Hair damage has been a hot topic here at IBB headquarters recently, since years of highlights, extensions, styling and sun exposure have taken a toll on our sister-in-law’s tresses. A few weeks ago she went back to square one by taking out the extensions, cutting off quite a few inches and going darker with her color (which looks absolutely fabulous, by the way), but she’s still dealing with dryness and damage—but who isn’t? That’s why Living Proof’s Restore Discovery Kit should be at the top of all of our lists.

Most of us know that Living Proof offers just about the most scientifically advanced haircare available, which is why this super-reparative line is a godsend. Featuring Living Proof’s signature molecule, PolyFluoroEster, this product trio works together to provide a protective layer on your strands to reduce your hair’s porosity. (Think of it as making individual hairs look less like Swiss cheese and more like a solid block of cheddar—and that’s a good thing.) These products also strengthen your hair, making it nine times more resistant to breakage while reversing existing damage and preventing new harm from being done.

This kit includes starter sizes of the Restore Shampoo, Conditioner and Mask Treatment, and we’re pretty sure you’ll be hoofing it to the mall (or hitting the Internet) to buy the full-sizes once you see how soft and silky your hair can be once again. And just last week, Living Proof launched 3 new members of the Restore family to help breathe new life into your hair. The Revitalizing Spray with Heat and UV Defense, Targeted Repair Cream and Recovery Regimen give you extra hair repair as they build strength, softness and shine.

Dramatically improve dry, damaged hair

May 3, 2012

Hot rollers have been around for a long, long time—and for good reason. They’re a relatively easy way to get va-va-voom volume. We remember our mom using them years ago, and perhaps that played a role in our beauty obsession. But hot rollers have come a long way, and you might want to consider trying them in lieu of your curling iron the next time you’re going for a bouncy, wavy look.

We like Calista Tools’ ION Hot Rollers for a few reasons… First, they come in versions for short and long hair, so you know the rollers are the right size for the length of your hair. Second, these rollers warm up fast thanks to a built-in heating element so you’re not standing around waiting (although this is a great time to let your self-tanner dry). Lastly, these super stylers are infused with ion-creating technology that increases shine, body and even moisture. This kit also comes with clips to hold the rollers in place, so all of those pins our mom used to use have been rendered obsolete (and they stay in place a lot better than Velcro rollers.)

We can’t help but think of the infomercial that says, “Set it and forget it,” and with these rollers you can set your hair and forget about the manual labor it takes to curl each section of hair with an iron!

Get a hot new look with hot rollers

May 9, 2012

Being the beauty buffs we are, we spend more than our fair share of time in the beauty department of our local CVS, and it seems like we find new goodies every time we go. It’s important to know that coconut is one of our all-time favorite scents, so we have a hard time saying no to anything with this fabulous fruit—and despite the fact that our shower is overflowing with pricy products, we couldn’t resist trying Suave Naturals’ Tropical Coconut Shampoo and Conditioner.

Selected strictly for its fragrance merits, we couldn’t wait to get home and try this duo. There’s no denying the coconutiness (and we love that it isn’t diluted by lime, or another complementary scents) and it lathers up nicely to get hair clean. The conditioner did its job, too, with the same island-style fragrance. But the real surprise came when after blowdrying…

We decided to try a sample of the new Dove Hair Therapy Nourishing Oil Care Anti-Frizz Serum, and we couldn’t believe our eyes after blowdrying just with our fingers. Our strands were smooth, shiny and there was no need to flat-iron. Needless to say, this is our new product combination for a great hair day with minimal effort. And if you don’t want to take our word for it, we went for a bang trim last week and our stylist couldn’t believe what great shape our hair was in. She said, “Whatever you’re doing, stick with it.” And we are…

IBB pick: Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut

May 14, 2012

Down here in SoFla, it’s been raining for days—which creates somewhat of a hairy situation for our coif. Last week we stumbled across a great hairstylist tip (our apologies, we can’t remember who it was) about how to create the easiest slicked-back pony ever and that’s been our look this week.

Basically all you have to do is spray your damp hair with hairspray (forget sticky, hard gels), make a part and comb hair into place before securing with an elastic. But thanks to our super-light color and slightly damaged tresses, we get these flyaways along our hairline, but it’s nothing John Frieda’s Full Repair Touch-Up Flyaway Tamer can’t handle. Essentially a clear mascara that holds those little hairs in place, the mascara like wand is easy to wield, and the size makes it perfect for tossing in your bag. It contains Inca Inchi oil (which we’ve only seen in one other product line, Tara Walker’s Dream) and it can also be used to tame any flyways whether hair is down or tied back. It’s just the finishing touch you need for low-maintenance styles—and we might be sporting a ponytail until fall is upon us.

Flyaways have met their match

April 27, 2012