Friday, April 30, 2010

Salon Grafix Dry Shampoo

A long time ago I remember hearing about that wannabe actress, Heidi Montag (now a living, breathing piece of plastic with all her surgeries. Sigh…) freaking out on a show called “I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here!” (never watched it) because they took away her dry shampoo. I couldn’t care less that this silly girl was having a two-year old tantrum on TV for all to see (and laugh at I might add), I was more interested in the idea of dry shampoo. What in the world is that?

Dry shampoo are usually powdered shampoos that are designed to work without water. They are typically based on powders such as starch or talc, and are intended to absorb excess sebum from the hair before being brushed out. They actually make darker powers for people with dark color hair.

Interesting… But how do they REALLY work? Well, I had the chance to find out first hand with Salon Grafix Invisible Dry Spray Shampoo.

I’m not one to add any product to my hair. Maybe once in a blue moon I’ll use some hairspray. Mostly I just “wash and go”. I usually keep my hair in a ponytail too (low maintenance). Still, I was very curious about the Salon Grafix Invisible Dry Spray Shampoo.

I usually wash my hair every other day. If I don’t then it will start to look really dirty and greasy. I feel gross and disgusting when my hair looks that way.

I know as a busy mom that some days you are lucky to breathe let alone do anything else. Sometimes washing and styling your hair is more of a luxury then a necessity, especially Moms with newborns. Oh how I remember those days!

No one wants to walk out the door with gross looking dirty, greasy hair. That is where the Salon Grafix Invisible Dry Spray Shampoo comes in. When you follow the directions it is suppose to leave your hair looking fresh and clean, and smelling fresh too.

I went three days without washing my hair (gross!) so I could try out the dry shampoo. I followed the directions exactly as they read on the can.

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I was a bit skeptical at first but I must say when I was finished my hair looked a million times better. It appears as if the dry shampoo absorbs the oils in your hair, especially down by the roots, that give it that greasy, dirty look.

My hair did look cleaner. I wouldn’t necessarily say it looked like I just stepped out the shower clean, but it certainly didn’t look like I had gone three days without washing my hair. In all fairness I have incredibly thick hair (sometimes a blessing, sometimes not so much). I don’t know if that makes a difference or not. If it could make my hair, as thick as it is, look much cleaner then it really was then I suspect it will make thinner hair look even better.

I wasn’t overly keen on how it made my hair feel. It wasn’t stiff but I could clearly feel that something was on my hair. I guess since I don’t use hair products for the most part that might be why. I’m just not used to it.

It didn’t cause any problems with styling my hair and it washed out perfectly fine. The dry shampoo also had a very pleasant smell. I also get Eczema on my scalp from time to time and I had no issues with this spray triggering any flare ups.

I’m sorry that I couldn’t bring myself to take “before” and “after” pictures. Eww!!! That would have bee GROSS!

Because this is “invisible” it’s great for all hair types and colors.

Overall I would say that I am very pleased with it. It does what it is suppose to do and I didn’t notice any “negatives” about the product at all except that it’s an aerosol can which is not good for the environment. It’s a handy product to have on hand “just in case” or if you are an incredibly busy woman (or man!) and just need a little help from time to time keeping your hair looking and smelling fresh.

Salon Grafix Invisible Dry Spray Shampoo can be found at Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens and several other retail locations.

To learn more about Salon Grafix Invisible Dry Spray Shampoo and other Salon Grafix products please visit www.SalonGrafix.com.

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*I received a free sample of this product to do this review. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

Nutrisystem Update for April 30, 2010

Another week has passed and I’m still doing well on Nutrisystem. This past week I lost 1.6 pounds. Again it was teetering between 1.5 and 1.6 but I’ll go with the 1.6 since it sounds better. Ha Ha.

Actually I’m rather surprised I lost. I FEEL bloated and stuffed for some reason. “That time” is right around the corner and it seems like right before then I don’t lose much on Nutrisystem, or I gain. Thankfully I lost weight. I would have bet you anything that I would have gained something or nothing at all. Even though I lost weight I feel like I weigh 500+ pounds at the moment.

I might add that I am noticing more and more a difference in my clothing. My sleeves on my short sleeve shirts are not as tight. There are a couple of shirts I wouldn’t wear because the sleeves felt like they were cutting off circulation to my upper arms. I am now noticing that they are feeling more comfortable. Yeah!

The week went well. With the exception of my insatiable appetite yesterday, which I can’t understand. My first couple of weeks into Nutrisystem I caved and had a piece of salami. Then I couldn’t stop obsessing about salami. This time around I craved something sweet. Cravings are such interesting things. Why do we crave what we do?

I know there are different reasons why we crave the things we do. Many times it has to do with some kind of hormonal imbalance or deficiency. Other times we crave things simply because they provide us with some kind of “comfort” or they help to elevate our mood. When I was pregnant with my daughter I lived on bologna and cheese sandwiches on a hard roll with lettuce and mayo. I think I ate one everyday. I had no cravings when I was pregnant with my son.

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I suffer from something called Pica. Not all the time, only when my iron levels get really low. Pica is where you crave non-food things like dirt, paper and chalk (things with no nutritional value). I crave ice when my iron gets low (called Pagophagia). I used to go through 2-3 TRAYS of ice a day. Thankfully my Anemia is more under control. I actually use the ice craving as a marker as to when to see the Hematologist. When I start noticing a craving I make an appointment.

Still…I wonder why I craved salami so much that day?

I think having the food scale has been very instrumental to me “getting” portion sizes. I used to think that the Nutrisystem portions seemed so small but the reality is they are the appropriate portion sizes. All my life I have always ate 2-3 times what is considered the appropriate portion size. It took eating the meals from Nutrisystem to finally get it to “click” in my mind.

Another thing I have been doing is looking for healthy recipes that resemble my favorite Nutrisystem foods. A few of my readers sent me some great vegetarian chili recipes. My son was thrilled and can’t wait for me to make it for him. Other Nutrisystem foods that are my favorites include the Cheesy Home Style Potatoes, Split Pea Soup and Black Beans and Rice. I could eat these EVERY DAY!

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The Nutrisystem community forums are a great way to find some great recipes too. I have several that I found from the forums that I am going to make. Some even use Nutrisystem foods.

Of course if I find a recipe for the Black Beans & Rice (for example) I need to remember that I have to follow the portion size! I’m sure I could eat bowls and bowls of it but I know that is not a good thing to do. Too bad the Nutrisystem products didn’t come in reusable containers. I’d save a few so I knew how to eye ball a portion size.

Speaking of Nutrisystem its time for lunch. Humm…what to have today?

To learn more about Nutrisystem visit www.Nutrisystem.com.

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*I am receiving the Nutrisystem program free to do this review. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.
Thursday, April 29, 2010

Yeah Me!!!

I am so very happy to share the great news with all of my readers. I was selected as the very first “Blogger of the Week” for Growning Tree Toys. Yeah!

If you are not familiar with Growing Tree Toys then offer a delightful assortment of educational learning toys for children from the ages of newborn up to 11+ years old. They also carry furniture, science kits, travel toys, musical toys and much more. They have brands such as Melissa & Doug, Playmobil, Calico Critters and Schelich to name a few.

If you would like to read my interview you can go to,
http://blog.growingtreetoys.com/blogger-of-the-week-she-scribes

Feel free to leave a comment on their site too if you want.

Smiley from millan.net Thank you to Growing Tree Toys for selecting me to be their very first Blogger of the Week. What a wonderful honor.

To learn more about Growing Tree Toys you can visit www.GrowningTreeToys.com.

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