Hair care

From Lackluster to Luscious; How Joico’s Defy Damage Line Transformed My Hair

August 8, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

My hair is usually a huge mess. It’s summer in Las Vegas, which means daily temps are over 100°F. Take that heat, add in humidity during Monsoon Season (AKA now), and like I said, my hair turns into a HUGE MESS. My long hair becomes frizzy and unruly. I have dry, damaged hair, yet I have oily hair at the same time (what?!). Not to mention, the sun strips my hair dye at alarming rates. I need a really good shampoo, conditioner, conditioning masque, and heat protectant to manage my long locks. Luckily, I discovered the Joico Defy Damage hair care line!

Disclosure: I received a sample of Joico’s Defy Damage hair care line, in exchange for an honest review. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are 100% mine.

I wasn’t familiar with Joico, so I was excited to do some research on this amazing company, and their life-changing hair products (that are sulfate and paraben free!). I was generously offered the Defy Damage Protective Shampoo, Defy Damage Protective Conditioner, Defy Damage Protective Masque, and Defy Damage Protective Shield. I’M IN LOVE!

I’m pretty picky about my hair care products. I don’t like greasy heat shields, oils (usually), and well, okay, I don’t really like any hair products besides shampoo and conditioner. However, I need a masque and heat protectant. I’m being totally honest: these products are PERFECT, especially because they smell so, so good!

I use the masque once a week (at night), and it leaves my hair SO SOFT. Even my boyfriend noticed the difference (he’s been brushing my hair lately, because I had neck surgery, and my shoulder is essentially useless). The protective shield gives my hair the perfect amount of protection from my straightener and the sun, in addition to strong, shiny hair, without feeling oily or greasy.

Look how gorgeously smooth and soft my hair is in this picture!

From the Joico website: “Protect all hair types from the ravaging effects of daily heat styling, UV exposure, and environmental pollution that lead to dry, dull, lackluster locks with Joico’s NEW Defy Damage haircare system. This damage-defying breakthrough helps protect and strengthen hair bonds for a healthy-hair transformation you can instantly see and feel.” Defy Damage products have SmartRelease technology. They continually release Rose Hip Oil, Arginine, and Keratin.

I’m really glad I’ve been introduced to Joico’s Defy Damage hair care line; I’ve easily become a regular customer! I bet you’ll feel the same way, too. 🙂

Buy a Joico DD Trial Kit at Ulta! And don’t forget to visit Joico’s website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Have you used Joico products?
What do you look for in quality hair care? Comment below!

Thank you for reading!

Keep in touch on Instagram 🙂

How Science and Technology Can “Formulate” Your Personalized Hair Care [Giveaway]

December 12, 2018 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

My hair has always been a greasy, frizzy, flat and thin mess. Every single morning, I have to wash my hair, try to figure out the right products (I need oil but also dry shampoo but that doesn’t make sense ahhh), and hope that it holds up okay throughout the day. Spoiler Alert: it never does.?

Don’t even get me started on the ridiculously hot and dry weather we get in Vegas, along with those random days of 40+% humidity (humidity is my mortal enemy). I find myself looking at tons of shampoos and conditioners in the aisle at Kroger, trying to figure out the difference between this brand/color/ingredients/name/whatevenisthis. Yet, I never seem to find the right fit.

Well, it’s a great time to be alive, because a haircare company called Formulate creates CUSTOM shampoo and conditioner, literally JUST. FOR. YOUR. HAIR. They use science (gasp!) & technology (double gasp!) to figure out your specific hair type, based on your hair issues, your goals, your environment… basically everything that plays a role in your hair. A chemist (yep, like an official scientist in a lab and everything) creates the perfect formula for you. Your best ~~life~~ hair has never been So. Flippin. Easy.

Formulate Bottles, so chic!
white bottle: conditioner
black bottle: shampoo

*Disclosure: I received a set of shampoo and conditioner as part of a campaign with Formulate. No monetary compensation was received. All words & opinions are my own.

Here’s how the process of using Formulate was for me:

First, I took a personalized hair care quiz (found on their website). I answered questions about how my hair was dull, lackluster, thinning, had split ends, and so on. It asked if my scalp had any issues or sensitivity. I shared that I wanted to mend those issues to create shiny, healthy, thick hair without weighing it down. The quiz asked for my zip code, which I thought was strange, BUT, it’s so they can take into account what the weather will be like where you live for the next month. SO COOL! Environment plays a huge role in our hair, but lot of people don’t think about that. I was able to select the scent (I went with Shoreline), and the intensity of the scent (I chose Medium).

After finishing the quiz, I submitted my order for one 14oz bottle of custom shampoo and one 14oz bottle of custom conditioner. *Note: you can order a small sample bottle to give it a try before committing to the bigger bottles!

My pretty package with the hair products and a mini booklet of info about my hair (everything that was gathered from the quiz) arrived in less than a week. The mini booklet provides a list of ingredients (no sulfates, parabens, or any of that nasty junk) and instructions of how much to use (I appreciated this SO much).

I started using my personal shampoo and conditioner right away. I was so excited!

About 2 weeks into the use of my formula, I noticed that my hair was feeling like I had left product in it. You know, that gross, weird greasy feeling, like someone put Crisco in your hair? I remember reading that the first formula may not always be perfect, and it may need tweaking. I contacted Formulate; they indicated it was coating my hair a little bit and they’d update my formula right away. I received the new formula quickly, and it was PERFECT! Six weeks later and my hair is shiny, full, thick, and easy to manage, without the oiliness. I am not joking when I say that I get compliments all the time. It’s a nice little confidence boost! ☺️

Before Formulate // After 6 weeks of using Formulate

I’m seriously so obsessed with my personalized shampoo and personalized conditioner, and of course my “new” hair. I’m no longer stressed when styling it, and it takes half the time it used to. I’m so happy Formulate exists; it’s my new haircare FOR LIFE! #FormulateForMe

GIVEAWAY! YAY!

Formulate has graciously offered to give away ONE FULL SET of personalized shampoo and conditioner ($49 value) to one of my lucky readers/followers!

It’s super simple to enter. Visit this link: www.formulate.co/u/lyndsinreallife

Enter your email address & click submit. That’s it!

*US only, 18 & over. Giveaway ends Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018. The winner will be notified by Formulate through email.

Thank you Formulate for creating a great product & fixing my hair issues so quickly! #FormulateForMe

Find Formulate on their website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Download the app here!

Thank you for reading!

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Beauty Reviews

Beat The Winter Dryness with Maple Holistics Avocado Oil (+ Free Sample)

January 31, 2017 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Living in the desert during the winter can be brutal to my hair and skin. It’s cold and the humidity is under 10%, causing my hair to frizz and break apart, plus cause my skin to be incredibly dry. I’m always searching for a natural moisturizer that isn’t oily, but actually WORKS. Luckily, I’ve recently discovered Maple Holistics Avocado Oil!

Disclosure: I received a free bottle of avocado oil from Maple Holistics, in the hopes that I’d review it on my blog. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

Maple Holistics, a beauty and skincare company based out of New Jersey, prides itself on being:

Made In The USA
All Natural
Cruelty Free
Sulfate Free
Safe for Color

They have products ranging from shampoo, to body wash, to skin serums. I was really excited to try the avocado oil for two reasons: hair/skin therapy + I love avocados! I know avocados contain healthy fats, so I imagined they would help my hair/skin too. What’s great is that this avocado contains nothing but avocado oil! It’s 100% pure avocado oil. It’s also cold-pressed and refined.

The suggested uses for this avocado oil are:

Lightly massage into skin, especially dry areas.
Apply directly to scalp as a hair conditioner, or add drops to shampoo before applying.

I really like using this avocado oil on my elbows (really dry areas) and as a conditioner once or twice a week. It’s made such a difference! Mind you, I color my hair, and the avocado oil doesn’t strip the color at all (check out this article about their purple shampoo, which is great for colored hair).

My boyfriend likes to use the oil for his beard, which is usually super scratchy and coarse (but not anymore!).

Photo Courtesy of the Maple Holistics Website

Want to get a FREE sample?!

Maple Holistics offers free samples on their website to people who are willing to post an honest review on their website! You’ll receive your complimentary sample. You can currently you can choose between: Botanical Dry Hair Shampoo, Sweet Almond Oil, or Cedarwood Shampoo. Sign up to get your free sample here!

Have you decided the avocado oil is perfect for you (it definitely is for me!)? Order on their site or on Amazon, and you can get free shipping for orders over $25, or free shipping and a gift for orders over $35.

For more info + updates about Maple Holistics, sign up for emails on their website or like them on Facebook!

Have you used avocado oil? Did you like it?
What do you look for in a moisturizer (skin or hair)?
Are you going to apply for the free sample?!