Happy SUN-day!

Another Sunday in Summer. Another day to try out a few SUN-free tanning products, perhaps?  Yes, my obsession with self-tanning continues.

I tried two new self-tanners this week.

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The first was Kiehl's Sun Free Self Tanning Formula ($22.50). This formula is a very lightweight lotion that dries awesomely quick. The cream is enriched with goodies such as Apricot Oil, Cocoa Butter, and Vitamin E. The goodies help it smooth on evenly so it is very easy to spread and rub in. You just have to do it pretty fast, as it does dry fast, like I said before. And it has a nice, clean cucumberish fresh scent. My color really started to develop in just over an hour, as I noticed my face getting slightly golden.

 

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Next I tried Bath and Body Works Solar Power All-Angle Professional Airbrush Tan (regularly $15 on sale for $9). As my latest obsession is with these airbrush tanning formulas that can be easily sprayed in any direction, I had been eyeing this for some time. When sprayed, you are immediately surrounded in the nicest orange-vanilla scent - yum. You can see exactly where the formula is sprayed, as it goes on very wet. Unfortunately, you stay wet for a good ten or so minutes (did I spray too much?) and have to wait to dress until it is fully dry. The color developed slowly over about four hours, but the color was a nice rich golden one.

Help for Summer's Tired Over-Stressed Tresses.

My brittle Summer sun-soaked hair needed major help. I turned to an unlikely source in Kiehl's.

I have used a few of their products before, and swear by their Hand Cream, but I had never turned to them for hair care items. But after reading in Cosmo about one of their new hair masques, I thought I would look into it more.

kiehls_hair.jpgAfter doing some research on the web, I decided to pick up the Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Shampoo, Conditioner, and Deeply Repairative Hair Pak to see how they would work on my tired and overstressed tresses.

These products are made specifically for very dry, damaged hair (me!) and are all based with Avocado Oil, Lemon Extract, and Olive Fruit Oil. Many hair care products are formulated with Olive Oil, but never mixed in a formulation with the vitamins and amino acids that are ever so present in Avocado Oil & Lemon Extract.
Simply put, these products are not only nourishing, they are repairing, and protecting as well.

The shampoo - You only need a quarter sized amount to wash shoulder length hair. There is a sufficient amount of lather to the product and it rinses quickly and easily. It smells nice too - not overpowering! Upon rinsing, hair is felt almost conditioned - wow!

The conditioner - A small amount is all you need as well, as it is very rich, but spreads down over wet hair with ease. I left it on for about 2 - 3 minutes, and what was left washed out quickly as well. I swear my hair absorbed most of this, not just letting the product lay there.

The masque - This somewhat whipped texture product needed to be scooped out. I hate to dip my wet hands into a jar so I don't get water contamination issues, so I just grabbed a plastic spoon, and scooped 2 spoonfuls into my hand. I let this sit on my hair for about 7 minutes - longer than the suggestion, but I had a lot of shaving to do. Again, what wasn't absorbed into my wet hair was easily washed away.

The results - AMAZING! You would never, ever know that my hair is colored, highlighted, and recently beaten up in the sun, salt, and chlorine over the past few weeks. But the true test came the next day. You see, I left for a few days away trip that evening and brought my bottles of travel shampoo and conditioner that were already packed with me. I used those for the next two days, and my hair still looked and felt fabulous. I mean the shine is there, and it looks and feels incredibly soft. WOW - WOW - WOW!

If you are dealing with any type of dry or damaged hair issues and don't mind spending the money on all three products ($62) I urge you to take the plunge and splurge. And if you don't want to spend that much, at least invest in the Hair Pak. This product is awesome on it's own, and you will only be investing $25. ( I gave it to my Mom to try and that alone worked wonders for her.)

Available at Kiehl's Stores (you can look up locations here) and Kiehl's.com.