So, I Fried My Hair

Yep.  Last week.  Friday night to be exact. Hubby was gone to hockey and I had not been liking the way my hair was looking since I started using the John Frieda Go Blonder Lightening Spray on my roots, because in the Fall I had been planning on letting the blonde grow out once and for all, but just couldn't quite let it go yet.  I digress.  The spray left my hair looking brassy and it just would not get any lighter.  

I decided to use the ash blonde kit from the drugstore I picked up earlier in the week to try to combat the brassiness, and when I took the towel off I knew something had gone terribly wrong.  About 2 inches from my scalp, the front and sides of my hair had the consistency of well-cooked pasta, almost mushy, and was breaking off in clumps when I combed it.  I panicked.  I don't panic over things, especially hair, but in all of my hair endeavors, I have never experienced something so horrific.  I got out the scissors.  

This is the result:

Yeah, bangs.  I have cut bangs in my hair before so I knew how to part it and cut it, but there were tears in my eyes as the scissors went slicing through.

An older pic of me for a point of reference as to what my hair looked like.

Once that was done, I assessed the damage.  It was bad enough wet.  When it dried it was dull, frizzy, and crunchy!  Any time I touched it little pieces would break off from the ends.  I had to figure out how to bring it to a state that I wouldn't have to wear scarves for the next 6 months.   I googled and you-tubed all weekend until I came up with the following combination:

Mayonnaise, Ojon Dry Recovery Shampoo & Conditioner, Moroccan Oil

These are things I already had as I really did not want to go out and spend more money.  I put the mayo on first and left it for nearly an hour. Then very gently washed it out with the shampoo, used the conditioner, towel dried and then threw in the oil.  It definitely improved to the point that I felt like I could walk out of the house without covering up.  I went to work on Monday with my new bangs pulled to the side with bobby pins.

Even though the appearance improved somewhat, the texture was still like steel wool. I gave up the notion of getting out of this without shelling out some cash and at lunchtime went to a salon near my work and asked one of the girls there what she would recommend.  She suggested the following:

Redken Extreme shampoo, Extreme CAT protein reconstructing treatment, and All Soft conditioner

I have tried this combo twice so far and was blown away by the improvement.  The shine was back, and the "fried" look was noticeably lessened.  

It is now Sunday evening and I'm just about to head to the shower again so I will post another pic tomorrow of the progress.  Stay tuned!

BzzAgent Review: Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Cream Cleanser and Night Cream

Hi, this is my review of 2 products from the Burt's Bees Intense Hydration line: the   cream cleanser and night cream.

I will review one at a time, then give my overall opinion of both as a system.

Cream Cleanser

This is a very thick, rich feeling cleanser.  It does not foam, staying a true cream while you apply it and rub it around your face.

I've been using this both morning and evening.  In the morning it feels good as it is very moisturizing.  It is winter here in Canada so my skin is very dry so I need a rich cleanser.   The scent is pleasant, I can't put my finger on what it is specifically...it has an herbal note to it for sure.  Maybe it's the clary sage oil...I'm not sure.  It does not leave a greasy residue but definitely a moisturized feel to the skin.  I then use my typical day cream and apply my makeup.   There have been no dry patchy areas on my skin since I started using this in early December.

Now, the evening is where I find this cleanser falls a little short.  It says on the tube: "...this formula is scientifically proven to remove dirt, oil, and makeup while leaving skin feeling soft, supple, and hydrated."  so I put it to the test.  For makeup I use a foundation, powder, blush, and concealer.  I wet my face, and used a nickel sized amount of cleanser and massaged it all over my face.   I rinsed it off and then used some toner on a cotton round and there was a fair amount of makeup on the round.  It definitely removed some, but my face did not feel "clean" until after I used the toner.  I find this to be the case with any cream cleanser that doesn't foam (that I have tried.) so I wasn't entirely surprised.  It does say to either use your fingers or a washcloth to apply but I find a washcloth leaves my face a little irritated feeling so I don't use that method.

Night Cream

This is also a very thick cream product.  It comes in a glass jar which makes it have a more luxe feel.  Scent is pleasant, very similar to the cleanser.  After using the cleanser and my own toner (Clinique #2), I use a small grape sized amount of cream and apply it to my face and neck.  At first it feels very rich and seems like it's going to go on easily.  However, this cream seems to "set" very quickly, like within seconds of applying it, so you have to be very quick to make sure it is spread out evenly or else it becomes almost 'tacky' feeling.  I read the ingredients and noticed one that stands out.  Corn starch.  I wondered what the benefit to this was and I think it is included to help make the night cream not greasy feeling.  I don't mind it but I find this leaves a mask like feel to my face and neck which does not go away. It's tolerable but not the most comfortable feeling.

The big question is: do these products do their job of providing moisturization to my winter dry skin?  Yes.  I have not experienced any flaking or dry patches since using these products.

Final score for the cleanser is 3/5 because it did not remove all of my makeup.
Final score for the cream is 4/5 because it is very moisturizing but leaves a slight 'masky' feel on my face.

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: BzzAgent sent me the 2 full sized products for free, in exchange for my review and opinion.