hair therapy: Pantene Relaxed & Natural Dry to Moisturized Shampoo and Conditioner

when it comes to shampoo and conditioner, i am definitely the type to go for the most hydrating and moisturizing. i use products for dry or color-treated hair, mostly concerned with ingredients rather than using products that are specified for women of color.

if i'm being honest, i haven't had the best experiences with products for woc when used alone. my hair isn't coarse enough to handle the oils, and they have only left my tresses oily and weighed down. i found this to be frustrating the first time this happened to me because i had to go back and rewash my hair. since then, i have found that i can benefit from the heavier products-- they do give my hair a boost in condition-- but always plan for rewash.

this, however, has not been the case with Pantene Relaxed & Natural Dry to Moisturized shampoo and conditioner. i don't know how they do it, but Pantene has it down when it comes to moisturizing hair! i love their "regular" dry to moisturized line and have used those products many times over.

this new-to-me duo is like a step up in the dry to moisturized range. and no rewashing necessary- yay! i love that i can let my hair air dry and it's left with minimal frizz {tip: if your curly hair is frizzy, it needs moisture!}, and when i style, my hair is soft, shiny and full. fabulous work, Pantene!

i would recommend this to any woman with unruly or coarse tresses. don't let the Relaxed & Natural label deflect you. try them. you can find them at a drugstore near you.

hair therapy: Pantene Curl Enhancing Spray Gel

during the summer, i was given the opportunity to try Pantene's Curl Enhancing Spray Gel. i decided it was the perfect time to do something i hadn't done in some time: wear my hair curly!


Pantene Spray Gel + air dry time = my naturally curly-haired self. :)

while i have no issue heat-styling my hair during the summer months, i thought that going back to my method of giving my hair a break-- like i used to do as a teen-- wouldn't hurt me (it always helped my hair stay healthier!).



i love that this comes in spray form, making application so easy. the formula also smells good and never left my hair feeling "crunchy".


i look like i'm 15 again (well, ok, not really), LOL!

give your curls a treat and try find Pantene's Curl Enhancing Spray Gel. you can find it at your favorite drug and mass retailer. visit pantene.com for more info.

xo
product featured sent to me by the brand's PR for review consideration.

hair therapy: Pantene Curly Hair Series Light Conditioning Detangler

if you have curly hair, you know it's not hard for it to become a tangled mess. conditioning is the most important factor in taking care of your hair not only to ensure great-looking curls, but also to give them manageability. moisture also makes combing through hair easier and prevents breakage. Pantene's new Light Conditioning Detangler, part of their Curly Hair Series, gives curly hair the weightless conditioning it needs so you can have the curls you love.

as with all Pantene products, i am in love with the smell. the product itself conditions nicely. it makes combing (whether with a wide tooth comb or just your fingers) easy and helps hair look great. i've used it on my own hair as well as on my daughter's, and we both agree this is a really good product for curly hair. p.s.-- it even works to refresh curls during the day! :)

find Pantene Curly Hair Series Light Conditioning Detangler at a drugstore or mass retailer near you and visit pantene.com for more info about the Curly Hair Series.

xo
product featured sent to me by the brand's pr for review consideration; pic taken by me :)

Hair Therapy: Pantene Pro-V Straighten & Smooth Creme

Pantene's new Medium Thick Straighten & Smooth Creme was sent to me from Harper's Bazaar Magazine via a program they offerr to subscribers (this was the first time i was chosen for it!). since being introduced to part of this range of products (shampoo, conditioner, and hairspray included), that offer different hair types different benefits, i have fallen even more in love with the brand.

the Medium-Thick Straighten & Smooth Creme is fabulous because it can be used on hair that is wet or dry. it offers extra conditioning, frizz control, shine and when hair is dry, calms fly-aways.

have you seen the new Pro-V Hair Solutions line? if not, you need to get yourself to your local drugstore and check out these products! you'll be happy you did.


xo
pic taken by me :)

hair therapy: Pantene Pro-V Ice Shine Shampoo and Conditioner

i don't know one woman in her right mind that doesn't want shiny, healthy-looking hair. even those i know who could care less about fashion or makeup want to have gorgeous, shiny hair. Pantene's Ice Shine Shampoo and Conditioner promise to leave hair looking super shiny and looking healthy.

i was given the opportunity to try them-- so what do i think?

first with the shampoo. it claims to leave dull, tired hair conditioned and shiny. my hair is typically shiny, but i found that it really got rid of any build-up i had. seriously. on the down side, this meant i couldn't have stopped at just using the shampoo because it is clarifying (it dissolves all build-up on the hair left by other products). after using it my hair was left feeling the opposite of moisturized and really squeaky clean. since it's been some time since i've used a clarifying shampoo, i figured my hair would be ok.

the conditioner was my favorite of the two (surprise, surprise, lol!). it's a light formula, but it left my hair feeling fabulous-- boy, was i thankful for this! it smells wonderful, as all Pantene products do in my opinion, and once my hair was styled i couldn't have been happier-- my hair was clean, clean, clean and even shinier!



if you're looking to give your hair a little boost in the shine department, i recommend you give these these products a try. if you only use the shampoo, be sure to use the conditioner (or your favorite conditioner). it isn't moisturizing in the least. according to Pantene, it's ok to use everyday, but unless your hair is on the oily side, i wouldn't recommend it. the conditioner would be great to use anytime. i think i'll be using these once a month to give my on-the-dry-side tresses a good cleaning (and shine boost) from all the products i test out. :)

find Pantene Pro-V Ice Shine Shampoo and Conditioner at a drugstore near you. visit pantene.com for more info.

xo
products featured sent to me by the brand's PR for review consideration.

2010 Grammy Awards Beauty: Katy Perry

newly engaged Katy Perry was an eclectic mix of old-school glam a la Bettie Page and indian elegance when she attended the 2010 Grammy awards last night.

as a compliment to an amazing makeup job (i loved her lush lashes and pink lips), celeb stylist Danilo created the the look for the Waking Up in Vegas singer. it was his desire to create a "hipper" retro pin-up girl style by keeping the hair from looking too perfect.

here's how the style was achieved:

Danilo first combed through the Pantene Pro-V Beautiful Lengths Split End Prevention Leave-in Cream to condition and ready hair for styling. while blow-drying individual sections of hair, he sprayed the Pantene Pro-V Volume Root Lifter Gel for extra lift and definition.

he then spiral set her curls with a medium curling iron for contemporary waves, tousling Katy's hair with the Pantene Pro-V Texture Hairspray to finish the look.

Danilo described her bangs as "bumper perfection" after using the Pantene Pro-V Restoratives Frizz Control Extra Strength Serum on damp hair before drying straight and creating a smooth curvature across the brow.


tell me: what did you think of Katy's look?

xo
pics: Getty Images

Pantene Stylist Shares Fall's Hottest Hair Color Trend

the fall season has officially started-- although the weather doesn't seem to realize that-- it rained two days last week, then warmed up to literally 100 degrees by the end of it! it's moderate today, but will warm up to 80's temps again this week-- bleh. well, at least have cool evenings to enjoy. hopefully the weather will decide to stay below 80 during the day at some point...ha!

ok, on to serious beauty business-- fall hair color trends!

the color trends we can expect to see this season are, thankfully, conducive to "rehabbing" hair that may have been damaged over the summer-- you've gotta love that!

to make sure you're on trend, and give your natural hair color a chance to shine, stay away from the harsh colors and bright platinum shades that are most damaging to your hair.

"the days of striking, contrasting colors are gone this season," explains celebrity stylist for Pantene, Hallie Bowman (pictured, above). "this fall people will be going back to their roots, or at least making it look that way. we're going to see natural-looking tones to balance the more extreme hair styles that are going to be big, including mixed textures and nods to the 80s shapes."



if you're blonde:

platinum is out and warmer, neutral tones are in. Bowman recommends shades of sable, vanilla or mink. however, if you're not ready to let go of your platinum locks, soften the look by adding some golden highlights.


if you're brunette:

reddish or bluish browns are out and warmer browns are in. shades like deep chocolate and chestnut are going to be all-the-rage; it's all about making your shade believable.


if you're a redhead:

two words-– true red. the key is to ask your stylist to stay away from blue and copper undertones, both of which reflect orange in the sunlight. one way to avoid orange is to add some highlights to cool down the shade.


if you're hair is black:

stay away from blue undertones and go for ebony to keep the shade natural-looking.


to maintain your new, more natural-looking tresses, Bowman recommends using a shampoo and conditioner system that is developed for color treated hair.



"i love the Pantene Expressions collection because it keeps hair color looking fresh, and helps reveal the three facets of hair color: tone, depth and vibrancy," explains Bowman.

with five collections custom designed by shade-- blonde, brunette, red, midnight and highlighting-- each product helps color-treated hair maintain its vibrancy and multi-dimensional shine in between colorings.

Pantene Expressions shampoos and conditioners can be found at national food, drug and mass merchandisers, and online at drugstore.com.

xo