My Current Haircare Favorites! + Hana Review

Hair styled with Jilbere 1.5" porcelain curling iron

Hair is one of my favorite beauty topics because I am constantly experimenting with new products and styling routines. Currently, I've been styling my long hair in one of two ways- voluminous and curled or straight and sleek. After months of experimenting with new hair tools and styling products, I've conjured up a list of my current haircare favorites:

Pureology Blow Dry Amplifier ($22.00)

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This blow dry volume gel is super lightweight, non-sticky, and creates big yet natural volume in my hair. Most importantly, it is alcohol-free! Most volume products contain many drying agents such as alcohol, so I think the alcohol-free benefit is fabulous. With most volume products, my hair will have massive volume but will lose all shine, moisture, and signs of healthiness. This product eliminates that problem and gives me big, natural volume with shine, softness and wonderful hold. Pureology products also have an Anti-Fade complex for color treated hair. Although I do not color my hair anymore, some of you may find this very beneficial. I like this product much more than my Big Sexy hair products, including their blow dry gel, which I also own. The Pureology also has a much more pleasant, light scent.

Bumble & Bumble Texture (Un)dressing Creme ($26)

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Bb Texture is one of Bumble's newer products, and it has received a ton of online news coverage in the beauty world. This product is amazing, but it does take some practice to understand how to use it and how much of the product is appropriate to use for your hair type. The creme itself is a slightly tacky cream texture that is meant to create tousled, gritty, next day hair (i.e. the Olsen twins). Some people complain that it is sticky in the hair or that you cannot run a brush through it, but I think that when you use a tousling product meant to create grip to the hair, the look is not meant to be brushed out or perfectly polished. It creates a carefree “done yet undone” look as long as you start with a tiny bit of product and work more in depending on your hair type. I would recommend starting off with a dime size. I use about a quarter size for my long, slightly course hair, and find that it is the perfect amount to keep it from being sticky yet still working effectively to bring out the layers and tousled waves in my hair and give my hairstyle good hold. I use it in damp hair after I shower and either tousle it and let it air dry for beautiful beach waves, or I apply it liberally to my hair (even at my roots since it creates tons of volume) and give it a rough blow dry without a brush. Then, I curl my hair, allowing Texture to act as a primer and holding agent to add grip for more curly, wavy, voluminous looks as well as updos.

Bumble and Bumble Styling creme ($24)

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I have the travel size of this creme and my main purpose for this product is to slick and hold back my baby hairs when I'm going for a sleek, polished high ponytail. It is a wonderful multi-purpose product and is also great for styling curls and to create some hold when blowdrying hair straight.

Hana Shine Shield Thermal Protectant ($18.99 for 2 oz, $29.99 for 6 oz)

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This is a wonderful serum that was sent to me by Missiko. I wasn't asked to do a review on it, but I found it to be such an awesome product that they sent along with the flat iron, that I really wanted to include it in my favorites. Some of the straightening/smoothing serums I have loved in the past are the CHI Silk Infusion, John Freida Frizz-Ease, Biosilk, Redken Smooth Down, and Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum. I've tried just about every serum you could possibly think of and the Hana is my favorite along with the CHI Silk Infusion. The scent of the Hana serum is AMAZING. Like I seriously have some sort of crazy addiction to it. I go to a Korean salon to get my hair cut, and it reminds me of one of those magical hair serums your stylist puts in your hair that smells amazing and makes your hair all bouncy and smooth, yet you have no clue what the name of the product is! I use this on towel-dried hair just before I blow dry my hair straight, and it creates the most silky smooth hair. It moisturizes and nourishes hair with Jojoba oil and silk, protects my hair from heat appliances, and is nowhere near greasy yet has the capability to penetrate my course strands! The consistency is slightly more thin and runny than other serums I own. It is a pleasure to use and I'm so glad that I was given the opportunity to try it out because I have been using this almost everyday and have become pretty loyal to this stuff! This has impressed me so much that I will be buying this from the website when I run out.

Hana Pro 1” Flat Iron ($119.89, on sale)

Missiko Hair Straighteners

CHI Flat Iron

Hana

This hair styling tool, along with the Hana serum, were two products that were sent to me for review consideration from Missiko. I was actually surprised that I liked the flat iron because I own many excellent flat irons (CHI, Ion, Fahrenheit) and didn't think this would be anything special. I think that the most prominent differences I noticed with this flat iron was the considerable amount of shine that it gave my hair as well as the lightweight feel of the iron itself. When you have long hair like myself, straightening and styling your hair can really tire out your arms! I love that this iron is so incredibly lightweight in comparison to the irons I had been using previously. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, I also love the blue plates. I think they're pretty :) I also like that this flat iron has multiple temperature settings- an option that my CHI iron does not provide. It straightens my thick, course hair very well and I like to use it in conjunction with the Hana Shine Shield Thermal Protectant serum. I have yet to use the Hana flat iron to curl my hair, as I am not a huge fan of curling hair with a flat iron, but if I ever do try it, I will be sure to update on how that goes.

Hair styled with Hana 1" Pro flat iron

I think the biggest question with any sort of product sent gratis from a company is “Would I ever purchase this myself with my own money?”

The regular retail price for the Hana Pro 1” flat iron is $205.99. I honestly would not pay over $200 for a flat iron that I have not tried out beforehand. Additionally, I doubt that I would ever purchase a flat iron over $200 because I believe that is a ridiculous price for a flat iron, even the well-known GHD. On the other hand, the website appears to have the Hana Pro 1” flat iron on sale for long periods of time for $119.89. Now would I reconsider? YES! I paid a little over $100 for my CHI flat iron, but I prefer the Hana iron over the CHI and if I didn't already have multiple flat irons, I would most definitely purchase this iron with my own money after seeing how well it straightens my hair and how much shine and bounce it creates and gives to my layered, long hair. I understand that it can be difficult to gauge how well an iron will work through an online review, but please feel free to ask me questions about the Hana products I have reviewed, feel free to comment below!

Jilbere Porcelain 1.5” Curling Iron ($29.99)

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This baby heats up to 392 degrees with multiple heat settings in less than a minute and most importantly, STAYS hot while you're styling! It's a wonderful deal for a high-quality curling iron from Sally's for only $29.99. Check the monthly Sally's ads because they almost always have these irons on sale or as a free gift with purchase. I received this iron as a free GWP because I bought the Jilbere Porcelain 20 Hot Roller set, which I also highly recommend. The 1.5” barrel is perfect for creating those big, voluminous Kardashian/Victoria's Secret curls that I love. Check out the first pic of this post- I used this iron to achieve those big curls. I grab 1 inch sections of hair and flip my iron out away from my face to create big curls and volume :)

Hair styled with Jilbere 1.5" porcelain curling iron (on left)

Ion Volumizing Shaping Mist

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I like to set my finished curls with Ion Volumizing Shaping Mist in the big blue can from Sally's because it smells amazing for a hairspray and it holds well and provides volume without making my hair stiff. This is my "everyday volume" hairspray. For a stronger hold at night, I go with Beyond the Zone's Flipped Out. I love finding these awesome, cheap beauty gems at Sally's!


Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me with my own money, except for the Hana Pro 1” flat iron and the Hana Shine Shield serum, which were sent to me for free from Missiko. I was not paid for this review nor was I obligated to write a review that reflected Missiko in a positive light. These are my own opinions and as someone who saves their hard-earned money to spend on quality products, I would never recommend something that I didn't truly love.

Using the infamous "plopping" method to enhance waves in my hair

I've looking for new techniques and products to enhance the wave in my hair. I am an abuser of flat irons, blowdryers, curlers, hot rollers.... basically anything that will burn my hair to a crisp! But lately, I have been *extra* lazy and I haven't really done much heat damage to my hair but blowdry when I'm crunched for time.

I decided it was time to search for a new method to encourage the texture and wave in my thick, long hair while keeping it weightless and voluminous. At this point, I was simply using Beyond the Zone Noodle Head curl creme (this stuff is excellent, check out reviews here) and scrunching it throughout towel-dried hair.

I did a ton of research on the web, and I kept hearing about a "plopping" method all over the MakeupAlley hair boards. (Clearly I spend way too much time on MUA)

At this point, my curiosity in plopping piqued but I was still completely confused as to what it was. My first thoughts- What the heck is plopping? Where can I find out what it actually is? Will this work for me? Why does it sound like something that involves a toilet?

Well... I found out all those answers through my research. And yes, it involves a toilet.

Supposedly, lots of curly and wavy-haired girls like to "plop" their hair to bring out bouncy defined curls/wave and give their hair volume while minimizing frizz. Basically, it is a method of "plopping" your hair upside down on the top of your head (huh? lol) and wrapping a microfiber towel or a t-shirt around your head to push down the curls and shape them into a permanent scrunch. Since all the hair is bunched up on the top of your head while it dries, it creates more curl and tons of volume.

I like concentrating my hair in the center of the t-shirt and then bunching my hair down to create a more even curl. You need to use a flat surface, hence the toilet. (Seat down, of course) Once you've plopped all your hair in the center of the upside down t-shirt or microfiber towel, wrap the upper fabric back to the nape of your neck and twist the sides (or sleeves) up to your forehead. Wrap around to the back of your head and tie. I'm sure none of you understood this.

The first time my sister saw me try it, she said it looked like I was wearing massive do-rag. My mom asked me "what is that thing on your head?" My dog barked at me. Not really the look I was going for.

Aside from being a terrible fashion statement, the plopping method truly works! I was amazed at the results and am here to share them with you. I found that by scrunching my products in after the shower, plopping my hair for 30 minutes, and blowdrying with a diffuser until about 90% dry, I was able to achieve an incredible, textured wave that I have never been able to achieve through scrunching alone.

Here are some pictures that chronologically depict my new-found journey through plopping:

No curling iron, teasing comb, or hot rollers needed!

My hair used to be straight but now when I let it air-dry it has a slight wave. Sometimes they are funky and awkward looking and I find that plopping really helps minimize this and create a nicer, more uniform wave. I scrunch BTZ Noodle Head curl creme from Sally's in my damp hair and then I follow it with Got2Be Sexy Volume Mousse (in the red can) before plopping.

I'm still new to plopping, but I'm hoping that by keeping my hair wavy and minimizing the amount of straightening I do, my hair will become more familiar with its wavy texture and over time, create a better natural wave.

It's very difficult explaining through words how to plop your hair, though it is actually quite simple and easy to do. If you're interested in learning more, YouTube "plopping hair" and you'll find many results.

I learned how to plop by watching latin4u55's video. Another great website to check out if you have curly or wavy hair is Naturally Curly.

Hope my public online embarassment helps some of you out there who need a new technique to bring definition to your waves!