Hair Dare with Dove Regenerative Nourishment

I’m not really a hair person. As a fashion stylist, I constantly change up my look. As a beauty junkie, I have loads of fun switching up my makeup on the daily. But as for my hair? It’s just there. I get it cut every 3 months or so (just a trim, please) and wouldn’t normally get it coloured if I didn’t have greys. Oh, and I rarely, if ever, (like maybe 3 times a year), use any heat styling tools on my hair. The dryer just sits there. The curling wand I spent so much money on lives in its drawer unless I have to dress up. And while I used to use my straightening iron all the time, it too has languished over the past few years. While it’s probably healthy to avoid all the heat styling, I counteract the benefits by going to bed with wet hair all the time and often throw it into a ponytail when it’s still wet, which causes serious breakage. I call this no-maintenance, French girl beauty. For the record, I’m not even French. But if I’m honest, I’m really just lazy when it comes to hair.

When Dove challenged me to a hair dare, I was super excited. This was exactly what I needed. I’m not boring. I’m not predictable. And while I’m fine with low-maintenance, no-maintenance is a problem. I feel totally ready for a change. Challenge accepted.

I go to my stylist, Michelle, and instead of my regular ‘Just give me my natural brown - like the colour of my roots, minus the greys’, I say ‘I want to go dark.’ She just stares at me in the mirror. She thinks I’m kidding. We sit there staring at each other for a good minute. After years of trying to convince me to do something fun, here I sit, ready to do it with no prompting on her part. Once I convince her I’m serious, we agree on a shade that’s 2 shades darker than my regular colour and a cut that’s definitely more than a trim. When it’s done, I’m kind of loving it and of course, she styles it in a way that I never have the patience to do myself. 

A few days later,I wash my hair with my regular shampoo. I let it air dry but somehow, the air dry look just doesn’t do my new cut or colour justice. My hair looks dry and frizzy and not at all like it did with Michelle. Okay Dove, let’s do this.

I’m usually reluctant to try drugstore brands because I’ve become so accustomed to blowing my full paycheques on salon products. Luckily, Dove and I go way back so there are no trust issues here. When it comes time to wash my hair the next time, I’m ready to try the Dove Regenerative Nourishment Shampoo and Dove Regenerative Nourishment Conditioner. With its Red Algae + Keratin NutriComplex, it helps regenerate the healthy look and feel of hair damaged by over-processing. I never use masks or clarifying shampoos or oils or really anything that I should be using to keep my strands healthy so I totally need this. The shampoo smells amazing and I only need a bit of conditioner to make my hair feel super soft.

I’m feeling so empowered that I decide to bring out my neglected heat styling tools and give them a go. I dry my hair with actual hot air (bam), I straighten it to get rid of my ever-present poufiness (kazow) and I even use my curling wand to give my hair those easy, beachy waves that I always like on other people. 

The next time I wash my hair, I decide to really go for it and use the Dove Regenerative Nourishment Serum-in-Oil. After adding a few drops (just put a few pumps in your hand, rub together and smooth through the ends - so easy) my hair doesn’t even look like my hair anymore. The straightening iron usually gives me loads of flyaways and a generally crispy feeling but the oil just gives it this crazy, amazing shine.

No more no-maintenance for this girl. Now that I know I can colour and heat style my hair to my heart’s content and still walk away with gorgeous locks, the possibilities are endless.I should probably let Michelle sit down before I tell her…

Ready to try something new? Why not try the Dove #HairDare challenge? I dare you ;)

The Regenerative Nourishment range, formulated with Red Algae + Keratin NutriComplex, is a specific daily program for damaged, over-processed hair, making it smoother and stronger against breakage - as if damage never happened. Learn More!

Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Dove Canada via Mode Media Canada.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Dove Canada.

In Love with Dove

  

Pics of Dove Spa - by RLR, video courtesy CityLine

On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d fall at a lowish 3 when it comes to maintenance.  With two kids under 3 and a laissez-faire (make that lazy-faire) attitude toward beauty, I’m notorious for waiting 6 months, not 6 weeks, between haircuts, doing last-minute DIY nail decals and almost always opting for ponytails over blow-outs.  Sadly, lack of sleep, stress and the hands of time have caught up with my skin and lately, I’ve been feeling far from glow-y.  

So when Dove Spa invited a small group of fashion/beauty bloggers to give one of their new spas a test-drive, I jumped at the chance.   I’ve always loved Dove for their simple approach to skincare and their celebration of real beauty.  Plus, I was in desperate, DESPERATE need of a facial.  “I’m in!” was all I had to say.

We arrive at the Yonge/St. Clair location, make-up free and ready to go, and after being handed a mugful of pretty blooming tea (an essential part of every Dove Spa visit) our fresh-faced Dove Spa Training Director, Kate, tours us through the clean, minimalist space.  The white walls and uncluttered aesthetic inside a Dove Spa make you feel like you’ve walked into a shiny new box of Dove soap.   Designer Ramsin Khachi wanted to give the space a modern feel with ’wave-walls’, rounded corners and contemporary touches throughout.  And yet despite its clean aesthetic, the space feels far from clinical, with warm lighting, a cozy lounge complete with a roaring fireplace, cushioned flooring, and serene spa rooms that implore you to fall asleep for the rest of the day. 

But where Dove really excels is in its products; With decades of research behind them, their approach to skincare is simple:  avoid label claims and use unique products that actually work for each individual.  We start our sessions with a Skin Diagnostic - an in-depth 15 minute skin consultation where they use a ‘dermascope’ to measure your skin’s oil, water, elasticity and pigmentation plus a camera that can see 150 times closer than the naked eye.  My pores are terrified.  What will they see under that thing?  My Skin Care Expert, Faustin, tells me in a cheery tone that my skin is pretty parched and my fine lines are more a result of severe dehydration than age.  Yikes.  ‘Drink your water and you’ll be just fine’ she assures me.  I vow to get back to drinking my 8 glasses - vanity’s a powerful thing.

Next up, we hit the spa room for my facial.  Based on my skin diagnosis, Faustin has decided to give me a deeply hydrating facial mixed with blue and red light therapy to bring back the glow in my skin.  If you’ve never tried a facial, I can’t describe how badly you must.  In short, you spend an hour lying in a heated cocoon of a bed while you’re surrounded by chilled-out tunes (your choice of ocean waves, spa music or even R&B) and someone massages places that have never been massaged before - I mean, honestly, when’s the last time someone massaged the bridge of your nose?  Hee!   After an hour of heaven, you’re allowed to choose a special ‘treat’ from a menu of beauty extras and since my eyebrows have fallen under my ‘low-maintenance’ umbrella, I order a brow clean-up.  

Will I be back?  Absolutely.  My skin feels better after only one visit and after a few years of focusing almost exclusively on the little people around my house, I’ve been reminded how much I need to take care of me. And, of course, Faustin told me I should.

Want to check out Dove Spa for yourself?  Go to dovespa.ca to read all about it and be sure to take advantage of their 'Seasons Treatings' promo on now until Dec 24th, where you get a free $50 gift certificate with every purchase of a $100 GC.  Sweet!  Or even better, stop in at one of their real beauty havens in Oakville, Richmond Hill, Etobicoke or Yonge/St. Clair in Toronto to give yourself a much-needed break. Thanks to my fellow bloggers Septembre, Chenessa, Spiro, Chantel and, of course, DoveSpa, for a fantastic day.  My pores (and I) thank you!  xo