Dyson Air Wrap

 Gals, I have wanted this Dyson Airwrap since it first came out! It's been on my Christmas list for several years and each time I take it off because it's so pricey. This past year my hair suffered heat damage and had some significant breakage so I was eager to have it at the top of my wish list! 

Significant Note: My hair is my crown of glory!

It is my most favorite thing about my appearance

and I wear it big and high (closer to heaven).

After about 3 months of learning how to style my hair with 'air', I've got the hang of it. 

STEP 1

Start with hair that has air dried at least half way. I take this time to do my make up, make breakfast, tidy my home, you get the idea.

I use the comb attachment for a fairly straight blow out look.

Using sections of hair (I have a ton!), keep the tool moving through as you dry it into style.

STEP 2

For the top of my hair, I use the round brush attachment for a soft, high and voluminous look. 

CURLS

For the curling attachment, there are two size options for the wrap barrels. This works best when hair is damp and the air 'DRYS' it into a curled style away from your face. The curls are not like the ones you'll get from a curling iron. They are softer and have more of a blown out/hot rolled look. They do not hold a tight shape all day. I find that it's more natural looking.

I was able to purchase at a big discount during a Black Friday sale.

Tip: shop around holidays for a discount!

I know that this is a splurge item BUT as always Dyson is #1 in my book! I have 4 vacuum items and the same quality and performance I love from them, I love in this hair styler! I believe it will last for many years.

I recently had my hair trimmed and my hairdresser noticed a big difference in overall health!

Your hair is something you wear every single day.

Take care of it and style it beautifully! 

DYSON AIRWRAP

Dress Your Hair Beautifully

XOXO Sarah Louise

Friday 5: Beauty Arsenal

TGIF! Whew this week has been a rough one. Though I had more moments than I'd like just trying to hold it all together there were also some awesome wins! You have to work hard not to let the light of the great stuff be darkened by the not so good stuff. Stop and count your blessings!

When it comes to tackling tough hair days I rely on a few key tools and products to bring it to life so I can at least tackle the day looking good.  Since I don't take it easy on my mane with curling irons, hairdryer, hairspray to combat the daily sweat sessions and a mere twice a week washing, I have to use a few tricks to spruce it up.

Regardless of your schedule no one has time to spend hours coiffing. And with hair as thick as mine a blow out twice a week is as much as I can muster. And it's healthier to skip a few days.

So no matter how crazy life is - you can hide it!

My beauty arsenal ...

Hairdryer  ||  1" Curling Iron  ||  3-1/2" Round Brush  ||  Dry Shampoo  ||  Hairspray  || 

Hairdryer:  Well, if you follow me on Instagram you saw that #thestruggleisreal.  My hairdryer was held together with masking tape after I dropped it on our slate bathroom floor! I've since replaced it with this one.   It's made of a softer plastic so it should survive the beatings.  I use the concentrator attachment to help shape my hair and focus on the roots.  It's key to drying out the sweat around my hairline after the gym.

Curling Iron:  I use a 1" size and close to the highest heat setting.  I try and only curl my entire mane on wash day and maybe a bit for touch ups on day 2 or 3. By using a smaller barrel iron I have smaller curls on day 1 and day 2 they've fallen, looser and just right!

Round Brush:  This big barrel brush is essential for drying my hair with volume and straightening out my natural curls.  It's also great for lifting the roots so I can dry the sweat out on the in-between days.

Dry Shampoo: LIFESAVER!!!!!! This has changed my life! Best dry shampoo I've ever tried.  I buy several at a time for fear I'll run out and can't find it.  I've tried multiple scents and love them all.  It adds texture, major volume and truly refreshes my mane.  You'd never know I hadn't washed it in several days. I shake it, spray it on my roots and rub it in vigorously with my fingers and Ta Da!

Hairspray:  I've tried a variety of cans and this one is so far my fav.  I don't like my hair to be crunchy and plastered but I need it to hold and still move.  I'm also a bit particular about smell.  I like to wear perfume so I prefer all my beauty products to be unscented as to not compete. This hairspray is just right; not too firm, flexible and truly holds with a nice smell. I try to use it sparingly as heat and alcohol dry out your hair and I want to protect it as much as possible.

So there you have it, the tools I use everyday for coiffing my lion mane.  From the curly day 1 to the low pony on day 4, I use these to create hair styled beautifully.

Dress Your Hair Beautifully

XOXO Sarah Louise

Tortoise

Tortoise is the name of land dwelling reptiles aka very large turtles. In the fashion world, tortoise most commonly refers to a resin material designed in amber, brown and black, to resemble the shell of the tortoise animal. 

I’ve shared with you many times that animal prints are my preferred prints over graphics because of their neutral colors and because they are natural.  I think of them as God’s art work.  While you can’t really replicate the true intricacy of these prints as they are one of a kind to each animal, like our fingerprints, textiles have come very close to conveying their beauty.

Because I love tortoise accessories so much and wear them on a very frequent basis I thought I’d share my favorites with you.

ALL of my hair accessories are tortoise!  I like to style my mane in a variety of styles. I truly don’t know how gals coif their manes the same way day in and day out #Boring!  I need strong clips to hold my massive locks in place and I also need them to be pretty and discrete.   Gals, it is not appropriate to have pony tail elastics on your wrist (keep them in your purse) or to have brightly colored one’s in your hair(unless you’re exercising – I’m all about bright colors for my sweat sessions).  You want your hair style to look effortless and polished.  Tortoise as well as solid neutral clips & pins that correspond with your hair color do just that.

As for jewelry and other accessories, tortoise print offers a unique texture in a smooth glossy resin as well as a subtle print.  In rich neutral shades they go with everything!  I also find that because tortoise is a blend of brown and black that it’s much softer that just solid darks.

Just for fun, did you know that a tortoises generally have a longer lifespan than any other animal often exceeding 150 years!!

Go accessorize yourself in pieces with the classic tortoise print. 

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Dress Beautifully in Tortoise

XOXO Sarah Louise

Mane Maintainence

My red hair is my most favorite thing about my appearance!  I believe that every gal should make a point to find things about their appearance that they love! It gives confidence and reminds us that God made us all beautiful.

I don't have 'wash &go' hair, it's more of a mane because it's thick, corse and I have enough for 3 gals! (my sisters tease me and call it my 'weave' because to them it's unnatural to have so much hair on one head!)

Another truth, my mane is also naturally curly.  I detested it's unruly texture most of my life, but over the years I've learned how to work with my tresses and use the curl to my advantage.  In high school it was a hot mess (I had no idea how to manage) - In College, stick straight hair was the thing (I sure did try but living in a beach town I was fighting an uphill battle) so for those 4 years I had a big frizzy  fro on my head or I just wore it organically aka 'skip the blow dryer and go curly'. 

The key to maintencing one's mane is to work with what you have and to avoid comparing - Everyone is different and by sticking to the natural you achieve the most flattering style for you. 

So for me I wear mine large and curled most of the time and just occasionally I'll put in the energy to straighten it out. 

Lucky for me I LOVE big hair - Higher the Hair Closer to Heaven! 

Length: For me, I keep it just below the shoulders and longer (pinning up is key for the gym and in creating a variety of style options & it's just too darn big to go shorter - I'd block the view of others at the movies!) 

Cut & Color: I don't trim as often as I should due to my Fear of bad chopping.  I was born a ginger but like blondes over the years it has gone from strawberry to muddy!  But because it's so dry & corse I use a semipermanent  wash-in glaze to avoid harsh chemical dyes and to give it some umph! 

Washing: OK here's the shocker ... I clean my mane 2 times a week WHAT?!!! AND I don't use shampoo ... I use a cleansing conditioner Wen.  It's one product that cleans and conditions but that doesn't use chemicals that strip the hair.  It takes some getting used to because it doesn't lather, it's like a thick lotion and you apply it by coating sections of your hair and then combing it through.  

You're probably thinking it's gross that I don't wash my hair (I have intense sweat sessions at the gym 5-6 days/week!) So I basically use a round brush and blow dry the sweat out and keep going.

I just don't have time to process (wash, dry, style) more often and it would just kill my hair!

So here's my routine:

Wet hair completely in shower

Flip hair upside down

Pull 1-2" sections of hair & coat with Wen concentrating at the roots and pulling through to the end

Once all of your hair is coated and comb through with a wide tooth comb

Let sit for 5 mins (get clean)

Add at little water to your hair and massage 

Rinse

After Shower I apply face & body creams and make up allowing my hair to air-dry a bit

Blow dry in sections using a paddle and large round brush

Clip sections of hair and curl with iron

Hairspray optional if so just a little (b/c I have natural curl it tends to hold without spray but for special occasions I spray lightly) It contains alcohol and can dry out & cause breakage

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Dress Your Mane Beautifully

XOXO Sarah Louise