extra two days to my hair washing schedule (I can go four now rather than two!), and it is much more manageable between washings. As far as the psoriasis goes, it give me relief from needing to scratch, and getting rid of some of the charming flakes as well.
I will update once I have been using this brush for a little longer, but so far, I am hopeful that it was worth the money!
What kinds of products do you shell out the big bucks for? Is it worth it? Let us know!
Ignore the ragged cuticles and uneven roundness, I need you to look at the length of the nails. This is a damn record for me.
I’m a former nail biter and current idiot who peels her gel nail polish off instead of removing it properly and because of this, my nails are generally nubbins. But not now. Oh man, I might actually have to cut them down soon because I’m afraid for my eyes as I put in and take out my contact lenses.
I started taking it about a year and a half ago, then stopped for about 6 months and started again last month. Originally it was recommended to me by a former co-worker of mine, she was complaining that Kim Kardashian Instagrammed it and now it would be harder to get because people would buy it up. She has gorgeous hair and my hair was still pretty short after my horrible hair cut experience, so she sold me on this stuff much better than Kim ever would. I originally ordered a 3 month supply, and within 2 weeks my hair already saw a difference. It felt healthier, looked shinier and was growing quicker. Other bonuses include my hair feeling thicker and less of it comes out in the shower.
Hairfinity is sold as a dietary supplement that helps hair grow faster, making it healthier from the inside out, but one of the other benefits is longer, stronger nails.
I’ve turned a bunch of people on to this stuff, and while I’m not being paid to promote these pills or to write this blog, I’m telling you to try them out if you’re as hair obsessed as I am. I’ve become such a spokesperson for these pills that one of my friends has started calling them my hair-oids.
I took this photo right now after a day of top knots and house cleaning (the night after it being curled and hairsprayed to hell). Typically it would be frizzy as well after sleeping on it, but Hairfinity helps with that too.
Here’s another photo where I actually put effort into my hair:
Look how long that hair is!
I have yet to notice any downsides to these pills, aside from the florescent pee (which I feel just helps me determine whether I remembered to take them each day). I do hate that the shipping to Canada is expensive and they only send out three month supplies, so you can’t buy more to save on shipping charges, they also don’t sell it anywhere here. So if you’re working for Hairfinity and/or Brock Beauty, you are welcome to hook a sister up.
What about you, have you ever tried Hairfinity or have a recommendation for other dietary supplements for my hair and nail needs?
I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve cooked with coconut oil. I should probably do it more since it has some good health benefits and is better than a lot of oils, but for some reason I never do unless a recipe I’m following specifically calls for it.
That said, I buy 54 fl oz tubs of coconut oil from Costco and it all ends up getting used. I use coconut oil on a daily basis for my hair and beauty routines. I keep a small container of it in my bathroom cabinet. This stuff deserves to win one of Allure’s Best of Beauty Awards every year.
Coconut oil is the best for restoring moisture without clogging pores or causing pimples. I’ll use it on my face when I run out of argon oil (or just want some extra moisture), and on my cuticles when they’re dry and ragged. I also make a hand scrub that leave my hands feeling super smooth and moisturized, I literally want to use it every time I wash my hands but instead try to use it every other day (recipe here).
My favourite way to use coconut oil is as a hair mask. I use it on my hair (while it’s dry, not wet) and leave it in for at least an hour.
For this, you just need coconut oil and castor oil. If you don’t have the castor oil, that’s cool too, but I add it because it’s supposed to help with hair growth and I’m obsessed with wanting my hair to grow faster. Castor oil can be found in most pharmacy’s, I got mine at Whole Foods.
I use about ¼ cup of coconut oil and 1-2 teaspoons of castor oil. If it’s not hot out and your coconut oil is still in its solid form, just heat it up in the microwave until it melts. I like to do it just long enough that it’s a bit warm, but be careful not to leave it too long or you’ll scorch yourself. Once it’s heated, stir in the castor oil.
Be prepared to look like you haven’t showered in weeks
Next, you’ll slather it on your hair. I’ve tried using a basting brush in the past, but found that putting a small amount on my hands and working it through my hair works best. If you’re using the castor oil you’ll need to massage it into your scalp, apparently this helps stimulate growth. If you’re only using the coconut oil you can concentrate on the ends and even avoid the roots to avoid oily roots later.
Get your hair coated, then wrap it up in a bun on the top of your head and cover with a plastic bag or one of those shower caps you can get from hotels. This will help keep the hair warm to get the oil to sink in better.
After that, wrap your head in a towel to heat up the hair. The shower cap also works to keep your towel from getting too oily.
Next, just chill for at least an hour. I’ll put this concoction on when I know I’ll be spending the next couple hours at home or overnight. It’s the perfect look for when you’re housecleaning or watching TV.
Once you’ve marinated long enough, hop into your shower and shampoo as usual. Since you’ve just been doused in oil for a couple hours you’ll need to follow the actual directions on your shampoo container and rinse and repeat. Usually two shampoos will get the gunk out, then follow with conditioner. Style your hair as usual and you’ll be enjoying silky, moisturized hair.
And while we’re on the topic of coconut oil, here’s a few of my other favourite uses. Since it is most often in solid form, just heat it up in your hands before applying:
Lip balm. Winter is coming, slather this on your lips when they’re chapped
Eyebrow gel. This shizz will keep your eyebrows tame and looking their best.
Body lotion. Baby oil is for babies (and Hugh Hefner’s nights of endless passion), moisturize like an adult.
Under eye cream. It helps to de-puff eyes.
Hair serum. Use the tiniest of amounts to help stop frizz and add shine. It can also be used on wet curly hair to style instead of gels and mousses.
Use a dab to highlight your cheeks, nose or wherever else you might normally apply a highlighter
Makeup remover. I keep this in my bathroom and use it on my eyes at night to get off the mascara and eyeliner. Just a bit rubbed on your eyes, then remove with a tissue or washcloth.
Share in the comments, what is your favourite use for coconut oil?
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For as long as I can remember, I’ve been reading beauty magazines that offer styling advice for curly hair and I’m here to say all that advice is bullshit. And I’m certain it’s never been written by someone with curly hair and no person with curly hair was consulted in the creation of those articles. Maybe a hairdresser was, but from my experience most hairdressers also don’t have an idea of how to style curly hair unless they have curly hair.
I have curly hair and it is my duty to drop some wisdom on you.
A little background… I didn’t always have curly hair. I wasn’t some adorable child with frizzy little ringlets, instead I was an adorable little child with a straight bowl cut (see evidence below).
As I grew older it may have been a bit wavy, I don’t know for sure though because I have a lot of hair and it was long, so it probably weighed any texture down. But at 12 years old I did what every other girl in my grade was doing… I got a perm.
If you’re young you probably don’t remember perms, but it’s what we did in the 90s to get “permanent” curly hair… or at least it was permanent until your hair grew out. I hated that perm, I’d probably share photos of me with said perm but I spent a lot of time that year avoiding cameras and for the few photos that did exist I made sure they were destroyed. It was a bad year for me, I had big glasses and teeth that were crying for braces. I looked like a geeky girl in a high school movie stereotype.
Something like this but with jacked up teeth and bigger, rounder glasses
The thing is, my perm really was permanent. When I finally cut off all my hair into a bob a year after the perm and assumed it would resume its straight haired life, I was mistaken. It grew in curly, which apparently can happen when you go through puberty. And this has been my lot in life ever since.
So here are my tips for curly haired existence. The first and most important rule being that if you’re reading an article or any advice for styling curly hair and there’s less than 200 words written, it’s not good advice. And if that advice includes gel, throw that magazine away because it clearly only wants what’s bad for you.
My advice will not include gel and will be much more than 200 words. Settle in and get yourself a beverage, this is going to be wordy.
Ok, I promised no gel talk and here’s why – this will only make your curls crunchy. If the gel says it’s not crunchy, then it’s just a sticky goo in your hands and has no holding power in your hair. Stay away from all products that say gel.
You have to start in the shower. Try not to wash your hair too often, your hair’s natural oils really do help to stop frizz and hold your curls together. You can condition, but stay away from shampoo. When I’m rocking my fro I’ll shampoo every couple of days. I tried the no-poo movement for a week and failed, my hair felt too greasy, but give it a shot if that’s your thing. I’ve heard some good things from people.
Keep a wide-tooth comb in the shower and this will be the only time you comb your hair. After you rinse the conditioner out of your hair, run that comb through your hair to detangle and don’t comb it again once you turn off the water. Combing is what I found to be the part that causes the most frizz and causes the natural shape of the ringlet to stretch out. Once you step out of the shower use a microfiber cloth (or I’ve heard an old t-shirt) to squeeze excess water from your hair. I use the DevaCurl towel, but it’s like any other microfiber cloth. Don’t twist your hair into the towel, you should literally just be scrunching your hair in the towel to remove moisture.
Once your hair is no longer dripping, start adding your product. I’ve tried approximately 100,000 products in my life and I have a few favourites. I have a friend who swears by just using conditioner to control her curls and she has the most enviable spirals, I’ve tried this and it works but I can never get the right amount and I either use too much and end up with greasy, weighed down curls or don’t use enough and my hair is more afro-y than usual.
Right now I start off with a heat protecting serum I picked up from a hair salon, but I also like to use any kind of argon oil or even coconut oil. Basically anything that is going to coat the hair shaft and fight frizz needs to be applied. Then comes the styling product, I highly recommend Frizz Ease Dream Curl which can be found in most drug stores. You just spray it on and go. You don’t even need that much, but if you happen to put too much on it doesn’t cause greasiness or crunch. I also like the DevaCurl Styling Cream or Bumble and Bumble’s Curl Conscious Defining Creme.
Once the product is in there, I scrunch through it again with the towel to remove excess product and moisture. Sometimes I’ll twist sections of hair to help define the curl but it’s super important to make sure you’re twisting the curls as they fall naturally. Creating curls in larger clumps usually ends with the curl not forming properly or frizz.
Now just let it air dry. Blow driers, even with a diffuser attached, will only cause flyaways and frizz. If you have to blow dry, I recommend allowing your hair to dry naturally a bit, blow drying until it’s almost dry and then let nature do the rest.
The problem I find with my curly hair, and I’m sure many curly haired folk notice this, is that the curly hair we possess doesn’t look like it does on curly haired celebs. Sarah Jessica Parker, Debra Messing, Taylor Swift, they all have enviable curly hair… but I’m willing to bet they don’t wash, air dry and look that phenomenal.
We all want SJP’s Sex and the City season 6 hair (or the movies, if I wasn’t denying their existence)
But end up with her early season curls
Which is nice and all, but 90s.
My hair when air dried using the steps above looks like this
Kinda curly at the top but a little wavy/not so spirally at the bottom, which you can totally see here in this photo I took trying to hide my pre-bedtime face.
Typically I shower at night and let it air dry as I sleep. The above picture was taken just before bed, I had showered 3 hours before. Of course, when I wake up the curls are a bit squished and a little frizzy. You can use one of those curl rejuvenating sprays, but sometimes they cause more frizz. Plus, since I’m not a fan of my natural spirals, I take the next step… the step they don’t tell you about… I use a curling wand.
Taking the already formed curls, I use the 1-inch wand of my Amika Interchangeable Curling Wand (2nd barrel from the right) to help make them look fuller and not so Vision of Love-era Mariah. I usually just pick out pieces here and there and hold them in the curl for about 10 seconds (on 300* heat, this way they’re not curly sue ringlets and will stretch out). Then I let my hair cool as I do my make-up and have breakfast, then finger comb when I’m ready to leave the house.
Once I have my hair styled, it’ll last 1-2 days depending on how you sleep on it. I have this weird protective scarf/cap thing that I use at night to protect the curls so in the morning I just have to finger comb into place again and I’m good to go. If I forgoe the sexy cap, then I have to go over the curls with the curling wand again.
I know, I know… most people assume curly haired girls can just wash and apply product and then have glorious hair. Mais non. We need heat to really make these bad boys shine. I’m sorry if I ruined it for you.
If you’re still with me, share your tips and tricks for living life with curly hair in the comments.
I need a haircut. Do you ever notice that when you need a haircut it becomes immediately apparent? It’s not as if it’s something that slowly builds up, it’s like one day your hair is looking fabulous and the next it’s just an unruly mess that cannot be styled.
But then as soon as you make the appointment, your hair looks fabulous and you wonder if you really do need to cut anything off.
I do. My hair is naturally curly and the curls are dry and frizzy. When it’s straight the top layers meet up with the bottom laters to make a triangular mess. It always seems like the top layers grow faster than the bottom part, catching up to them when I feel that they shouldn’t be because that’s not how logic works.
I feel like I’ve been growing my hair out forever. Almost two years ago my hair was brutally taken from me in a salon “accident.” As someone who doesn’t see well (at all) without her glasses, I made the mistake of going to the hairdresser with my glasses on instead of my contacts and asking him to cut it to shoulder length. At the time my hair was a few inches past my shoulders.
It makes sense that I had to take my glasses off for the cut, as I wear plastic frames the arms get in the way of the hair laying flat for the cut. So I took off my glasses and the hairdresser started his job.
I should’ve known what was coming. First off, I forgot the golden rule of cutting off a significant length of hair, which is to let them know you need to still be able to make a ponytail. Secondly, he asked me if I was ready for the cut and “if I was nervous about it being so short.” I brushed it off and said I cut my hair shoulder length every year to year and a half. This should’ve tipped him off that I didn’t want it all chopped off.
Nevertheless, when I put on my glasses after the cut, this is what I found…
Ok, not immediately afterwards. This was after he dried and straightened it and I ran to the bathroom to take a selfie to show my friends and family what happened (and also to seek compliments in my fragile state).
When I first saw my hair it was wet and shorter than what I expected. I actually screamed “WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!?” when I first saw it. No joke. And I’ve never seen that man since that day.
Because that, my friends is not shoulder length, that is chin length. I could not put it in a ponytail (and I refused to make pigtails), and curly hair was out of the question. So I straightened it every single day for at least six months. Do you know what kind of hell this hair is for a curly haired girl who hates doing her hair everyday and walks to work in a climate full precipitation? I walked to work with scarves covering my head, I’m pretty sure people thought I had cancer. I kept a mini straightening iron in my desk at work. I was so thankful for toque season in the fall and winter so I could at least cover my head with a hat.
I thanked the stars above when I could do this after two months…
It meant I didn’t need to wash my hair everyday and could get away with putting it up if it started to frizz.
Almost two years later, I’m still growing it to where it was prior to the cut. In order to do it responsibly, so I don’t have to cut huge amounts off when it gets really ragged at the ends, I have to cut it every couple of months (three at the most), so that hinders the growth process. Right now my hair is here…
And I’d like for it to be back here…
Taken a few weeks before the chop.
Let this be a lesson for everyone to wear their contact lenses when getting their hair cut. And being super specific in your instructions. Also, the importance in finding a hairdresser you trust.
Stay tuned for future posts in which I discuss tips and tricks for growing your hair faster, as well as keeping curly hair healthy. I’m a little bit hair obsessed, I feel like it’s all been leading up to this moment where I finally get to share a wealth of knowledge with people.
Also, I want to give myself a shout-out for posting all these selfies. Who knew the selfies I took to document this tragedy would be helpful one day?
And now your turn, tell us about a traumatizing hair experience you’ve had? Or give me more tips on how to grow hair faster, like 5 inches overnight please.
Here’s something you need to know about me if we’re going to be friends… I’m brutally honest. I generally try to wait until we have a strong friendship going on, but once I feel comfortable with you, I will give my honest opinion if I don’t like something.
My fellow Rill Girl, Andrea, is one of the lucky ones who gets my absolute honest opinion. I am lucky that she appreciates it, or at least I think she does. I assume she does because she asks for it. But she’s a tough chick who can handle it, I’ve also found myself in trouble when I don’t sugarcoat my opinions.
The other night, we were out for dinner and she casually mentioned she was thinking of cutting her hair shorter. As someone who had their hair brutally chopped off years ago (I’ll tell that story eventually), I have a lot of cautionary advice. Specifically to a Rill Girl, the most important factor to take into mind is what you’ll do with your hair when you don’t want to spend time on it. Both Annie and I have textured hair (mine super curly, hers wavy) and if we don’t want to style it it’s simple to throw it up in a top knot or some sort of braided hairstyle. If you cut your hair short you need to make sure you have a contingency plan for the mornings your bed is more important than your straightening iron.
So I posed this question to my sweet little Annie and she said so innocently and matter-of-factly “I’ll put my hair pigtails.”
Me at an acceptable age for pigtails, wearing more makeup than I have in my entire adult life combined. #ballerina
This is when I lost it.
I took about five minutes to complete my rant.
I have very strong opinions about grown women wearing pigtails, and that is that they shouldn’t. Well actually, it’s ok if you have short hair and need it off your neck in the gym. Or you’re alone in your house. But that’s it.
Andrea was convinced that wearing pigtails to a university campus would be acceptable.
It’s important to note that the only person above 12 wearing them in public is Tori Spelling… her husband even has a tattoo of her in pigtails… and every time I looked at the photos I think of how bad they looked. And no one should be taking style tips from Tori.
Said tattoo.
Pigtails are cute on young girls, but once you hit puberty they need to stop. I feel like they’re not attractive and they’re degrading.
I think this stems back to the fact that I hate when people (mainly women) infantilize themselves. I just feel like by using baby talk, dressing like a child or inflecting your tone to make yourself fit into society’s idea of “feminism” is reducing ourselves and insulting. I also question the intentions of anyone who would be attracted to this, essentially I think it’s that Chris Hanson would like you to pull up a chair.
So accept this as my call to action, if I can have one person rethink the pigtail as an adult then my mission here is done.
And because I’m dedicated to the cause, here’s a quick and easy quiz to see if you should quit wearing pigtails (please answer yes or no):
Deep down, do you feel like you’re too old?
Do you look in the mirror and think you look like a 5 year old?
Have you hit puberty? Do you curse your reproductive organs once a month and have strong opinions on tampon brands?
Does your birth certificate say you were born in 2002 or earlier?
If you answered yes to 1 or more of these questions, I’m going to ask you to remove the elastics that are creating two ponytails on the side of your head and have you create a topknot.
Please note: braided pigtails will not stand either.
I thank you for your attention to the cause.
Tell me, do you still wear pigtails (before taking the above quiz)? If you’re a gentleman reading this (hi Diego!), do you find pigtails attractive?
The Rill Girls 