Hair Routine: How To Go Seven Days Between Washes

If there's one thing I loathe more than anything else, it's washing my hair.  All of the time spent in the shower, blow drying, and styling can really add up.  Throw in my super thick "wow you have a lot of hair" hair and you can multiply the time it takes to complete that process by about a million.  I used to be an every other day kind of girl, living for my blow dryer and flat iron.  But then I was introduced to the wonderful world of dry shampoo by Chelcey and there's been no turning back ever since.

There are so many benefits to washing your hair less often, first and foremost being the health of your hair itself.  It's a common myth that washing your every day or every other day is necessary, but in reality all you're doing is stripping your hair of its natural oils, causing more oil to be produced which will only increase your washing frequency.  It's a vicious cycle.  You'll also use less product, less water, your color won't fade as quickly and it will be subjected to less heat, which basically equates to more money in your pocket for other fun things!

I slowly started weaning myself off of my every other day addiction little by little.  I would extend the time to every two days for a couple weeks, then three, then four, until I got to the point I'm at now.  It definitely takes time and patience to train your hair so I don't recommend going straight to a week between washes, but it's so worth the wait.  And I think it's important to point out, I have incredibly thick hair like I said and it's also somewhat dry, so seven days isn't all that crazy to me.  However, if you have thinner hair it will probably look dirty quicker so it's perfectly fine to adapt my routine to a shorter time span.  All that matters is that you find a routine that's comfortable for you and your personal preference that will still save you time.

Days 1 - 3: This is when I have fresh, clean hair and the world is pretty much my oyster.  I use shampoo and conditioner specifically for colored hair, and alternate a clarifying shampoo every other week.  I typically wear my hair down on these days since this is when it looks the best.  Lately I've been letting my hair completely air dry (except for my bangs - I'll have a routine for that soon!) so I'm left with my natural waves.  This way I don't have to do much to it other than comb through it with a wide-tooth comb.  I'll just quickly comb out the ends morning and night to help keep it tangle-free and get rid of any loose hairs.  I shed all over my apartment so anything I can do to help keep it contained is worth my time.  

Day 4: On day four, I bring out the dry shampoo.  When I first get up, I lift my hair in sections at the roots and apply it to the underside.  That way the top of my head won't look powdery, like I obviously just applied dry shampoo.  After my makeup is done and I'm dressed and ready, I'll flip my head upside down and work the dry shampoo into my roots with my hands and then comb out the ends.  My tried and true favorite is the Dove Invigorating Dry Shampoo.  The smell is the furthest thing from offensive - read, it smells amazing - and it pumps up the volume at my roots.  It's important not to go overboard with dry shampoo daily though, or else you'll end up drying out your scalp, so this is the only day that I use it. 

Days 5 - 7: At this point, it's all about concealing any any oil that may start to show.  I could still totally wear my hair down if I wanted to and it would look just fine, but I usually incorporate side braids, pony tails and top knots to change things up a bit.  I'm sure it also helps that my hair is dark, but I'll take any help I can get.  I still continue to comb through the ends of my hair morning and night and avoid brushing at the roots so as not to distribute any oil through the rest of my hair, or even flatten it.  The trick is to do as little as possible but just enough so that it looks like you spent a lot more time on your hair than you actually did.  Don't worry, it'll be our little secret.  Now return to step one, lather, rinse, and repeat.

I wanted to be sure to say that I still shower every day, I just don't get my hair wet!  You would think that would be obvious, but you never know.  I know some people will re-wet their hair and just not wash it, but to me that defeats the whole purpose.  I have the cutest pink shower cap that I use to tuck all of my hair in and it stays nice and dry.  I'm in and out in all of five minutes and it's the greatest feeling knowing that I don't have hours to go before I'm completely ready to walk out the door. 

Also, I'll adjust when I start my seven days based on what I have going on.  If I have a big meeting at work on Wednesday, I'll plan to wash my hair Tuesday night.  At the same time, if I have a pool day planned, I most definitely will not wash my hair the night before that.  I try my best to look ahead so that I'm not caught having to wash my hair sooner than I would like. It takes commitment, but once you've got the routine down it really does come second nature.

I feel like I could go on talking about this forever, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something but I'll spare you the boredom.  If you have any other tips, I'd love to know what they are!

Products Used:

Matrix Biolage Color Care Shampoo

Pantene Pro-V Color Preserve Shine Conditioner

Redken Cleansing Cream

Shower Cap

Wide-Tooth Comb

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xoxo,

Amanda

How to Capture the Perfect Outfit Selfie

You know what I'm talking about - the photos all over Instagram with girls (and guys) holding their arms at the most awkward angles to somehow capture their entire body in a little square frame.  If you're my neighbor then you've probably been privy to witnessing my one-woman circus act every day on my porch.  And don't even get me started on the embarrassing amount of photos I have in multiples of each outfit still saved on my phone, until I get that annoying little message that I've run out of storage.  Why can't there just be a magical cloud where all the outfit selfies go?  And why is selfie still showing up as misspelled?  It's the 21st century, get it together spellcheck!  Rant aside, I'm here to share my tips and tricks for mastering the art of the outfit selfie so that you too can share your #ootd with the world.

Take your photos outside.

You're most likely going to be using the front-facing camera when taking an outfit selfie (unless you have Jedi mind powers and can see that your photo is in frame from the other side of your phone - props if you do), so good lighting is a must to compensate for the lower quality.  In my experience a nice shady spot outside, like a porch, will give you the best results.  You don't want the harshness of direct sunlight but at the same time it can't be too dim either.  Unless you have a room with the most epic natural light in your house, I would seek out a spot in the great outdoors.

Find your best angle.

Practice a couple times with each hand and see what feels most comfortable as far as holding the phone and the angle of your body.  I consistently use my right hand because that's what comes naturally to me, but someone else might do better using their left side.  Also, consider what you're wearing that day.  Don't wear your bracelets on the arm that's holding the phone, otherwise they won't be in the shot!

Color, color, color.

I'm going to be 100% honest, there are certain days when I plan an outfit based majorly on how it would look in an outfit photo.  This usually means incorporating color into an outfit that I might not have otherwise, or swapping out jewelry for something else that really pops.  If you're rocking a bright manicure or lipstick, make sure you showcase that too!  Anything you can do to make your #ootd stand out among a grid of thousands is crucial.  Once you have the hang of taking pictures like this, you'll know as soon as you hit that post button that it's going to be a winner.   

Keep everything in proportion.

This one is a little tricky until you have a lot of practice, but you really have to take care to fill the frame as proportionately as possible.  Hold the phone too high and your legs look teeny-tiny, but hold it too low and you don't get to fit your entire body in the shot.  You might look like a crazy person moving your phone around every which way, and you will end up with A LOT of useless photos, but it's worth it to get the ultimate shot.

Keep the filters to a minimum.

Sure, that super dark and moody filter might look all artsy and cool, but it doesn't really do much to showcase the outfit itself, which is what we are going for!  I use VSCO Cam and have a couple go-to filters that improve the photo subtly and naturally without going overboard.  Think brightening and enhancing the colors.  Plus, you don't want to share an outfit selfie that totally changes the look of the outfit altogether.

Don't forget to tag the brands you're wearing and use hashtags so your photo will be seen! 

xoxo,

Amanda

According to Amanda: The Dos + Don'ts of a Beach Vacation

You know how you go into a trip, beach or not, having one set of expectations and then it ends up being different but still completely wonderful at the same time?  That's about how my trip last week to Destin was.  In case you're not from Louisville (because everyone from Louisville goes there) Destin is a beach town on the Florida panhandle, directly south of here.  It has emerald waters and white sugar sand.  Read - gorgeous.  I wanted to share my beach trip experience, what I packed and didn't use, what I wish I'd brought, you get the gist, in case you have a beach trip coming up! 

Do make it a road trip - getting there is half the fun.  On our drive south we jammed out to the entire Bruce Springsteen discography as well as some of the best and cheesiest 90s pop songs.  We stopped halfway for lunch in Birmingham at Whataburger (seriously, why don't we have those around here?!) and just got to spend time talking about anything and everything.

Don't let your gas tank get too low.  You really never know when you might run into traffic, so trust me when I say this.  Standstill traffic and less than a quarter of a tank is not a winning combination, I repeat not a winning combination.  Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything, ahem.

Do wear sunscreen and reapply, reapply, reapply.  Dealing with a painful, itchy sunburn from your first day on the beach is not how you want to start your trip.  If you're fair skinned like me, wear a floppy hat and retreat under a colorful beach umbrella too.  Bonus points because it makes for a fun photo op.

Don't forget a good beach read.  I hit up Target the week before the trip for last minute essentials, including a new book.  As much as I love a juicy romantic read, I went with something a little more inspirational.  There's something about being on the beach that helps you find your inner happiness so this book was just what I needed.

Do go to bed early, get up early, and get plenty of rest.  In a typical work week, my alarm clock is the bane of my existence.  But at the beach, I naturally woke up at about 6 or 7 AM every day.  Eating breakfast on the balcony overlooking the ocean while the sun was coming up got every day off to a great start.  And since we got up early, we passed out around 10 each night.  No complaints here though.  I have never felt more rejuvenated in my life.

Don't be a loud neighbor.  Most condo buildings on the beach front have floors and floors of units with who knows how many people staying in them.  That's a lot of beach goers in one place.  If you've ever lived in an apartment then you know how it can be when you feel like you're a part of your neighbor's conversation because they're so loud.  We dealt with this on our last night.  Thankfully I was so tired every other night that it didn't wake me up!

Do embrace wavy beach hair.  I only washed my hair once, halfway through the trip.  The rest of the time I embraced the wave and let the saltwater air do its thing.  Low maintenance is definitely the way to go when you're at the beach.

Don't bother with makeup.  I packed all of my makeup essentials and didn't touch them once except for mascara and lip gloss.  Let me tell you, I've never gotten ready so fast in my life!  If I can do it, anyone can.  And after a week without worrying about makeup, it almost felt foreign to me once I got back into my regular morning routine for work.

Do let yourself indulge.  If you want a fun cocktail in a blender souvenir cup, then by all means go for it!  If you want an big ice cream cone covered in sprinkles, get it!  Do it for the Insta people.  And for vacation, duh.

Don't think every meal needs to be fancy.  To save a little money and make the most of our time on the beach, we ate breakfast and lunch at the condo and went out for dinners.  That way we didn't have to worry about getting dressed, going to find somewhere to eat, and coming back bloated and tired.  Bloated and swimsuits don't mix very well.

Do swim in the ocean.  To me, this one is a no-brainer!  You drove all the way to the beach, now get yourself in it!  Take long walks, put your toes in the water, let the waves crash around you and just soak in your time in paradise because it won't last forever.

Don't worry about a plan.  Beach vacations to me are for relaxing and taking it easy.  This isn't a trip where you need to sight-see, get from point A to B to C by a certain time or have a strict schedule of all you want to accomplish.  This is your chance to not have a worry in the world except for if the tide is going to reach your chair ;)

xoxo,

Amanda