October 31, 2017

Beauty + Hairstyles

The Beauty Edit: Three Hair Products I Can’t Live Without

Turning 35 brings a lot of wonderful changes.  The wiry hairs growing out of your chin.  Your multiplying greys.  The light wrinkles peeking out from under your bangs.  And best of all, your hair starts to thin.

You’re also more financially stable, more self-assured, and more successful.  But who cares, we’re talking about hair right now.  And to keep my locks infused with youthful shine and bounce, I use these three products.

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  • IGK

    Prenup Instant Spray Hair Mask

    Deep conditioner is so necessary for maintaining hair health.  Unfortunately, most conditioners strong enough to give your hair the juice it needs will weigh it down and make it flat.  Yuck.

    The IGK Prenup Instant Spray Hair Mask ($32) gives your hair the moisture it needs without weighing it down.  You spray it on in the shower from your ears to your ends, comb it through, and let it sit for 1-3 minutes.

    I confess that the first time I used it, I coated my shower in conditioner and way overapplied.  You only use a little bit because you’re combing it through.  And don’t try to spray it in your hand.  The spray is quite powerful and it will end up in your nose.  Or so I’ve heard.

     

  • Drybar

    Hot Toddy Heat and UV Protectant

    If you use heat to style your hair, you need to protect your ends or your hair will end up looking like straw.  This Drybar Hot Toddy ($30) heat protecting cream prevents dehydration and preserves the hair cuticle.

    For those of you concerned that the cream will weigh down your hair, don’t be.  The lightweight lotion smooths and hydrates without weight.  Since I started using it, I’ve noticed far less breakage on my ends.  And the best part is that it protects against UV rays so your hair color doesn’t fade away prematurely.

    For a drugstore priced product that gives similar results, try this FrizzEase Heat Defeat Spray ($5).

  • Nature's Bounty

    Collagen Gummy Vitamins

    If you use Instagram, you’ve seen the endless photos of celebrities with luxurious, mermaid locks touting the benefits of Sugar Bear Hair vitamins.  Of course, they never disclose that they’re being paid handsomely for eating those sweet little gummy vitamins.  They also don’t disclose that their hair is usually store-bought.

    And thanks to those ads, I know a lot of women who are dropping $30 a pop on hair-rescuing vitamins.  But they don’t need to.

    Nature’s Bounty makes an almost identical product formulated with vitamins C and E, antioxidants, and biotin to help grow stronger hair and nails.  And for just $21, you can buy 220 gummies.  A steal!

    As a bonus, they also taste great.

     

LEAVE A COMMENT

    12 comments

  1. Megan says:

    Think it’s ok to take the hair, skin, and nails gummies on top of my regular multi-vitamin?

    October 31, 2017/Reply

    • Jess says:

      Yes – your typical multivitamin contains very little biotin. These are only 2500 mcg, so you should be fine. I actually taken another kind that is a dosage of 10000mcg – gotta grow out a bad pixie…

      October 31, 2017/Reply

  2. lindsey says:

    Thank you for these product tips! Wanted to share that my hair has always been very fine/thin but it started thinning in college. I had tests run with my doctor but hair loss is hereditary in my fam and we determined that’s likely the only cause. I started using rogaine/minoxidil at that point and haven’t stopped. It’s definitely helped slow down the thinning and grow back a little hair, too. It can get pricey at drugstores but Sam’s Club sells a six month supply for under $20, https://www.samsclub.com/sams/mm-minoxidilsolution-180-day-5/prod19270143.ip.

    October 31, 2017/Reply

  3. MK says:

    Have you really noticed a measurable difference in your hair with taking the vitamins? And/or in your nails?

    October 31, 2017/Reply

    • Jess says:

      I really noticed it in my nails – they grew quickly and stronger. As a short haired girl though, hair growth is my enemy and I had to stop taking them because of that. I’m back on them now since I’m growing out a poor choice pixie.

      October 31, 2017/Reply

  4. JENNIFER says:

    I take several supplements, with my current combination dermatologist-approved: Olly Undeniable Beauty (includes biotin), Olly Vibrant Skin, prenatal vitamin (no, not pregnant, but this functions as my multi-vitamin), Vitamin D (based on a blood test where I was low on D), and another biotin plus keratin pill. The addition of biotin supplements over the past few years has been a game changer in that my MANY split ends have all but disappeared, resulting in thicker-appearing hair that I can grow out without it becoming thin and scraggly on the ends. Olly is my gummy of choice, and I usually pick them up on sale, but you can find their ingredients in less-expensive brands. The other supplements are Target brand. Unfortunately, the effects haven’t translated to my nails, which remain prone to breakage, so that’s my next beauty hurdle.

    October 31, 2017/Reply

  5. Rory says:

    As someone who used to work in a hair restoration salon (you’ve probably seen an infomercial for it) here are a few tips:
    1) Hair & nail vitamins do work BUT if you’re naturally hairy due to genes or have conditions like PCOS it will make facial and body hair worse.
    2) Minoxidil also works well but keep in mind that it will cause some hair loss in the beginning. Keep using it! It will come back and be better than before. If you have the cash, spending $200 or so on a laser comb will help. The kicker about minoxidil is that it quits working when you stop using it.
    3)The holy grail product for the women who came to the salon were hair fiber fillers.

    October 31, 2017/Reply

  6. M says:

    What in the vitamins is helpful? I’m comparing this brand to Centrum’s “Multi+Beauty”(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XBQ8D68/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?psc=1) and wondering if the Nature’s Bounty version has something important in it that’s different.

    November 1, 2017/Reply

    • Belle says:

      It’s mostly the Biotin, vitamin E and Collagen. I linked to the wrong one, it should have been the Hair and Nails formula.

      November 1, 2017/Reply

  7. Christine says:

    Hey Belle – the link to the gummies goes to women’s multivitamin gummies, which doesn’t appear to be the same thing as the hair, skin and nails gummies which are shown in the photo above. I found the hair/skin/nails gummies and have high hopes. I’m 29 and have noticed real thinning… le sigh.

    November 1, 2017/Reply

  8. Jenn S. says:

    Hey there – I enjoy(ed?) those gummy vitamins as well. I’m mid (approaching late) twenties and suffered a weird hair loss spell last year. Not enough to see a doctor or go hardcore. I started taking these biotin gummies and noticed a marked difference.

    Unfortunately, after a couple months of taking them I also started experiencing my first-ever cystic acne. Apparently, too much biotin can cause a relative imbalance with another vitamin in your system and cause your skin to lose its mind. Just a heads-up – you’ve shared your struggles with cystic acne and I’d hate for this to cause a flare-up. If it does end up causing skin issues, cutting back to one of those every three days or so helped me.

    November 1, 2017/Reply