Spotlight: Wishtrend.com-Korean Beauty EStore

Korean beauty and fashion trends are making huge waves currently specifically products like the Blemish Balm cream which loads of beauty fanatics are raving about.


But BB cream is not the only Korean beauty product worth your attention when you come across Wishtrend.com, an online Korean fashion and beauty store.You will find all kinds of beauty products from toners and cleansers to serums and packs.And of course the thing that started the trend, BB creams.Although they do have lots of work to do on their fashion segment.


Wishtrend.com offers top notch Korean beauty brands like Ciracle, Caolion, Liz K, Rojukiss and Gatzmen exclusively for men.


Currently in their fashion segment they are offering really cute multi-hued zipper pouches.


So if you're in the mood to do some Korean flavoured shopping Wishtrend.com is the perfect place to go to.

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My Take: Omved Tired Foot Soak

What It Claims
Rejuvenate and refresh sore and tired muscles with this blissful pampering soak. Therapeutic minerals and aromatic oils cleanse and condition while neutralizing odors.

• Mineral-rich, Himalayan pink rock salt is a cleansing agent, drawing out impurities and toxins from the body and relaxing the tissues.
• Epsom Salts eases stress, relaxes stiff muscles and aching limbs and softens skin.
• Clary Sage is an antibacterial muscle toner and eases soreness.
• Cooling Peppermint relieves aching feet while de-odorizing.
• Lemon is a circulatory stimulant. Relieves stress and revives hard-working feet.

This stimulating blend is also wonderful to stimulate cold hands. Dip into this luxurious soak and nourish your feet, relax your mind and heal your body.

Ingredients
100% natural. No synthetic agents. No parabens, sulfates, silicones, petrochemicals, glycols, phthalates, synthetic colours or perfumes.
100% pure therapeutic essential oils, blended in cold-pressed plant oils.
Contains only 100% herbal actives - pure botanical extracts combined with salts Himalayan pink salt, Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) & essential oils of Peppermint (Mentha piperita) oil, Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea) oil and Lemon (Citrus limonum) oil. 100% biodegradable formula and easily recyclable packaging.


How To Use
Warm water in a pail (water level deep enough to reach your calves). Pour 2 tbsp. of soak into warm water. Place both feet into pail. You may use some undissolved salt granules to gently scrub your feet. Be seated comfortably and soak feet for 15 minutes or until you start to perspire. Pat dry & moisturize. This can be done 2-3 times weekly. If suffering from sleeping difficulties, soak just before sleeping. Can also be used as a soak for hands.

Price
Rs 300 for 100gms
Available online at Omved Store

The Good

• This baby is a treat for sore, tired feet.Works its magic within 5 minutes of soaking as you feel all your muscles relaxing and start to feel the effects of all the scrumptious ingredients(lemon, peppermint,salts).
• Instant mix for an at home spa experience since it contains everything from essential oil to salts.Just add candles, Chopin and you’ll never want to splurge in a spa ever again.
• The essential oils along with the hot water make feet super soft and smelling fresh.
• Natural products always gets a thumbs up from me.
• Love the packaging specially since the jar can always be upcycled.

The Bad

• Smell is way too strong for me although you do get accustomed with time. 
• Works out expensive since a 100gm jar is just sufficient enough for 3-4 uses.

Love It Or Chuck It
I love versatile products specially when they come in pretty little crystals like the Omved Tired Foot Soak.Absolutely fuss free since you only need to add a few tablespoons to warm hot water and you are good to go.Not to mention effective at getting rid of dead skin and any aches and soreness.Great after strutting your stuff in 4 inch heels.Love it.

Disclaimer: Product sent by PR for review.Read Review Policy for more information.

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Style Diary: It's A Man Thing !!!

For me fashion is experimentation and stretching the limits of normal boundaries.But that does not mean I love looking like a clown.I'm pretty self conscious and if people start staring at me I always tend to think the worst.And that is essentially why I experiment within the safe haven of my home.Even though I tend to keep some of my outrageous creation within wraps(a sequined black jumpsuit for instance) I do tend to test some of the milder ones in public.

I love the idea of men's fashion.It is simple, not at all in your face, less complicated and incorporating it in a gal's wardrobe is easy and free.Just nick some stuff off the males in your lives and you are set.Here are my top 5 picks/nicks : 

Men's Shirt

This one's an all time classic and you can never be ridiculed for it.I loved Carrie in Mr Big's shirt and that's how my fixation with baggy shirts began.You can belt it on the waist and wear it as a shirt dress, wear tights or better still stockings underneath it, or simply wear it over a spaghetti top and jeans( a la Kristen Stewart).These days I'm totally digging the purple and black big checked shirts and plaid ones.If you'd rather wear something a little less baggy you could buy one in a smaller size.But make sure you buy from the Men's department!!!
Watches With Gigantic Dials A.K.A. The Boyfriend Watch

Who wants to wear dainty watches when you could flaunt big dialed watches that are oh-so-manly.This is the simplest way you could adopt a guy's style without being guilty of over indulgence.Keep in mind that the size of the dial should be relative to your wrist, it should be over sized without looking too clunky.Team it with dainty bracelets and bangles to add a hint of femininity and you are good to go.

Suspenders

White tee, denim shorts and suspenders all combine to form the ultimate fashion statement.It is chic,quirky and not to mention manly.I'm still hunting for these though.For some reason they are eluding me.A couple of month's back I did spot a tee with suspenders but since it had atrocious rips and sequins I let it pass.Maybe a DIY in progress.

Boxers

This is strictly for indoors.But I love the sight of guys in their boxers (only). Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.And these things are damn comfy.The checks do add to the old world charm.If you are adventurous enough you could try teaming it with a tank top and gladiators for a spot of shopping in the heat.

Perfumes

I'm basically addicted to flowery fruity female scents but perfumes with the Homme tag  always gives you an edge and I'm not talking about the monotonous musk but something more ethereal.And for some reason these last on your body longer than our female counterparts.These day's I'm loving Grey Flannel which I nicked from my dad.It smells like crushed wild leaves and plants, it's warm and fiery.Every time I wear it, I'm guaranteed second glances.I'm almost on my my last dregs of  'my precious' so next up I want to try Joop.Smells eternally manly.

So what's your man thing?

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A Humble Lip Balm To The Beauty Rescue

Obsessed with lip balm are we? Well don't fret cause there are loads of females(and males too) who share your obsession with the humble lip balm, (lip conditioner, lip butter call it what you will).And now I'll give you seven more reasons to fuel your obsession with the lip balm.

Quick Eye Gloss 
The most important trick to smoky eyes is the smudging and nothing does it better than a lip balm.Coat a liner brush generously with eye shadow and mix with some lip balm warmed on the back of your hand, and use it to line your eyes.Alternatively you could apply your liner the usual way and then smudge it with a q-tip coated with a bit of lip balm.In order to avoid creasing and excess smudging make sure you use a very tiny amount of lip balm.This would give your eyeliner the rocker oomph plus make creating smoky eyes a walk in the park.And this is an ideal way to apply mineral eye shadow specially if your are a novice.You can learn more about getting the perfect sultry smoky eye in less than five minutes here.

Dry Skin Be Gone
Winters spell the worst woe when it comes to dry skin.If you keep getting dry and flaky around your mouth, cheek and nose then don't worry cause the lip balm will come to your rescue.Rub some clear lip balm onto the tips of your fingers and warm the wax by rubbing them together and press onto face, concentrating on areas that tend to flake and dry faster, such as around the mouth and nose, as well as the apples of the cheeks and chin.This trick works like magic to help get rid of flaky skin without clogging your pores plus acts as an extra layer of protection against cold elements.

Frizz Control
Don't you just hate carrying full-sized hairspray, gel and wax in your purse just to tame those out of control frizz.Well now you can make do with a simple lip balm which by the way can multitask.Because of it's waxy texture, lip balm makes for a great replacement for hair products.It adds gloss and shine without weighing hair down and making it too oily and gets those pesky flyaways under control.Rub lip balm along your palms and rub together to warm it up and apply like you would apply hair serum.Just remember to use sparingly.

Lip Colour To Suit Your Fancy
Custom lip colours are easy to create when you have access to a tube of lip balm.Just apply to your lips, dip lip brush in your favourite pink, red, berry or plum loose mineral eye shadow and sweep across your pout.This trick will help create a long-lasting satin finish lip colour.You can also add lipstick to get lasting colour.It’s also a great way to try out a new colour before committing to a full tube.

Instant Cream Blush
Cream blush gives that dewy finish that can never be achieved with powder or mineral blush.But the problem is that cream blushes are not easy to come by (not to mention the expensive price tag).But if you own a tube of lip balm(duh!) you have an instant cream blush substitute.Start by applying powder blush to the apples of cheeks, then blend lip balm with fingers over blush with a tapping motion. For a softer effect skip the powder blush and go for a pink/red lip balm.

Eyebrow Groomer
Lip balm provides a waxy texture that brow powder can easily cling to, plus it creates a nice sheen to the finished brow style.Rub a little lip balm onto fingers, and then onto brow, and use the spooly end of a clean mascara wand to brush and style hairs in place. Your brow powder and style will last all day.

Lashy Lashes
If you are not a big fan of the mascara but still want a conditioned flirty lashes then lip balm is the way to go(also works when you have 5 minutes to get ready and out of the house).Simply rub it onto the tips of eyelashes for shine and definition.

If up until now you haven't found a justified reason for keeping a lip balm on you at all times, I'm sure you will now after reading this post.So it's time to stock up on those tubes ladies and take the obsession up a notch.

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Oscar’s Best Beauty Hits... And Some Misses!

The best part of the Oscars, is that we’re all invited to the after-party.  You know, the time after the awards when we rip certain celebs apart for their bad taste or clamor for the hottest dress or hairstyle.  It’s all in good fun, because in Hollywood, award ceremonies or Project Runway; one day you’re in and the next day you’re out!  Here are some of my best/worst picks for the night.

Lets start off with men. Boring! I can’t really say there was a worst dressed, because I don’t believe there was.  The closest I’d get was Bradley Cooper’s hair. I love his hair slicked back, but not sure about shellacked back.  The other hair loser was Eddie Redmayne.  His hair was a cross between a Gotti boy, Jersey shore and a True Bood, SNL spoof. The best looking men were the ones who actually brought some color and life to the carpet.  Daniel Day Lewis rocked a Domenico Vacca blue tux.  Normally this would look tacky, but his stature, hair and skin color really complement the blue.  My other pick for best-dressed male is Stephen Marinaro, aka, TheSalonGuy, who was on the other side of the mike for the night.  His brown and black suit by Malan Breton really stood out, showed some personality and rose to the elegant occasion.

Best Dressed

Jessica Chastain – Killer curves in Armani Prive.  Veronica lake hair, perfect skin color and red lip to brighten her face. A step above monotone makes it classic, timeless beauty expected to be at the Academy Awards.

Jenna Dewan’s black lace dress was perfect with her baby bump.  Open back for some sex appeal and a perfect v cut in front.

Worst Dressed

Anne Hathaway, Brandi Glanville: Nipple Dart offenders



Reese Witherspoon and Kristen Stewart – Tiny titty, suction cups don’t work. Don’t smash them, please!

Best Accessory

Jenna Dewan tops the list with her husband, Channing Tatum.


Quvenzhane Wallis’ cute puppy purse was perfect for her and she seemed to really love it.  It was great to see some fun and personality.

Best Makeup

Queen Latifah always has great makeup, so I was glad she moved away from her usual neutral lips to a bright berry.
Shirley Bassey knocked it out of the park. Super glam.
Jennifer Chastain makeup was angelic.  Her makeup artist really deserves an award because it’s very difficult to bring all those colors together and not make her look like a clown. Red lips, shimmer apricot blush, red/ginger hair, flawless.

Best Hair

Shirley Bassey’s hair looked very natural, shiny and voluminous without being tortured into place.
Jennifer Chastain resembled Veronica Lake.  Soft, beautiful waves but not crunchy.  The color was shiny, vibrant and not fake looking which can happen when you move into the red hues.

Worst Host

Piers Morgan was asking everyone to give him their best loser face when they lose in their category.  Ewww, so awkward and celebrities had no idea what to do.

Worst Overall

 
Helena Bonham Carter – Very Miserables and a hot mess. Bad hair, bad dress.  Looks like she stepped out of the flower market from My Fair Lady.  She has that crazy, homeless lady look and it’s a shame because she does have a very pretty face and could easily be in the best category if done right.

Best Overall

For me, the show-stopper was 76 year young, Shirley Bassey, She brought it all to the stage.  Hair, makeup, dress, shoes, jewelry.  That was a lot of look to pull of and she did it with grace, elegance and ease.  Glorious and can’t wait to see her in concert.

Biggest Question of the Night

Watching these awards every year, I keep wondering one thing. When are they going to have someone at the bottom of the stairs to help all the women get to the top?

The Beauty Buster Dishes On Oscar’s Best Beauty Hits... And Some Misses!
by Lora Condon, Author, Makeup Artist for GMA and celeb Esthetician.

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Splurge And Save Online With CouponDunia

Hey Guys, I’ve just come across CouponDunia, an amazing site for finding coupons & deals for online stores like Myntra, FlipKart, SnapDeal, Tradus, BeStylish, Pepperfry, ShopClues & many more.

CouponDunia, is India’s Largest Coupon & Deal site, and has over 150,000 Likes on FaceBook !

CouponDunia covers deals/coupons for products across various categories from Cosmetics, Clothes, Lingerie, Perfumes & Watches to Air Tickets to Electronics.

They even have an option to subscribe to deals/coupons for specific online stores, so that you get an e-mail the moment a new deal/coupon is added for that online store.

Be sure to check out their featured coupons, where you can find great deals from new online stores.

To know more, check out CouponDunia here: http://www.coupondunia.in/

Here are some of my favourite deals !

The Vanca: Navy Blue Dress from Myntra. Save with Myntra Coupons

Kuero: Cherry Red Handbag from SnapDeal. Save with SnapDeal Coupons

Nine West: Mimosa Sandals from BeStylish. Save with BeStylish Coupons

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Look Your Oscar Best With The Rule Of 3

Rooney Mara rocking the rule of three

The ultimate night for elegant and classic beauty is the Academy Awards. The Oscars is the one night where celebrities go all out in making sure everything is perfect. They’re stitched into their dresses with millions of dollars in diamonds around their neck, perfectly coiffed hair, and of course flawless makeup over glowing skin.

Let’s face it, the average woman does not have a team of well paid professionals putting them together every time they step out of their front door. Achieving an Academy Award winning look for beauty, may be much easier than you think, with a few easy steps.

I like to call it the Rule of 3. There are 3 major points on the face that people notice first and make your face look balanced and beautiful.The 3 major points are brows, eyes and lips. Correctly accentuating these 3 points can easily give you a va-­va voom look.

Strong brows are a must to frame your face, make you look younger, give you an instant eye lift as well as give expression to your whole face. I suggest getting a professional opinion, take before and after pictures after they’re filled in because it’s almost impossible to see yourself objectively in the mirror. It may take a while to get used to having your brows filled in, but once you do, you’ll feel naked without them! Google celebrity brows and get a good laugh over some of the really bad brows.

            

           

Sandra Bullock & Penelope Cruz look glamorous with the perfect brows

The second point is of course eyes. Long eyelashes and strategically placed liner will captivate your audience.

If you use lashes, I recommend eyelash extensions for the most natural but glamorous look that can work just as well for everyday glam. Using cluster lashes instead of strip lashes is my favorite natural false lash look. They’re more natural, no poking or coming off at the corners of the eyes.

Angelina Jolie amping the oomph with fake lashes

A dark green or royal blue THIN eyeliner extended a little bit past the corner of the eye will make eyes pop

and pretty much go with any outfit and skin color. Use an angle brush and press the liner into the base of the lash line so you can let the lashes do the talking for your eyes.

Viola Davis worked thin green eyeliner right

The lips can be the most difficult because it is imperative to choose a color that has the right undertone. Bold is better when going for award winning lips and it’s all about the undertone of the color you choose. Take into consideration the natural color of your lips and how the lipstick may change after an hour.With darker colors, I like to fill in my lips with a lip pencil and put a gloss over it. Many times the lip liner lasts longer and is the perfect color. 

Anne Hathaway's famous bold red lip

Always remember the rule of 3 and experiment! Take pictures and have friends give suggestions. Find a pretty dress and start writing your acceptance speech for Most Beautiful!

Milla Jovovich, working all her angles and the rule of three

Guest Post By Lora Condon

Award Winning Esthetician and Makeup artist for GMA, Film and Print, Lora is a sought after Beauty Expert and Spa Consultant. A principled consumer advocate, Lora is known as a “Beauty Buster” in the media and is fearless about busting beauty myths and telling the truth about unhealthy or un-­helpful beauty products. As a makeup artist, Lora’s work has appeared in publications such as, Ladies Home Journal, The New York Times, Time Out New York and in spots for Good Morning America, The View, Larry King, CNN, Fox News and ESPN.

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Quick Fix: Plump Up Your Lips

Who doesn't fancy a set of Jolie pout? Me, you and basically every female being on the planet(except for those who are blessed with the perfect pout).Which is why most women resort to unhealthy ways to plump up lips.I'm not against any of those but I have a super quick (not to mention free) trick to plum your lips.So let's get started.

Step 1:
Take less than half a pea sized blob of your regular toothpaste and massage your lips with it for 20 seconds.Let it stay on the lips for another 10 seconds.
Step 2:
Next take a damp baby toothbrush and gently start exfoliating your lips using light circular motion.Your lips should start tingling slightly which means the trick is working.Take a damp washcloth and wipe off the paste.
Step 3:
Follow up with a moisturizing lip balm applied generously all over your lips.I personally prefer using a peppermint lip balm which adds to the tingle.This should suffice to get your lips all plumped up but if you are looking for more plumping action then you can skip this step and proceed to the next.
Step 4:
Mix a half a pinch of chilli powder and half a pinch cinnamon powder to 1/2 a tsp of Vaseline(plain not scented) and apply on your lips.If you are allergic to any of the ingredients please skip this step and always test out a small amount first before applying.Let it stay for as long as you can tolerate it and then wipe off using a damp washcloth.Follow up with a moisturizing lip balm and you are done!

Dry exfoliated lips always look thinner so exfoliate as many times as possible and always keep your lips moisturized.For a quick homemade lip scrub mix 1/2 a tsp sugar with 1/2 tsp olive oil (or Vaseline) and scrub your lips with it.You can add honey for added moisture.

If you have thin lips stay away from matte lipsticks.Instead opt for shimmery lip colours in a moisturizing base.Lip glosses work best if you have thin lips.You could easily cheat using a nude lip liner to enhance the shape of your lips.

I hope you enjoyed reading the post, comment and let me know!

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A Lazy Girl's Guide To No Fuss Instant Home Manicure

My whole life I have only got my nails done at the salon once and that too for free (inaugural freebie).Not because I hate spending money on manicures (which I sort of do, I'd rather buy expensive nails paints) but I find getting nails done really pretentious.

Home Manicures on the other hand are cheap and after reading this guide super quick and easy.Just the sort of thing a lazy girl looks for!

Out With Filing Your Nails And In With Trimming Them Off
Who has the time or patience to file nails to get them in perfect shape.Yeah filed nails do look great, but short nails have been in vogue for the last couple of seasons so stow away the filers and bring out the cutters.
Start by trimming off the centre of the nail starting from the top of the nail bed, straight across and then use a 45 degree angle to trim off the sides to give a rounded edge.Nails this short have no need to be filed.

Diss Soapy Water For Plain Water
So ideally the next step after filing your nails is soaking your hands in warm soapy water, but we are looking at a lazy girl's way of doing things.So apply a rich cream or body butter liberally all over your hands concentrating the cream on your nails specially the cuticles and soak your hands for a couple of minutes in the hottest water your hand can withstand (be really careful with the temp of the water though) for a couple of minutes.
Take your hands out and using an orange stick push back the cuticles(never trim cuticles).Then wipe off your hands using a thick towel making sure to get off every last bit of cream and water.

Who Needs A Basecoat When You Can Buff
Basecoat helps the colour go on smoothly and last longer.Blah Blah Blah.Better idea: using a nail buffer to bring on the shine without any chemicals.Nail Buffers usually come with 3-4 different grits to polish your nails and make them shine instantly.Plus it prevents yellowing of nails from darker nail paints and makes the nail paint adhere better.That is, it does the job of a basecoat just as well without having to wait for it to dry.
Currently I'm loving The Body Shop Nail Polishing Block (Review).It instantly makes my nails shine like nobody's business and the shine lasts for a good week.

Polish Ready Or Not
Buffed nails look great on their own but if you are a polish friendly (obsessed more like it) gal then pick your favourite shade and apply two really thin coats and let each coat air dry before reapplying.Five minutes after applying the second coat dunk your hand in ice cold water and let it air dry again.Though short nails can sport any colour they look their damned best in dark shades (think burgundy, plum, teal, navy, jade) or bright neons.Currently I'm obsessed with OPI: Lincoln Park After Dark which is a gorgeous black purple.

And ta-dah your nails have been prepped and primed for a night out.This home manicure hardly takes half an hour(including dry time) and is laziness personified.Plus is perfect for everyone from the busy working girl to the stay at home mom.

Comment and let me know your take on this fuss free way of pimping up your nails.

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Mythbusters: Hair Care

It's easy to concoct hair myths since most people are pretty attached to their mane and would happily believe anything.And once a hair rumour starts its pretty difficult to contain it until it's wrecked the brains of some very sensible people.

Listed below are five of the oldest and most common hair myths along with the actual facts.

Myth #1 
“Switching shampoos makes hair healthier”
Busted
I've heard this advice advocated by almost everyone I know and I did blindly believe it for a long time, until it stopped making sense.Hair is pretty dumb and dead so how can it tell the difference between different brands or build up tolerance to any product for that matter?I've been using the Schwarzkopf Repair Rescue Range(shampoo, conditioner, hair mask: the whole deal) for almost a year now religiously without any so called product build up.The range is exclusively meant for rebonded hair and so far it's been taking good care of my hair.Definitely if you have oily or very fine hair and prefer using  heavy duty styling products like pomade, mousse, or gel, the extra goop tends to accumulate on your hair in which case a clarifying shampoo might prove beneficial once every two weeks.Though use clarifying shampoos with caution since, these detergent-heavy cleansers, which do such a great job of removing build up, will also do a great job of giving you damaged hair.

Myth #2 
“ You can mend split ends with the right products”
Busted
Nope you can't just like you can't mend a broken heart.Once they are split you can do absolutely nothing to fix it.The best thing to do would be to cut them off immediately or they will split higher and do more damage.You could though try making split ends less noticeable by applying a product containing silicone or beeswax, which will temporarily seal ends together, making hair softer and more manageable.To prevent split ends avoid brushing wet hair or using hot styling tools frequently.Protect your hair from sun damage and and get a trim once every two months.

Myth #3 
“ Cutting Hair Makes It Grow Faster and/or Thicker”
Busted
This ludicrous advice has been passed on for ages and it amazes me how many people actually believe it.Hair grows from the scalp so how can chopping them off from the bottom help you grow hair faster?Sure this might have had some credibility if you had grass instead of hair but since you don't I highly doubt a hair cut will make much difference to your hair length or thickness.Cutting your hair will only make it shorter and hairs grows almost exactly half an inch per month, no matter what you do, and will not alter it's normal biologically determined growth rate or overall texture.

Myth #4 
“If you pluck out one gray hair, two or three will sprout in its place”
Busted
If that were true everyone would be plucking hair to get bountiful hair, since you can always cover up the gray as long as you have a full mane.Gray hair simply means absence of colour, so pulling out a gray hair will not influence another gray one to grow.Although plucking out those gray strands is a bad habit since you can damage the roots, causing infection or leaving a scar.

Myth #5 
“To get really clean hair, you must "lather, rinse, and repeat”
Busted
The labels on almost all shampoos read lather rinse repeat, so you do exactly that not realizing that it's simply a marketing strategy to get one to use more of the product, run out of it quicker and then have to purchase more.One thorough washing will do the trick as long as you spend an extra couple minutes washing your hair properly.While shampooing, massage the shampoo into your scalp and throughout your hair to get a nice lather and then rinse to get all the suds out of your hair.Follow up with conditioner.A second lather might be necessary if you have extremely dirty hair but since most of us shampoo regularly and frequently I highly doubt that situation will ever arise.

So that's 5 most common hair myths busted for you.If you have any hair care bubble to burst feel free to comment and let me know.

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