A Few of My Favorite Things - **Hair Edition**

I've had two emails in the last week asking about what products I use on my hair.

Oh, bloggers. That is a loaded question. I guarantee you anyone who knows me very well at all in real life is laughing right now.

Because my hair. It is an ordeal.

I have thick, course, wavy, frizzy hair. And I want it to be straight, glossy and not-so-poofy.

So that's where my fabulous Hair Queen comes in. This is Josie. She is magic to my hair. And she's gorgeous with a perfect body, too. Which makes me want to slap her. But I don't. Because she is magic to my hair.

The first line of defense in good hair is a Hair Queen. Without her, none of this other stuff would matter much. But as long as I'm telling my hair story, I'm going to go all the way.
And, as I said, it's an ordeal. So hang with me. Because I use a lot of stuff. And I've discovered it all through trial and error. If I had all of the money I've spent on hair stuff I didn't use, I could own a home at the beach. Can any of you relate?
Thought so.
My shampoo is Matrix Sleek Look. And for the record, I only later and rinse once. I used to lather and rinse twice, thinking that was better, but it is not.
Next I apply a generous amount of Marc Anthony Smooth Straight Conditioner...about the size of two quarters...or a little more. I leave it in my hair while I do the rest of my showering duties, and rinse it out the very last thing.

I towel dry my hair well, comb through with a wide-tooth comb, then generously spray (at least 8 or 9 times) with Paul Mitchell Heat Seal. This stuff is meant to protect hair that is blow-dried and flat-ironed and otherwise abused with hot stuff.

If you want smooth, sleek hair, a round brush is your friend. I have two favorites. The first is the Chi turbo. That's ceramic underneath the bristles..which helps make hair smooth and glossy. Make sure your round brush isn't too small or too large. I have a 2", which is great for short-to-medium length hair.

My other favorite is the Spornette brush. I dry and style my hair with the Chi brush until it is almost completely dry, and then go back for a final once-over with the Spornette. It does not have ceramic, but the plastic and boar's hair bristle combo make this baby great and grabbing the hair and letting you get one final, good tug and dry. Again, make sure you get a size that isn't too small or too large for the length of your hair.

After all that, I give a good once over with a flat iron. Again, Chi is hands-down the best in my opinion. This baby will run you around $100, but so worth it. I like the 1" Chi because it allows me to get really close to the roots and do small sections of hair at a time. I especially love it for getting the back of my hair really straight. If you have longer hair, the 2" might be better.

And finally, I spray on a little hairspray.... not too much! This is my new favorite: by Framesi Mist Hair Spray Light. I buy it from my Hair Queen Josie at the salon, but you can get it online, too, of course. I also love Sebastian Shaper hairspray.

Whew! What an ordeal, huh?

Now you know why I have to get up at the crack of dawn just to make it to work at a decent hour.

And now you also know why my son cries when he hears me turning the hair dryer on.

Now if only there were products like this to give me a body like Josie.