Last week while bike riding with the kids, Lani saw a woman sitting in the driver’s seat of her car, cutting her split ends off with kid scissors. Let’s not let it get that bad people. We will not be cutting our own hair any time soon, but we are styling it a bit differently as we’ve not been able to get hair cuts in quite a while. One thing we don’t address is root touch-up, because (luckily!) neither of us had to do that before the pandemic. However, we do recommend both Madison Reed and Color & Co for covering your grey hair at home.
Read the two very different takes on how we have been handling styling our hair during the Covid-19 quarantine. How are you styling your hair? Let us know in the new comments section at the bottom of the page!
Kyle’s Hair Routine
To be honest, I consider myself pretty good at doing my hair, but more often than not, I’d prefer to air dry it and wear it naturally. I would rather spend 30 minutes doing my makeup and 5 minutes doing my hair. Of course, these days I’m spending about 5 minutes doing skincare and 2 minutes doing my hair. I love messy, beachy waves, which my hair can do on it’s own about half the time. The other half of the time, I just wear it up in a ponytail.
In the Shower: Overtone
Out of all of my hair care, this is the one product that I talk about the most. I’ve been coloring my hair consistently since I was 13, simply because I love change. I’ve been going to the same hair stylist all these years, and she’s seen me through every shade of brown hair, from ashy to bold, plus shades of blonde, purple, pink, and orange. The only problem with hair color is that it eventually fades. And I’m not a high-maintenance person! When you can’t go to the hairdresser every 8 weeks (either because you don’t have the patience or because you’re under lock-down in a pandemic), you need another solution.
Overtone is a color conditioner that can maintain or add pigment to your hair color without bleach. They originally released with just unnatural hair colors, of which I was a huge fan. I placed my first order for their vibrant purple kit in 2017. Since then, they’ve expanded to many colors (so many of which I’ve tried) including shades of brown and black. I’m currently mixing together a combination of the espresso brown with the vibrant orange and vibrant pink to end up with a darker version of what is below. Of course, it does not look nearly this good because it’s been 15 months since I’ve had my hair colored!!! My hair color appointment just passed in April…
After the Shower: Other Products
Since I love low-maintenance wavy hair, I use surf spray and texture sprays, but I also try to keep my hair soft with this Ouai spray. I only brush my hair before I shower, not after, and rarely blowdry! I have heard amazing things about this Revlon hair dryer forever, and then once I saw Elizabeth Fitzsimmons, former Stylist Studio trainee and owner of the best hair ever, talk about it, I was sold! It’s currently in my Amazon shopping cart…
Wet Brush Paddle Detangler Hair Brush, $9.43
IGK Beach Club Volume Texture Spray, $29
Ouai Leave In Conditioner, $26
Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer, $58
When in Doubt: Hair Accessories
In quarantine and not, sometimes my hair just feels better when it is up and out of the way. As much as it makes Lani cringe, I love a good scrunchie. It makes a pony feel more purposeful to me. I love Free People’s buy 3 for $12 deal. If you can’t go back to the 90’s scrunchie, try something more grown-up, like a fur scrunchie (which Lani approves!) I also use this pack of barrettes from Amazon, which I split with Lani last summer. Hairbands look really cute on some people, and I do still wear them sometimes (see Lani’s faux Gucci headbands below, she gifted me the pink). However, that was my own high school trend that I cringe looking back on (I wore one almost everyday. Think 2008 era Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl).
Free People Dip Dye Scrunchie, $8
Free People Oversize Pearl Scrunchie, $16
Jocelyn Mink Tail Scrunchie, $35 $17
J.Crew Satin Turban Knot Headband, $29.50
Lele Sadoughi Multicolor Crystal Headband, $170
Lani’s Hair Routine
I am the opposite of Kyle. I am TERRIBLE at doing my hair. I mean, just ridiculously horrible. Although I pretty much always put on makeup because I just can’t look in the mirror otherwise! I have been fighting with my hair texture since I had kids and the frizz and curls/hormones just kept coming. For a while I was doing Keratin treatments. However, I still needed to blow dry my hair to make it look good, and having to travel with my own shampoo became a major drag. Luckily, between the post-baby hormones dissipating and my fantastic haircuts from Diane Cole Stevens, I have been able to avoid any major treatments. Unfortunately, I have not had a haircut in 4 and a half months at this point and it is bad. My hair is so thick and dense that I require regular haircuts to keep it manageable.
Although I did finally blow-dry my hair the other day (first time since quarantine began!) using my MoroccanOil Hydrating Styling Cream and John Frieda Frizz Ease Hair Dryer, I’ve mostly been wearing my hair in a low bun every day. I have to say though, even in a bun or ponytail, I still feel so much more human with blow-dried hair. I think I will do it more often. Normally I can skip blow-drying and end up with even smoother hair if I use my T3 Straightening and Styling Flat Iron on my air-dried hair, but my hair is so long and out of shape that trick is not working any more. I’m telling you, my first trip out of quarantine is going to be to Diane Cole Stevens. I predict a major short-hair trend after this. I miss you Diane!
John Frieda Frizz Ease Full Volume Hair Dryer, $34.99
T3 SinglePass Luxe 1″ Ionic Straightening and Styling Flat Iron, $180 $135
MoroccanOil Hydrating Styling Cream, $34
When I want to feel slightly more stylish in my athleisure wear and low bun, I add a Scunci Elastic Headwrap. I have one cute double wrap one from Scunci that adds a purposeful “dancer” look to my grown-out hair. I haven’t broken out my faux Gucci headbands (below) yet but am looking forward to doing so for the summer. I think they will go nicely with some solid color basics from Uniqlo that will be easy to wear around the kids, and most importantly, make me feel “dressed”.
Designer Bee Headbands, $11.99
Scunci Flat No Damage Elastic Headwraps, $3.99
I need your help readers. Should I dye my hair purple? My best friend just died her hair a blue green at the bottom and she looks like a mermaid. This reminded me that I’ve always wanted purple hair but have never been able to do it because even in college I had to look “professional”. If I just do the bottoms like my friend Erin did, I can easily pull it back and no one will even see it on my Zoom calls. What I really want is to have lavender tips on the bottom, but that involves bleaching the hair first and I just don’t think I can handle it. I’m thinking I should just go for regular purple with Kyle’s favorite product, Overtone. I did try the red color once on my whole head but you couldn’t even see it in my dark brown hair, so I gave it to Kyle. However, I’m thinking that the specifically named Overtone Purple for Brown Hair will do the trick. What do you think I should do? Please let me know in our new comments section at the bottom of the page!
Overtone Purple for Brown Hair, $29
One more question, readers! I can’t seem to find a shampoo and conditioner I like. I’m sure I’m expecting too much: clean, shiny, soft hair without frizz. And I always buy more “natural” products. I found this article, Top 10 Ingredients to Avoid in Hair Products on the blog Clean Beauty Gals. I’ve been avoiding parabens and sulfates for years, but am sure I should be even more discriminating. Of course this limits my shampoo and conditioner options. If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments below!
Real Life Style is a style consulting firm that teaches busy women to wear their power so they can live their lives fully and confidently. Lani Inlander and Kyle Dunphy are based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and serve clients across the country. We offer personal styling services, an on-demand e-course, corporate services, and training to become a personal stylist.
Once in a while, you can find Lani Inlander and Real Life Style on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Mostly, they are happily busy serving their fabulous clients, not hanging out online!
Lani, I use Prose shampoo and conditioner; you answer some basic questions on their website and they mix it up custom for you. It’s not cheap but my hair (which is really long now and quite blonde since I’ve become a Floridian) looks terrific.
Thank you! I will look it up. I just heard about another custom shampoo brand and I’ve been wondering if that is the answer. Stay safe in Florida!
Re the purple hair – do it!!! What better time to experiment than now, when you can blame it on temporary quarantine insanity if it doesn’t work out. Which I’m sure it will! It’s an amazing idea and I can’t wait to see it on your head.
I was just told by a fellow Eaton mom who also ordered the same hair color that they have quite a shipping backlog right now. I better order it now before I don’t have the quarantine as an excuse!