How to use Purely Perfect Cleansing Creme

I'm done with shampoo. Forever.

I have tried the all natural No 'Poo approach in the past but could never get my hair to participate. So, I went back to regular shampoo always wondering if there was a better option. 

Well, I'm here to tell you ... THERE IS! Purely Perfect Cleansing Creme, which I discovered in of all places - Wired Magazine! I was totally intrigued by the idea that Michael Gordon, founder of Bumble & Bumble and hair guru, noticed hairdressers and beauty editors weren't using detergent-based shampoo.

“I thought that was odd. Why would the best hairdresser in the world not use Redken, or Paul Mitchell?” the British-born, New York-based Gordon says. “They’d use a lot of grease, French hair care stuff, face creams, they’d use sugar, they’d use soap, a lot of things—but not normal hair products.”

Still, the $40 a bottle price intimidated me and I said as much in one of my weekly emails. Luckily, my best friend Annie wasn't so intimidated and we decided to try Purely Perfect together.

Side note: Don't let the price intimidate you like it did me. I got my bottle in mid-October and have used a little less than a third. That's $40 every nine months, which I assure you is worth it!

Apparently, we weren't the only ones who decided to jump on the creme cleansing bandwagon because the product was out of stock for TWO months! (Meanwhile, I kept reading about how awesome going shampoo-free is in Real Simple and the New York Times.)

Once, I got my bottle I couldn't wait to try it out - only to discover there is a bit of a learning curve. As in I spent A WHOLE MONTH RELEARNING HOW TO WASH MY HAIR! Y'all know I'm not a beauty blogger. This is not my thing but I was obsessed with getting it right. I tried every different approach. Refined the process at each step. Even grilled my hairdresser - who also uses cleansing creme!

But after LOTS of experimentation I've got it down and I'm here to save you the trouble!

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How to use Purely Perfect (or any other) Cleansing Creme:

1. Divide your hair into sections. How many sections will depend on how thick your hair is. I basically divide my hair in half and use one full pump per section.
2. Fluff your hair. Take your fingers and fluff your hair up a bit so you can get in there with the cleansing creme and it doesn't all get distributed on the outside of your hair.
3. Apply cleansing creme. REALLY work it through your hair and distribute as evenly as possible.
4. Emulsify. This tip came from my hairdresser Carrie. Dip your hair back into the water for just a second. It helps emulsify the creme and distribute it more evenly.
5. SCRUB! Now, this is the part that took me so long to figure out. You have to scrub cleansing creme into your hair and you CAN NOT just use your fingers. If you do, it will just be distributed around your scalp and your hair will feel oily. You have to use YOUR WHOLE HAND on your head and scrub the hair back and forth. Literally, use the entire surface of your hand all over your head to scrub it in. Then, you leave it in for a couple of minutes.
6. Rinse. Now, it's time to rinse it out and you divide your hair again if you want to make sure the water is evenly distributed.
7. SCRUB! Again, cannot emphasize this enough. USE YOUR WHOLE HAND TO COVER THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF YOUR HAND AND SCRUB OUT THE CLEANSING CREME. If you just scrub with your fingertips, you will not get it all out. Keep on scrubbing and rinsing until you feel like the cleansing creme is out. It usually takes me a minute or two.

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Now, I know this seems like a process and it definitely takes longer than using detergent-based shampoo but here's the thing. 

It's worth it!

My hair is shinier and healthier AND I don't have to wash it as much! I went from having to wash my hair every other day (at minimum!) to only having to wash it once or twice A WEEK! And here's the crazy part - this even applies to my bangs. My bangs were always greasy and I had to wash them every morning, even if I'd taken a shower the night before but not anymore. Now, I can even wash my bangs once or twice a week. 

This is a dang product is dang miracle, people!

Have any of you tried cleansing creme?

Holiday Wishes from Idina Menzel

Despite my early holiday decorating, I attempt to save holiday music until after Thanksgiving. I say attempt because every year I try and every year an artist comes out with a new holiday album and I have to reevaluate my stance. 

This year I was doing good until I saw this:

Straight up. I would pay to hear Idina sing the phone book. So, Idina singing some of my FAVORITE holiday classics? (Seriously, Idina belting out All I Want for Christmas? SOLD!) 

Sorry, Thanksgiving. 

So, the Holland family has been finishing up our decorating with Idina serenading us. Bonus for all you parents of Frozen-obsessed children: Maybe you could convince them to switch Elsa singing Christmas songs for awhile!

Idina Menzel's Holiday Wishes is available on iTunes and Amazon. 

I participated in the Idina Menzel Holiday Wishes album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided an album to review but all opinions are my own.

10 Books That Have Stuck With Me

I was recently tagged in a Facebook post to share the 10 books that have stuck with me. I'm supposed to "not take more than a few minutes" and "not think too hard."

So, here it goes. 

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire I adore the whole series and have read every book twice (starting on round 3 now with Griffin) but this is the one that turned a series I loved into a series I was obsessed with. I finished this book in broad daylight and was scared. out. of. my. mind.
2. The Casual Vacancy Speaking of J.K. Rowling... her first post-Harry Potter book has stuck with me mainly because of one quote, which I would guess I quote once every two weeks. "How awful it was, thought Tessa, remembering Fats the toddler, the way tiny ghosts of your living children haunted your heart; they could never know, and would hate it if they did, how their growing was a constant bereavement.”
3. The Happiness Project Changed the way I thought about life and self-improvement. It also made me a lifelong fan of Gretchen Rubin and her secrets of adulthood.
4. The Omnivore's Dilemma Michael Pollan's ode to eating convinced me to abandon vegetarianism after 5 years. 
5. To Kill A Mockingbird The first book that ever made me feel something. 
6. Team of Rivals Abraham Lincoln's life offers not only the most profound lessons on how to be a good politician but also on how to be a good human being. 
7. Good in Bed I've never forgotten how fun this book was to read.
8. The Happiest Toddler on the Block My favorite parenting book of all time, Dr. Harvey Karp helped me see kids just want to be heard.
9. How to be a Woman My love for this book is well-documented. 
10. A People's History of the United States I'd say Howard Zinn is responsible for approximately 65% of my liberalism. This book forever changed the way I viewed the relationship between the powerful and the powerless.

What about you? What books have stuck with you?

Back-to-School Gear for the BEST School Year Yet!

Recently, I was on WPSD Local 6 Today talking about all the best gear to make this school year great for both kids and parents. From backpacks to organizational gear, I found the best of the best so you don't have to!

WPSD Local 6: Your news, weather, and sports authority

The Coolest Backpacks Around!

Lands' End Print FeatherLight™ Medium Backpack

One name I heard over and over again when researching backpacks was Lands' End. They have several different sizes from your littlest one to your biggest kid. The patterns are fun. The personalization is great. More importantly, every Lands' End product is GUARANTEED. PERIOD.® So, you know that whatever abuse comes this little bag's way Lands' End is there with a simple promise. "If you're not satisfied with any item, simply return it to us at any time for an exchange or refund of its purchase price." 

Pottery Barn Kids My First Backpack

Pottery Barn Kids came highly recommended in a wonderful post by the Harvard Homemaker called 10 Things to Think About Before Your Child Starts Kindergarten (That Have Nothing to Do With Academics). High quality products are not a surprise with Pottery Barn but I was pleasantly surprised by the choice of patterns and size. I fell in love with their My First Backpack which falls in the just big enough but not too big range for any preschoolers starting in the fall. 

Pottery Barn offers personalization and free shipping on all their products as well!

MadPax Full Packs, Half Packs, and Nibblers

Chances are if you've seen a MadPax in person you've never forgotten it. MadPax is leading the way in cool innovative designs that make the word backpack seem a little bit irrelevant. They have three sizes full packs, half packs, and nibblers in a variety of styles and colors. The Warp Speed Full Pack is the current star of the show with it's solar system design and it is sure to be a hit with kids (and, let's be honest, adults) of any age. 

Even more exciting? MadPax is giving away one Warp Speed Full Pack to a lucky reader!

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Mabel's Labels

Beyond "buy a quality backpack," the one recommendation I've heard from parent after parent is LABEL EVERYTHING. When it comes to labels, the best of the best is Mabel's Labels. From backpack tags to iron-on labels to dishwasher and microwave safe labels for lunch boxes, Mabel's Labels has you covered!

Mabel's Labels is giving away the Stylish Scholar Combo Pack to one lucky reader!

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Keeping the entire family organized!

erin condren life planner

My love of all things erin condren is well-documented. I know it sounds weird that the Queen of Technology would love a paper planner BUT I DO. I still use my calendar app to add my appointments but at the beginning of every week I put everything in my paper planner so I can see the week. I think about my life in weeks and I've found this helps me to stay organized not only in terms of appointments but also meal plans, work assignments, and school projects. 

If you've ever encountered someone who uses an erin condren product, you won't forget it. It's less of a fan club and more of a cult. Trust me. Once you go erin, you don't go back!

And OH HAPPY DAY, erin condren is giving away one life planner to a lucky reader!

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Cozi App and Website

For those of you who want a high tech solution to family insanity, Cozi has you covered. A website, as well as iOS and Android app, Cozi is a one-stop shop for all your family's needs. From grocery lists to to-do items to EVERYONE's schedule, Cozi has it all. Every thing all in one place. What more could you ask for!

Cozi is giving away on one year subscription to Cozi Gold to one lucky reader!

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WPSD Local 6: Your news, weather, and sports authority

Gear that makes lunch the most exciting meal of the day!

milkdot Printed Lunch Tote

Very few lunch totes are colorful for the young ones but cool enough for adults, but milkdot totes are one of the few. These insulated totes are well-designed with plenty of room for a full lunch, drink, and snack. Plus, I love the way they zip completely open eliminating all that annoying digging to the bottom for the special treat. 

milkdot is giving away this adorable striped green tote to one lunch reader!

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Laptop Lunches Bento-ware

We are big bento fans in the Holland house. My kids like variety and I find the sections help me make sure I'm covering all the major food groups for the day. Also, I love reusable containers of any kind and hate throwing away ziploc bags everyday. I've heard rave reviews about Laptop Lunches because of their durability and design. Plus, every container is food safe (aka NO lead, BPA (bisphenol A), phthalates, or PVC), microwave safe, AND dishwasher safe. 

Laptop Lunches currently has a deal that with every order you get a $10 coupon to Mabel's Labels AND Lunchbox Love sampler (which I'm about to talk about below!) plus 20% at sayplease.com!

Use the coupon code: wastefreelunch for a 10% discount.

Pottery Barn Kids' Lunch Bags

This is another line that came highly recommended by the Harvard Homemaker, as well as many other moms I know. Just like the backpacks, there are a ton of patterns available but there are also four basic styles that offer something for everyone. I also love that the lining of each bag is made of PEVA, an environmentally friendly, food-safe vinyl that’s made without chlorine or plasticizers.

Pottery Barn offers personalization and free shipping on all their products as well!

I See Me! Off To School Personalized Lunch Box

There's just something about a classic tin lunchbox, especially when it can be personalized with your child's with your child's name like so many of the back to school products from I See Me!. The other feature I love about the I See Me! lunch box is the lid is also a chalkboard! Perfect for all those special little notes or reminders.

Lunchbox Love 

Speaking of little notes, my child can't even read and I'm already getting requests for lunchbox notes. At 7am the pressure to write something beyond "Love you!" can be a little high, that's why I love Lunchbox Love. The company was started by two friends that wanted more positivity in the products marketed to children and features lunchbox notes with a meaningful message on the front and riddle or fun fact on the back!

Lunchbox Love is giving away a four volume set of Lunchbox Love for Kids plus 2 volumes of Riddles to one lucky reader!

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Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch

Every review I’ve read of The Goldfinch has compared Donna Tartt’s sweeping 700 page novel to Dickens – the classic author paid by the word.

I won’t be any different.

If you don’t like Dickens, this book is not for you. If you enjoy fast-paced plots that distract you from daily life, this book is not for you. If you like uplifting stories awash with positivity, I repeat – this book is NOT for you.

However.

If you love language, if you love sprawling stories that take you on a tour through every major human emotion, if you love complex plots that leave you guessing or even frustrated, then by all means pick up The Goldfinch.

The book is narrated by Theo Decker, who uses a rock bottom moment in his late 20s, to recount the story of his life and how it was turned upside down by the death of his mother when he was only 13. The life of Theo Decker is hard and complicated – often made more so by Theo himself. In particular, Theo examines his decisions surrounding a priceless piece of art that comes into his possession the day his mother is killed.

“The painting had made me feel less mortal, less ordinary. It was support and vindication; it was sustenance and sum. It was the keystone that had held the whole cathedral up. ”

— The Goldfinch

Tartt not only paints a vivid portrait of Theo but fills the novel with quirky, deeply-flawed but engaging characters. From Theo’s best friend Boris, a Ukrainian transfer student with an abusive father and passion for life, to Mrs. Barbour, the society queen and mother of a friend who takes Theo in for several months after his mother’s death, the people who fill Theo's life are enthralling.

Her incredibly detailed characters are not the only reason Tartt won the 2013 Pulitzer for fiction. This woman can write sentences that will take your breath away. I found Tartt’s descriptions of Theo’s grief and loneliness incredibly affecting, but it was her use of detail in illuminating the character’s personalities and histories that was particularly impressive.

“But sometimes, unexpectedly, grief pounded over me in waves that left me gasping; and when the waves washed back, I found myself looking out over a brackish wreck which was illumined in a light so lucid, so heartsick and empty, that I could hardly remember that the world had ever been anything but dead.”

— The Goldfinch

While I found the book as a whole a wonderful read, I wasn’t passionate about the novel until the final soliloquy. The final pages are filled with Theo’s thoughts on themes that had filled the entire book – thoughts on the random catastrophe that is life, thoughts on the ability or inability to overcome one’s own nature, thoughts on the role art plays in both the sorrow and joy of life.

I absolutely loved the ending of this book. While there were several definite endings to the plot, there were no grand conclusions drawn by Tartt on the essential goodness of human nature. She left no neat answers to the hard questions Theo struggled with throughout the novel.

“A great sorrow, and one that I am only beginning to understand: we don’t get to choose our own hearts. We can’t make ourselves want what’s good for us or what’s good for other people. We don’t get to choose the people we are.”

— The Goldfinch

After all, whether you’re Charles Dickens or Donna Tartt, you don’t need 700 pages to illustrate anything but complexity.

Luck for me, I enjoy complexity (in my reading material anyway). If you do too, then I highly The Goldfinch.

My 2014 Summer Reading Guide

I've had several people ask me recently for book recommendations. Whenever more than about three people ask me a question, I immediately turn my response into a post. It's like blogger law, y'all.

There seems to be two approaches to summer reading guides. First, many share what they plan to read over the summer. I suppose that's fine but what if what you want to read turns out to be truly awful. No, I prefer the second approach, which is the approach my friend Anne takes on her blog The Modern Mrs. Darcy.

Side note: Anne basically writes the best summer reading guide EVER because she is a prolific reader and smart as a whip. I am an amateur at this. She is the real deal. So, after you finish with reading my guide, run on over and get her's. Seriously.

I read on average 2-3 books a month. Not exactly prolific, but nothing to slouch about either. This year I stumbled across some serious gems that I think you should add to your reading list!

All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenting by Jennifer Senior

If you have had a conversation with me in the past month, you have heard me obsessively praise this book. It is the smartest and most insightful thing I have ever read about parenting and I WRITE ABOUT PARENTING. This is not a parenting book, which no one wants to curl up with on the beach. This is a book about why parenting today is so. damn. hard. It is fantastic and BONUS I've basically stalked the author online, made her my friend, and we're going to do a google chat with all of you in mid-July! 

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)

Full disclosure: I am not exactly what one would call unbiased when it comes to J.K. Rowling. If she announced she had copied the phone book, I would run out and buy it. HOWEVER, I also don't particularly like crime novels and was skeptical that I would enjoy one - even if it was written by my favorite author. The book follows down-on-his-luck private investigator Cormoran Strike as he investigates the suicide of supermodel Lula Landry. Surprise, there's perhaps a bit more going on. The book sucks you in from the first page and won't let you go. Escapism at its best!

Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life by Emily Freeman

I am a good girl. I know. Shocking, right? I try very, very hard and sometimes all that effort becomes exhausting. Freeman uses a particularly religious lens to examine the life of a good girl but, honestly, I think what she has to say has impact no matter how spiritual you are or aren't. I read this book over a year ago and I still find myself thinking often about Freeman's thoughts on grace, the tyranny of emotions, and worthiness. 

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

I wrote about this book when I finished it earlier this year. Another book from one of my favorite authors that I wasn't sure I would like. Well, I did like it. I loved it and was completely swept away by the times and triumphs of 19th century botanist Alma Whittaker.

Tell me what good books you've read this year and we can crowdsource this whole summer reading guide thing!

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Why I Love the Britax Pioneer 70

I'm psyched to be on Salt & Nectar today reviewing the Britax Pioneer 70. Huge thank you to Curt Stewart at Emerging Media Productions for helping me with my first video review!