Still Growing Out My Hair: Getting Through the In-between Stages

(My hair last year.)


I started growing my hair out last January. It was a super short pixie cut and it was fun while it lasted (for about 10 years). Since then, I've tried everything to make my hair grow faster. Two things really worked. The first are supplements from Phyto and the second was the Chinese Herbs line from Peter Lamas.

So now, one year later, my hair is only a few inches off of my shoulders. Not too bad for one year's time, including a few major haircuts along the way.

But now it's not long. It's not short. I can't really pull it into a ponytail. The bangs are in my eyes (again). It's at the dreaded middle length stage.

I keep telling myself that loads of people actually aim for this stage of in-between hair. Famous people, even. That knowledge does nothing to make me happier. So I decided to strike out of my pin-straight hair mold and go for something I haven't ever done as an adult.

Use a curling iron.


(Me at work on a day where my hair isn't making me crazy.)


I know, it's not a new idea at all. But I never have the confidence to step outside of what I do everyday and be different. Sure, I'll wear a bright lipstick or eye shadow that demands attention, but I haven't worn my hair in a different texture as an adult. I've even worn extensions, but it still looked like my hair, just longer. I've found wearing my hair curly makes almost everyone who knows me stare at me and feel the need to make a comment, good or bad. And maybe it's wanting to avoid THAT interaction that made me shy away from trying something different.

So how did it go?

Really well. First of all, my hair is holding curl really well, for a reason I can't explain. I used to want to have Heather Locklear hair when I was really little and would play with curlers and a curling iron for HOURS. No amount of Aqua Net could hold that curl in. Maybe my hair is changing, maybe it's the negative ion hoo-haa doo-dads in the curling irons, I don't know. But my curl is lasting all day, without a lot of product to hold it in place.

I tried three different methods and got three very different results.

Day One:

I diffused my hair with a DevaCurl DevaFuser. I love this diffuser. Not only does it let you get into the roots and dry your hair faster, it's really easy to work with. And faster drying means less heat damage! I didn't use any product in my hair when it was still damp, other than Phytomist, to keep it hydrated.I then used a clipless curling iron and took take large sections of my hair and wrapped them around the rod, making sure to leave the ends out, for a fresh look. To make the ends look slightly more polished, I used Davines N 10 Universal Polishing Coat on the ends and in places where I needed a little more control.



Overall, this method made my hair HUGE (I do have a lot of it, so I shouldn't be surprised.) I then lightly sprayed it with Rockaholic Flexible Hairspray from Tigi. Still huge, I threw a bedazzled headband (that always felt too girly for me before) and tamed my mane. The result was really soft and pretty! Time commitment: An extra 25 minutes.

Day Two:
I diffused my hair with the Deva Curl diffuser and used some Garnier Curl Shaping Gel on my wet hair. I then took smaller sections of my hair and tried to wrap them around the clipless curling iron more neatly. I tried to section out my hair and control the placement of the waves a little more. The curls stayed much tighter (thanks to the smaller sections and Garnier, I'm sure). I used some Tigi spray and a little Peter Lamas Chinese Herbs Revitalizing Conditioning Cream to weigh my hair down and make the waves stand apart a little more.

My hair was still way too big, so I went with another headband. I think I like this version even better. Time commitment: An extra 30 minutes.

Day Three:
I blew my hair dry normally and aimed to make it straight, using a bit of the Garnier spray to help hold the waves.
I then used a Gold N Hot Triple Barrel Curling Iron around my entire head. I sectioned my hair out into top, middle and bottom layers and tried to include some waving on each layer, all the way around my head.


After the waves set, I used my Oil Comb from Ricky's of NYC to add shine, settle the waves and keep it from becoming huge. I think I like this look best! It's a bit of old Hollywood, a bit of glam and a bit modern. Time commitment: An extra 10 minutes.


Do you have any tips for getting through the in-between stages of growing out your hair? Please do tell! I need all of the inspiration I can get!

I purchased everything mentioned with the exception of Phyto products and the Chinese Herbs Styling Cream.


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More Than You Ever Needed to Know: Garnier Blow Dry Perfector

I have fairly straight hair. The issue for me is that the layers below the shiny, top layer are a little scraggly (as my Dad would say). They are straight, but from a texture standpoint they are kind of, well, meh. They are not silky and pretty like the top layers, and forget the glossy sheen. They are rougher, harder to control and like to swell and get bulky half way through the day. (This adventure gets long, so feel free to skip to the wrap up of the wrap up, at the bottom.)
The Garnier Blow Dry Perfector caught my eye. It claims to keep hair straighter, shinier, and reduce blow dry time for up to 7 shampoos. The active ingredients in it appear to include cystiene, which while it isn't a relaxer, it acts similarly. It is a real chemical process, so if you try it, please make sure you follow the hair color rules that go along with it (they are listed on the box).

Here is how you do it. You start by shampooing your hair and NOT following up with a conditioner. (I know. Egh.) Then while your hair is wet, apply the serum, making sure to coat your hair evenly. It smells strongly, like an old-school perm. After the suggested amount of time, you rinse it out and apply the straightening cream. Thank the gods that the straightening cream has a lot of slip to it, or your hair would feel fried. The key to the whole shebang apparently lies in the next step: blow dry and flat iron your hair to set it.

So I did all of that. My hair was straight, even on the icky under layer. It felt slightly thicker (the hair itself, not the volume) and didn't have as much movement as it usually did. But the under layers of my hair were lovely and straight.

The next day, my hair was still almost perfect when I woke up, making me extremely happy. Until the dryness began to set in.

My hair started to feel fried; some of the ends were dry and sparse looking. I shampooed and conditioned, which helped a little. The next day, it was still very straight on the underside, and my hair stayed straight, without expanding at all in the humidity.

By the following weekend, I couldn't take the dryness anymore and started throwing things on my hair, in an attempt to quench my uber dry strands. I started with Moroccan Oil. My hair laughed at it. In fact, it absorbed it so quickly, my hair almost looked like nothing had been applied to it.


Next up, I loaded up on Kerastase Masquintense, which appeased my dry hair for a bit. I decided to wrap my hair in saran wrap and let it cook. For a normal person, who doesn't have dry hair to begin with, the Kerastase would have probably done the job. But I still wasn't happy, and used a sample of Phyto Intense Nutrition Mask (with Plant Marrow).

I know that line of products is not exactly intended for my hair texture, but who cares? Really dry hair is really dry hair. The Phyto worked MAGIC on my hair. We are talking waving a wand, magic on my hair. And then, because I am me, never satisfied and totally impatient, I ignored the color advice on the box and colored my hair.

I should say that I colored it the next morning, after all of my wonderful conditioning. My hair, three days later, still feels amazing and after four shampoos, is still very straight on the underneath layers of my hair. It's holding up in the humidity and looks and feels great.

So to wrap up this entry: The Garnier stuff worked ok, but my hair is pretty straight to start with. I then determined that a combo of Phyto Intense Nutrition and Kerastase works magic and that your hair won't fall out if you essentially lightly relax it and then color it a week later. (Don't you do that, though. K? Thanks!) To wrap up my wrap up, I would use the Garnier Blow Dry Perfector again if it wasn't so drying or had the potential to impact my coloring habits.

I bought this. Garnier does not test on animals.

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Garnier 10 Minute HerbaShine Hair Color

I color my hair at home. Often. This month, I decided to check out the Garnier HerbaShine Ten Minute Hair Color. I selected a level three ash brown, which basically means that it is a really dark, cool brown. It is the same color I have been using for several months. The big difference is the brand.

Depending what is on sale, I tend to bounce back and forth between Loreal and Garnier hair color (and sometimes I use Clairol Professional). HerbaShine comes in 18 colors and includes bamboo extract, which is touted to be the next big thing in strengthening products. (It will show up everywhere, mark my words.) The reason I wanted to check it out is because I do like the ease of the 10 minute hair colors and I generally like Garnier hair color. For this color to be successful for me, all it had to do was cover my roots, in the same cool dark brown tone. For the record, my natural hair (which I haven't seen in forever) is actually blonde.

Here is how it looked after I dyed my hair for the allotted 10 minutes, rinsed, conditioned and styled.



Huge fail. It didn't cover the roots at all and now I have to dye my hair again in the same month, which I had resolved to stop doing since I am letting it grow.

This really didn't work for me and for once, I can't see an upside of trying it. But if you can, tell me in the comments!

I bought this myself. At least it was on sale.

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Makeup, beauty, skincare reviews & more! Copyright 2010, Gouldylox Reviews. All Rights Reserved.

Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller

Recently a co-worker of mine*, Grace, asked for help finding a product that would help with her under eye issues. While I think she is gorgeous and hadn't noticed she had under eye concerns, I was happy to help!


(I wish my under eye area looked like this.)


Her issue is a common one. Grace was looking for a product that wouldn't waste her money and would help diminish her under eye circles and puffiness. Here is a secret ladies: the majority of creams that tell you they will get rid of your under eye circles can't. They just lie. Cosmetic companies know you want to look rested and flawless under your eyes and they play on that fact. But the majority of creams and potions can't get to the bottom of under eye circles or some types of puffiness. They tell you they can, but they can't.


Here's why: scientists believe that one of the reasons for under eye circles are caused by leaking capillaries beneath the thin skin that surrounds the eye. It's not always because you didn't get enough sleep or are under more stress than usual. Can being sleep deprived and stressed out cause you to look less than your best? Absolutely. But unless a product is somehow flushing this oxidizing hemoglobin (that's what is most likely is) from the tissue beneath your eyes, you are stuck with those under eye circles. You can hide them, but don't be fooled by companies that promise they can always get rid of them.

After researching what scientists believe to be the best way to reduce under eye circles, I had a recommendation for Grace. I suggested she try the Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller. This product is semi-unique because it uses a roller ball to deliver the serum. The roller ball helps to flush that pesky hemoglobin out of the under eye tissue by gently massaging the area. The caffeine included in the serum helps constrict leaky capillaries to keep the dark circles at bay.

What about the eye puffiness? An easy (and cheap) way to help avoid puffy eyes is to sleep with your head slightly elevated and to avoid alcohol and salty foods, which can cause fluid retention to really show under your eyes.

So after a weekend of use, what did Grace think? "Thanks for suggesting it! I can already see a difference. I really like it."

Yeah! The bad news? Grace mentioned she has little pads of tissue under her eye that are partially responsible for the puffiness. According to Dr. Oz, the only way to banish that kind of puffiness is to have that tissue surgically removed. While some products can help shrink tissue (think old school Preparation H), it won't go away completely without going under the knife. But for now, Grace is happy with her Garnier Anti-Puff Eye Roller. Want to try it for yourself? Pick it up at any drugstore, Target or Walmart or use this coupon from Drugstore.com.

I purchased this product for myself and really liked it when it made its debut in the summer of 2008 (or was it 07?).

*Let's call her Grace.

photos courtesy of Picapp
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