Hair – The Rachel Whatever…

March 16, 2018March 16, 2018

Friday Favorite

Let me tell you a funny story about this week’s favorite item. My first job out of college was for a shoe company (whose name is not important) and the CEO of that company was a pretty amazing guy who invested in a bunch of companies. He was a joy to work for, and eventually after we all ended up going our separate ways we kept in touch. One day myself and two of my former supervisors met him for lunch in the city. He was pretty jazzed about this new company he was working with and he couldn’t stop talking about the product. “It’s a brush that’ll change your life!” And we’re thinking… Ok guy… a brush is a brush. Fast forward maybe a year later and I get an e-mail from an old sorority sister of mine who was then interning for this company and she asked if she could send me a sample of this brush. I was like WHAT?! What are the chances?? I gladly accepted, and let me tell you, my life was forever changed.

wet brush

The Wet Brush

I have naturally very curly hair, my daughter has naturally VERY curly hair… and not all brushes were made for our type of mane. If you have read up on hair care, typically you are supposed to brush your hair dry to avoid damage, but the wet brush was designed to be used on, duh, wet hair. The combination of bristles gently glides through your hair, de-tangling as it goes, without any pulling. Another plus? It can also be used to massage your scalp and it feels UH-MAZ-ING. This is the only brush I can use on my girls’ hair. Literally, the only brush they will let me use. If you read my post on my hair extensions then you have already heard me mention this brush before, and I was gifted the first brush 5 years ago. Since then I’ve purchased 4 more; two mini’s for Charlotte and Kennedy, and two more for myself. My dog’s ate my first one when they were puppies… Oh! Speaking of. They also make pet brushes! I say this all the time but I think I might have to invest in one for my boys as well. Anyway, click the link above to grab one for yourself if you haven’t already, you’ll be glad you did! This is legitimately a product I love and I think you will too.

February 19, 2018

All About My Hair Extensions

It’s no secret that my hair has died and gone to blonder pastures. I’ve put my hair through some shit the past few years, and no amount of biotin can save it fast enough for me. So when a friend of mine approached me about being a test model for one the girls in her salon to put Great Lengths Hair Extensions in my hair, I didn’t hesitate to say YUP.

I had Great Lengths hair extensions once before while I was in college and I was obsessed! As far as extensions go it doesn’t get any better than bonded ones… in my personal opinion. While I do enjoy clip-in’s, they give me an awful headache if I wear them for too long. They sit really heavy on your temples, so it’s easy to feel the weight sooner rather than later. If I wore them into the city while I was working, I’d be clawing them out of my hair on the train ride home… while popping advil at the same time. The whole process of putting in the extensions takes a long time. I arrived at the salon a little bit before 10am, and I didn’t leave until after 5, only taking a quick lunch break. So if you’re planning on taking this step, make sure you have a full day to dedicate to the process. Your stylist will most likely have you come in ahead of time to color match extensions to your current hair color to get the most natural look possible. Just a heads up, if you weren’t already aware, they are expensive. The hair itself is costly because it is real human hair, and the longer the length the higher the bill. The installation process is obviously quite lengthy, so that time will run you up a high tab as well. You’re looking to spend anywhere from $800-$1500, depending on how many bundles of hair you need and how long the hair is. Yeah… start saving your pennies. Like I said, this was a worthy investment for me because I can’t wear the clip-in extensions anymore. I am way too prone to migraines and bonded extensions do not sit as heavy on your head at all. If you take care of your extensions they should last you about 5 months.

You also need to invest in a boars hair bristle brush (I think that’s what it is?? hah) so you can brush through the bonds to prevent knotting without pulling on the extension and ripping it out. You should also be brushing your hair at least twice a day. I wash my hair about twice a week, as usual, and blow dry it with the extension brush rather than a round brush. I might go over the very top layer with a flat iron just to smooth it out, but other than that it dries very straight overall. My favorite way to style it right now is with a curling iron, the curls come out bouncy and smooth. Sleep with your extensions in a loose braid to keep them from getting tangled up.

I think I covered all the bases but if you have any more questions feel free to leave a comment below!

Northern Lights Salon

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July 24, 2017July 24, 2017

Let’s Split

I look for pretty much any excuse to wear these split leg pants. Last year I wore them with a flowy off-white crop top, but I opted for a black bodysuit this time around. My favorite part of these pants is that they are easy to pair pretty much any shirt with, so duh, tons of wearability!

SHEIN PANTS c/o || ME TO WE BODYSUIT || TARGET HEELS || MOLLY & ZOEY BAG || CHANEL SHADES (similar) || ROMAN LUXE BRACELET c/o

One thing I forgot about these pants but remembered as soon as I put them on… they make yo ass look ridiiiiiiiiiiduclous, hah. For all my ladies with the tiny lil booties out there, you might want to snag yourself a pair of these. I can only imagine they would make everyone’s back side look amaze. And for all of my big booty hoes (myself included) definitely get a pair, cause I mean… hi.

So I have been using Luxy Hair extensions since I started the process of going lighter again. I noticed pretty much every other girl I was following on Instagram posting about these particular extensions, and found a 10% off coupon (not really that worth it in the long run) and decided to try them out. I don’t know if I’m just challenged or they are too long or what but I feel like they always look terrible on me! I cannot get them to blend for the life of me. I wish they had a few other options as far as length goes… although I wanted way longer hair, I think it makes it look way obvious that I have them in when they are this long. Anyway, that’s my rant about my hair! The ombre option matched pretty well with my current color, though, so no complaints there!

May 16, 2017May 17, 2017

Revive Your Hair with Vanity Planet

It is no secret that my hair has taken an absolute beating over the past few years. I’ve gone from mousy brown hair, to blonde, to thinking I wanted dark hair again… to going BACK to blonde. My hair needs some serious TLC, and just taking twice the daily recommended dose of biotin was not cutting it anymore. Enter: Vanity Planet’s Moisturizing and Restorative hair treatment. Full disclosure: this product was gifted to me, and all of the below opinions are 100% my own. Let’s get into it!

Before using this mask my hair was absolutely fried (see photo above). I began the journey of going back to blonde a couple months ago and it was already taking a toll on my strands. After just one use of this mask I am already feeling an intense difference. I would actually compare the results to what my hair felt like when I stopped shampooing it for a while. Which is supposed to be amazing for your hair, right? SO if I got the same results after just ONE use, I can already tell I’m going to reaaaaallllly like this stuff!

So a few things about this mask… you apply it to your hair when it is DRY. Not wet, or damp, or towel dried…. DRY. And a little goes a looooong way. You’re going to feel like you don’t have enough on your hair, or at least I did… and I kept adding more, but trust me, less is more. It comes out sort of sold, almost exactly the same as coconut oil (which happens to be the #1 ingredient, so, duh) and turns into a liquid as you rub your hands together. And let me just tell you guys, it smells freaking amazing! There is some sort of citrus oil in it which gives off the most amazing aroma. I could have left it on my hair all day just to smell it. BUT, you wash it out after 30-45 minutes, then shampoo and condition as usual. After I blow dried my hair I could already tell it was starting to come back to life. Once a week is all you need with this amazing hair mask and you will start to see real results in no time!

ALSO WORTH MENTIONING! It came with a little battery operated head massager that you can use to give yourself a scalp massage and work in your shampoo and conditioner in the shower! My boyfriend is obsessed with getting his head scratched or rubbed so I immediately used him as a guinea pig for this little massager thing to see if it passed the test! He loved it (obviously, who wouldn’t?) and I’m excited to use it next time!

I recently got a hair cut and cut off about an inch, plus the use of this mask, my hair is feeling positively amazing lately! Check out vanityplanet.com to grab yourself some goodies! They have so much more than just stuff for your hair too… makeup, skin care, nail treatments. It is your one stop shop to wake up your body!

July 24, 2013

DIY No Sew Turban Headband

I posted this video a few months ago, but I figured since it’s summer and these headbands are huge right now, I’d repost it for you guys. This is the eeeeeeaaaasiest DIY headband tutorial out there! And trust me, I’ve watched a ton just to compare, hah! Side note… this video makes me miss my dark hair. & that sweater! It was my favorite until my husband shrunk it :[ womp womp. Anyway… Enjoy! xo

June 13, 2013

She bangs, she bangs!

Oh baby! Now, when you read that, do you hear Ricky Martin or William Hung? That’s his name right? In my mind it flip flops back and forth. But that’s neither here nor there. As you read in my last post, I did my own ombre and now that I had time to blow dry I am swooning over the final look! It’s amazeballs. I gotta be honest, I did a pretty damn good job! My hair didn’t break off and it actually looks pretty healthy. So, um, go me! And while that was a pretty big change from being root-to-tip brunette, I still wanted to go one step further. So I cut my own bangs too!

I’m juuuuust kidding, they’re fake! Can’t even tell, can you? So dope. I have always wanted to be the girl that can rock bangs, but that’s never been me. I have naturally curly hair so my bangs would be a little absurd looking if I didn’t touch them up with a flatiron every 20 minutes. So these clip-in bangs are perfect for girls like me! They’re also perfect for the girl who is super fickle when it comes to picking a hair style, wanting the bangs but not the commitment. My mom & husband loved the look so much I was tempted to actually call up my hair stylist and go for it, but then my mom was like, why? Just wear them when you’re in the mood for them, and take them off when you’re not. She’s like a little Yoda, she knows me so well!

So if you want the look without the commitment, you little commitment-phobe, you!, buy yourself a pair of clip-in’s! I trimmed mine a little bit to make them more straight across. They were originally the side-swoopy bangs. Now that I know I like them I’ll have to trim a little more off the sides to blend them better, but there you have it! All the style without all the upkeep. ;] Until next time, kisses!

June 12, 2013

Que pasa, ombre?

About a year and a half ago I took the plunge and joined the ombre trend. I have the absolute best hair stylist, Jacki from Glen Goldbaum 72, in Red Bank. She did a bang up job, I loved it. I was, however, super pregnant and started to get all fat and gross and decided that I would look much better with simple hair, so I went all back to brown. Every time I saw someone with ombre hair I missed mine a little bit, and then L’oreal came out with their DIY at-home ombre kit. I’m a big fan of at-home things lately. I’ve recently purchased the at-home gel mani kit, and I’m obsessed. So I figured I would try this. Here’s my thing, I figured if I didn’t love it, I at least didn’t spend an arm and a leg on it, you know? So I’ve been doing it myself. And I looooove it! I have to do touch ups about every 2-3 weeks to the ends to get it to the blonde that I want, so next time I’ll make a how-to video. This is a little teaser post, I suppose! ;]

This is the latest pic of my hair. This is about the 3rd process. There are 3 levels of color, one for brunettes, one for medium blondes, and one for blondes. I used the one for brunettes the first time and started applying the color by my ears to the ends. I waited about 3 weeks then used the color for medium blondes on top of that. I started by my chin and applied the color all the way down to the ends. Last night (about a month or so after the 2nd application) I added the color for blondes to the ends only. I promise I will post a how-to video with step-by-step instructions in about two weeks when I reapply color to the ends, it’s SUPER easy to do! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Here a few pictures from throughout the process so you can see the differences.

560113_4268120584837_1932221655_n — Before.

So there you have it! It’s gradual, which is important because if you apply too much lightener at one time your hair will break and die and fall out of your head!!!!! Maybe not, but maybe it will! Just be careful and know that if you have darker hair like me it will have to be a gradual process. And toners are your friend! But I’ll get into all that when I make the video. For now, enjoy these pics, ha! Until next time, kisses!

February 28, 2013

How To: The Sock Bun!

I know these tutorials are a dime a dozen… but I made this video for a friend of mine who has been asking for it for months now, haha. The sock bun is a huge trend right now, and it can be kind of tricky to pull off perfectly. The key with this, as is with anything, is practice, practice, practice! I had to do this bun about 15 times before I felt like I really had the hang of it. I love to wear the sock bun look for fancy occasions, like a great dinner party or holiday dinner. So check it out, try it out a few times, hope it helps!

November 5, 2012

Mane & Tail Shampoo

Hi my loves and good morning! Happy Monday… eh? So everyone here on the east coast is slowly recovering from Sandy. It’s a long process, but we’re New Jersey… we’re Jersey Strong. ;] Again, thank you to everyone for your ongoing support! It means the world to all of us here!

Anywho – let’s get right into it. Here is a quick video featuring Mane & Tail shampoo and conditioner. Dig it. Ciao babes.

May 10, 2012

The Upside Down French Braid

This is my take on this hair style. Usually you can find the upside-down french braid accompanied by a high, top-knotish looking bun. That doesn’t really work so well for me. First off, top knots never really look as glamourous on me as I want them to, ya know? Secondly, being that I am now 8 months pregnant, there’s some extra weight in my face that I feel like could be seen from the moon now and top-knot buns only seem to accentuate that. Wonderful. When I was in high school I always had a tendency to make this stupid face when anyone took a picture of me and it always looked like I had a double chin. He showed up so often, in fact, that my dear friend Jed thought it appropriate to name him Chester Cottompot. When someone would tag me in a picture on Facebook, Chester would get a tag as well. I lost him for a while, but he’s back now. Oh how I’ve missed you, Chester, really. So I modified this hair style a little bit to be more…. me (and flattering). This is how it’s usually found:

Gorgeous… elegant… beautiful. And unfortunately, not my cup of tea. This is my “elegant” upside-down french braid look.

I also noticed that my french braids do the opposite of normal french braids and I cannot for the life of me figure out how to make it stop doing that! Mine are like, inside out, they don’t lay flat against my head. Even when I do my own regular french braids this is how they come out. I know it has something to do with the way I hold the hair and the direction I weave it in, but I can’t change it. So my upside-down french braid is all kinds of different from everyone else’s, haha.

So this is how I do it, folks. I do an inside out french braid (purposely or not, who knows?), I braid the hair all the way to the end, then I use it to hold up my wavy, messy pony tail. And there ya have it. I’m going to keep playing around with this and see if I can figure out how to do the inverted braid, but for now this is my ish. What do you guys think? Have you tried this hair style yet? Would you try it with a sleek top knot or a messy pony tail like mine? I like the bun, and someday when I have something fancy to go to I may just attempt it. For now, I like the ponytail because I think it makes this hairstyle wearable for just, hanging out and going out. Keepin it fun without making it too fancy.

aaaaand this is just me being silly, HI. =p Til tomorrow, lovers! Have a wonderful day. Kisses.