March 5, 2021

The easiest way to shop for "clean" beauty, why tooth bonding might be the best thing that's ever happened to me and the hair product you absolutely need for air-drying.

Now there's more to love at The Detox Market

Not long after seeing the Toxic Beauty documentary, my beauty and personal-care shopping habits changed dramatically. I would spend copious amounts of time looking at ingredient lists and popping products I was considering into the EWG’s Skin Deep database before adding them to my cart.  Then I realized that turning to retailers with stringent “clean” guidelines was the easiest way to find what I was looking for (without any ingredients I was trying to avoid). The Detox Market was (and still is) the first place I browse, and they never come up short.  

The retailer has had the Detox Mode “house” brand that includes face and body skincare, deodorant, tools and more for quite some time—but the range recently expanded with three new cleansers. The easy-to-navigate capsule includes the Renewing Foam Cleanser, Nourishing Jelly Cleanser and Adoring Cream Cleanser because we all have our preferences and all of our skin’s needs can change from time to time. Each formula features Detox Market’s new Protective Cleansing Potion of calendula, elderflower, evening primrose, dandelion and milk thistle for a surge of vitamins, antioxidants and fatty acids—regardless of whether you’re looking for an exfoliating-foaming, jelly-to-milk or creamy face wash. My wish list just got thatmuch longer…

I got my teeth bonded and I couldn't be happier!

I’m the first person to admit that I have dental dysmorphic disorder, and anyone who knows me IRL would 100% agree. In my mind, they were never white enough, straight enough or perfect enough—so I started my second round of orthodontia about five years ago (my first was in my early teens). I originally went in to inquire about Invisalign, but my ortho said the correction was so minor that it could be achieved with a retainer. Since I work from home, this wasn’t an issue, and off I went, and I got the improvement I was looking for. 

But one day about six months ago I noticed that one of my front teeth was longer than the other—like visibly longer (to me)—and this didn’t sit well with me AT ALL. Once I pointed it out to my son he reassured me that I was not crazy (at least not in that way), and then he continued to make fun of me, of course.

So back to the ortho I went, and he suggested I talk to my dentist about a little bonding since it would be better to add length to the shorter tooth rather than take away any of the longer tooth. I did just this at my next cleaning, and my dentist referred me to a cosmetic dentist down the hall. I booked a consultation and we agreed that I should do the front four, since I had a good amount of wear that would be more apparent once the two fronts were fixed—and I booked the appointment on the spot. When I went back about a month later for the actual bonding, I didn’t feel a thing and I was in and out in less than two hours. And most importantly, I am SO HAPPY with how they turned out!

The process took a lot more running around than I had anticipated. I had to get my retainer adjusted after the bonding, but my ortho accidentally cracked it so I needed to get a temporary Invisalign retainer (which took two trips to him). Tomorrow I go back to the ortho to get my permanent retainer installed, and Thursday I go back to the cosmetic dentist for the impressions for my nightguard (because grinding has become a major problem since the beginning of the pandemic). At some point next week I’ll have to go pick that up and make sure it fits OK—and then I should be done.

Was all of the back and forth worth it? ABSOLUTELY! I feel like I’ve finally achieved the level of perfection I’ve been looking for and I can’t wait to get out and about again to show off my new-and-improved pearly whites!

This product makes air-drying a breeze

My blow-dryer has pretty much been on sabbatical for almost a year now, since the only times I have to bust it out are those days when I have Zooms with prospective (or relatively new) clients and virtual product launches with fellow beauty editors (you can imagine the pressure). I’ve been brushing my wet hair back into a low bun nine times out of 10 after washing, unless I’m in the mood to experiment with air-drying, which requires more work than you’d think to get a decent, frizz-free result.

I’ve tried beach sprays, leave-ins, mousse, gel—you name it—but I never actually tried a styling product made specifically for air-drying until I read rave reviews about Odele’s Air Dry Styler. I’ll be honest, I thought there was no way I could get tamed yet tousled tresses simply by applying a lightweight cream to wet hair, but I’m happy to report that I was totally wrong.

Yes, there is a slight “awkward phase” when my ends are dry (and somewhat fluffy) and the roots are still damp—but I assure you it’s completely temporary. Once my hair is completely dry, I can use my hands smooth the ends and add a touch of texture spray for extra volume and separation.

Due to the timing factor, I only air-dry when I’m not going anywhere or have a few hours for everything to settle into place—or the day before I need to be Zoom-ready because my day-two hair is incredible after using this product. It’s truly been a game-changer since it helps me avoid the damage caused by heat styling and the tension associated with slicking it back, and my only regret is not trying it sooner! P.S. It only costs $12 and you can also find it at Target!