Fashion: Living Proof Full (Hair Product Recommendation)

I know that's a terrible headline, but it's staying.

I can't really remember I time when I liked my hair. From the very dawn of civilization, I've only wanted two things: to look normal and to have my hair off my face. You wouldn't think that either would be so difficult, but you'd be wrong.

My hair is abundant but very fine and completely straight. So, there is a lot of it, but it doesn't do anything. After spending the decades of the 80s and 90s trying to give it body with various perms (a body wave worked best, if you must know, but it never lasted long enough), a wonderful thing happened: straight hair came into fashion—or was at least acceptable.

I have put my hair in headbands, I have put it in a ponytail, I have had it so short it stuck straight up all over my head, I have had long hair but cut my bangs so short in the front that they stuck straight up (they formed a sort-of natural headband, so my hair was always out of my face). Now, when I write that I did these things, I don't mean I changed up in-between. No. I wore each for at least a year (or more). At the moment, my hair is long and straight. I put a barrette in it when I'm going to work so it doesn't blow into my face; I take the barrette out when I get to the office. I don't care that it might (note how I hold out the hope that it doesn't) look ridiculous.

Living Proof Products

So anyway, I was recently reading the recent edition of Vogue (shaddap) magazine and in their beauty column, they reviewed this body-builder hair product called "Living Proof"—from their "full" line.  I was particularly intrigued because the writer had hair like mine, and she said she saw a real difference when she used the products. Like the marketing junky I am, I forked over the (not unsubstantial sums of) money (at Sephora.com) and am just concluding the first week of using it. The regimine includes shampoo, conditioner, and mousse. My hair-stylist tells me not to use conditioner because my hair is in such great condition (true! small compensation, though, when it's just hanging around doing nothing) that adding product will just make it more limp, so I was a little skeptical about the "cream" (conditioner) component. But I followed the directions (for a change) and, lo and behold, I do see a difference—but only when I use all three products.

How it Works

Evidently, the difference between "Living Proof" and other volume building products is that most strip your hair and make each strand wig (haha, get it?) out—leading to slightly volumized hair, but also to breakage and split ends. According to Vogue, "Living Proof" was developed by (I'm not kidding) engineers at MIT, and what this product does is add some shit to each strand of hair, giving it more body overall and individually.

I'm not going to star in any hair commercials anytime soon, but I do like this product.

Two thumbs up.

In Other News

My ionic hair dryer is on the fritz—this is essential in my arsenal of Looking as Normal as Possible. I read some reviews that you no longer need to buy expensive ionic hair dryers, so I will be picking one up from CVS.

I'll keep you posted on how it works.