Hair Care : Beauty and Fashion Tech

Daily Beauty Bytes: Fight the Frizz in your Hair

I hate when my hair gets Frizzy! Here is a look at some products to combat it!

These product reviews reveal which formulas tame fine, thick, wavy and curly hair … and which are a waste of money

We painstakingly perused your ratings and reviews of anti-frizz products to find out which ones made your repeat purchase list and which fell short of your expectations. Soak up the feedback and use it to your advantage next time you’re shopping for the perfect frizz-fighting formula for your hair type and beauty budget. …More

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Popularity: 4% [?]

Free Your Hands For Hair Drying With Blo & Go

The Blo & Go hair dryer holder is one of those “as seen on TV” products that looks pretty cool, but many will wonder if it really works. Well, this one generally does!

The premise of the Blo & Go is that you can attach your dryer to it for hands free hair drying—a great thing if you like to do blow outs. Personally, I never could do a decent one on myself. The sides would turn out lovely, but doing the back was next to impossible. So I would end up with rather schizophrenic looking hair. Well, with a bit of experimenting, the Blo & Go fixed that.

The Blo & Go attaches to any stable, smooth surface, such as a mirror, counter, or tile (it is not appropriate for painted or wallpapered surfaces). The user then attaches their hair dryer and can stand under it to have both hands free for styling. I found that it worked fairly well, although learning how to maneuver under it in order to get the angle right takes a bit of practice. Regardless, I ended up with a pretty good home blow out using it.

The Blo & Go attaches with a strong suction cup and I noted no issues with slippage. It definitely stays in place. The dryer sits easily in the frame and is held in place by a bungee cord. A few things to note though. First, this works best if you have a surface to attach it to that you can stand right next to or under. But I made do by attaching it to the mirror behind the sink. It had enough reach from there to be usable. Also, my dryer is rather large, and the bungee cord would not stretch over it. I was still able to effectively use it, but a bit longer cord would be nice.

At $29.99, it is a pretty affordable device. If you regularly do blow outs, you may find it of interest.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Megastar Professional Flat Iron

The online store Missiko sent me a Megastar flat iron to try. This iron is a decent choice for its price range.

The Megastar iron has ceramic plates and uses infrared, ionic, and silver nano technology, for protection and shine. It runs from 140-420 degrees, for a good range of settings. The controls are also out of the way so as not to be bumped during use—something that is a must for me in a flat iron. It heats fairly quickly and is easy to use.

I found that the iron did a sufficient job straightening and it left a nice shine. I was not able to curl quite as well with it as I am with my regular iron, but to be honest, my iron for daily use (the Sedu Revolution) also runs at a higher price.Tugging and pulling was minimal with this iron, although not non-existent. Much better than some others in its price range though (if you get this one at its sale price). Which also leads me to this: Don’t buy one of those cheap irons for $20 at the drugstore. They usually will pull the heck out of your hair! Generally a decent iron will run over $75 and often will be in the over $100 range. The Megastar flat iron fits its price range.

Popularity: 6% [?]

John Frieda Hair Product Winners

The winners of the John Frieda products from the reader giveaway are:

Brunette set: Susan Ledet (comment number 233)

Blonde set: Meredith Peters (comment #63)

I will be sending you an email to get your address to ship you prized. Congrats!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Review: Ojon Try Me Hair Ritual Kit

Ojon makes some wonderful hair care products, but they are rather expensive. If you have always wanted to give them a test drive without spending a fortune on full sized products, here is a great way to do so.

Ojon Restorative Treatment and Ultrahydrating Shampoo Conditioner Kit

The Ojon Try Me , 5-piece Hair Ritual Kit, has five of Ojon’s best items packaged in sample sizes. I went through the kit and loved them all.Ojon’s best product in my opinion is the Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment (pictured below). This product is perfect for damaged or color treated hair, and I find it to be the absolute best deep conditioning treatment available (OK, for some maybe it is tied with Kerastase Nutritive Masquintense ) and well worth every penny of its expensive $55 price tag.

One word of warning, it does smell funny! I think it smells like roasted coffee, and I don’t mind the scent, but others hate it. You also need to set aside some time for this treatment. The thick waxy lotion is warmed between the hands to form an oil and is applied to dry hair where it is left in for at least 20 minutes. The end result is incredibly deep conditioned and soft hair. I do an Ojon treatment every few weeks, usually the day after I do a Joico K-Pak Reconstructor protein treatment.

Also in the kit is a set of Ojon Ultra Hydrating Shampoo and Ojon Ultra Hydrating Conditioner. Both are solid products, but a bit expensive for my tastes when it comes to daily use. The shampoo provides good moisture with a small amount, while also providing decent, but not overwhelming lather. The conditioner is a good detangler and leaves the hair feeling soft.

Ojon Revitalizing Mist reminds me a lot of my favorite Schwarzkopf Bonacure Moisture Kick Spray (read review) and is comparable in cost. This leave in conditioner provides detangling and a bit of extra gloss and shine. It is perfect for using before blow drying and heat styling.

Ojon Shine & Protect Glossing Mist is a nice finishing mist. It adds a touch of gloss and shine, while combating the frizzies.

Overall, the Ojon line consists of all quality products. I definitely recommend the brand to those who can afford it. This kit also provides a nice way to try before making too big of a financial commitment.

Comparison Shop for Ojon Hair Care Products

Popularity: 5% [?]

Contest! Win a Set of John Freida Hair Items

Yesterday, I reviewed John Frieda Sheer Blonde Lustrous Touch Shampoo and Conditioner. Now you can win a set of Lustrous Touch Shampoo and Conditioner for either blonde or brunette hair. By the way, I think the brunette version would be also be just fine for redheads. Note that these will not alter your hair color. They are just formulated to compliment different hair colors.

I will be giving away one of each set. Here is how to enter:

Between now and midnight May 20, leave a comment stating why you like John Freida products or why you would like to try them. Also state which set you want to win–Blonde or Brunette. You don’t have to write much, but just saying “hi” or a similar one or two word phrase won’t get you an entry! Be sure to include your email address in the comment form. Note that when email is added in the form, it is not publicly shown and I will not use the addresses any purpose other than notifying the winner. One entry per household. Multiple entries will be disqualified.

On May 21, I will randomly draw a winner for each set: One from those who said they wanted a blonde set and one from those who said they wanted the brunette set. I will announce the winners here and I will also send them an email. The winners will have seven days to contact me to claim the prize.

Good luck!

Popularity: 12% [?]

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Lustrous Touch Strengthening Shampoo and Conditioner

I recently tried John Frieda Sheer Blonde Lustrous Touch Strengthening Shampoo and John Frieda Sheer Blonde Lustrous Touch Strengthening Conditioner. Both are welcome and nicely affordable additions to my hair care routine!

It seems like I have developed a taste for expensive hair products. Lately my shampoo and conditions carry names likes Ojon or Fekkai, which is about as expensive as they come. So it is quite a relief to find something that I really like in the inexpensive drugstore brands!

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Lustrous Touch does a nice job of moisturizing color treated or highlighted hair and leaving it in wonderful condition. The shampoo provides more moisture than some of my more expensive items, and the conditioner is a great detangler. Alos, the first few times that I used the products, I commented that my hair was much softer than usual. But the best part about these products is that they are only around $ 6 each. Not bad at all!

The only downside I have seen using the items is that I find the need to add a stronger conditioner formulated for smoothing every few days. Otherwise, even though my hair stays very soft, I get a bit of frizziness.

For the Brunettes out there, there is also a set for you! Just look for the John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Lustrous Touch Strengthening Shampoo and John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Lustrous Touch Strengthening Conditioner at drugstores and grocery stores near you.

I also have a couple of sets of John Frieda products to giveaway. Come back tomorrow for details on how to win!

Popularity: 9% [?]