The Skinny Confidential: A Babe's Sexy, Sassy Health and Lifestyle Guide (13 page)

1 tbsp/15 ml coconut oil

5 drops of apple cider vinegar

A few drops of lavender oil

½ tsp/1 g turmeric powder

+ Mix all together, rub on face and leave on for twenty minutes. Wash off with a warm towel. You can also use this mask on your arms and neck (don’t forget about taking care of your neck; the skin is delicate and needs special attention!).

To sum it up:
Skin care shouldn’t be some super-crazy puzzle. In a nutshell: Drink lots of fresh veggie juices; consume fruits, vegetables, fish and eggs; chug water; don’t be a certifiable product junkie; stay out of the sun; keep it simple; and, most importantly, do what works best for you!

9
HAIR, HAIR
AND MORE HAIR

Whenever I’m having a great hair day, I feel like a girl from a Pantene Pro-V
^®
commercial.

I smile bigger. My outfit doesn’t seem to matter as much.

And overall, I just feel like I’m radiating more confidence.

Because let’s face it: Hair is
muy importante.

I’m going to provide the breakdown of one of my favorite topics: hair. It doesn’t matter if yours is short, long, thick, curly, wavy, messy, dirty—we all have one thing in common: We all love good hair days.

I MEAN, RIGHT?

Let’s start from the beginning:

Shampoo:
My relationship with you is complicated. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don’t. I’m a big believer in shampooing (or washing hair, for that matter) only twice a week, sometimes once a week.

Before you stop reading this book because you’re so disgusted, listen up.

If you wash your hair every day, you’re doing two things: damaging your hair (ESP if it’s colored) and wasting your time. Time that could be spent reading, relaxing or on more-productive activities.

I discovered that not washing my hair all the time made my hair shinier, thicker and more luscious.

Also, who doesn’t love hippie chic hair? It’s kinda cool if ya really think about it.

Long, natural, relaxed hair is making a comeback.

Overdone, beauty pageant hair is nasty.

Honestly, I can’t believe it even had a moment.

OK. BACK TO SHAMPS.

I have many friends who have adopted the no-poo method. This is where they skip the shampoo altogether and go straight for the conditioner.

I’ve heard mixed reviews. For the no-poo method, I swear by products such as WEN
^®
by Chaz Dean in Sweet Almond Mint or Fig Cleansing Conditioner. Most two-in-one conditioners strip the color out of the hair. Not this one. It cleanses and provides the right amount of moisture. Also, Wen
^®
is awesome because it’s free of sulfates and chemicals and contains absolutely no detergent. Some of my friends say they have to use Wen
^®
only once a week! Sounds like heaven, right?

If you’re into shampooing your hair, make sure you’re using a paraben-free and sulfate-free brand. My favorite kind is by Moroccanoil
^®
. It smells delish and works wonders on my rat’s nest.

So. My main point in regard to shampoo is to use it sparingly. There’s no reason to clean your hair every.single.day.

If you cut back on the washes, get ready for some serious dream hair.

Conditioner:
Clearly conditioner is a must-have (ESP if you’re doing the no-poo method).

Conditioner doesn’t have to be just that white, creamy substance that everyone uses after shampoo. The right leave-in conditioner can rock your world. My preference is Biolage Daily Leave-In Tonic by Matrix
^®
. I find if I don’t use a leave-in conditioner, my hair is difficult to brush through and doesn’t smell as yummy. So find one that works for you, and use it!

As far as using normal conditioner in the shower, don’t let it touch the hair’s root. If conditioner touches the roots, it tends to make the hair appear greasy and gross. I like to put conditioner only on the bottom half of my hair. Works like a charm!

Dry shampoo:
Dry shampoo is a powder-like shampoo that doesn’t need to be washed out with water. I throw it in my gym bag because it takes one second to apply and is great for ridding the hair of sweat or grease. It’s perfect for when you don’t have time to wash your hair. If you’re out of dry shamps, use baby powder. It has the same effects and makes dirty hair appear clean. Dry shampoo is especially effective after a workout (hint, hint).

Brushes:
They’re everything. If you own a shitty brush, be prepared for crazy hair.

I literally could not live without my Wet Brush™.

IT’S A LIFE CHANGER.

I’m not big into brushing my hair, so I use the Wet Brush
^™
. A Wet Brush
^™
is a hairbrush that works really well for ridding the hair of knots. It’s the only brush I’ve found that doesn’t pull on my hair or hurt my scalp. It’s very hair-friendly. And does wonders for my rat’s nest.

I’ve never been one of those girls like Marcia Brady who counts her brush stokes, but let me tell ya: The Wet Brush
^™
gets the job done.

Especially (and obviously) when the hair is wet. Instead of sweating from hair brush frustration and spending an extra twenty minutes brushing your locks, you’ll spend about a minute.

Blow dryers, straighteners, curling irons, etc.:
I honestly cringe when people tell me they blow dry, straighten and/or curl their hair on the reg. Hair needs a break. I will put heat on my hair once a week at most. If you ever see someone whose hair is fried, it’s typically the result of one of two things: a bad hair extension job or overuse of hair dye and/or heat. Keep the heat away from your head as much as possible. Also, if you’re using a blow dryer, make sure it’s an ionic blow dryer. They’re known to promise twice the water removal, which means there’s less heat damage. I know no one wants to hear this, but straight irons are worse than blow dryers. And please, oh please, stay away from blow dryers with 400°F/200
^°
C settings unless you’re working with a professional. I mean, you’re practically ironing your hair. Kinda nasty when you think about it, huh? Make sure you’re always using the lowest setting possible. To add extra protection, work as quickly as possible.

My biggest hair tip when it comes to heat: Let your hair air dry for as long as possible before you use heated tools!

Rollers:
Call me old school, but I love a good drugstore roller. They’re cheap and easy to use. I throw them in my hair (starting front to back) while I’m doing my makeup all the time. I only use them on the middle part of my hair, though; I keep the sides of the hair down. Rollers provide some body and make the hair appear clean (even if it’s dirty and gross—lol).

DIY beach waves:
Who doesn’t love beach waves?! They’re effortlessly chic and so, so easy. Make your own DIY beach wave spray using an empty spray bottle. Use a tablespoon/15 g of sea salt (per 8 oz/240 ml of water), ½ teaspoon/2 ml of coconut oil, two to five drops of tea tree oil and one dab of all-natural hair gel. Use the DIY spray on damp or dry hair. And
voilà!
You’ve got yourself some sexy, bombshell waves.

The hippie chic look:
Ahhhh. My favorite look. Typically in pictures, this is the look I always go for. So WTF is hippie chic hair? Welp, it’s the “I don’t give an F” look. Too cool for school, rock ‘n’ roll, sex kitten look. My trick for hippie chic hair (don’t laugh): Assuming I want this look for a Saturday, I’ll curl my hair outward (but super, super tight) on Friday afternoon.

Side note:
I’m obviously not venturing out into civilization on Friday night because I absolutely despise that tight-curled, pageant look. I spray my hair and sleep on it. Yes, I sleep on it. Sleeping on it allows the curls to completely relax. When I wake up, I shake it out again and then put it in a low, low (like at the nape of the neck) bun and clip it with a tiny alligator clip. Then I spray the bun once with a bit of hair spray. I go about my day with a low bun. By Saturday night, I shake it out again and add a tiny bit more spray (I love, love, love Dove
^®
Extra Hold travel-size hair spray; it’s light and it smells yummy). And I’m ready to par-tay. Here’s the cool thing about this look: Sometimes my hair will look even better by Sunday! This is totally amazing for someone who hates heat damage.

The Victoria’s Secret curl:
Here’s the trick to how those gorgeous girls get their hair looking so amaze: Curl outward. Sound easy? It’s not. After you’ve washed your hair, let it air dry for about twenty minutes. Then, using a blow dryer (on a low setting, of course), dry your hair straight. Grab a heated curling iron and make sure the iron is parallel to your face as you curl downward and outward. Use an alligator clip to do your hair in sections. When you curl the hair, make sure you leave a 1-inch/25-mm section sticking out at the end. That will provide those long, long, beautiful curls. The most important part: Make sure the pieces in front of your face are really curled outward. Spray hair with a light hair spray and shake out the curls a bit. You want it to look like you didn’t spend hours on your hair, so the shake is essential. Oh, and FYI: If you want to look like Shirley Temple or attain bridal hair (« opposite of VS hair), then position the curling iron perpendicular and curl inward.

Post-pool hair:
If I had my way, I would wear a swimming cap every time I swam. But I don’t really think that look’s in right now. A quick, easy trick for the pool is to precondition your hair. Applying conditioner before going into the pool helps to protect the hair from nasty-ass chlorine damage. And obviously: Wash your hair as soon as possible when you’re done swimming. Also!!! NEVER go into the pool with a braid; it will break your hair.

Split ends:
Call me crazy, but I love the split-end look. When people ask me why my hair is so long, I tell them my dirty, little secret: I cut it once a year (if that), and when I don’t cut it, I get it “dusted.” Uhhh … I know what you’re thinking: “WTF is dusting?” Dusting is a technique where the stylist doesn’t take any length off; she just carefully snips the split ends off. The hair that’s taken off is so fine that it looks just like dust on the ground. Love, die, dead. My favorite trick on earth.

In any case, I feel like hairdressers all had a secret meeting and decided that if they told the world that their hair wouldn’t grow unless it was cut every three months, then they would make more money. I’m living proof that if you don’t cut your hair frequently, it will grow as long as you want. Besides, split ends are kind of “in” right now. That hippie chic Lauren Conrad look is hot, hot, hot. Dust away, ladies!