A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
When you really really really want to be best frie When you really really really want to be best friends. 💛
When a stressful week with deadlines ends with Nat When a stressful week with deadlines ends with National Cheese Lovers Day, how could I not partake? Tbh, I wasn’t especially hungry, and the appetizers are always the best section of any menu, so the queso blanco from El Mejicano in town wasn’t too hard a choice. It’s smoky and cheesy and I could have licked the bowl clean, but a girl’s gotta have some boundaries. Happy weekend, friends! ✨
A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her of me and dropped it off in our mailbox, which really touched me. 💛 Life is too freaking short not to make conscious decisions to do more of what makes you happy, and to cut out the things that don’t. Rainbow Rowell said it best, “So, what if, instead of thinking about solving you whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow.”
The face and the daily hiccups… 😍 The face and the daily hiccups… 😍
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Food and Life

A Few of Our Favorite Things {Hair Care}

February 5, 2014 · Narrative

When it comes to hair and the almost-six-year-old set, it is an ongoing challenge. But dare I say, we might have reached the light at the end of the tunnel. And to that end, it’s time to share a few things that have worked. I might even go as far to say as they have created a little magic in the morning.

And a heckuva lot less stress.

Madeline’s hair is a texture completely unto its own. Nothing like mine. Nothing like Nick’s. And nothing that is easy.

And it’s long.

And she hates having it washed or brushed.

Because of the tangles and knots.

And no matter what I do, we are forever working on getting the knots and tangles out. Which make for teary mornings and frustrated starts to the day.

wet brushThe first thing that has helped is a wet brush. And we have several. I stash them everywhere. Contrary to the unusual name, the brush doesn’t need to be wet to be used. But if you hold the hair towards the top of the roots when brushing, the wet brush goes through easier. And she fusses less. These can be found at your local beauty shop and most mass retailers (i.e.,  Bed Bath & Beyond and Target).

knot genieAnd it is the same principal with these Knot Genies. There are many other brushes like the Knot Genie that claim to be magic detanglers, including many as seen on tv versions. A similar concept to the wet brush, the bristles on the Knot Genie are thinner and in varying heights, and work well on particularly challenging knots.

But what about preventing knots to begin with …?

Therein lies my problem and frustration. She wants her hair long, so no getting around that. She sleeps on a satin pillowcase, which, although we’ve been using it for awhile now, I’m not convinced it helps. I put her hair in a braid every night before bed to prevent it from knotting up and tangling. She constantly wears a ponytail. We brush it religiously every morning and night.

Nothing prevents the knots and tangles. Her hair can go from zero to holy hell in a matter of minutes. We work tirelessly to get the knots out, but for me, the mystery was … how do we prevent them from happening to begin with? Nothing was working.

I think it’s purely a hair texture thing. But I was desperate.

We had a pow wow with some of our favorite hairstylists, and they recommended two things that have been positively life changing.

Life changing. A phrase I don’t use lightly.

The first was this Intensive Repair Shampoo and Conditioner from Dove. After a few uses, it made Madeline’s hair more manageable. More comb-able, and it also will strip out any product build-up you may have. The hairstylists mentioned that they were surprised at how well it worked, given it was an inexpensive  product. Me too.

And then we used a deep repair hair masque. The maraschino cherry on top of the life changing sundae. The package said to leave it on for seven minutes. While it was on, I combed it diligently through her hair, making sure every single piece was well covered. And as I did, the tangles and knots came right out. No tugging or fighting necessary. Not one tear or yelp from the peanut gallery. After the seven minutes was up, I rinsed it out, towel-dried her hair, and then braided it.

Her hair was the softest thing ever.

And the next morning when we took the braid out?

Even softer.

As if that was even possible.

And not a tangle or knot in sight.

Madeline was beyond happy, flipping her hair this way and that, exclaiming how good it felt.

“We should wash it every day with this stuff, Mom. This is awesome. Feel it!”

And when she came home after a full day at school?

Still perfect.

So if you have a crying child that has hair that is prone to tangles and knots. Try this stuff. Get a wet brush, this type of detangling brush, this shampoo and conditioner, and do this masque.

Life changing.

Tomorrow? A recipe!

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Posted In: Narrative · Tagged: hair care, hair masque, knot genie

Comments

  1. Joanne says

    February 5, 2014 at 7:53 am

    My sister had hair like that and it was TORTURE getting her to brush it when she was little! I wish I had known about these products!
    Joanne recently posted..Wednesday Coffee Talk

    Reply
  2. Joelen says

    February 5, 2014 at 10:13 am

    These are great products and I’m in the market for a really good brush too! Perfect timing!

    Reply
  3. Sarah Caron (Sarah's Cucina Bella) says

    February 5, 2014 at 11:43 am

    I have hair like Madeline’s, and feel her pain. I still hate having anyone (except my stylist, who totally gets it) touch my hair at all. The brush like you showed helped some when I was a kid, but a paddle brush was even better. Another thing that helps me tons is to grab a fist full of hair and just brush that. I do it all around my head and it makes it so it doesn’t hurt my scalp when brushing — even when it’s super knotty like it was this AM.
    Sarah Caron (Sarah’s Cucina Bella) recently posted..Cauliflower Blueberry Couscous Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

    Reply
  4. Sarah Caron (Sarah's Cucina Bella) says

    February 5, 2014 at 11:43 am

    PS, that Dove line is all I use. LOVE it.
    Sarah Caron (Sarah’s Cucina Bella) recently posted..Cauliflower Blueberry Couscous Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

    Reply
  5. Meg says

    February 5, 2014 at 4:50 pm

    Oh, my hair is always so crazy — and at 28, I still don’t really know how/what to do with it. I’ve asked tons of professionals, tried all sorts of products (and wasted money on said products . . .) — and still the hunt continues! I have wavy/curly, incredibly frizzy hair, and it’s always interesting. I’m very intrigued by the masques — will be looking into them! :)
    Meg recently posted..Bargains and a barn

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A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻

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A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
When you really really really want to be best frie When you really really really want to be best friends. 💛
When a stressful week with deadlines ends with Nat When a stressful week with deadlines ends with National Cheese Lovers Day, how could I not partake? Tbh, I wasn’t especially hungry, and the appetizers are always the best section of any menu, so the queso blanco from El Mejicano in town wasn’t too hard a choice. It’s smoky and cheesy and I could have licked the bowl clean, but a girl’s gotta have some boundaries. Happy weekend, friends! ✨
A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her of me and dropped it off in our mailbox, which really touched me. 💛 Life is too freaking short not to make conscious decisions to do more of what makes you happy, and to cut out the things that don’t. Rainbow Rowell said it best, “So, what if, instead of thinking about solving you whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow.”
The face and the daily hiccups… 😍 The face and the daily hiccups… 😍

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