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Hair Gel: It's Now For Babies, Too

BellaSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:00:10 -0700

It makes sense for certain beauty products to be made for babies. Gentle baby shampoos, fragrance-free lotions, and paraben-free soaps all seem like reasons to infantilize grownup products. But Le Baby Hair Gel is pushing the limits. Free of parabens, fragrance, and sulfates, the $9.95 formula was developed for babies, toddlers, and anybody else who has sensitive skin.

Founder Tami Dimmerman came up with the concept while attempting to find a gel to tame her daughter's flyaways. Le Baby promises to "thicken baby-fine hair," among other things. But is a hair gel for babies even necessary? I've never looked into a designer stroller and thought, "Cute kid. If only he had a fauxhawk." Would you use this on a child, or do you prefer to let little ones' hair run wild?

Oh Man: Medium-Hold Hair Gels for Dapper Dudes

BellaSugar — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 11:00:47 -0700

Just look at Leonardo DiCaprio, all smart and dapper. His dirty blond hair is brushed back and firmly held back in place, yet it still looks soft enough to run your fingers through ... wake up Bella! (Sorry about that little daydream, I was long gone in Leo-land for a sec.)

This photo from the 11th Hour premiere last week got me thinking of all my favorite medium-hold hair gels for men. Take a peek at this post so that the next time your guy asks you what to buy, you'll be prepared!

Frederic Fekkai Hair Gel for Men ($18.50) is a medium-hold hair gel that also provides texture, definition and shape to long or short hair. It smells great (I actually love it too, even though it's for guys) and it leaves hair shiny, soft and manageable.

For two more medium-hold hair gels for men, read more

Aveda Brilliant Retexturizing Gel ($5.50) is a great product for guys with medium to coarse hair who want some help with styling, but are also looking for something that allows hair to stay soft and shiny. It's made from nourishing plant proteins like aloe, calendula and chamomile-but no alcohol, so it won't have any kind of a drying effect. Love it!

Kiehl's Just-Out-Of-The-Shower Hair Gel ($13.50) is a unisex gel for all hair types that creates a wet look. It leaves hair shiny and manageable, and it won't ever dry and leave little white flakes in your hair. It is enriched with sunflower, sesame, and soy, so it smells wonderful!

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DIY Spa Treatment: Super-Sexy Beach Hair

BellaSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:00:54 -0700

Fabrice Gilli, my amazing hairdresser and Creative Director of Frederic Fekkai Soho, has divulged one of his quick and easy, at-home recipes for beautiful beach waves. Since you already know how to create this look yourself, and you're aware of the various beach hair products on the market, thanks to Fabrice, you can save a few pennies and stock up on sunscreens instead! Here's an inexpensive way to attain sexy beach waves on a miniscule budget.

Step 1: Take an empty and clean spray bottle and fill it up with eight ounces of water.
Step 2: Add two heaping tablespoons of kosher or sea salt to the water and shake.
Step 3: Mix a teaspoon of your favorite hair gel to the saltwater solution and shake it once again. This will give hair a little bit more texture.
Step 4: Spray a liberal amount onto wet or very damp hair and do not brush through-finger-comb only if necessary. Scrunch hair in your hands to help curls form, or just leave it be and let it air dry naturally.

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Coming Soon: Lush Styling Products

BellaSugar — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 08:00:25 -0700

Lush, the British beauty brand known for its handmade cosmetics, is branching out with a new hair care range. While it's had shampoo and conditioner for years, this soon-to-launch line of products focuses on styling.

Lush has created three vegan styling gels, all of which have cheeky names. Big Tease features cocoa butter, lemon oil, orange flower absolute and Cupuacu butter. (I've been sent a sample, so I'll let give you my full review as soon as I've had time to work with it a bit more.)

Then there's Goth Juice, a medium-hold gel with hemp oil, fresh lemon infusion, glycerine and oakmoss. It has a spooky-cool ultraviolet hue that makes me want to listen to Bauhaus. Finally, there's King of the Mods, which promises to add lift, shine and control whether you're a Quadrophenia or not.

To find out what else Lush has up its sleeve, read more

Curly-haired lasses will be very happy to hear about Curly Wurly, Lush's new coconut shampoo for thick, curly hair. Along with emollients such as cocoa butter and shea butter, it has 15% coconut, which softens hair and helps it shine without weighing things down. Lush says that washing out the dessicated coconut is tricky, but "definitely worth the bother."

Finally, two other products round out this launch: Jasmin and Henna Fluff-Eaze (a treatment for hair that goes fluffy after shampooing), as well as Hair Doctor, a pre-shampoo treatment for oily hair.

Doing Drugstore: Palmer's Dark Chocolate Peppermint Lip Butter

BellaSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:00:59 -0800

I have a hard time going into Walgreens without picking up some sort of lip thing or other, and my initial purchase of Palmer's lip butter ($2) was no exception. I've always loved Palmer's cocoa butter - my dear mama swears by the stuff, and even sometimes sends me care packages with sticks of it - but I've only used it as a hair and elbow/knee moisturizer.

I assumed anything made with cocoa butter would be creamy and need a little heat to deliquesce, so I was pleasantly surprised by the lip butter's moist, gel texture (I think the result of added vitamin E). It's clear and not sticky, but gives you a little more shine than a Blistex or Lip Smacker, the dark chocolate peppermint flavor isn't at all artificial, and I didn't need to reapply all the time, which is a boon when you're trying not to look like a crazy lip balm obsessive. If you want a traditional gloss shine, this isn't the product for you, but at $2 it's a total steal, and it's made in the US, so you can feel good about its origins, too. My overall verdict: Yum!

Product Review: Lush Happy Hippy Hair and Body Gel

BellaSugar — Wed, 16 May 2007 15:52:15 -0700

I get a lot of questions and comments from readers who love Lush, the British bath and body brand that incorporates fresh fruits and natural ingredients into its handmade products. I run hot and cold on Lush - I like the concept, but some of its soaps are just too fragrant.

However, I recently tried some Lush Happy Hippy Hair and Body Gel, and it will be a very handy addition to my beauty arsenal. The Happy Hippy bottle calls this a "hair and body" gel, which intrigued me, so read more

I thought: If I can find a soap that works as a shampoo too, that's one less bottle to pack on vacation. And Happy Hippy really does do double duty. The gel works into an incredibly thick lather that fills your shower with an invigorating grapefruit scent that's neither too overpowering nor too girly. Using it didn't feel like bathing in shampoo, and my hair got just a clean as it normally would with a proper hair product.

I wouldn't say the Happy Hippy totally wowed me, but it's a wonderfully scented and very serviceable product. The gel is available in a 3.3-ounce bottle ($8.50), an 8.4-ounce bottle ($15.95), and a 16.9-ounce bottle ($24.95).

How-To: Banish Those Pesky Post-Waxing Eyebrow Bumps

BellaSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Yesterday, Yum came to me with a dilemma. She had her brows waxed over the weekend, and much to her dismay, was left with reddish bumps as a result. She had done nothing different than usual, taken any medications out of the ordinary, or even gone to a new waxing lady, but still ended up with itchy, irritated skin. To find out my tips on helping Yum get her brows back to normal, just keep reading

More Tips For Making Curly Hair Gorgeous

BellaSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:00:19 -0700

Years ago, when hair expert Keneesha Hudson allowed her curly locks to go natural, it proved to be a positive experience. "I feel a great sense of freedom wearing my own hair," she told me. "It definitely has a much more organic feel to it. It doesn't hold me back from any activity - from anything," she added. As owner of Urbanbella salon in Atlanta, Keneesha educates women about embracing their own curl. She's already offered us tips on taking care of curly locks, as well as taming unruly strands, and now it's time for tips on cuts and styling. To find out her sage advice, just read more.

Doing Drugstore: Revlon Brow Specialist Kit

BellaSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:00:54 -0700

Last week, I met up with eyebrow guru Anastasia Soare, and ever since then, I've been paying extra special attention to the brow area - or lack thereof. More tips from Anastasia to come, but in the meantime, after passing by this Revlon Brow Specialist Kit ($9) at Walgreens over the weekend, I couldn't resist. My makeup area at home is getting a little cluttered these days, so anything that is compact, compartmentalized, and brow-related captures my attention. To see what I thought of this mini-kit, just read more.

Can't Do Bedhead? Try These Five-Minute Curls Instead

BellaSugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 06:00:31 -0700

For times when the sultry bedhead hairstyle or tousled beach waves aren't what you're going after, why not play up the sexy side of curls with something a bit more mellow? You can still rock a come-hither look, without going the route of the old-timey roller set-style, either. At Milan Fashion Week, Hilary Swank looked stunning with waved hair that avoided being too prim and proper. What I like most about her loose, softly rolled curls is that they're not perfectly pouffed, but they still have that sensuous factor without being too in-your-face sexpot. This is a look I do about once or twice a week when I've got about five extra minutes in the morning, and by nighttime, it's perfectly tousled for cocktail hour. To find out some tips on how I do it, just keep reading.