Penetration isn’t just for sex.

Penetration. A word that vacillates wildly between Sunday football and porn. In the beauty scheme of things it is considerably important – from skincare to your hair. I bet you didn’t know that an oil penetrates deeper than a lotion and the smaller the molecular structure of what you are using the deeper it goes.

This is most important when the weather changes, going from a house full of heat to the blustery outdoors, heated cars and out to run errands – these extreme changes in temperature fooling with you. Constantly putting on hand lotion? Hair feeling crunchy? It’s time to pay serious attention to your epidermis and cuticles.

There’s more. Sulfate free surfactants are a larger molecule than sulfates, therefore they have less ability to penetrate into the skin and so are less irritant. Also, because of their larger molecular quality, they help to keep the hair from depleting its color. Plus they add great shine and luster. There are a number of things that go into what you put on your person.

The most cost effective ways to combat dryness? Put your blowdryer down two times more a week (avoiding heat styling) and when heat styling use a protective product. (Make sure it isn’t filled with silicones – this pesky ingredient from the 80’s is actually counter-productive, putting a coating on the hair that is almost impossible to get off – keeping other well-intentioned ingredients form penetrating the hair shaft.) Coat your tootsies and hands before bed, sleepy time is the bed time for your skin to repair itself, and why not do it slathered in goodness?

What do we like? KEVIN.MURPHY’s YOUNG.AGAIN – heat protection up to 420 degrees, is a great hydrating oil, and because the molecular structure is the same as skin care? We generously slather on our hands and feet. Best cuticle oil ever.

You don’t have to look as cheap as you are.

CHEAP * CHEAP * CHEAP * CHEAP * CHEAP * CHEAP * CHEAP * CHEAP

Cheapest way to get your hair in better condition:: Stop blow-drying your hair two days a week. This includes heat styling. (Optimally you would be saturating your hair in a highly moisturizing product these days as well.)

Cheapest way to color a few grey strands – eye shadow. Rub it on straight from the shadow palette. And it washes right out.

Dry? Slather Coconut Oil on your bod. Smells good enough to lick it – and you can!

Trying to grow your hair out? Biotin and Folic Acid – about 4 bucks a piece – take em daily. Get em in the vitamin section.

Awesome tutorials for DIY: www.thebeautydepartment.com

I have spit-ends – yikes! Sorry sister, you need to cut em off. Your hair simply won’t grow until they are gone.

FAST FACTS:
Hairstylists LOVE it when you bring photo’s. We really do.

Yes. You have to use expensive shampoo (unless you have hair of steel.) The rest of the crap is just marketing. Read this::

Curly hair is less hydrated and more porous. No way around that. Pay careful attention to heat styling and coloring, curls rock – but not when they look scraggly.

Curly hair is also usually better left to air dry – blow-driers usually blow out the curl and make your hair huge.

Bangs can save you money from having to get Botox.

Coloring your hair can really soak up natural oils from your roots. If you have fine hair that is prone to oil it probably loses volume as well – clean fine hair is limp hair – it requires the cuticle to be roughed up (damaged) to gain volume. Obviously volumizing hair products work well, but not as well as color.

 

Lastly, as people age you can see it in their face, hands, and hair. Do what you can – but a full head of shiny hair keeps you looking young.

MSFW 2011 Designer Series Night 4

International Model Kate Peck.

The last night of the Designer Series for MSFW was a bit more laid back, stylists showing off their dance moves to MC Hammer’s “You can’t touch this” when the hair and make-up had been completed.
The evenings hairstyle did require a concert pianists touch to properly back comb the hair for the shape. Kevin Cross, KEVIN.MURPHY’s director of training explained the need for a proper tease with, “It is the petticoat under the dress. The back brush gives the foundation of texture.” The top hair was smoothed over the massive volume of hair to create a “beehivey, gramma with a 60′s and 70′s aspect and an African influence thrown in with the pony,” explained Kevin Murphy. “I wanted something simple and groovy – something a young girl would like. In session work it is hard to use pins, so we use sewing – pins show up in the photographs. In our SEWING.KIT the needles are blunt, we prepped the hair with HAIR.RESORT.SPRAY – it’s my new favorite thing. I loved the swinging ponies from last night – the designers for tonight are more alternative, and having an eclectic mix of things makes it modern.” Kevin’s favorite part of the look were the little wispy bits in front (they were sewn into a bit of a mini ponytail, the hair rubbed through the fingers to create the look.) It was “girly but not too overt, a simple, humble hairstyle.”
The make-up again was flawless, and all about the nude brow with a pop of color on the lip, the skin being a natural sateen texture with the skin looking hydrated and a bit of sheen on the cheeks. “The brow harmonizes with the hair color – we used eye primer through the brows (eye will survive) that has a blonding affect. We did a nude clear eye, and used lipstick “Hara” from the divine goddess collection for Napolean Perdis.” Hara is the goddess of happiness. The make-up was kept simple, like the trends for the season, and a bit of COLOR.BUG can be spotted on some of the models.