10 Life Changing Hair Products

I am linking back up with Lizzie , Sierra , Danielle , Emily, and Lindsay for Girl Chat. This month we're talking our favorite hair products. I never get tired of talking about this, that and make up. So here we go.

Back in 2016 I decided to intentionally learn how to do my hair. I tried some pretty awesome hair styles during the year long challenge. 

But what I bought a lot of, was hair products, I needed to figure out what the best was for everything. So here are my favorite products to date.

*Some of the links are affiliate links and I will  either receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you click on it or if you make a purchase from one of these links, I may also receive a commission on the sale of the product. Click here for my disclosure page. 

Best Shampoo:

I have found that this shampoo works best with my dry shampoo, because we all know that dry shampoo is life. I've tried different combos of shampoo with dry shampoo to find the most effective way to extend between washings and this is it, right here. I love this stuff!

Best Dry Shampoo: 

Hands down best dry shampoo is Amika brand.

A close second would be Living Proof Dry Shampoo, but I prefer the Amika one, but this one works too.

Related: How To Use Dry Shampoo

Best Hair Mask:

This is a new category, I had tried this one, but didn't feel like it worked all that great. So after finishing that container (which took forever when you only wash your hair once or twice a week) I wanted to try something else. I needed to get to free shipping, and got this hair mask and oh my goodness, so awesome! It makes my hair so soft and shiny. You won't regret this purchase either.

Best Hair Oil:

I don't even know if I can make this a category, and I, myself have to get better about using this product, but I do find that it works pretty well for dry hair. I'm busy and sometimes can't get to a hair cut as often as I would like, so I try to use this on my hair each day, to try and give my hair some moisture. And it smells really good too. If you want to try it out first, buy the mini, that's what I did, and quite frankly am still using it a year later. 

Best Products for Doing Your Hair:

I know strange category, but if you are wanting to do your hair, these products I found to be the best. 

First thing...if you want to do hair, you HAVE to get better bobby pins. The ones from the store don't even come close to as awesome as these are. And they aren't too expensive. I started trying to do my hair in 2016 and 2.5 years later I'm still using the same tub of bobby pins. The come in bronze, silver and black. I'm sure you can get quality bobby pins at Sally Beauty Supply too, so bottom line...drop the drug store bobby pins and get something better.

Related: How To Use A Bobby Pin

Next thing is dry wax...this is so important for taming those fly aways. Seriously, I don't know what I did before this discovering this stuff. I have to admit, I haven't tried any other dry wax, spray. I also have a dry wax gel, which I use for doing braids, I put on braids, so those little hairs don't fly out, but the dry wax is great for when you're done and you have those fly aways...spray this on, and you're good to go.

Related: How to French Braid Your Own Hair

When you're too lazy to actually really do anything to your hair, and you just want some fun curls? I found that if I use this on my hair first, then curl, my curls last longer. What I do is use the heat protectant, curl my hair, hair spray it and leave it to completely cool. Usually I do my make up, then the last step after my make up is done, I come my fingers through, spray with a little more hair spray and I'm done. 

What do you do if you are wanting to do your hair but your hair is too clean. Or if you have thin hair...and want some volume, what do you use?  Amika Un.Done Texture Spray! This stuff is the best, it gives you that grit without feeling heavy or grimmy, if that makes sense. It just gives you hair a little bit of texture, so when you're trying those hair styles out, it's not slipping all over the place.

And I think the last favorite hair product is my curling wand. I was using a regular curling iron and nothing made my curls last, but after using this, I can go between washes and have the curls last up to 5 days! There is almost always a coupon code out there to get them, and you don't need to get that set, I just got it because it was on sale, and I don't even use two of the barrels...

Related: How To Curl Your Hair

What is doing your hair without your favorite hair spray. In 2 years I've gone through 2 bottles already....I've tried so many, and this one is my absolute favorite.

Here is a video where I describe everything with a little more detail.

So those are all of my favorite hair products. What is something you love that I have to try?

Linking up here

Girl Chat: Dream Vacation

I am so excited that Lizzie , Sierra , Danielle , Emily, and Lindsay are starting a new link up. Each month they pick a new topic, this month we are talking about our dream vacations, where to, who with and what would we see?

 

I think my dream vacation, and really Mr.'s too, would be to take the kids to Italy and live there for 3 months, probably during summer, so the kids don't miss school. Although we have considered home school so that we can traveling for months at a time with the kids and be able to do school wherever we are. That is still not off the table, but has been sidelined until we feel like it is the right time for us.

We want to rent a house/apartment, not sure which city...but maybe in Florence/Tuscany area? But we'd use that as a home base, and then travel all over Europe. Ideally we'd be able to do this several times, each time going to a different place to gain new experiences for both us and the kids. I want them to see different cultures and appreciate everyone around the world.

This pictures were taken in Florence when Mr. and I went in 2008. Wow that was a walk down memory lane going through the pictures.

We went on a 10 mile bike ride through Tuscany as well, this is one of the pictures I took while bike riding, which I don't suggest doing, biking and taking pictures is hard.

  In case you want to participate in the future these are the topics.

Where would you want to go if you could do or see anything?

Linking up here

Girl Chat: A Million Dollars

Linking up with Lizzie , Sierra , Danielle , Emily, and Lindsay and their girl chat link up. This month they're asking what we would do with $1,000,000, wow that's a lot of money. 

I would quit work. I know that sounds dramatic because let's face it a million dollars isn't much when you live where I do. But I am super close to not needing to work, so this would allow me to do it much sooner than we thought.

Then I would pay off our house, cause wouldn't everyone do that?

Then I would put away some money for the kids college fund, which is probably most of it, by the time my kids get to college it's going to cost a fortune!

Okay not really, there will still be some left after that, I figure we'd do the adult thing and save half of whatever is left, and then other part we would probably put in a vacation fund. 

Actually I take that back, I'm going to be selfish, and go on a massive shopping spree. So let's pretend I get this money in a week, I would just get whatever I wanted at the Nordstrom Anniversary sale, because we all know we want those $300 boots but always talk ourselves out of it, not this time, I would get whatever I wanted and not feel the least bit guilty. (longest run-on sentence ever).

Then AFTER the shopping spree, I would buy some window shades/coverings for our kitchen/family room. It gets direct morning light and in the summer, man it's hot! Plus where the TV is, the glare from the window makes it nearly impossible to watch tv for a good portion of the day. Every year I say this is the year we're going to get something, and every year something else comes up...one day I will get that.

Then after that I would buy new doors for the inside of the house. The doors in our house don't match and it drives me insane. One door is all smooth, another had 4 panels, another has 6 panels, crazy I tell ya!     

Eventually we want to change our bathroom, but aren't quite ready to do that, so I would probably set aside some money to eventually do that one day.

I think that's all I would do for now, put some in a vacation fund, we are big budgeters, so it would allow us wiggle room to do more vacations, when and where we wanted, allow the kids to see the world. In the end we want our kids to be well rounded and not spoiled, to know the world, yet have compassion and love to those around them.

What would you do with 1 million dollars?
 

 

Linking up here

Easter Traditions

Another month with Lizzie , Sierra , Danielle , Emily, and Lindsay for Girl Chat...I love this link up and I hope you join in too!  This month we're talking Easter Traditions.

Actually I have to admit we don't have that man round our parts. I'm not sure why. Baby Fox is 6 and we have yet to die Easter Eggs, I think I always thought it was sort of dumb? Even as a kid I didn't really want to do it, so we've never carried on that tradition. Although this year, I did buy an Easter egg dying kit...so we'll see if we actually use it. I have 3 days to figure it out.

My number 1 Easter tradition is buying Easter clothes. I think this is the first year that I haven't bought the boys anything. I figure they can wear something they already have. Baby Fox has so many button down shirts of which he only wears to church, he doesn't need any more. Of course I bought something for Mini Fox, this is what I bought, which I show cased in my Spring wedding outfits post. That being said I had a few choices for Easter Sunday this year. I bought this dress, verdict is still out. Not sure if it's completely see through or not, I have been getting home after dark so I can't tell. I guess we'll find out soon enough. If that doesn't work out, I think I'm going to go with this outfit.

Here is a link on how I curl my hair.

Cause what girl doesn't like a twirly skirt?

We started the tradition of leaving empty Easter baskets outside of the Easter Bunny to fill because I want to be able to keep the same Easter baskets each year. We had to come up with something so that we could keep resuing them. We told the kids that you leave it outside and that the Easter Bunny knows when you're at church and comes during that time. It worked last year, hoping it works again this year. Of course we don't have pictures, but I do have pictures of the baskets filled up after we left them out overnight.

This is what their Easter baskets will look like this year.

Another tradition is that our local Real Estate agent hosts a Easter Eggstraveganza at our neighborhood park. Full of games, 2500 eggs and a bounce house. The kids love it every year.

2011

2012 - super blurry....

2013

2014

2015

2016 

2017

I love taking pictures outside in our backyard, so I've tried to take a picture of us each year. Apparently this didn't start until Mini was born...


2014

2015
 

2016

And then there was that time I tried to take pictures with the kids for the holiday...For the first year of their life, I did a themed photo shoot for each holiday

2011

2014

One of our Easter traditions is going to my Aunts house for a yummy dinner. She always has Easter eggs for the kids to find, and sometimes we find them, then hide them again so we can start the hunting all over again. And apprently I am really bad at taking pictures becasue I have random pictures from past Easter that make no sense...so you get two years, haha.

2013



2014

 
2016

So those are our Easter Traditions. Not very many, and hopefully this year I'll be better about taking photos while at my Aunt's. 

  

Linking up here

Girl Chat: Luck

I am so excited that Lizzie , Sierra , Danielle , Emily, and Lindsay are starting a new link up. I missed last month due to traveling last minute, but I'm hoping to join them each month. This month they've asked us to describe a time that you were really lucky. 

You know I haven't shopped at Victoria's Secret in so long, but back when Baby Fox was little, I had bought a few things from there, and they gave me one of those cards, come back between this time and this time and you can win up to $500 gift card. Usually people win a free pair of underwear or a free bra. I had almost forgotten I had it, and I was in the car ready to go to the mall, and remembered I had it and ran up stairs to grab that card. I figured, a free pair of underwear is better than nothing right? So I'm at the mall, and turn in the card and the sales lady looks at me sort of funny, I ask if everything is okay. She says yes, that she's never actually seen any win before. Then handed me the card and said, you just won a $500 gift card!

Woo hoo! Made this mama's day, and I really needed it too, I was feel down in the dumps and this really perked me back up. Can I tell you how hard it is to spend $500 in one afternoon with a baby? Because the promotion was ended I had 3 days to spend it. So the next day we drove out to a bigger Victoria's Secret, one that carried bathing suites and workout gear, which made it super easy to spend.

How have you been lucky in the past?

Linking up here