Dove Damage Therapy Intensive Repair Review + Giveaway

After my pregnancy, I think I mentioned on Writing Chapter Three that my hair was falling out in handfuls. It's normal to lose a lot of hair a couple months after giving birth, but it's something I never expected to hit me to hard. Needless to say, my hair was left limp and lifeless after this experience.

And it wasn't exactly thick and luxurious to begin with.

We don't write a lot about personal care on this site, but what we have highlighted in the past is the No-Shampoo Method of washing hair. It's something we both used for a long while, but then fell out of practice sometime within the last year. What we do now is pretty simple, use whatever shampoo/conditioner we pick up at the grocery store -- usually something or sale -- and call it a day.

I've been feeling sort of blah about my appearance lately. It's a combination of being busy as a work-at-home mom and just being plain lazy about it. Oh, yeah. And all that blow drying, which I never used to do, to make up for the hair loss has left my locks looking icky and definitely damaged.

Stephen and I share products, but our hair couldn't be any more different. I needed a change.


I was happy with BlogHer offered a chance to review a new conditioner -- Damage Therapy Intensive Daily Repair -- by Dove. Silly as it may seem, I got the email about the review on a day when I was considering a very close crop/pixie cut. I promised myself I'd try out a deep conditioner to see it might help before making any drastic decisions.

So, as far as the conditioner goes, this is my honest, unedited review.


I've always had difficulty with more intense conditioners because my hair is thin and -- ick -- greasy. I inherited this trait from my dad, it seems, and my hair is often weighed down by any product, so I don't use many. In this regard, the Dove stacked up well compared to others I have used in the past. Other deep conditioners I've used tend to leave a buildup that makes me feel like I need to wash my hair again. This one rinsed away clean, which was a nice surprise.

My hair was left with that smooth, soft feeling, though I can't speak much to the purported anti-frizz benefits, since that's not an issue I typically have. The damaged ends I've been sporting were calmed. But because my hair is so thin and straight, without any product in it after conditioning, it was almost too soft and silky. If that makes any sense. It laid very flat against my head, so I'd need to keep blow drying, which makes me wonder if I'd be perpetuating a bad cycle.

Or if I just lose in general by having naturally flat hair. Sigh.

Anyway, though it worked very well, I don't think I would use Dove on a daily basis as suggested on the bottle. However, as a once-weekly deep conditioner, definitely! And hopefully if I start some type of care routine with my hair, I may not need to cut it all off.

Well, OK. I may still do that sometime soon because I like short hair. We'll see! I am in need of a major mommy makeover.

Is a beauty routine important to you? If so, how do you take time for yourself?

Enter to win a $1,000 Spafinder gift certificate!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt

b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that Tweet.

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 9/4/2012 - 9/30/2012

Be sure to visit Dove^®Hair.com to get a coupon for $1.50 off Dove Hair Therapy products.

Read more...

No More Shampoo. Really!

From Stephen:

I've waited a month to post about this particular topic. I first wanted to see if the method actually works. After all, "stop shampooing your hair" is a bold command. It's not at all mainstream. In fact, it's downright strange. I imagine some of our real-life friends are scratching their heads in wonder right now (or perhaps searching for fleas after hanging out with me!).

I'm clean. I promise!

What I've learned in this month is that you don't need store-bought shampoo to have a healthy head of hair. Nor do you need shampoo to have a healthy scalp that smells good.

WHY NO SHAMPOO?

Ashley found this method online a month ago on Simple Mom (but if you Google "no shampoo," you can find it a million other places, too) -- after I told her I was annoyed with how my hair was looking. I have thick, curly hair that becomes unmanageable easily. Plus, I'm always interested in natural alternatives. We both are, for that matter.

• Shampoos and conditioners are full of chemicals/toxins. If you hadn't noticed, read the bottle next time you're in the shower. Not only is this bad for you (absorption through the skin), it's also not so great for the environment.
• Speaking of this Earth we love so much, all the plastic bottles and packing isn't so great either!
• Shampoos are also harsh (see chemicals, above) and many strip hair of vital nutrients and natural oils. Others add on stuff -- weighing hair down, etc.
• Over time, the stuff gets expensive. Last I checked, a bottle of OK suds at the store runs almost $5. And we're talking grocery store shampoos, not the fancy stuff, which goes up in price exponentially from there.

WHAT TO DO?

Baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and water. That's all you need. We learned on Simple Mom that baking soda "very gently clarifies hair from chemical buildup" . . . and the vinegar "detangles the hair follicles, seals the cuticle, and balances the hair’s pH balance" -- impressive!

Wash:

• Step 1: In a small bowl, create a paste with one tablespoon of baking soda and 1/4 cup of water. (I use a touch more baking soda -- more like two tablespoons -- because my hair is thick. Play around with the measurements to see what works best for you.)
• Step 2: Wet your hair. Then squeeze some moisture out of it.
• Step 3: Pour this solution over your head, staring at the crown. Massage into scalp with your fingers. Work your way from the crown down the rest of your scalp.
• Step 4: Let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Then rinse out as you would for "normal" shampoo.

Condition:

• Step 1: In that same small bowl (that should be empty now), dilute one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into one cup of water. (Same notes about measurements apple here.)
• Step 2: Pour onto the ENDS of your hair (not the scalp -- that will stimulate your oil glands to start producing).
• Step 3: Let it rest for 30 seconds -- tops -- and even shake your hair a bit to distribute before rinsing out.

THE RESULTS

I'm loving it. My hair, as I mentioned above, is soft, clean, and balanced. Better than ever. I didn't experience too much of the "transition phase," as Simple Mom describes. Though, Ashley is still somewhat skeptical if this method will work for her. Whereas my hair is dry, thick, and textured . . . her's is oily, thin, and completely straight. She says she'll try it in the week between Christmas and New Year's, since we have some time off.

If you try it yourself, here are some helpful hints I've discovered along the way.

• You can buy reusable plastic bottles or even use Mason jars to keep your supplies in. Makes everything easier.
• I started by using unfiltered apple cider vinegar. However, I've switched to the much less expensive filtered kind, and it works just as well.
• You can buy baking soda in bulk. Just look for the huge box, likely on the bottom rack of your grocery aisle.
• If you'd like to add some fragrance, however you need not worry that you'll always smell like vinegar -- it passes in a few minutes, use essential oils like peppermint or lavender. Just a drop or two will do the trick.

Would you try the no shampoo method? And what natural cleaning habits -- self-care or home-care -- do you employ at home? We use baking soda and vinegar for a lot. They're cheap. They're natural. They're good for you and the environment. So, it's sort of a win-win-win-win. We'd love to hear some of your favorite tricks.


Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...