I sat down as the hairdresser clipped a smock around my neck and declared “I am horrible at beauty!” She quickly corrected me by saying I couldn’t be horrible at beauty, it was just beauty maintenance that I was lacking. To-may-to, To-mah-to.
I decided that at the ripe age of 24, it’s time to invest in a big girl haircut. What is a “big girl” haircut you may ask? Well to me, it’s a haircut that doesn’t involve one snip straight across the back. A cut that looks professional as opposed to “I just rolled out of bed” and requires some styling. I thought to get this right I would end up at a pricey, high-end salon.
Then my roommate walked in one afternoon and I told her she looked amazing (what the heck did she do to her hair that day?). She had simply gotten tired of her boring long hair and booked a last minute appointment with Samantha at J-Elle Salon. I couldn’t believe it, her hair was still long but was flowy and luxurious looking all of a sudden (not kidding). Thanks to a new client referral system, I ended up paying $18 + tip for my cut. That’s cheaper than each product I walked away with!!
I admitted that I needed to go shorter because my hair repertoire typically consists of throwing a wet bun on top of my head in the morning. I cannot remember the last time I had any actual hair treatments or if I ever have. I don’t own a hairdryer (mine kind of blew up a few years back..) and rarely touch a straightener, so I rely on the generosity of my roommates on the occasional weekends when I want to do my hair.
We decided to go two inches longer than I requested so she could cut in longer layers that would require less styling. Samantha was attentive and answered all of my questions. She explained how to protect my hair (no more wet buns!) and said that I could section my hair into four braids while its drying to create loose waves for a no-styling option. She also recommended some professional hair care products that I’m definitely going to check out.
Next, she demonstrated how to use a beachy waves spray and curl repair product with an airdry+diffuser method when I want a low-maintenance styling option. Before that style completely set, she grab a brush and demonstrated a blowout for me as well. That’s the final look I walked away with.
Meet the Lineup of Hair Products
The first two products are very similar, but what the second does in addition to the first is help repair damaged hair. I use one pump of the L’Anza on my damp hair and its my favorite product so far. The texturizing sea spray is great to help pump up the waves. I spritz on hair before it finishes air drying and scrunch from the bottom up.