Category: Helpful Tid-Bits

6 Basic Hair Care Tips to Healthy Hair and Scalp

MaegLeave a comment

Tip No. 1: Get Quality Shampoo

Most drug store shampoos have Sulfates and Silcones in them which are bad for our hair. Sulfates (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) are also found in dish soap and laundry detergent, so if you run out of your drug store shampoo just hop on over to the kitchen and wash your hair there (just kidding!) Sulfates cause the shampoo to work more which causes it to strip away natural occurring proteins, oils and colour; aka drying out your hair (are you wondering why your hair is in tangle after washing?). Now that being said you do need some Sulfates (Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate), all this does is allow you to work the shampoo through the hair or else it wouldn’t lather.

Silcones are like rubber/plastic, it gives the illusion of shine but it’s just coating the hair with plastic. This is bad because it’s preventing moisture from penetrating the hair shaft leaving your hair even more dry. This also cause your hair to be more oily.

Now I know ‘better quality’ shampoo can be expensive but you can find them at cheaper prices. In my opinion with better shampoo you tend to need less so if you go for the bigger bottles it’ll be more bang for your buck.

Tip No. 2: Don’t Wash Your Hair Everyday

By washing your hair everyday you’re washing away the natural oils that help your scalp and hair. Now that being sad, listen to your scalp and hair. Washing every other day is a great start (some people this is their absolute max days they can push their hair), if your scalp starts to hurt and get itchy then you need to wash your hair. If you have highlights to the root or a bleach out you can probably go way longer because your hair is dry and will absorb the oils.
Waiting too long and not washing you hair can actually cause hair breakage at the root. It happens before the hair gets a chance to grow. If you look at oil under a microscope it’s actually sharp and it can cut the hair before it gets long. It can also clog the pores preventing growth! If you want great hair, have a healthy scalp!

Tip No. 3: Do Nothing To Your Hair

I know this sounds strange and not to mention impossible for most but if you don’t colour, heat style or put up your hair, only wash and dry you’ll have healthy hair (if you get cuts). Basically if you don’t have to style your hair then don’t!

Tip No. 4: Use Product

I know, another scam! Wrong! I work at an Aveda salon because I use Aveda products, I wouldn’t sell you something I don’t use or don’t believe in. If you don’t like products and you style your hair all I ask is you to use a heat protector. This protects the hair from burning when you use your blow dryer, flat iron, curling iron, triple barrel, etc. If you love products then talk to your hairstylist and see if you’re getting the right one for your hair, some products are not made for every hair type.

Tip No. 5: Get Treatments

I know this sounds like a scam when your hairstylist suggests doing a treatment but (most) stylist are being honest and you most likely need it. If they’re suggest a treatment they’ve probably noticed a change in your hair or scalp and are trying to put a fix to it as soon as possible before it gets worse. At my salon we have a couple of treatments we absolutely live by and clients see the difference.
If you have highlights/Balayage/Bleach Outs/Breakage we always do Olaplex.
If your hair is Dry/Damage you need moisture and/or protein we do the Aveda Botanical Treatment.
If you have any issue with your scalp (dry, itchy, oily, flakes, etc) you need a scalp “detox” treatment (Aveda Pramasana Treatmeant). If you have any of these issues talk to your stylist they are trained to know scalp and hair issues and can help!

Tip No. 6: Get Hair Cuts!

I know most people think hairstylists are scissor happy and we always cut off more then you want, but if you say an inch we are cutting off 1 inch. We suggest getting haircuts because if you don’t your hair won’t grow. It’s simple and no one believes us. When you don’t cut your hair your hair gets split ends, the ONLY way you can get rid of split ends is a cut, there is NO treatment for this. If you don’t cut the split ends they continue up the hair strand and won’t stop until it reaches the top of our head or until the hair strand breaks off leaving you with less hair. Also when you don’t cut your hair the ends get extremely thin/fine, that’s because it’s dead and it’s getting ready to break off. Please, please cut your hair, even getting a dusting is better then nothing!

That’s it! Those are my 6 basic tips for having healthy hair and scalp!

Thanks for reading,

Maeg.

Maeg’s Hair

MaegLeave a comment

In 2016 I decided to enroll in Aveda Institute Canada for my Hairstyling diploma. It was an extremely long 10 months, 5 days a week packed learning experience but it’s the best hairschool you can go to in Ontario.

In May 2017 I graduated from Aveda Institute Canada! I decided to take one week off from work and school then I would apply to Jobs. Luckily I found Metropolis Hair Studio in Woodbridge, Ontario, a week after graduating I got the job!

Did you know on my page (depending what device you’re using) you can see my hair Instagram that showcases my work? If you are using a computer/laptop it’s on the right hand side. If you’re using a phone/tablet scroll all the way to the bottom and you’ll see it OR click the contact button.

If you’re in the Woodbridge or Vaughan or surrounding areas feel free to book an appointment with me! #SelfPromoting

If you’re not in the area, follow my page! I would really appreciate it!

Thanks for reading,

Maeg.

 

My Hair Care Routine

MaegLeave a comment

In the morning everyone has their own little routine they’ve figured out to get them ready the fastest while using all the products they love. I of course have figured out my own hair care routine with my favourite products and I’m going to share with you.

Now it depends on what I’m going to do with my hair, whether I’m washing my hair that day (yes, I don’t wash my hair everyday) or deciding on how I’m going to style it, I’ll use different products.

Treatment

 Olaplex is life! I’ve written about this treatment in one of my monthly favourites so if you want a full explanation go to February Favourites. I’ve bleached out my hair so I need to take care of it, I do this treatment once a week before I wash my hair. It works best on dirty hair so I throw my head under the sink to dampen my hair, towel dry, brush out and let treatment sit on for a long as I can (minimum is 10 mins).

Shampoo

I usually wash my hair at night before I go to sleep, this has just become a habit from when I was younger from playing baseball. I would have games late at night and would shower after them so I just continued; plus your girl is not a morning person so I’m not waking up extra early for that! I would first rinse out the Olaplex treatment then shampoo using Milk_shake purple shampoo.

Now usually with purple shampoo you wouldn’t use this for every wash but because I want my hair to look purple I use it all the time. If I’m not going to use this, I just use Aussie Moist (which is meh but it’s cheap!).

 

 

Conditioner

After washing out the Milk_shake very well because it stays in your hair, I move onto conditioner. Depending on the time of the month I use one of two things. My everyday conditioner is the Aussie Moist conditioner, I don’t leave this in for long at all just enough to make sure I close my cuticle. Once a month I use the Vanilla Bean Deep Conditioner (as seen in March Favourites)

This is suppose to sit in you hair for 10 mins so this happens on a shaving day! I don’t put this on my roots because it makes your hair greasy but it works wonders and it smells great!

 

 

Styling Products

After all the shaving and washing has been done I move onto products for styling. Now this depends on what I’m going to do with my hair but I always start with a heat protector which is Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair! (picture 1) With Aveda a little goes a long way, I use roughly a nickle sizes and work it through my hair. This will help protect from the blow dryer, straightener, curling iron, and round brushing.

After that I will add some Aveda Smooth Infusion (picture 2), this is help smooth out my hair, and help fight against humidity.  With this, once again a little goes a long way, so I use about a nickle size and work it through my hair.

Usually at this point I will dry my hair or go to bed with wet hair and I’ll wake up with it dry. Either way the next step is to have dry hair so I can either flat iron it or curl it. Once my hair is flat ironed I will use Aveda’s Light Elements Smoothing Fluid (picture 3) just to help keep everything in line with the fly aways. With this I use around a penny sizes and work it through the ends of my hair first and work my way up. This will prevent the roots looking greasy after you just washed it.

Lastly, I use my flat iron to curl my hair so after that is done I will run my fingers through my hair to break it up and spray my whole head with Aveda Air Control hairspray (picture 4). It smells great and it won’t give you that crunchy feeling.

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That’s it! I know this may seem like a lot of product to use on one persons head but you got to protect your hair especially if your styling it as much as I do. If you don’t use any products start with a good heat protector and work your way up!

Lets have great hair!

Thanks for reading,

Maeg.

 

 

My New Skin Care Routine!

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Surprise my skin changed again!

Your body is constantly changing and you have to move with those changes. As I’ve gotten older my skin has been changing more towards the dry side, so I’ve been testing a few different things and fell in love with the one I’m about to share.

Before I was using Clinique 3 step system and it worked wonders for a bit but then I found it was starting to dry out my skin even more then it already was. Sephora thankfully had a ‘Sephora Favourites’ for dry skin and I decided to test it out since it has multiple brands to try at once. At the beginning I was skeptical because of my dry sensitive skin, I didn’t want to have a reaction to anything but I was proved wrong and these products work.

Cleanser

51+UI5AdySL._SL1000_Boscia Puriflying Cleansing Gel

Before I was using Clinique Cleansing Brush with their cleanser but it was too much for me. Now I’m using Boscia Cleansing Gel, you can get this at Sephora for $37.00. This doesn’t have a scent and it has a calming feeling on your skin, it’s not too much but your skin feels clean after. This I find you most definitely need a moisturizer after but I also believe after every cleansing you need to add moisture.

Moisturizer 

203_ultra-repair-cream_awardseal_1_1First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration

Before I was using the Clinique basic moisutrizer and eventually moved to a more hydrating one but still wasn’t seeing the results I wanted, now I use First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream. This cream does wonders, it has a calming feeling, it’s not oily, doesn’t leave your face feeling like you have product all over it and it really is intense on hydrating. You can you this product all over your body as well, so if your elbows and knees are extremely dry just go ahead and throw this on them! The cream comes in different sizes 2oz is $15.00, 6oz is $37.00 and 8oz is $45.00 all at Sephora.

That’s it! Very simple which is what I think works best with my skin, even when I was younger all I did was wash and moisturize and that’s what seems to work. Remember everyone has different skin and somethings that work for me might work terribly on you. It’s definitely a trial and error process until you find what works well for you. Believe you will find it, if you ever get fed up go to your local Sephora and talk to someone who works there. Trust me they know their products and they will be able to help you!

Lets take care of our skin!

Thanks for reading,

Maeg.

Starbucks Unicorn Frapp

MaegLeave a comment

I first heard about this frapp. in a post on Facebook which I honestly thought was another “junkmail” post until Starbucks sent out it’s usual up and coming email about it. Everywhere I read though it kept saying, “Only available if you believe” which again makes me think it’s fake.

Starbucks unicorn frappuchino Credit: Starbucks

I decided to ask around if anyone saw someone with this, one person said yes. I finally said I was walking to the Starbucks behind my school to see if this was real. It was and it was the weirdest drink I’ve ever gotten. There’s nothing written about it, saying what’s in it or what the flavour is so it was a leap of faith? The barista proceeded to tell me that it’s going to taste like mangos….it did not. The blue stuff on the side is the sour part of it which also has no flavour. The pink frapp part is literally ice with pink food colouring and there’s whip cream with blue and pink sprinkles on it.

I’ll admit it, at first my friend and I were excited when we got this weird concotion but the more we drank it the more weirded out we got. Literally everyone tried it, some were confused by it, some hated it, some said it didn’t taste like anything and maybe one person said it was good.

People have been questioning why they sold this and there’s articles going around about the Founder bashing Starbucks and this frapp. It’s good marketing, and it sold drinks. Starbucks is a business regardless if you see it as a coffee shop, it’s a damn business. There’s a head office that says we need this and we need that, and you know what we are the lovely people who bought it. It was a mystery we wanted to solve so we bought it. It was 100% good marketing.

In the end, I wouldn’t buy it again but it was worth the adventure.

Maeg.

FitBit Charge HR Review

MaegLeave a comment

Everyone knows FitBit, it was the top selling Christmas gift of 2015 and a fast growing company. I know there are many reviews on YouTube about this product and I’m going to add to that in blog form.

I got my FitBit Charge HR in August 2015 as a birthday gift and I have also bought one for my friend in late November 2015. Here is what I have to say about the FitBit Charge HR.

16599145First off lets start with the look and the colours it is avalable in. This one has the watch like buckle which I’ve heard a lot of people love, me being one of them as well. The old Charge didn’t have the buckle which has caused to hear a lot of complains about, so be careful of which one you’re buying. The colours I actually love, it comes in black, plum (purple), blue, tangerine (orange), and teal. I personally have the plum and I bought my friend the teal one; the teal is actually an amazing colour just as a side note.

What does it do? One might ask when looking to buy one. Well it does a bit actually and some not listed on their website. Lets take a look…

  1. Shows the date and time. You can set it so it shows the date and time how you want it, if you want it in 24 hours not problem get to the settings. You can also set it so that every time you lift your arm to look at the watch it automatically comes on to show you the time, no having to press the button.
  2. Shows daily steps. This is a given and why most people buy it, but what I don’t think people know is that once you buy it and download the app if you have friends also with a FitBit you can challenge them in a step showdown. I do this with my friends and family every week, it’s very motivating!
  3. Shows your heart rate. I don’t use the heart rate as much as one who is really into fitness but it is fun to know how that heart is doing. There have been complains that it’s not accurate heart rate reading, FitBit never once said that it would be and said it was a guideline. You can actually change the settings for heart rate and peaking moments but I’ve just left it the way it was.
  4. Distance traveled. This one I thought was pointless until I saw how far I was walking in miles, it’s pretty much just a fun thing to know how far you’re actually walking in a day.
  5. Calories and floors climbed. Calories there isn’t much to say about but that it tells you how much your burning by what you’re doing. Floors climbed on the other hand can be confusing. When I got it I for some reason thought it was steps climbed but it’s actually floor levels, meaning if you go up one flight of steps that counts as 1. On the app they have badges you can get from doing as many as you can and such. The highest one I’ve personally reached is 75 floors (flights of stairs).
  6. Silent Alarms. In the commercials it advertises that they’re silence and that they won’t wake up your partner but it will. I have one set for 11:00 am everyday and it wakes him up all the time on the weekends. It vibrates and the screen flashes so if your wrist is facing your partner who is facing you, they’re gonna get flashes lights in their face. Sorry, but it’s not silent at all.
  7. Auto Sleep. This FitBit automatically can tell when you’re sleeping that starts the sleep mood. When I say sleep mood I mean it keep track of how many hours of sleep you get, how many times you woke up and how many times you were restless.
  8. Active Minutes and SmartTrack. Active minutes is pretty much what it says, it shows on the app how many times you were active which goes along with your heart rate. SmartTrack is when the FitBit knows when you’ve started running for example, it will automatically record your running workout.
  9. Caller ID. For this to work you need to have you Bluetooth on, I use to have it on all the time to get calls until it started to kill my phone battery. I don’t know for sure if it was the Bluetooth doing it or if my phone is just crappy and dies fast. It is a very cool feature that I love and try to use all the time, it has actually saved me from missing phone calls.
  10. Wireless Syncing. Well that’s a given with the app but if you leave your Bluetooth on it will sync for you and that way you don’t want to worry about it. Trust me though if you get into those challenges I was talking about earlier you’ll constantly be looking at the app anyways!
  11. Tap to Change. Say your looking at your daily steps but you wanna know how many floors you’ve climb so what do you do? You go to the side of the FitBit and press the button until you’ve reach floors climbed. Well yes you can do that but you can also tap the front of the FitBit right under the screen which will also change to your steps, floors and such as you’ve step up to see.
  12. Tracks when it’s dead! I know, I didn’t know this feature was on there until I was at work and noticed my FitBit was dead. Flashing the battery sign, no showing me steps or anything. Obviously I couldn’t do anything since I didn’t have the charger with me but learnt after I charged it that it counted everything while it was dead! I was happy about this since I was doing the week long challenge! Most people didn’t know this FitBit did it but it’s pretty sweet, I don’t even know if FitBit knows it does that. Just kidding.

All in all I think FitBits are amazing, fun and motivating and everyone should have one! Check out other types of FitBits at www.fitbit.com

Thanks for reading,

Maeg

How to Wash Your Bathing Suits!

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How many of you have ruined a bathing suit somehow but you don’t know why it got ruined so fast? Yep, me too. It wasn’t until I started working in a pool that I finally figured out how to take care and wash my swim suits. Bathing suits can be really expensive and you want them to last as long as they can.

I’ve done some research and from my own knowledge I’m going to tell you how to take care of all types of swim suits. Here are the steps,

  1. Do not use a washing machine!
  2. Rinse the bathing suit in cold water immediately after using it. You do this because salt water, chlorine, body oils, sunscreen, dirt and sand can damage the elasticity of the suit causing “saggy bum” or “droopy drawers.”
  3. “Washing” really means to soak the bathing suit in cold water with a light soap for 15 minutes.
  4. Gently massage with your hands, rinse out the soap until the water runs clear.
  5. You never want to wring or twist the bathing suit, rather you want to lay it flat between two towels, roll them up and gently press so the towels absorb the water.
  6. After lay is flat to dry, hanging it up to dry will make it lose its elasticity or stretch out the fabric.
  7. Lastly having more than one bathing suit will help them all last longer.

I hope this helps everyone save their swim suits for the summer time! Remember always use sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun!

Thanks for reading,

Maeg

The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Product Review

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Hey everyone! I am the sister of Maeg and will be writing a guest review on some of The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Products.

I was recommended to try this products from my mother and stepfather; as I not only have some light acne but also have blemishes to the point where my entire face is red.

Three of the products I will be writing about I purchased in a set for $ 36.00 CDN. They included the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash, the Tea Tree Clearing Toner, and finally the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion.

Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash

tea-tree-skin-clearing-facial-wash_l

I enjoyed this product as it does clear away the dirt in your skin when you use it. I use this product while in the shower allowing my pores to open up more ensuring that the product will remove any excess oils.

Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner

tea-tree-skin-clearing-toner_l

Out of all the Tea Tree products I’ve tried so far this has to be my favourite. I use this not only for my face but my body as well. If I have a few zits creep up on me I just use this product and within a few days they are gone. Definitely removes any excess dirt from the any. Best advice apply with a clean cloth. The only downside to this product is you have to shake it every time in order to activate the ingredients.

Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion

tea-tree-skin-clearing-lotion_l

I honestly do not use this product much as the rest of the line, as it has moisturizing ingredients. I would only recommend this product if you have dry skin.

There are three remaining products that I have tested out and they are as follows:

Tea Tree Squeaky Clean Scrub

tea-tree-scrub_l

I use this product only once to twice a week. I’ve had some pretty bad experiences in the past with exfoliators or scrubs, because of this I didn’t want to over do it with this product. Most scrubs I’ve used in the past have dried out my face. This scrub is not as harsh as those, and does contain some moisturizing features. This product cost $15.00.

Tea Tree Gel

tea-tree-blemish-gel_l

I use this as a spot treatment for  my blemishes. I do have rosacea so I am constantly red in the face. This gel does do the job, however it does not do anything in terms of zits or acne. This product cost $11.00.

Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion

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This product is great for blemishes and super easy to use. All you do is put the lotion on before bed (enough to cover your entire face) and go to sleep. When you wake up the next morning you are completely blemish free. I would highly recommend this product for anyone who doesn’t want to do a lot of work in order to get a blemish free face. This product cost $19.00.

Thanks for reading, until next time.

Cat

What’s In My Purse?

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IMG_4689_edited-1

1. Coach Accordion Zip Wallet.
2. Chapters Agenda.
3. Sephora Pocket Mirror.
4. Tums Travel Pack.
5. Regular Glasses in the case.
6. A Pen.
7. Tide to Go.
8. Dior DiorShow Blackout Waterproof Mascara.
9. Sephora Khol Expert Eyeliner.
10. Aviators Ray Bans.
11. Glysomed Hand Lotion.
12. Blistex Berry Chapstick.
13. Pocket/Purse Kleenex pack.
14. Travel Size Advil.
15. Allergy Medicine.
16. Travel Perfume Holder.
17. Heart Shaped Coin Purse.
18. Mini Brush.
19. Trident Gum.

1. Coach Wallet is a typical thing that every girl has I just wanted a good wallet.

2. Chapters agenda is something I use everyday to keep track of my life and what’s coming up.

3. Sephora Pocket mirror comes in handy when you don’t have anywhere to check your makeup or to see if you have anything on your teeth.

4. Travel Size Tums. Heart burn or an upset stomach just isn’t fun so carrying Tums helps.

5. I wear glasses, having the case is handy.

6. A Pen. You never know when you’re going to need a pen, signing a birthday card you had to pick up last minute or unexpected interview on your way home from work. Just in case right?

7. Tide to Go. No one is perfect, I get food or stains on my clothes all the time and this is a lifesaver, or should I say clothes saver?

8. Dior Mascara. I travel between my house, work and my boyfriend’s house at lot, I just keep it in one of the pockets on the side and I’m set.

9. Sephora Eyeliner. Keeping it on hand is easier than packing it every time I go out.

10. Ray Bans. I actually have two pairs of Ray Bans that I switch out from time to time. Summer is coming and the sun is bright and it’s a great fashion accessory.

11. Glysomed Hand Lotion. I hate when I wash my hands after going to the washroom then having dry hands and no lotion. This is just a little travel size you get can a 3 pack at Walmart.

12. Blistex Berry Chapstick. This is my favourite chap stick ever, I use it all the time and go thru them like crazy.

13. Pocket Purse Kleenex pack. I had this in my purse during the winter months because a runny nose isn’t fun, now it comes in handy for my allergies!

14. Travel Size Advil. Random headache? No fear this small pack comes in handy when you’re on the go.

15. Allergy Medicine. This travel size comes in handy since I’m on the go all the time.

16. Travel Perfume holder. I got this holder at Target Canada but they no longer exist here, all you have to do is pump in your favourite perfume and it’s there on the go.

17. Heart Shaped Coin Purse. I got this at Chapters but they no longer carry it, I don’t like having all my change in my purse to make it heavy so I put it in there.

18. Mini Brush. Comes in handy on a windy day or just when you have an unexpected sleep over at a friends house.

19. Trident Gum. Freshens breath and whitens teeth for those days when were really tired and maybe forgot to brush them! Oops.

Thanks for reading,

Maeg

My Skin Care Routine

Maeg

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve had sensitive skin. I break out easy if I didn’t wash my face, using harsh soaps or face washes would burn my skin, the sun was a sure guarantee to burn my face (but that’s mostly because of my Welsh/Irish background) and then I found out I’m allergic to perfumes/smelly products. The search for the perfect face product seemed to be impossible.

My face took a toll with trial and error but one day my Mum came home with a product called Cetaphil and I never went back.

The Cetaphil line is very simple, soaps and lotions and I find that’s all you really need. I’m not the type of girl who wears a ton of makeup, I’d rather show my natural beauty and my freckles. To me people who don’t “have” freckles or cover them up just look freaky to me, I don’t mean to be rude but that’s just my opinion on it.

Lets get started into the actual routine, at night time I usually take off any make up I had on with whatever make up remover I’m using these days. After I wash my face with Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar, you can use this bar for your face and entire body. Once I pat dry my face I use the Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15. In my opinion all face lotions should have minimum SPF 15 in them, the sun is harsh and we need to protect ourselves.
Putting lotion on at night is important since it has more time to soak in and that’s when your body repairs itself, this includes putting lotion all over your body. Trust me, your skin will feel amazing.

In the morning, if I’m going to work I just splash some cold water on my face, since I work in a pool and will need to wash my face when I get home. If I’m going out though, I go through the same process as I do at night, wash and lotion.
Washing your face twice a day is max. for me, if you wash your face too much it’ll dry it out or worse make you completely break out; once in the morning and once at night.

There you have it. It not much but it works for my skin and my style of showing off your natural beauty. You are all beauty no matter what and no one should tell you otherwise.

Thanks for reading,

Maeg.