Do What I Say: Heat-Busting Edition

Ah, we are finally in the thick of summer here in Chicago. I love the heat! Can't complain (other than about the humidity) but you do need to keep cool, especially when you are in the sun for long periods of time. Hopefully you can find some of my tried and true wisdom helpful!

• Drink A Lot Of Water - This should go unsaid, but many forget! Rule of thumb for how much you should drink a day, take your weight in numbers, divide by 2 and that's how many ounces you should drink a day, plus x2 however many ounces of coffee or soda you drink.

• Wear All-Natural Fibers - Sure that rayon dress FEELS like cotton, and that polyester shirt SEEMS airy, but synthetic fibers do not breathe. Stick (or un-stick, rather) to cotton, silk, and linen.



• Protect Your Hair Colour - Dyed hair needs sunscreen, too, especially if you have a bright colour like red (trust me, I know). Get a UV protective spray, like L'oreal's Ever Pure UV Spray, or get a hairspray with UV blockers like John Frieda's Anti-Frizz Hairspray.

• Take A Powder - Body powder, that is! As you get dressed after moisturizing, sunscreen-ing, and deodorizing seal it in and smooth yourself with baby powder or any corn starch-based powder. My fave is Silky Underwear by Lush; it smells heavenly of jasmine and has cocoa butter in it so I can ditch the lotion most days.



• Prime - If you wear makeup, especially liquid or cream makeup, make sure you put a primer down before you apply it. It will keep your makeup on your skin longer and will keep the makeup from clogging your pores. You should do this year round, but on hot days I notice my makeup breaks down faster in hot weather.

• Corn Starch Is a Miracle - If your hair is too frizzy to wash every day when the temperature and humidity rise just work some corn starch into your scalp. It's the active ingredient in most dry shampoos and only costs pennies. The only caveat is that you MUST work it in well or you will look like a judge of yore. Another great use for corn starch? Rub some on your bare feet before putting your shoes on- it will help wick the moisture, preventing discomfort and blisters. Seriously, for pretty much $1 for a decent sized can this is epically useful and will last a long time. I keep it in the bathroom.



• Carry Baby Wipes - This one I got from my friend Alma. On days you are really sweating, keep these in your bag for a quick touch-up throughout the day. It will cool you down; rub on back of your neck, knees, arms, underarms. If your deodorant isn't doing its job anymore use one of these to wipe it off and reapply; deodorant sticks best to clean, dry, recent shaved skin.

First two images found on Google, other two were found on Google image search.

Oh! And just a reminder! Tomorrow is the last day to enter my Happy 100s Giveaway!

Do What I Say: Hair Edition

image from weheartit.com

I'm starting a new feature here at Tzipporit Industries, "Do What I Say." It is comprised of lists of tips of a relating theme from good ideas and tried-and-true methods I've gathered from a variety of sources that help me in my everyday life that hopefully will do the same for you!

Lately I've had a few friends who have asked for advice relating to haircare and I found myself repeating a few things. It also got me thinking about all the tips and tricks I've gathered over the years. I have done everything to my hair but bleach it, get dreadlocks, or shave it. I've had it from waist-length to pixie cut and I've been dying it for years. Lately, having long, dyed hair forces me to take good care of it, which is why I have all this to share. I'm sure some of these things you have heard before but I figured I'd just share...

• If you trim your own bangs do it not just when they are dry but also when they have been recently cleaned. That way they will be at their highest, keeping you from cutting too much.
• When you wash your hair, use shampoo at the roots to about midlength, skimming down from midlength to roots with just a light amount, and condition mid-length to roots to keep your roots from getting greasy.
• My hair is about six inches past my shoulders and I shampoo and condition every other day. I shampoo but not condition my bangs every day. When I don't wash it I wear a shower cap to keep the rest from getting wet in the shower.
• When my hair was shorter than shoulder length and I wore it curly I would shampoo my hair every other day and condition and rinse every day. That kept my hair from being over clean but the conditioner kept the curls moisturized and restructure what curls had grown limp after the first day.
• Why spend a lot of money on dry shampoo? The active ingredient in most is corn starch, and a giant container of it is 5% of the price of fancy stuff and absorbs a lot of grease (so use sparingly!). Baby powder is a less-absorbent alternative for hair that is just starting to get oily. Rub it into the scalp and work out lightly, just like when you shampoo. Brush your hair as needed, especially if you need to distribute it further.
• If your hair is dyed, the main thing that fades hair colour is not rampant shampooing, but UV rays! Make sure you use a UV protector spray, like L'Oreal EverPure UV Protect Spray from their new sulfate-free, vegan, not tested on animals line. It smells amazing, too.
• When I dye my hair red the box always suggests I leave it in for 25 minutes. I always leave it in for at least 40 minutes. It's a darker red for the first week, and then fades into the colour on the box! It doesn't over-process my hair, especially if I make sure to condition thoroughly when rinsing out the dye.
• I blow dry my hair every day so I absolutely have to use a protecting product aside from my styling lotion- and you should, too! I use Tresemme's Heat Tamer Protective Spray. It's cheap and isn't tested on animals!
• Another way to prevent split ends is to put my hair up every time I leave the house. I rarely do my hair in an updo, but I pull my hair into a low chignon before I leave the house (and if it's cold, top it off with a cozy beret). When I get to work or wherever I just undo my hair and viola- no tangles, my hair hasn't poofed up if it's humid, and my hair is nice and soft.
• I also pull my hair back when I sleep into a loose plait. It keeps the hair from getting tangled in my sleep and from my hair's oils irritating my face. I also pin back my bangs for the latter reason.
• When I rinse out my hair in the shower, no matter how painful, I always do a very very cold rinse. It keeps my hair from getting frizzy and ups the shine. It also blocks my follicles from getting nastified by whatever products I put in it- think of it as primer for your locks.
• If you end up getting too much gunk in your hair and it feels limp and gross, do an apple cider vinegar rinse in lieu of your regular shampoo. I dilute 1/2 cup vinegar with 1 1/2 cups filtered warm water and follow by conditioning/cold rinsing as usual. I've never had a problem with it affecting my hair colour, either.

Phew! I hope this list proved helpful. Does anyone have any tricks they would add to my list?

Worst Products I've Ever Tried

In honour of Things I Hate Tuesday, I'm publishing this article I've been thinking about for a while. May add to it as my attempts at consumerism continue to disappoint me, and I know I have stuff missing from this list.



• TRESemme No Frizz Shine Spray - I try to support TRESemme as much as possible because they do not test on animals and that means a lot to me. This product did up the shine in my hair immediately and with just a few sprays all over, I will give it that much. But this product does absolutely nothing for frizz control. I used this product on my hair before and after I straightened it on a misty day and by the time I got to work I had Botticelli curls all over. Disappointing.



• Purely Cosmetics - I feel bad writing this, as I like to support independent businesses. And keep in mind my skin is horrible- with acne scars, uneven texture, mild rosacea, and it is sensitive and acne-prone. But their foundation made me break out immediately and while it provided decent coverage it also caked very much, everywhere. It sunk into my tiny under-eye wrinkles and enlarged them dramatically. By the end of the day I was pooling in oil and my entire face was burning, waiting to be washed off. It made me sad, since their makeup is hailed as being best for sensitive skin since it had "no bismuth, talc, micronized minerals, and other skin irritants." Perhaps their eye-makeup is worth trying, as most reviews of that brand online hailed it, which I probably should have heeded a bit more.



• Moom - This was another product I was very eager to try since I heard mostly good things about it; good for sensitive skin and completely organic. I don't mind waxing but hate paying for it, and needing to shave very often gets tiresome. I tried this on my bikini area first and not only did it not get much hair off but it bruised my skin! I gave it a second try a few days later on my arm. It got a little of the hair off, but not much that time, either. Luckily it didn't bruise, but both times I did get red bumps (that didn't surprise me, however, but did add to my annoyance with this product as I was already short with it). I guess it's back to blades for me!



• Aveeno Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer - Again, my skin is horrible. And I haven't tried this product in a while, maybe it would work better now, who knows. But I'm willing to bet it won't. Aveeno pretty much sucks in general. For being "organic" their products sure have a lot of ingredients. Almost everything, even the stuff for sensitive skin, still has fragrance in it, and they test on animals. Yuck. That being said, this did absolutely nothing to "calm" the red in my face.



• Preparation H as under-eye cream - This may be another product where I didn't use it long enough to see results (I did it for about a week), but I would think this is one of those things where you are supposed to see immediate results. I didn't notice any difference with my under-eye circles or tightening of the skin.