Beauty Routine: Hair & Face
Everyone has their daily routines, and everyone has their own comfort zones within those routines (I know I do). But for those of you who are still unsure, still don't know which direction you should go or where to start as far as a skin&hair routine, or those who are just looking for something new to try--this ones for you! I'm going to give a little insight into my personal beauty pre-makeup routine, and hopefully help blaze a path, or just promote some really awesome products.
One thing I take a lot of pride and care in, aside from my face obviously, is my hair. I started dying it with semi-permanent hair dye in middle school, while slowly progressing into permanent hair dye and even bleaching when I was in high school and college. I went through a punk-rock, "let me see how many colors of the rainbow I can bang out in my hair" phase. Don't judge. Somewhere between shuffling through roughly, maybe about ten shades of red, dark red to slowly transition back to brown, and ash brown, before finally beginning to let my natural hair grow out (it is now unintentionally ombre), I decided it was time for an actual hair care routine.
After deciding what works and what doesn't, some things I've been using for three years now, others, like my shampoo and conditioner, I've only been using for a few months. However, they all work for me, and I would recommend them without a second thought to anyone.
I really, really, really love this shampoo and conditioner. This one is going to be fun: I use Herbal Essences Naked shampoo & conditioner. <Insert you're name while you use these "Naked" products jokes here>. Now that that's out of all of our systems and we're back from the gutter, these are appropriately named. There are no harmful residues, parabens, or dyes that are seen in other products that don't really do much in the way of restoring moisture and volume to your hair, and can actually dry your hair out further if you wash it every day like I do, which is a definite plus. There are also white grapefruit and mint extracts, which sounds a bit odd at first to have your scalp smelling like a piece of wintergreen gum, but trust me--it made me want to date myself after the first use. And I'm not even that narcissistic. Long story short, the name and lack of damaging ingredients intrigued me, and the smell sold me completely. Now go use it. They have other products as well, but I haven't gotten as far as those yet.
This product I used on a whim, and quite honestly I'm not even sure I remember why I grabbed it. I think it was on sale and I was getting other Garnier Fructis products, and figured I'd give this a shot. It was worth it. This leave-in conditioner is worth the $5.99 to moisturize your hair. I use this immediately after I get out of the shower, 2-3 pumps depending on how much hair you have (I use two and a half…ish), and comb it through your hair with your fingers. Really could not be simpler. The best part? It doesn't overwhelm the smell of your hair, and doesn't take away from the minty grapefruit that is Naked shampoo & conditioner. Win.
This one I have to explain in further detail. My hair had a lot of damage to come back from after all the dying I performed on it, therefore I felt the need to add an extra boost of all-day, all-night moisture to my hair care routine. Thus Biolage. A friend of mine who was going to FIT at the time recommended Moisture Milk, and Biolage Matrix was the answer. This can get a little pricey, so unless you're trying to make a drastic hair comeback like I did, I don't advice spending the money when you can actually save it by just using the Garnier Fructis Whip. Biolage ranges from $14.99-$19.99, and while it does what it's supposed to do, too much is never a good thing: always use in moderation. Too much of these moisture milks can result in greasy hair, which is never a good time. Which brings me to Infusium 23. There are different kinds, I'm showing the Moisture Replenisher in the blog, but I've also used Repair & Renew. They both work, the only downside? They don't come in a spray bottle. So, me being the genius that I am (occasionally), I saved my Biolage bottle and when I needed it, filled it with the Infusium 23. I haven't used Biolage since finding Infusium 23, which I've been using for roughly 4-5 years now. It's also much cheaper, about $7.99 in drugstores. In fact, all of these can be found in drugstores. Which is wonderful. Once I run the Garnier Fructis leave-in conditioner through my hair, I spray, minimally, enough Infusium 23 to calm the frizzies in my hair. I spray it about 4 inches away so that there's a good radius covered, and only around my hair once--away from your hairline, otherwise your hair will get very greasy, very fast. Trust me, I know. Then I take a big-toothed comb and comb my hair through once. Voila, moisturized hair.
Now, for my face. I have combination skin, which if any of you have it, know it really freaking sucks. Personally, I think having strictly dry skin or strictly oily skin is much easier to deal with than a combination of both super dry and oily T-spots. Never fear, I have a solution. I've learned to sacrifice a little to avoid frustration with my skin, and actually take the time to distinguish where my oil wells are in contrast to my desert spots. I know it sounds tedious, but it's worth it to avoid further distress in either of these spots on your face.
You should always have a good face wash, and just to demonstrate how many I've gone through, here's the list I can remember off-hand: Aveeno, Clean & Clear (multiple kinds), Simple, St. Ive's Apricot Scrub, Biore…I've tried them all. They were all good and left my face feeling clean enough, but I always felt that eventually my face would be too dry or too oily. This was not the face wash's fault, but my inability to figure out that I have combination skin. For dry skin, you want to avoid scrubs and any damaging cleaners. Clean & Clear's Morning Burst with caffeine and citrus leaves your face feeling lovely and fruity, it's really still my favorite, however in the Winter, my skin just can't handle it. So recently, I've switched to CeraVe. I lied, I've switched to the off-brand (cheaper) version of CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser. The real brand is about $10.99 in drugstores, I think the off-brand is about $9. It has a creamy consistency which feels like a really light lotion on your face, and doesn't dry your skin out too much. Even so, I try to just massage the cleanser into the oily spots on my face. Excuse the blurry picture, you get the point.
This is all while I'm in the shower. Once I get out, I switch gears and focus on the oily parts of my face. Again, recently, I've find another Garnier Fructis product that I really love for my face (I think it might have been what was on sale with the leave-in conditioner!).
Garnier Fructis Nourishing Cleansing Oil. Before you say, "but Katie, why the hell would I want to put oil on my face?" Well, because dammit it feels good. No but seriously, this stuff is great. If you really don't believe me, because I was skeptical as well, put some of the oil on your fingers and then rinse it off. There is virtually no oily residue left on your face, and I can only assume that whatever is left gets absorbed where it needs to. This cleanser has Jojoba and Macadamia oils, which are apparently fantastic for skin. Immediately after I get out of the shower and my face is dry, I pump two squirts of this on my hands and rub it into the dry spots on my face, then rinse. No oily residue, and it's good for your skin. Did I mention it doubles as a makeup remover? About $7.99 at drugstores for this truly lovely stuff.
Last, but certainly not least (yes I did get this picture, box included, from Neutrogena's website), Neutrogena Visibly Even daily moisturizer. This was originally on sale, two for something, when I tried it with my mom for the first time. We were both having dry skin issues, and this is the second moisturizer I've ever used in my life--that I can remember. This moisturizer is probably worth the price, it's light and doesn't feel as if it's clogging up my pores at all, which I think is a common fear about facial moisturizers. I really love it, and as an extra added bonus, it has SPF 30 in it which I've heard is positively glorious for all skin types, all the time. You never know how much damage the sun is causing when your face meets it every day. I used this after I rinse Garnier Fructis' Nourishing Cleansing Oil off, and (knock on wood), my skin has yet to break out or feel weighed down in the least. All of the mentioned products can be found in drugstores including this one, for about $14. It's worth it!
I know it was a lot to take in from someone else's beauty routine, but I hope that at a least one of these products helps you or someone else who may need to take control of the same hair & skin issues. Or maybe you just want to try some new stuff. Feedback is always welcome, especially with reviews--along with tips & facts. Feel free to comment away and happy Wednesday Wake-up and Makeups!
Vintage Jordache Faux Fur $24.99, retail unknown, found for anywhere between $59.99 - $135
