My thirtieth birthday heralded some pretty big life changes. Like, I met my kitty soulmate (hey, that’s a substantial deal, OK?), took the plunge to pursue my lifelong dream of freelance writing (this was shortly before I started the blog), and I finally got hitched to El Hub (we’d been dating a while).
Big things also started happening in my beauty-related life. For instance, my skin underwent some crazy-@ss changes. After years of oily skin, my epidermis turned combination oily-dry, and then there was that terrible period of hormonal acne along my jawline and chin.
Oh, and my hair didn’t make it through unscathed. two words: the grays.
They’d been around because I was a teenager — a few occasional gray hairs tucked away, typically on the back of my head (everyone in my family goes gray early) — but around the time I turned 30, all hell broke loose. I started seeing gray hairs where I’d never seen them before, like around my bangs and on the top of my head. Suddenly, going to the beauty salon for a touch of color stopped being something I did just for fun when I got restless or felt like a change. It became part of regular maintenance, like going to the dentist.
And that’s not all. I also started noticing changes in the texture of my hair. “What are these random wiry Chinese noodle-like strands coming out of my head?”
Oh, that’s my hurr!
Turns out I wasn’t alone in this. numerous women (and dudes) experience changes in their hair around the age of 30. It’s something that the products in Living Proof’s new timeless collection are developed to address. They’re made to help hair cope with the age-related changes that typically happen to your hair in your 30s and up, protecting it from breakage, while keeping hair looking voluminous, shiny, smooth and rich in color.
The new four-piece Living proof timeless line is available now exclusively at Ulta charm and includes the timeless Pre-Shampoo treatment ($26), timeless Shampoo ($28), timeless Conditioner ($28) and timeless Plumping Mousse ($28).
All of them are sulfate-free, silicone-free and color safe, and they also include UV protectors to extend the life of your hair color and safeguard your hair against damage from heat styling and the sun.
They’re all developed to work together as part of the system…but, of course, you can cherry pick and just use your faves. I’ve been using the whole kit and caboodle for maximum effect, and it’s been about about two weeks. So far, my long, color-treated hair is feelin’ it.
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My favorite member of the timeless fam has to be the Pre-Shampoo Treatment. I was a little wary of it at first because I’d never used a pre-shampoo treatment before and didn’t know what to expect. Mostly, I thought it would be an unnecessary step, but yeah, now that I’ve used this one, I see the point.
Living proof Pre-Shampoo
Have you ever used a pre-shampoo before? Basically, they’re moisturizing treatments, like hair masks, oils and butters, that you apply to your hair while it’s wet or dry before you hop into the bath or shower to shampoo and/or condition. The extra step adds shine, and it’s also expected to make the timeless shampoo and conditioner work better.
I apply it to my hair while it’s dry, from the roots to the ends, and let it sit and absorb for five minutes (or longer, if I want). then I follow that up with the timeless Shampoo and Conditioner.
I certainly notice my hair feeling softer and smoother when I use the Pre-Shampoo. It’s simpler to run my fingers through my hair without running into knots, so I think it’s also decreasing breakage.
And my hair color friggin’ loves the timeless Shampoo and Conditioner.
Living proof timeless Shampoo and Conditioner
I recently got my color re-done (ah…fresh, dark chocolatey brown roots!), and ya know how it is when you first get your hair colored? — how after that first shampoo and conditioning at home, many of the color ends up going down the drain after you rinse?
Very little of that happens when I use timeless Shampoo and Conditioner. I also completely appreciate that the products include heat protection and UV filters, too, because I got a stern lecture from my stylist not long ago about incorporating products into my routine that do those both of those things.
And then there’s the timeless Plumping Mousse…
Living proof timeless Plumping Mousse
It specializes in hair density, which, I just learned from the Interwebz, is the number of hairs you have within a square inch of your scalp. As we age, the number of hairs per square inch typically declines, so to make up for that loss, the Plumping Mousse volumizes the hairs you currently have.
First time I used it, it was “Helloooooo, beautiful lift!” The difference was right away noticeable. I got much more volume in places where I don’t typically have much, like around my roots and the mid-shaftof my hair.
I use the Plumping Mousse on wet hair, best after I get out of the shower and towel dry. I apply it from the roots to the ends, concentrating many of the product on my roots and the mid-shaft, and then I blow dry my hair until it’s about halfway dry, before letting it air dry the rest of the way. then I use a large-barrel curling iron to curl the ends.
And that’s that.
Yup, my hair and I are digging this collection!
If you’re interested, you can find the Living proof timeless line now exclusively at Ulta Beauty.
Your friendly neighborhood charm addict,
Karen
P.S. I actually prepped this post the week before Connor Claire’s arrival, so best now? Yeah…my hair does not look like this best now, haha. best now it’s…to put it mildly, not this good.