Hello!
I just found the coolest thing that I wanted to tell you about! Its this website called MapMyRun. You can create running routes, find others that have already been created, or even have a route made for you with their route genius. It even has a lovely calorie calculator. After logging workouts you can enter yourself into sweepstakes. Woohoo, free stuff! You can also log in with Facebook, so you can show off your awesome running skills. This is the web address: http://www.mapmyrun.com/.
Love,
Cassidy
Two awesome friends with a blog.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Gotta love them!
I love this picture so much! Today some quack dietician on Inside Edition was saying cake is healthier than fruit....EXCUSE ME! The proof is in the pudding (or lack there of, hehe) Who feels healthier after eating 3-5 servings of cake a day, not me!
That's todays mini rant,
Cassidy
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Bio Nerd Beautician--Hair 101: Shampoo
Hello!
Are you ready for some nerdiness? I hope you are because this is the first segment of Bio Nerd Beautician, The Hair 101 Series!
First up, shampoo.
There are about a bajillion different shampoos from different brands out there, so let's break it down.
Inside the Bottle
Just about every shampoo bottle you pick up will have four things: an acid, a base, a lather builder, and a thickening agent.
Types of Shampoo
There are four basic categories of shampoo: Deep Cleansing Shampoos, Conditioning Shampoos, Baby Shampoos, and Anti-Dandruff Shampoos.
1) Deep Cleansing Shampoos
These types of shampoos are also known as oil control, balancing, clarifying, thickening, and volumizing.
These kinds of shampoos are made to cleanse your scalp and hair. If you produce a lot of oil these types are for you. For those who do not over-produce oil, its good to use a clarifying shampoo once a week or every two weeks to remove build-up. Especially if you use a lot of product. If you have dry hair I would suggest steering clear of these altogether, unless you want even drier hair.
These types usually contain a higher amount of detergents such as ammonium lauryl sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate. (Both of which Cas is allergic to.)
2) Conditioning Shampoos
Are you ready for some nerdiness? I hope you are because this is the first segment of Bio Nerd Beautician, The Hair 101 Series!
First up, shampoo.
There are about a bajillion different shampoos from different brands out there, so let's break it down.
Inside the Bottle
Just about every shampoo bottle you pick up will have four things: an acid, a base, a lather builder, and a thickening agent.
The base is a detergent of some kind, usually ammonium lauryl sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate. The most common acids are ascorbic acid and citric acid. (When life gives you lemons, make shampoo?) The amount of acid or base is dependent on what the shampoo is supposed to do. Detergents often make hair dull, so acid is added to make hair shinier. If your shampoo is supposed to have shine it will be more acidic. If it's clarifying it will be more alkaline (or basic).
Lather builders are very important in shampoo, they help to better clean the hair. The most commonly used lathering agents are cocamide mea or cocamidopropyl betaine. These chemical compounds help create the suds, which make the detergents work better by allowing more dirt to be lifted from the hair and washed away.
Thickening agents are used to insure a thick product with the right consistency, and are often used as fillers. The most often used thickeners are xanthan gum, cetyl alcohol, sodium chloride (salt), and stearyl alcohol. This is where some issues appear. Most of these compounds can be very drying. Especially the alcohols. The more inexpensive products usually have more alcohols, where as the more expensive have less.
Types of Shampoo
There are four basic categories of shampoo: Deep Cleansing Shampoos, Conditioning Shampoos, Baby Shampoos, and Anti-Dandruff Shampoos.
1) Deep Cleansing Shampoos
These types of shampoos are also known as oil control, balancing, clarifying, thickening, and volumizing.
These kinds of shampoos are made to cleanse your scalp and hair. If you produce a lot of oil these types are for you. For those who do not over-produce oil, its good to use a clarifying shampoo once a week or every two weeks to remove build-up. Especially if you use a lot of product. If you have dry hair I would suggest steering clear of these altogether, unless you want even drier hair.
These types usually contain a higher amount of detergents such as ammonium lauryl sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate. (Both of which Cas is allergic to.)
2) Conditioning Shampoos
These shampoos are commonly labeled as smoothing, color care, anti-frizz, moisturizing, hydrating, strengthening, and straightening.
These types of shampoos are all about moisturizing. They contain moisturizing agents like silicone or Polyquaternium 10. These agents smooth hair and help to straighten as well. These are for people with dry, damaged, or color-treated hair. Fine haired peeps should avoid, unless you are anti-volume.
These shampoos typically have less detergent than other types.
3) Anti-Dandruff Shampoos
Key words to identify these are: dry scalp, anti-itch, or flake control.
These shampoos are actually considered over-the-counter drugs, since they are medicated.
There are several ingredients that are common in most anti-dandruff shampoos: Coal Tar, Salicylic Acid and Sulfur, Ketoconazole, Selenium Sulfide, and Zinc Pyrithione. Different companies have one or more of these as the active ingredient in their anti-dandruff shampoos. For instance, Head & Shoulders uses Zinc Pyrithione, which works as an anti-fungal ingredient while also breaking down dead skin cells. It is also gentle enough for every day use.
3) Anti-Dandruff Shampoos
Key words to identify these are: dry scalp, anti-itch, or flake control.
These shampoos are actually considered over-the-counter drugs, since they are medicated.
There are several ingredients that are common in most anti-dandruff shampoos: Coal Tar, Salicylic Acid and Sulfur, Ketoconazole, Selenium Sulfide, and Zinc Pyrithione. Different companies have one or more of these as the active ingredient in their anti-dandruff shampoos. For instance, Head & Shoulders uses Zinc Pyrithione, which works as an anti-fungal ingredient while also breaking down dead skin cells. It is also gentle enough for every day use.
Well, I hoped you liked the first of my Hair 101 series and the first of my soon-to-be regular Bio Nerd Beautician segment. If you have any questions or comments please let me know.
With love,
Kat
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Vacation is All I Ever Wanted...
Just got back from visiting Atlanta! I loved the southern charm and visiting the CNN center. If you're a vegetarian of the eastern shore, you should totally try the Mellow Mushroom, the vegetarian pizzeria is fabulous.
With love,
Cassidy
With love,
Cassidy
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Weather Woes
Hello!
Cas is so up on blog posts and I am definitely not. I have good excuses though. During all the storms that have been happening my computer's charging cord wasn't in a surge protector which led to me not having a computer for awhile. Luckily, it was just the cord that had to be replaced.
My other excuse is that I have been working on a series of posts about haircare. The series is going to be called Hair 101. It's part of a soon-to-be regular segment that I plan on doing called Bio Nerd Beautician.
Hair 101 is going to have three posts: Shampoo, Conditioner, and Treatments. I'm going to go into extensive detail about what each encompasses. It's going to cover everything from types and uses to regularly used ingredients.
For now, I wanted to share an amazing beauty find.
Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer
Cas is so up on blog posts and I am definitely not. I have good excuses though. During all the storms that have been happening my computer's charging cord wasn't in a surge protector which led to me not having a computer for awhile. Luckily, it was just the cord that had to be replaced.
My other excuse is that I have been working on a series of posts about haircare. The series is going to be called Hair 101. It's part of a soon-to-be regular segment that I plan on doing called Bio Nerd Beautician.
Hair 101 is going to have three posts: Shampoo, Conditioner, and Treatments. I'm going to go into extensive detail about what each encompasses. It's going to cover everything from types and uses to regularly used ingredients.
For now, I wanted to share an amazing beauty find.
Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer
This stuff is absolutely amazing! It comes in three different versions: Cocoa Radiant, Total Moisture, and Aloe Fresh. I bought the Total Moisture one and I love it. You spray, rub in, and its dry in a few seconds! I always hated putting lotion on because it took forever to dry. Skinny jeans and freshly moisturized legs do not go together. This stuff is so quick drying and surprisingly moisturizing, it has made my daily routine so much easier.
Don't forget to look out for my Hair 101 series!
Love,
Kat
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