If not now...Wen

If we were on a blind date or something, what I'm about to tell you would likely be the dealbreaker in our relationship. I love infomercials. If someone is singing the gospel about the most ridiculous product on the planet, I generally fall in love and fantasize about my life being vastly improved because 1 payment was knocked off the grand total and I waited until the end to start dialing, because there was more to come! Thankfully, I've always been able to restrain myself from doing the "dial-of-shame" and sinking to a new low with my American Express card by subjecting myself to a "shipping & handling" charge. Remember Lori Davis Hair...I was a teenager then, and even when I wore braces, I thought that a product could change my life.

So, I guess the new equivalent is this Wen Hair Care infomercial that is on...every.single.day. And I guess this Wen product is the "unshampoo". It is a super-rich conditioning cleanser, and allegedly, you can't use too much of it. And, allegedly it works for all hair types. Under normal circumstances, I'd be able to resist the pull of the television. But, you see...I'm in a bad place with my hair. I haven't had a haircut in nearly a year (note to my former salon - having no hot water in your salon is kind of unacceptable. Your scheduling difficulties are your problem, not mine!) My hair kind of resembles a rats nest. I've always had fine hair that has a tendency to need to be washed daily to look decent, but to add insult to injury...out of nowhere, I've been losing crazy amounts of hair lately. I take a biotin supplement...but, it's just not enough. I lather and rinse and shed everywhere. But the straw (aside from my hair) was Hurricane Irene that left my house without potable water, and with a constant fear of getting listeria from acccidentally ingesting shower water (gross). I needed a treat.

ANYWAY...flash forward to the Wen infomericals that are constantly bombarding the airwaves. I was tempted. I figured, what was the worst that could happen - I need to get a haircut anyway....if it kills my hair, or just plain-old sucks...I'll chop off my hair.

This being the 21st Century, I didn't have to order my Wen (secretly, of course) from an infomercial...I visited the Holy Grail of "As Seen on TV"...I hit up QVC. No fewer than 500 reviews confirmed that Wen could change my life. And, the best part of QVC...they offered a variety of different Wen cleansing conditioners, namely a Lavender Cleansing Conditioner that promised to "moisturize and invigorate and soothe and rub your feet and tell you how great you are and basically make you a better person". I ordered a small bottle. And I waited for 2 days for Wen to change my life.

Picture it. The Friday before Labor Day weekend. A clandestine UPS delivery. And my shower. With freshly-restored water.

I opened the box, and read the instructions. Yes, instructions on how to wash my freakin' hair. This was no lather/rinse/repeat. It was a detailed description of getting my hair wet with cool water (ick, because I hate a cold shower) for about 3 minutes. Then sectioning my hair off into 4 sections, and generously applying gobs of this cleansing conditioner to my hair. And letting it sit. For as long as I wanted. I'll admit that I was curious what would happen. And then, my scalp started to tingle. In an AMAZING way. I inhaled this lavendery-minty smell and let this condioner marinate on my head. And then I rinsed. And my hair felt...soft. But not greasy. And the best part...more of it actually stayed on my head this time, instead of on my fingers and hands and shower floor. I dried my hair and had...volume? And I didn't need to straighten it either...Holy Adonai, this infomercial product doesn't suck!

It's been like 2 months, and I'm officially addicted. I've actually moved on from the Lavender Cleansing Conditioner to the super-exclusive (read: impossible to find) SIXTHIRTEEN Conditioner because it's even more nourishing, and have this little rotation action going on with the two. I'll be honest, the product gets expensive because of the length of my hair and the quantity that I kinda need to use. And I do rotate my regular shampoo in on the days that I can't spend 15 minutes in the shower. And don't get me wrong...I still need a haircut desperately. But, I don't hate my hair on a daily basis. I don't even need to wash it on a daily basis. And, it looks kinda good (especially considering that I haven't cut it in nearly a year!) But the best part truly is...I'm not losing nearly as much hair as I was.

When in doubt...try Wen

image taken from www.chazdean.com

Super-Sonic

Never underestimate the power of nagging. It took several months (and a 1st Mother's Day) to score this puppy...but ever since my Clarisonic entered my life...washing my face has never been the same.

I see you out there, skeptically shaking your head (I'm a mother now...we have eyes EVERYWHERE!) in disbelief that a $225 brush cannot be anything but a a ridiculous waste of money...I solemnly swear...it's life-altering.

I do confess...for the most part...I have reasonably good skin. The occasional break-out. But overall...you'd never believe that I'm rapidly approaching 33. I'm line-free, and in the battle against the "Elevens", I'm winning the war. That being said...any good general knows how to launch a successful attack against the enemy, and my Clarisonic is the secret weapon.

Coupled with something as innocent as Johnson & Johnson Head-to-Toe Baby Wash, the Clarisonic will deliver an enviable clean. Pair it up with something a little more "potent" (read: a glycolic or lactic acid to deliver the one-two punch of chemical and manufal exfoliant) and it's awe-inspiring. As a result of a more "prepared" surface, any treatment product that I put on after I wash is more effective. My dry patches in the winter that only respond to my Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate stay hydrated for longer. The two pumps of my foundation are reduced to one. Your lips are chapped - give them a little brush and slather on the lip balm. You're wearing a strapless dress and want to give your arms and back a deep clean...use the Body Brush. Then there are the days that I don't need to wear any makeup at all, because my skin is just even.

There are caveats. The brush feels so good when you use it (especially in that horrible space on the sides of your nose that always itches and gets irritated when you have a cold) that it is very tempting to use the brush 2x in a row. For the sake of your skin...don't. Too much of a good thing is just too much. As much as I love my Clarisonic, our relationship thrives because we don't see each other all the time. I have to repeat - you can absolutely over-exfoliate. And the most important rule of the Clarisonic. Don't use a manual exfoliant on your face with the brush. You'll really irritate your skin (again, I'm a mother now...I'm constantly giving instruction!) and then you'll be back at square one - with unhappy skin!

But should you find yourself with a milestone event coming up...birthday, holiday, Saturday...try spending some time with a Clarisonic. It's incredible.




image of Clarisonic brush taken from www.clarisonic.com