Here we go! It was day one of the International Spa & Salon Expo (ISSE) in Long Beach, California. With so much to see and very little time, my first stop was
Pravana.
Known for their incredibly bright, highly pigmented
Chromasilk Vivids; a demi-permanent hair color with shades that make a statement. See swatches below. The best part about Pravana is that their products are paraben-free and there's no animal testing.
This next item of theirs is by far my favorite. It's the
Nevo Intensive Therapy Leave-In Treatment. The first time I ever used this product was about five years ago when I decided to go from dark brown to a multi-faceted, I'm a Bond girl, blonde. Brace yourself. Throwback in 3.....2.....1!
Cute, right? For a minute, I thought I was doing well with the hair gods and goddesses, but I wasn't managing the styling as well as I should, and heat with bleach was a bad combination. Much like the idea of frolicking in poison ivy would be. Nothing good can come of it.
Succumbing to the mercy of my fried strands, I inquired further and purchased this eighth wonder of the world.
What it does: Detangles, hydrates, equalizes hair porosity, protects hair during thermal styling, repairs split ends, gives shine, eliminates static electricity, soothes skin, lessens effects of chlorine and defrizzes.
Key Ingredients: Jojoba, algae, sunflower and theobroma grandiflorum seed butter.
Bonus touches:
Vegan. Paraben-free. Sulfate-free. Phthalates-free. Salt-free and Gluten-free.
Of all things good in this world, my hair was starting to feel alive, again. A few mist into towel dried hair and combed through was the equivalent to tiny bandaids tightly squeezing positive vibes and starfish kisses into each strand of my over processed, snapping an inch from the root, sweet, baby hair.
Thank you, Pravana. You saved my strands from a pixie cut. And the good Lord knows he did not create my cheek bones for one of those cuts.
Next up,
L'anza. Known for using botanical and other natural products, the company focuses on healing. And by healing, I truly mean, healing. From curly hair, parched hair, I don't need much but give me something anyways, hair. You name it, they've got it.
My favorites? Healing Moisture shampoo and the keratin healing oil hair treatment.
Note: You only want to use keratin products if your hair is slightly or fully damaged and needs some help coming back to life. If this describes your hairdo, apply a dime size amount to fine or thin hair, more if your hair is thicker, and finger comb through wet or dry hair.
As far as booth attention goes, I couldn't keep my eyes off their stunning hair models. Lovely.
Continuing on to a few more laps around the long beach convention center, I mingled through the crowds, watched stylist chat about angled cuts and swooned over
the half a million (don't quote me) display Big Sexy Hair propped up. Can we say uh-maze-zeen?! The photo really doesn't do it justice. The booth was gorgeous and I couldn't stop staring. I felt like I was walking the red carpet.
After coming to, and adding a few eye drops, I walked a few steps further to meet the incredibly sweet, talented and intelligent beauty master mind of
Dinair Air Brush makeup. Ms. Dina herself, who graciously posed with her two adorable models.
This line of makeup can be used to cover tattoos, skin conditions, used as a base foundation, head to toe exotic looks and more. Check out their site for classes and more information on where to purchase.
Then, out of the hairspray fog, I spotted this high-standing Mohawk and his über-friendly owner, who did I mention was um, friendly?
His appeal intrigued other onlookers as well to step up and check out
Dream Catchers hair extensions. After listening and watching a demo, I was astonished to see what these extensions could do. Self proclaimed as "The world's best hair extensions,"
I have to say, I was impressed. There's no glue, just a rubber clamp, making applying, regrowth placement and removal of these extensions a simple alternative to bonded or bead extensions. Check them out at www.Dreamcatchersstyle.com.
Another type of hair extensions I was digging, was Invisi-tab. Created by celebrity stylist Ron King, these 1 1/2 inch, 100 percent all European virgin hair extensions are sandwiched between your own hair for an almost undetectable extension you have to witness for yourself. I'm highly considering testing these babies out myself some day soon.
To learn more or to become certified, check out www.invisitab.com.
Before I left for the day, I ran into my new favorite hair care line, Bioken Enfanti. I was so thrilled, I screamed and jumped up and down like high school girls do when they run into their friends at a party. My joy spread to the rep for Bioken, who was so impressed I knew so much about their line.
Bioken Enfanti focuses on the source of beautiful hair, maintaining a healthy scalp. Through extensive research, Bioken uses all natural and therapeutic ingredients to create their hair care line. Focusing on thinning, noticeable hair loss, or someone who just wants good looking hair and a healthy scalp, Bioken Enfanti can help.
Due to my own personal lifestyle of daily gym workouts and a naturally oily scalp, I found Bioken Enfanti a few months ago and decided to try it. The words antibacterial stood out and I was really curious to see what this shampoo and conditioner duo would achieve. Within days I noticed a less oily scalp, and an overall healthy a great smelling head of hair, even on those in between shampoo days.
I purchased the shampoo/conditioner set for all hair types but they have exclusive sets for curly, color treated and dry. You can visit Bioken at www.biokenusa.com.
I have to say, for my very first hair show of this caliber, I was incredibly pleased.
Known as the launch pad for new beauty products and services, this year's event featured more than 379 exhibiting companies promoting 420 beauty brands. Thank you for inviting me PBA. I had a blast and cannot wait until next year!
Xo
Lisa
