What Can I Say? I Work with My Hands.

A couple weekends ago I had the rare and wonderful opportunity to take a girly girlfriend weekend with a gal pal of mine. We had a fun and fabulous romp in Palm Springs, dancing and shopping our way through the town. On one of our escapades to the local dance hot-spot, we ran into some of the strangest and smarmiest man-types you could imagine. One heavily cologned gent asked me to dance, then gazed deeply into my eyes and suavely whispered (with a foreign accent), “You are more beautiful than the sun”.  You could vomit, right?  Shortly thereafter, his mischievous butt-grabbing monkey friend snatched me up for a dizzying whirl around the floor. Just to keep me humble, he decides to add his two cents.  “What do you do for a living?”, he asks, “Why I’m a perfomer”, I replied.  “Oh, ‘cuz your hands are like leather”.  Wow.  That’d make you melt, right?  I mean, yes, this is true (and I’m a fan of the truth). HOWEVER, this is generally not something a man tells a woman five seconds after meeting her. Charming. Well, in my defense, they say the sun does make your skin leathery. I guess my monkey paw is the price I pay for being even more radiant than the center of our universe.

*Product Review:  Eco Styler Olive Oil Styling Gel

So, what fun-in-the-sun beauty essential did I neglect to pack on my girly getaway?  You guessed it, HAIR GEL!.  How does a curly-girl take a sun and splash vacation without the means by which to re-beautify upon soakage?  The answer is … painfully. It sucked!  Big time.  After and hour of trying everything from Oragel to Vagasil, I finally gave up and went for the trendy “I so meant to look like this” fro.  If, however, my baby sister had shared a little secret with me, my do might not have been so tragic.  Yes, my baby sis is usually pretty tight-lipped, but her silence has now reached the point of offense.  Having full knowledge of my quest for hair-perfection, she harbored information about this fabulous concoction, and failed to share it with me.  I guess she’s not just content with being younger and prettier, now she must have the best hair as well ... and after all I’ve done for her.  At any rate, this Eco Styler has now officially slid into my top slot for best go-to curl enhancer.  You can pick up a 32 oz. jar for a mere $3.49 (on sale) at your local Sally Beauty Supply.  Thirty-two freakin’ ounces! Crazy, right?  This uber-unction tames my super-thick, frizzy curls faster, easier, and more efficiently that any of the 561 other products I’ve tried. <Exaggeration for dramatic effect>  It has a light, obnoxiously manly, herbal scent that bugs me, but it fades quickly.  It works well wet or dry, so it’s a great re-definer for those frizzed-out strands.  It doesn’t flake next-day; separates, defines, and holds the curl well; leaves your hair shiny; and (here’s the clencher) … it’s much less crunchy than my previous favorite, Darcy’s Botanicals Curling Jelly.  Granted, despite the name, this product seemingly contains absolutely nothing that would indicate that it is (in any way, shape, or form) good for you OR the universe. (Someone will, I’m sure, correct me if I’m wrong.)  It’s chalk full of chemicals, but hey … IT MAKES YOU LOOK FABULOUS!  Slap my booty and call me superficial, but I’ll die cute. I would recommend trading off with a more natural product, though.  I alternate with the Darcy’s Botanicals and use this every other washing, just to give my liver a chance to detox. That’s generally how I justify using any “conventional” product, by mitigating the damage with alternating use of a “natural” one.  Now if only I could find a salve to heal the wound my sister has left in my heart. Well, for the value, accessibility, ease of use, and ability to deliver great style … 4 ¾ Stars.

Eco Styler Olive Oil Styling Gel