Goodbye FRIZZY hair, hello gorgeous locks

In keeping with my hair discussion, and to give you gals more tips on hair, I’d like to share another group of fantastic products that help ease the frizzies in your hair.

So I am Pakistani, and with that comes frizzy, dry hair. In India and Pakistan they use coconut oil every night as a conditioner…but that smells awful and I am not about to put oil in my hair every night. Too much effort and no one wants to sleep with greasy hair. My mom had me do this when I was younger, and washing out the coconut oil took FOREVER, and your hair still smells like coconut. Not like tropical island fun-in-the sun coconut, but fob status coconut. Not attractive—don’t recommend it at all. (even if “Temple Hair” is only as beautiful as it is because of the coconut oil…I am still not a fan!)

I picked up Bumble & Bumble DeFrizz hair serum when I was a junior in high school after a stylist recommended it to me. It was about $16 for a 4 oz bottle then…but like all good things in life, inflation caught up and now that same 4 oz formula costs $25!! Seriously?? Yes, it lasts me 6 months (I also have very short hair), and yes it protects my hair from my Hai Flat Iron and Hair Dryer…but $25? I only had to use a small dime-sized amount because it had a thick consistency that spread evenly through my hair, and it did not cause my hair to be greasy at all. You can use this product on wet or dry hair—I usually used it right after my shower.

So then…Summer 2009 when I was on a major budget, my Bumble & Bumble DeFrizz ran out!! I swore I would never, ever use John Frieda Frizz-Ease…but I picked up a 1.67 oz. bottle at $8 for Target. This product claims to have “thermal protection” to protect your hair against heat styling. I’m not sure if my hair was protected—I don’t know how to tell, but my hair sure was less frizzy after using this product. I had to use two drops because of its thin consistency, but I really didn’t think the John Frieda Frizz-Ease was that bad. It was a good stand-in for my Bumble & Bumble Defrizz serum, and I do recommend this product to my friends. It is a 1.67 oz bottle, so it’s considerably smaller than the Bumble & Bumble Defrizz, however, it works fine and I don’t mind it.

Verdict: Downgrade is ok!
(however, I will be switching back to Bumble & Bumble Defrizz since it contains silicone which protects your hair against heat styling and I do a lot of that! 4 oz of this product costs about $16, so what’s an extra $8?)

*photo credits: myself

Meet Me

I was inspired to begin this a year ago, when I quit my job and had a bit of trouble landing a new one (thank you recession). My savings was depleting and I refused to go out in the world looking like a mess. I had to cut costs without cutting my beauty regimen, and I thought I might share my experiences with those who might be looking for great alternatives for otherwise overpriced products.

There are many blogs about dressing chic in this economy, but far too few about personal care in this economy.

I overheard Ryan Seacrest on KIIS FM one morning and he was suggesting we women cut down on our Sephora shopping trips. And you know what, I was absolutely appalled just like you readers probably are. But then I realized that I've been frequenting my favorite store a lot less lately, and it's because I've found comparable products with far lower price tags!

I used to be a hair care product JUNKIE! Just like I swore I would never give up my designer jeans (and still have not!), the thought of giving up Enjoy hair products and my favorite Bumble and Bumble hair serum was far too depressing that I balked at the idea of buying--gasp!!--hair care from Target. True story.

My hair still looks pretty darn good, and I've been maintaining the flawless skin I've been complimented on for ages. My blog will detail some of the things you SHOULD do, and some things I absolutely recommend leaving up to the professionals.

Enjoy!