Ocean Potion... You Have Put a Spell on Me

Now that spring is here, and I have foolhardily signed up for a 10K in the next month (it is for a good cause, they said), I have become slowly reacquainted with nature. Which means, of course, that it was high time to find a decent sunscreen to last through running, well okay, huffing and puffing, for a couple miles a day.  

So when I went to the drugstore I picked up Ocean Potion's Protect & Nourish SPF 30, because a sports nut that I know brought some over once and all I remembered was that it smelled amazing. To my utter delight this stuff smelled exactly as I remembered. According to the folks at Ocean Potion, the Scent of Sunshine (trademarked) is creamsicles! The best smell ever.
The ingredient responsible for this amazing scent is "fragrance" according to the back of the bottle, which could be anything, so I might not pass it on to my allergic-to-everything loved ones. But my sensitive skin has not reacted to it. I bought mine at CVS but it's also available at big box stores like Target and Walmart.

After stellar reviews on makeupalley, I even applied this jam to my face before heading outside. It dries pretty matte after soaking in, with nary a white cast (it's also primarily a chemical sunscreen so I'm hoping it doesn't reflect in photos). Also, when it has gotten in my eyes, I have felt it migrating but it hasn't burned (knock on wood). This stuff is so good! So good.

But is it too good???  There is only one downside that keeps me from applying this to my face all the time, and that is that the smell of the sunscreen, while amazing, might be attractive to other creatures. On the occasions where I have worn this on my face, rather large flies have landed on me, exploring my face like a playground. I freaked out, naturally. When I apply it to my body, I find that flies will try to land on my arms, but at least I have a decent chance in swatting them away from my arms.
Fly/gnat on arm = I can deal; Fly/gnat on face = hell to the no. In her book, There's More to Life Than This, Long Island Medium Theresa Caputo mentions that flies can be supernatural messengers from loved ones. That makes things slightly less terrifying. So grandma, if you were trying to tell me that you also like Ocean Potion and that I should call my mother more often, I hear you.

Stay safe out in the sun!

Finally, Hair with Texture the Cheap and Green Way

It is a truth universally acknowledged that if you are a female with hair, your hair is in want of a solution. Who has not wanted their hair to be better, different, and manageable?

Blessed with hair that is damnably thick, straight, shiny all over, and untameable, of course I have longed for hair that is fine, curly, and editorially matte and cohesive. What the hell do I mean? I mean magazine-version Blake Lively hair, Jennifer Aniston hair, Eva Mendes hair... hair that keeps its shape and resembles the fine, airbrushed, smooth feathers of a freakin' eagle, not the slick-looking mess that covers eaglets minutes after hatching. For a greater explanation of the particular hair woes of thick-haired lasses like moi, see here and here.

For a while, I thought dry shampoo and texture sprays were the way to go. So the dry shampoo / texturizer hunt began. I tried dry shampoos by Lush, Tresseme, Herbal Essences, baby powder, a texture spray by Oscar Blandi and one by Tigi.. they were okay. At the same time, I tired of each quickly because I could feel the product. Sure, my hair looked matte, but it felt icky. I would be in the middle of a project and wish that I could excuse myself for five minutes to wash my hair out. When I started to work from home more, I stopped using additional products to mattify and texturize, and my scalp never felt better. I have always been a wash and go kind of gal, so I decided that was good enough.

Yet I bring glad tidings, for I have discovered the secret to the matte, textured hair. Say it with me. Bar. Soap.

Since washing my hair with a bar of Shea Moisture African Black Soap, the best $5 I have ever spent at Bed Bath & Beyond, my hair is ready for the cover of Costco magazine. Or even Better Homes and Gardens. I put it up in a pony tail, and it obeyed me. I have not broken a hair tie in several days. It's a miracle. Plus, it smells delicious and it's easy. What's not to like?

Have you had any luck with bar soaps or shampoo bars in your locks? If so, let me know what you think.