Dove X Dunkin Ultimate Life Hack Contest

Dove & Dunkin want to help you get the morning started on the right note.

Let's face it, for most of us coffee  or tea gets us going and helps keep us on the move. At my office , a client brings a Dunkin Donuts care package twice a month including donuts .  When it's early and we've rushed in, it's a nice thing we really appreciate even if our waistlines don't.

And Dove Dry Shampoo ? A staple along with their body wash and deo.

So the two  have partnered for a contest that wants to know what your ultimate life hack is in  the #DoveXDunkin Ultimate Life Hack Sweepstakes. You could win a year's supply of dry shampoo & coffee or gift cards.

Per Dove here's all you need to do and it's pretty easy :

Now through Nov. 8th Contestants just need to snap a photo and share how they run on coffee and dry shampoo on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtags #DoveXDunkin and #DxDSweepstakes 

·         For official rules and regulations, visit DovexDunkin.com

o   NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Dove Hair & Dunkin’ Donuts Ultimate Life Hack Giveaway is sponsored by Conopco, Inc., d/b/a Unilever. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 18 &  older. Begins 9:00 a.m. ET on 9/27/18 &  ends 11:59 p.m. ET on 11/8/18. For official rules, visit DovexDunkin.com.

Nexxus Keraphix Severe Damage Healing Haircare

Nexxus makes some of the gold standard haircare for repairing damage. Their Emergencee has been a staple  here for over a decade.  The Mom has damaged, brittle, processed hair that needs a lot of TLC and she swears by it.  I've used it too, when my hair is having a moment .

New is Keraphix with a shampoo, conditioner , treatment masque and  reconstructing treatment for severely damaged hair . The formula uses a keratin blend proprietary to Nexxus that also has black rice .

The Shampoo cleans well and conditions a lot on it's own but it was a bit weighing on hair.   It's definitely best for those who have really fried their hair, along with the conditioner, which works well and is  fairly light.   My hair is in pretty decent shape right now, but I like how it helped the ends look and feel better.

The Reconstructing Treatment  are tubes that come packaged two to a box. These do a great job and are similar to Emergencee .  Shampoo first  then leave treatment on wet hair for 5  minutes,  rinse , shampoo again and condition.  Hair is softer and looks less dry, more healthy. Very much something you'll be glad you used.

The Treatment masque is the one product I haven't tested yet. It is a thick, butter like formula that you work all over hair  and leave on for 3-5 minutes then shampoo/condition.  Judging by how well the other products work, I 'll assume this is a winner too.


-Nexxus Keraphix Shampoo is $ 12.99
-Nexxus Keraphix Conditioner is $17.99
-Nexxus Keraphix Damage Healing Hair Reconstructive Treatment is $14.99 ( two treatments in box
-Nexxus Keraphix Damage Healing Masque is $ 4.99

Available at drugstores, Target and in my Amazon store 

Biolage R.A.W Color Care Shampoo & Conditioner

I  liked the Biolage R.A.W line when I first tried it a couple years ago.  With the New Year there's a new duo for/called Color Care with coconut milk and meadowfoam seed oil to help keep color vibrant as well as longer lasting with no sulfates.

Color Care is gentle but gets hair very clean . Hair doesn't feel stripped . It 's not  a super moisturizing shampoo, but adds a light amount and also lathers pretty well.  The conditioner is similar, adding medium moisture  . It's not heavy and hair feels soft and with some volume. If you have very dry hair you'll need something heavier or you can rely on a  leave in before styling. I used a leave in as I always do and a touch of oil to the ends when dry and was good to go. Note also, right now my ends are really in need a trim and are dry.

As with all R.A.W products, these are more natural and organic. Color Care shampoo is 86% natural origin, the conditioner 98% .  The are silicone, paraben free with no animal ingredients and are vegan.


Biolage R.A.W Color Care  Shampoo & Conditioner  is available beginning February along with an in salon treatment and are $25 each at Matrix salons and Ulta.

Maui Moisture Thickend & Restore Bamboo Fibers Haircare

 Maui Moisture Bamboo Fibers is a  strengthening, moisturizing and thickening duo for stressed hair, brittle hair. 

While my hair doesn't quite fall into that category , it does have some  pretty dry areas mid -ends and ends , and using this for the past few weeks has made a difference.  I've noticed a definite change for the better in my drier areas, needing less leave- in after washing. I've been able to use about the half the oil I used to spray on than before and hair is better conditioned.

 The shampoo and conditioner are sulfate free and have aloe juice as the first ingredient along with neem  oil and coconut water. They deliver a nice dose of moisture  but nothing heavy or over done and it does add some thickness and volume to hair. If your hair is super dry you might need a little more moisture but anybody with normal to dry hair should find this works really well, especially if they have thinner or flat hair that needs a little boost.  The Mom who has thin, fragile  hair and always needs volume  boosting  thought that it worked really well.  It's not easy to get her to try something new  but this passed her tests.

Bamboo is known to be strengthening and strong I can attest to this from the bamboo plants that came with the house and that we simply cannot get rid of no matter what . If even a portion of that strength gets applied to your hair that's a good thing

Maui Moisture is  approx. 8.99 each and available at all mass market outlets. 

BRÖÖ Holiday Cheer and Shower Beer Gift Set

How fun is this set from BRÖÖ ? It makes such a cute gift for men and women on your list.

The Holiday Cheer and Shower Beer gift set has a full size of both BRÖÖ
Thickening shampoo and conditioner along with a Kleen Kanteen 16 oz stainless pint cup.

 I love BRÖÖ 's shampoos , I first used them a few years ago and they were great for my hair. So know that you are getting not only a fun gift but also products that really work. They have good for hair ingredients like barley , hops ,  aloe juice  and yes,  craft beer. They are sulfate, paraben, silicones, dyes and more free. They are color safe, 100% natural and vegan.

And no your hair won't really smell like beer . The products have a slight beer like fragrance, very hoppy , it's nice but also light and fades quickly leaving hair that's well conditioned,  shiny, soft and with some volume.

BRÖÖ Holiday Cheer and Shower Beer gift set is $ 15 at Wal Mart.

OGX Damage Remedy + Coconut Miracle Oil Collection

Want super soft, conditioned , healthier hair? This new duo from OGX delivers.

After one use of the  Damage Remedy + Coconut Miracle Oil shamp/cond combo my hair was as soft as it has ever been in recent memory , and this was after heat drying.  I even needed less leave in .  I did get a little less volume  than usual but  I am also out of my favorite bodifying mousse  and my replacement styling product was not up to the task , it's a backup but one that doesn't do much.

Hair is really cleansed well with this and left feeling healthy without any heaviness and I was even able to go another day between washings.

The line uses coconut oil for moisture along with tiare flower and vanilla extract for a pretty but not too strong tropical scent .

In addition to the shampoo and conditioner there is also a leave in Coconut Miracle Oil. Also , OGX is sulfate free.

Herbal Essences Argan Oil of Morocco Haircare

Herbal Essences has completely revamped their hair line with nine new shampoo/conditioner combos along with two leave in products. All have what they call bio-renew , comprised of antioxidants , aloe and sea kelp.

I've been trying the Argan Oil of Morocco since it seemed to be the duo with the most moisture packed in.

Argan Spinosa Kernal oil is listed as an ingredient and the shamp/cond combo does a good job of keeping  hair well moisturized. It also doesn't weigh hair down at all, but seemed to even add some volume along with a lot of softness. Hair feels and looks really good.

There is also an Oil Infused Creme leave in. I found this to be medium hydration. I needed a little more on my ends than this provided, but I also , no matter what I use, spray some oil on the extra dry end areas.

The brand does call this color safe but it is not sulfate free. It is paraben, gluten and colorant free.

I'm giving this new duo high marks. I don't know about the other eight but there should be something there for all hair types and worth checking out.

Giovanni 2 Chic Ultra-Moist Shampoo & Conditioner

It's great to see more organic brands being stocked in drugstores and places like Target. For many years they were hard to find . The first time I used a Giovanni product was pre- blog and I think I got it from the Vitamin Shoppe mail order.

Skip forward a decade and now Giovanni's new line, 2 Chic,  is being carried at Walgreens at a price point to compete with many other brands on those shelves.


There are three shamp/cond combos available in the 2 Chic line. Ultra Moist was my pick. This duo contains avocado and olive oils to add moisture along with panthenol aloe and shea butter. This duo definitely amps up the moisture for drier hair.

conditioner ingredients

All those heavy hitters don't weigh down hair though. After using not only was my hair soft and shiny it was full, had volume , movement and styled well. I still used my usual leave in on the driest end areas and a touch of oil (but much less than I had been using) after drying on some ends.

shampoo ingredients

All the 2 Chic products are paraben-free, Leaping Bunny certified, 100% certified vegetarian and made in the USA.

You can also pick up 2 Chic in Repairing or Ultra Sleek . 

Giovanni 2 Chic Ultra-Moist Shampoo & Conditioner are $ 7.99 each at Walgreens.

Biolage R.A.W Nourish Shampoo & Conditioner

I've gone back to Matrix products in a big way after a few years absence. Their Moisture Me Rich duo and leave in is that good and all I've been using for awhile.

Of course since I love to try anything new , I took a look at the new R.A.W line as well.  There are three formulas and Nourish is for dry , dull hair. My hair is slightly dry although not dull but it does need plenty of moisture.  R.A.W is silicon, paraben and sulfate free and they list the % ( 71-90) natural origin each is on the bottles.

The formula for Nourish shampoo  has quinoa husk and honey while the conditioner has coconut oil  and kaolin clay. It's a low lather shampoo that gets hair very clean without making it feel stripped.The conditioner is medium hydrating, it does a nice job but is not quite as moisturizing as I usually use/need.

After use my hair was  very soft , light ( I still used my usual Matrix leave in), with plenty of movement and shine. It didn't add any volume or extra body but was more smoothing and kept away any frizz.  My hair (heat) styled well too.

I have to say too, that I think the packaging on these is cute, like a smoothie bottle .


Biolage R.A.W Nourish Shampoo & Conditioner is available at Ulta and wherever Biolage/Matrix is sold.

Hair Food- Hair Milk Collection

 Hair Food by Clairol is a  haircare line I'd been wanting to try more of.

Previously I'd only tried the Moisturizing Hair Mask deep conditioner  and I really liked it.  It did a great job on my dry areas, easily comparable to some higher end products. 

Now  there's  a new shampoo/conditioner  duo to help smooth and hydrate hair - Hair Milk.  It's Summer, we need that. My hair doesn't frizz a lot but when the dewpoint hits 70, which it does often here,  even  I get the frizzies and pouf. 

This a medium thick  shampoo and conditioner that  made my hair soft and easy to manage but not heavily conditioned.  It doesn't weigh hair down and adds light volume .  For driest hair you'll need a deeper conditioner  and /or  a leave in ( I use a leave in all the time) but overall I'm  really liking this for my normal to slightly dry hair.  My hair was a little smoother and controlled without being flat or blah and it has jasmine and  vanilla for a light, pretty scent .

There are no parabens ,sulfates or dyes in them so they work for all hair including color treated.

 Hair Food- Hair Milk Collection  come in large  17.9 oz pump bottles and are $9.99 each at Target. 

Organix Travel Size Shampoo/Conditioner

With summer  here it's  travel time be it quick trips over a weekend to longer jaunts. Travel sizes  are a must especially on those quicker trips when packing   light  is most important . 

I had no idea Organix made these cute travel sizes.   Simple  enough to toss this shamp/conditioner combo in the over night bag. Or keep them handy for a rinse out after a day at the beach or pool before cocktail hour. 

These 3 oz bottles come in many of the Organix varieties at $2.99 each.

 Organix  trial/travel sizes are wherever the brand is sold including Ulta and Target.

BRÖÖ Craft Beer Shampoo & Conditioner

There's a new Brew in town,  but it's just for your hair.  Beer isn't a new thing for hair but I haven't seen it used for awhile. Anyone else remember the beer shampoo from the late '70s  Body On Tap ? Kim Basinger was the face of the ads.  I was quite little and thought the idea of being able to use "beer" on my hair the coolest thing.

BRÖÖ uses craft beer in their formulas along with , in the Moisturizing duo, shea butter , malted barley, hops and caffeine. The scent is not of beer per se, but it is very hoppy along with  herbs . It smells pretty good and works even better.

The Moisture duo got my hair very clean  while keeping it hydrated and very soft. It moisturized well but didn't overly weigh hair down .  I also noticed that my hair's natural color seemed brighter. There was a definite difference in the brightness and shine using this.

There is also a Thickening version. Thickening  has much the same ingredients as Moisturizing minus the shea butter and with Barely Protein for volume boosting. Same scent and it adds light body to hair.

Overall BRÖÖ performed as well as  many high end lines I have used. I'll toast to that.

All products are sulfate , paraben ,silicone, phthalates, dyes, propylene glycol and synthetic fragrance free. ( There is also an Invigorating version).

BRÖÖ is available at Target online and Wal Mart stores for $ 7.49 each.

Proganix BOGO Free @ CVS

Proganix has quickly become one of my fab haircare lines .Their Quench duo is one I use often and it really moisturizes my hair  but doesn't weigh it down. If you're hair is  dry , it's a great choice.

For color treated hair there's Anti-Fade which helps keep color true longer while also adding moisture.

This week at CVS the line is buy one get one free .

Dessange Paris Purifying Clay Balancing Shampoo & Hair Mask

Dessange Paris is not a new name in haircare , Jacques Dessange was a legend in the industry for decades doing the hair of Bardot and other big names at his Paris salon.  Today there is still a Le Maison Dessange but if you can't hop to Paris, the brands haircare line at Target brings it to us.

Inspired by the salon's scalp treatment, Purifying Clay shampoo and mask treats oily scalp and dry ends. Reading that I thought, why haven't we had this sooner? After all oil starts at the scalp not the ends.

The shampoo and mask are indeed green and have a slick clay like look.  It's different but boy does it work. My hair just using the shampoo looks and feels amazing. Full of body, volume,shine, and super clean but not dried out.  When worked into wet hair it seems to make my hair feel thicker too.

While I've been using the shampoo , the mask I only tried once. It worked just fine but I didn't notice  a big difference in my hair vs. using just the shampoo. I need to give it another try and leave it on longer . It has 30 % mineral green clay to absorb oil and it comes with a brush to apply.

I think this is one of the best shampoos I've used and I've used quite a few.  If you have oily areas but dry ends or mid hair shaft, give it a try.

Dessange Paris Purifying Clay Balancing Shampoo is $ 9.99
Dessange Purifying Clay Pre Shampoo Balancing Mask is $ 11.99

Both are exclusive to Target.