Hair Mistakes You and I and Everyone in Between Probably Make

God bless Microsoft. I love me my open source software, but I do like MSN Central.

Anyway, did you guys catch that article last week titled "The Dirty Dozen: 12 Hair Mistakes You May Be Making?"

Lessee...

"Washing your hair everyday?" Check.

"Not getting regular haircuts?" Check.

"Using too much conditioner?" Uhm, maybe.

"Overheating your hair?" No. I almost never blow-dry my hair anymore. Thank God.

"Fighting your hair's natural texture?" Nope. I'm wash-serum-and-go.

"Choosing the wrong styling products for your hair type?" Uhm, dunno. I've only recently started experimenting with hair products, and even then I don't pile 'em on. So for now, No.

"Thinking that more is better?" Nah. I only usually use one product at a time.

"Pulling your hair back with just any elastic?" Oh God, no. I would never use a plain rubber band. Just trying it (once!) made my hair hurt.

"Getting stuck in a style rut?" Maybe, maybe not. I'm growing my hair out (again!), and am going for the beach-y, wave-y look. So far, so good. No more Working Girl helmet hair for me!

"Brushing your hair too much?" Again, I don't know. I don't really brush it often, but I do run my fingers through it now and then. No 100 strokes/day, though.

So there you go. I knew I was probably violating at least one of them. I really need to work on the haircutting schedule. It's not cheap, but for $20 for a trim, that's actually pretty good considering she's a great stylist. I think I'm actually due for one, so I'd best get that scheduled ASAP.

What about you? How did you do on the list?

Beauty Review: Aveda Rosemary Mint Conditioner

I can't say I've ever been a big fan of Aveda. I appreciate that they're making serious efforts at offering environmentally-friendly and sustainable products, but I hate that many still contain irritating ingredients. Just because an ingredient is "botanical" or "plant-based," doesn't make it good for you. As a lot of people point out, poison ivy is totally natural and plant-based, but you won't catch me smearing it all over my face.

I once had a facial at an Aveda spa in Irving (TX, where I grew up), and loved it, but I think it had more to do with the facialist herself and her expertise than with the products. That can make a difference.

Anyway, I'm so not loving Aveda's Rosemary Mint Conditioner. I like the smell, as I'm a big, big fan of anything to do with mint (which annoys B. to no end, as he's the exact opposite and hates mint), but even liberal applications of the product left my hair dry. I left it on for 3-4 minutes, and even after washing it, I could feel the hair squeak in complaint. Once out of the shower, running a comb through my wet hair was the usual ordeal of detangling -- so much for Aveda's claim that the conditioner detangles and smooths hair. I used Hairplay's SEAL to calm my strands once I'd carefully combed out the tangles, and my locks finally sighed in happiness.

Price: $9.50 for 8.5 fl-oz bottle. Available at Aveda spas and salons as well as on their Web site.

Beauty Review: Hairplay Salon's SET and SEAL

Ohhhh...hair. I long ago gave up on mine, partly out of sheer laziness, and partly out of frustration. Some women can spend hours and hours on their hair and feel the results are worth the time investment. (My sister-in-law, who has very wavy hair and generally spends 45 minutes each day blow-drying it straight into a beautiful, thick mane, is one of them.) Others will do just enough to make their locks presentable.

Moi? Well, lessee. I have fairly wavy, dark brown hair that breaks if it's within a mile of a comb. It's picky picky picky about its products, and it hates cheap conditioner. Never mind that I have ten cents to my name. It wants to be pampered and loved and spoiled. It does not want Tresemme. It will rebel if it comes near Tresemme. It wants to the good stuff.

So generally, as a freelance writer who spends 80% of her time in front of the computer, I just surrender to the inevitable and do little upkeep on it. I wash it everyday (it's definitely on the oily side) and let it dry naturally. Once it's dry, up it goes into a ponytail. Never mind that I've spent months and months growing it out. All that work, and all I can do to it is tie it up and forget about it.

Recently, though, I had the opportunity to try out Hairplay Salon's new collection: SET and SEAL. Hairplay belongs to San Francisco-based celebrity hairstylist Fritz Clay and has been featured in various fashion/beauty mags, including Allure and Lucky. They pride themselves on being a "multi-cultural haven." Their product line focuses on SET and SEAL.

SET, obviously, is a lightweight setting lotion supposedly guaranteed to detangle uber-fussy hair and give your parched locks all the loving moisture it needs. SEAL, on the other hand, is a finishing serum to give your hair that shiny polish without weighing it down with icky residue.

Now, I'm the kind of person who starts hyperventilating the moment she finds herself in the hair products aisle at Target. I mean, who the hell knows what all this stuff's supposed to do? There are literally hundreds of products out there, all claiming to perform that amazing miracle you've been seeking for your impossible-to-care-for mane. It's enough to make me want to just plop myself down on the floor in the middle of the aisle, twist open a random bottle and just chug.

I tried SET a couple of times and wasn't too impressed with its alleged detangling properties. Maybe my hair really is just one big bird's nest, but surely a product promising to detangle will actually -- surprise! -- detangle. I still had to go through twisted strands and literally pull them apart.

Also, while the label and Web site claim that it's a "weightless" product, I didn't like the residue it left on my locks. Perhaps the fact that I was given the "Extra Hold (3)" version didn't help. It's meant for "frizzy/curly/coarse/dense" hair, but mine is actually more wavy and fragile. The hold was just too heavy for my hair.

The company also claims that the product provides sun protection for your hair. The ingredient list does include Octyl Methoxcinnamate, but as it's not an active ingredient and there are no established guidelines in the industry or provided by the FDA regarding sunscreens for hair, this is pretty much meaningless.

SEAL, however, is getting all kinds of hair love from me. I totally heart SEAL. You put a few drops into the palm of your hand, rub your hands together, then smooth the product over wet or even dry hair. I've been using it on wet hair, and I'm tellin' ya, when my hair dries, it looks gorgeous. My husband greeted me at work the other day when I went to pick him up with a big Wow.

This stuff's light, odorless and super-easy to use, even a hair idiot like me can wield it like nobody's business. Although i live in the desert, we've had 35%+ humidity the last couple of days, and SEAL helped calm the frizz without fuss or muss. My hair just looked smooth and felt silky soft. I think it may even have done a happy dance, it was so healthy.

I would definitely recommend Hairplay's Seal, especially if you're the wash-and-go type like me who doesn't want to spend too much time or money on her hair but who still wants it to look good, you know? I'm not sure about Set, but I might change my mind if I tried the Light or even Medium hold versions. I'm still not loving the mousse-like residue, though.

What about you? If you've tried either or both of these products, I'd love to hear your take on them!

Price: SET is $19.50 for an 8-oz bottle. SEAL is $22.00 for a 4-oz bottle. Available on their Web site now and in salons nationwide in early 2009.