So, here’s something you may or may not know about me: I’m naturally a very shy and reserved person.
I’ve learned how to fake being an extrovert and I’ve learned that I enjoy life a lot more when I don’t live in my safe little shell. However, even though I’m a blogger and have live video shows almost every day, there are lots of things I’m still incredibly awkward about sharing.
Case in point: when I posted about how much the NuMe Silhouette Straightener and Argan Oil had changed my hair you all begged and begged for me to post before and after pictures.
The very thought of taking before and after pictures was enough to terrify me. I mean, really, there are some things I’d rather not share with the world. Some things I’d rather that you never see.
The truth is, I’d like to pretend that I have my ducks more in a row than I do. I’d like for you to think that I don’t have bad hair days. I’d like for you to assume my hair really isn’t as much like straw as you could imagine that it is.
But since I’m working on being more authentic and honest and vulnerable, I figured it was high time I just step outside my comfort zone and take and post some Before and After pictures.
It’s scary for me to put this kind of stuff out on the internet… the place where you can’t really ever take back what you put out there.
But because I love you all, because so many of you begged, because I want to encourage others to step outside their comfort zones, and because I figured if I’m going to rave about a product then the pictures would speak volumes more than my words ever could, here you go…
I wasn’t kidding when I told you I was born with straw hair, was I? 🙂 {I did put on makeup, though, because I figured there should be some sort of limit to my over-sharing today. ;)}
For years, I made ponytails and buns and blobs and braids and curling my hair my go-to’s instead of wearing my hair straight because I just couldn’t figure out any way to prevent the straw look.
But all that changed thanks to the NuMe Silhouette Straightener and Argan Oil. Here’s the picture proof…
I am madly in love with this straightener and oil. Madly in love.
Because for the first time in my life, I love wearing my hair straight. I love how it looks. I love how it feels. And I love how easy it is to take care of.
How I Straighten My Hair
So many of you asked for step-by-step details on how I straighten my hair. I haven’t gotten brave enough to actually take pictures for a hair tutorial (maybe that’s the next thing I’ll try??), but I’ll give you a run-down on how I style my hair straight:
- Wash hair with shampoo and conditioning cream. (I only wash my hair every 4-6 days. I use this conditioning cream. A little bit goes a long way. I leave it in for about 3-5 minutes and then rinse it out.)
- Put about an 1/8 teaspoon of this on your hands and rub it around and then run your fingers through your wet hair.
- Blow dry.
- Put a few drops of Argan Oil on your hands and rub it around. Start from the underneath sections of your hair and run your fingers through your hair. Then smooth down the outer sections of your hair. (This prevents a greasy look.)
- Section off the top of your hair with a clip. Straighten the bottom half in small sections with the NuMe Straightener. Let cool before running a brush through.
- Then, take the clip out of the top half and straight the top half.
- Spray with hair spray.
All of this from start to finish (including my shower and hair-washing) takes me about 25 to 30 minutes. On the 2nd and 3rd days when I don’t wash my hair, I just do a quick straighten of my hair with the straightener (it takes me about 4 minutes to run through all my hair).
On the 4th and 5th days, I usually add a little dry shampoo to my scalp and brush it out and then I will often wear my hair up in a blob or bun since my hair is a little greasy by then and has more volume so it will stay in a bun or blob better.
It’s SO easy to do this and I LOVE how it looks. You can see a lot more pictures of it styled straight in my videos here.
Christine says
A few years ago I tried to skip washing my hair. In fact, I made it a little over 3 weeks. During that time, I tried cornstarch, dry shampoo and just using plain water. NOTHING made my head feel clean. My hair looked absolutely horrible. So I gave up and went back to washing it everyday. I use too much hairspray and styling products to skip a day 🙁
Meg says
I think it depends on the person. I’ve tried the “no-shampoo” method + TONS of other natural methods. And dry shampoo makes my hair pretty gross. (Maybe I’m just using it wrong!) Everyone is different! 🙂 -Meg, MSM Team
Constance says
I always skip at LEAST 1 – 2 days between shampooings. If I wash my hair everyday, my hair will be dryer than the desert and make straw look like a water fountain. The only dry shampoo I’ve had any experience with is Salon Selectives. We have some for my mother to take with her whenever she’s in the hospital. It works pretty good. Nothing is quite the same as an actual shampooing – mind you, but it does seem to take out some of the funk and oily appearance.
Melissa says
Yah, I bought a NuMe straightener through your post earlier this summer. I was so excited that I went and got my hair cut to look the way I want when it is straightened. It is now just a little past chin length and when I straighten it looks choppy and edgy. As a dowdy mom, I love feeling a little edgy! LOL! This is the first time for a long time that I feel like I have a hair style!
Also – thanks for the tutorial – I was using the oil after I straightened. I tried oil after blow dry this morning (before straighten) and it made a huge difference!
Funny how having my hair in control can make such a big difference in how I feel!
Crystal Paine says
WOOHOO!!!! This makes me so happy!
Cynthia says
I bought a NuMe straightener two years ago. I have always struggled with my hair. It’s not exactly curly but not stick straight either. I liken it to 80’s men rocker hair. Lol. But when I purchased my straightener I got the hair I have ALWAYS wanted. I nicknamed the straightener Sullivan after Anne Sullivan the “miracle worker”. Because if anything can tame the beast on top of my head it truly is a man made miracle.
Crystal Paine says
YAY!!!!!
Ashley Weaver says
You’re a type 4 dressing your truth, right??? That’s why you don’t like your before photos then! Because you really don’t look bad with the messy look. It really looks beautiful and has lots of movement and texture, but I know with a type 4 the smooth straight look is definitely more your style ?
I’m a type 1 dominenant and need that texture and movement, but my secondary 4 loves a straight, semetrical hair-do a few times a week! Thanks for sharing!
Maybe you could step out of your comfort zone again and try a tossled natural wavy look sometime ?
Crystal Paine says
Trust me, it looks B-A-D in person. B-A-D. My husband told me that the photos don’t do it justice… and I whole-heartedly agree. 🙂 I took some photos that actually captured the straw better but my expression and the angle of the photos turned out looking seductive on accident, so I went with these photos instead. I’ll have to try to do better before pictures sometime so you will see that I do NOT look good with a tossled, non-fixed look.
I do wear it curled half the time, but it’s not the straw bed-head look that I’m sporting here. 🙂 You can see an example of that here: https://www.facebook.com/MoneySavingMom/videos/10153966589258227/
Cynthia says
Your hair looks great either way!! While I’m interested in the straightener, I need a new hair dryer instead of wand. Any chance there might be a special offer in that combo in the future?
Crystal Paine says
I’m not sure on that, but we’ll see! Thanks for the suggestion!
Mary says
Thank you, Crystal, for offering this deal again! I forgot to order it last time around, so I just ordered the straightener and oil. My hair is dry like yours, so I can’t wait to try it out.
Crystal Paine says
Yay!!
Stacy says
Okay, your before pictures literally made me LOL. My kids came to see what I was laughing about. That face though. 🙂 lol
Crystal Paine says
😉 😉
Caryn says
I’m curious why you wait so long to wash your hair. You say by day 4 & 5 it is a bit greasy. Why not just wash it? I love the look & smell of clean hair, so I wash mine everyday. I don’t quite understand the logic of waiting a week to wash your hair especially working out 5 times a week.
Crystal Paine says
1) It saves a lot of time — probably at least 15 minutes every day that I don’t wash it. That adds up to a lot of extra time in the mornings!
2) There are differing viewpoints, but the general consensus is that it’s not good on your hair to wash it really often.
3) It’s a little greasy which means I can wear it up — which I love to do! You can’t see the grease (and it looks & smells clean), it’s just enough to give it a little more volume and hold. {I learned this trick from when I’ve had my hair done by professionals for video shoots/TV stuff. They always recommend that you *don’t* wash your hair the day you’re having it professional styled because it holds curl or style a lot better and actually looks a lot better if it’s 2nd or 3rd day hair. I know everyone’s hair is different, but that’s what works best for mine.}
4) I can’t STAND hair that doesn’t look and smell clean, so I’m happy to have found a way to have it look and smell clean and fresh (thanks to great products + dry shampoo!) with very, very little time and fuss on a daily basis.
Holly Moran says
I have naturally wavy hair that I usually end up curling because when I straighten it within minutes it’s starts to frizz and curl again, especially in the South Alabama humidity. How do you find your hair holds up in humidity?
Crystal Paine says
I’ve not had issues in TN. When I went to Houston last year, though, there was *nothing* I could do about the humidity… even curling it was a lost cause! 🙂
Holly Moran says
Thank you for the honest reply. I would love to order these products but I’m fearful that the humidity will win again with my hair even with different products.
Kaylee says
I was just wondering if the $59 deal for both the straightener and curling wand was still going to be offered. I couldn’t get the code to work a few minutes ago. Thanks! It’s a great deal!
Crystal Paine says
I’m working on seeing if I can get that code fixed. I’m not sure why it’s not working today… I’m so sorry about that!
Crystal Paine says
Try this link: http://www.shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=358031&m=57843&u=426205
Kaylee says
It worked! Thanks so much! I’m excited to get my first curling wand!
Jennifer says
Do you wash your hair with water on days that you don’t use shampoo? Or do you wear a shower cap in the shower to keep it dry?
Crystal Paine says
I don’t wash it or wear a shower cap. I just keep it out of the water as much as possible and then do a really quick 1-2 min. blow dry if it’s damp from the shower.
Beth says
Can you see what dry shampoo you use? Been looking for one without success. And I got the straighter and just love it to pieces.
Wendy says
You mentioned wearing your hair up in a blob on the 4th and 5th days. What’s a blob? Thanks!
Crystal Paine says
Here’s a video where I’m sporting one: https://www.facebook.com/MoneySavingMom/videos/10153991041933227/
I should do a video sometime sharing how I do this. It’s SOO easy!
lyss says
That would be nice. I was wondering the same thing! I love my hair up and out of the way, but need some easy new ideas. I usually do a bun, but keep getting headaches. Maybe I just need to cut my hair. lol.
Stacey says
How long will this deal go for? Or does it end today? I would like to buy 2 but need to wait until Friday! Thanks
Crystal Paine says
The Black Friday in July deals are only this weekend. However, the Straightener + Argan Oil deal is good at least through August 15! Yay!
Lori says
Thankful that it still works. Every time you have posted this I have thought about it but not took the leap. After receiving some birthday money, I decided this is what I wanted to spend it on. So glad the link still worked!
ALEXIS says
What dry shampoo do you use?
I bought the straightener the first time you mentioned it and I love it!
Crystal Paine says
YAY! I use the Aveda Dry Shampure. It’s expensive, but one bottle lasts for forever.
lizajane says
I have to laugh at your before pictures, and the faces you make in them. Your hair just looks a little messier (but not like straw to me) in the before pics. But the faces make me think of the before/after pictures you see in magazines of makeovers where the before pictures are always of unsmiling people with no makeup but afterward they are always smiling with makeup on….and naturally look better! LOL 🙂 I might try experimenting with the Argan oil some time though, so thanks for the ideas.
Crystal Paine says
Ha! I should have had my husband take the before pictures so you could get a better view of the full-on straw look. He wasn’t home, otherwise I would have! 🙂
Linda says
Oh my goodness you have beautiful hair in the before AND after photos. I would love to have hair like that. Lucky you! 🙂
Thanks for being brave and sharing all this with us!
Janell in Georgia says
I have very coarse hair because of all the grey and I just figured out if I use salon quality shampoo and conditioner it makes a world of difference iin how my hair behaves. No more drugstore brands in my shower. This is crazy that I’m just figuring this out at 47.
Courtney says
Maybe I am just clueless about hair, but I don’t think the before pictures look like straw! Both the before and after are pretty.
And I am envious that you can go 4-5 days between washing your hair. Mine doesn’t get oily, but by day 2, it just looks and feels yucky. I would love to be able to free up time by washing & drying it less often!
Crystal Paine says
Haha! My husband was like, “You took too nice of before pictures!” Trust me, if you saw me in real-life before I’ve done my hair, there would be no doubt that I have straw hair! 😉
B. says
I thought the same things about the before pictures!! Seriously, I really wish my hair even looked like Crystal’s before pictures, lol!!
Darla says
I tried to do the Black Friday deal for both the wand & straightener and the code doesn’t work. Any ideas?
Crystal Paine says
I just tried it and it didn’t work for me, either. Weird. I just emailed them about it. So sorry about that!
Crystal Paine says
Try this link: http://www.shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=358031&m=57843&u=426205
Amy says
Before and after are both beautiful! Thanks for being brave?
Cheryl says
This may be a strange question but what about the days you work out? I definitely need to wash my hair after. Just wondering.
Jen says
I’m with you! I *sweat* when I work out (5x/week, and I sweat like a pig at work since I work in physical therapy), plus I have sensitive skin that tends towards breakouts. “Training” my hair to get used to not being washed every day is probably not going to happen unless I can figure out the secret to avoiding disgusting, stinky hair and zits!
Crystal Paine says
I don’t wash it on days I work out (unless it’s a washing day). I work out 5 days a week and I sweat a LOT. Like dripping sweat on many days. Yuck.
What I’ve found works best if I’ve sweat a lot that day is to make sure it gets damp in the shower and then to do a quick blow dry and use dry shampoo. This takes out the grease look for me and it doesn’t smell like sweat, either. It only takes an extra few minutes versus 15-20 minutes if I were to completely wash and blow dry it.
I think that because I have long, thick hair and I wear my hair up when I work out, it’s usually only the roots that are really sweaty and dry shampoo works well for that. If I had short, thin hair, I’d probably need to wash it every day after working out.
Tiffany says
Looks beautiful! Am I reading it correctly…you don’t need to dry your hair before using it?
Tiffany says
Sorry, re-read it and it clearly says to blow dry ?
Heather says
Thanks for posting. I just ordered the straightener for my oldest daughter for Christmas. She has very curly hair and straightens it frequently.
Crystal Paine says
Yay! I hope she loves it!
Keelie says
Either way friend, you’re gorgeous- crazy hair or not. 😀
Crystal Paine says
😉
Lisa says
I bought the NuMe straightener last month when you first mentioned it. WOW! I love it. It’s by far the best straightener I’ve ever owned. Not only does it make my hair look great, it literally cut my straightening time in half. I get to sleep in 15 extra minutes because it takes so little time to straighten my hair now. I made sure all my hairdresser friends knew about your deal. Thanks, not only for letting us know about this great deal, but also for giving me back some precious time.
Crystal Paine says
Yay! Yay! Yay! This makes me SOO happy!
Rose says
wow, only washing my hair every 4 days would be WONDERFUL!! If I don’t wash my hair DAILY , it looks TERRIBLE : ( OILY HAIR> YUK!!!
and you look beautiful either way!!
Crystal Paine says
Have you tried “teaching” your hair not to need to be washed as often. I’ve found that the less I wash it, the less it needs to be washed.
Rose says
When I’m not needing to go out, Ill sometimes try not washing my hair that day. It isn’t ‘TERRIBLE”, but not anything I would want seen in public : ) Then by morning its disgusting : ( Was going to check out a “dry” shampoo and see if I could use that on the off day. Have you ever used one?
Sara says
I’m the same way. If I don’t wash my hair daily it is disgusting. It’s been like that since I was 12. I’ve heard people say to train it but I don’t think that works for super oily hair. Dry shampoo will get me through the morning if I have to run errands it get kids to school and I didn’t have time to shower but it won’t even get me through the whole 2nd day. 🙁 I’m jealous of those that can skip days!
Crystal Paine says
I love the Aveda Dry Shampure. It’s the only dry shampoo I’ve ever gotten to work with my hair.
Lori says
I wish I didn’t have to wash my hair every day, but I work out 5 days a week and I’m dripping sweat… My head and hair are literally wet! Oh how I wish though!
Brittney says
I’m the same. I’ve tried training my hair not to need washing but I can’t make it more than two days. I literally cannot stand the way my hair looks or feels when it’s the least bit greasy. And when it’s freshly washed I feel great. So I’ve finally decided that I’m a wash every day kinda girl. I shower daily anyway so washing my hair only adds a few extra minutes.
Crystal, your hair looks great. I’ve been blessed, or cursed 🙂 , with straight hair that is perfectly straight upon washing but will not hold curl for anything. I was fixing my hair with a curling iron 5 minutes before I was supposed to walk down the aisle when I married my husband. I love wavy/curly hair but it doesn’t work for me.
lyss says
I used to be the same way. Grease bomb even *before* my daily shower! Could not stand to skip a day washing my hair. Now I only wash it 2 or maybe 3 times a week. It took time for me to be able to get that way. Can’t remember how long, but you can’t expect to just start skipping and have nice hair. I highly suggest dry shampoo. Hair *will* produce less oil over time, but it takes awhile. 🙂
Michele Phillips says
First of all thank you for sharing! All of the pictures are truly beautiful. Also I was trying to use the code for the curling iron and it doesn’t work for the 32 or 25 classic, I didn’t try the 19. Do you know if it is a specific model of the classic? I could really use a new curling iron and this seems great. Thanks!
Crystal Paine says
I just checked and the coupon codes are incorrect. They should be fixed now. So sorry about that!
Michele Phillips says
Thanks! It worked!!