Fall

Broken Hair End of Summer Blues?

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Is your hair broken, damaged or over processed from the sun, chlorine and highlights that you put it through over the summer? I have a friend who even went as far as to change her hair color to a medium brown from a dark blonde. Her hair was breaking from being over processed with highlights. It looks great and she makes a GREAT brunette…but there is a better way to save your end of summer broken hair.

I started doing this a few weeks ago and have noticed a huge difference. My hair is very blonde, thin and breaks easily. It often looks frizzy and I have fly aways that drive me nuts after styling. Do I have your attention? I’m sure you are dying to know my secret to softer and healthier looking hair.

What I’ve been doing lately, is conditioning my hair first. Yep…it’s that easy. I used to shampoo my hair first then leave the conditioner on while I did everything else in the shower or tub. Now, I have reversed that and I put the conditioner on and let it sit until the very end. Then I rinse the conditioner out and shampoo, making sure that I lather it really well so that I get all of the conditioner out. If I DON’T rinse the conditioner well, my hair can be heavy and look greasy by the end of the day. I have been doing this for three weeks now and not only does my hair look healthier, it’s shinier and and has more volume. It’s amazing!

Over the winter I paid $40 to have a deep conditioning treatment at a salon…I had dyed part of my hair blue and it bled, so I looked more like a smurf than myself. I had to go back three times to get the color right and get the blue out of the parts of my hair that I didn’t want it. The color remover was really strong. It stripped and damaged my hair. My hair was hard to comb and tangled easily. Talk about looking frizzy and unhealthy. It looked much better after the $40 conditioning treatment, but I wish I had discovered how to do it at home before I spent the money.

I now do the condition then shampoo routine and follow up with a leave-in heat protecting conditioning spray after I towel dry my hair. Then I’m able to comb through my hair easily and it styles nice and smooth!

Give this method a try and let me know if it helps improve the condition (pun intended) of your hair after a week or two. I think you’ll find it really does help. I’m a believer now!

Thankful for Long Johns at Civic Center Park – Thanksgiving 2015

I was asked to be a guest blogger for an organization that I’m a member of – AfterHoursdenver.org. Please take a minute and read about the love and joy AfterHours Denver was able to spread on Thanksgiving this year!

Summer…where has it gone?!

Wow! Summer has flown by this year. At Little Miss Idea, we’ve been busy helping our clients get organized, plan their summer parties and get caught up on all kinds of administrative & daily tasks. Summer is my favorite time of the year, with so much to do…festivals, weddings, bridal showers, parties, BBQ’s and more! My next favorite time of the year is Fall. I love the change in seasons and welcome the cooler temp’s. If Summer got away from you and you could use some help this fall, please keep Little Miss Idea in mind for any of your needs. We’d love to help you get organized, shop for your upcoming dinner party, get your holiday card/gift list started or updated well before the rush…whatever you may need help with, just ask! On a personal note, I will be embarking on a cross country road trip with one of my best girlfriends in September. I’m really looking forward to our one on one girl time and seeing what we can discover along the way. I love road trips. They remind of youth and feeling free. If you haven’t taken a road trip in some time, I highly recommend it. It’s good for your soul to get out on the open road. Even if it’s only a few hours away…it will do wonders for your spirit. Enjoy the rest of your Summer, with or without a road trip. If you do take one, I hope it leads you on an unexpected adventure!

Denver…H & M Grand Opening Party next Wednesday, 11/9/11…VIP Style!

#63 – Party…VIP Style for FREE

If you live in the Denver metro area, you won’t want to miss the H & M Grand Opening party which is being held, Wednesday, 11/9/11, the night before H & M, Denver opens to the masses. To get on the “list”, make sure you register, as your name must be on the list or you will be turned away. Space is limited, so if they fill up, check back for cancellations. You can only register one person on the link, so if you’d like your “crew”, your mom, your boyfriend or husband to come with you…make sure they register too. The invite is non-transferable and you must have an ID that shows the name you register with and be 21 or older (that must mean cocktails are being served!) to be admitted. The party is FREE and is being promoted by 303 Magazine. H & M is also offering a 25% off discount to everyone who attends on top of their already fantastically low prices, so you definitely want to get on the “list” for this one.

What a great way to get out for a fun evening and do a little shopping…maybe even get a headstart on your holiday shopping. Hey here’s an idea…if you are looking for a part-time holiday job and live in Denver, go check the store out next Wednesday to see if you might like to work there. Then go back on a day when it’s not so busy, and see if they need some help…you might be pleasantly surprised if they do need your help. Little Miss Idea will be there with some friends enjoying the evening and shopping the deals for sure!

Some simple changes…taking a walk instead of eating lunch out?

# 68 –

Instead of eating out during the week while you are at work, how about making your lunch (or packing up your left overs from dinner the night before) and eating your lunch at your desk? Then during your lunch break, take a walk outside instead of going out to lunch. I have started doing this and it’s helping not only my pocketbook, but also my state of mind. It’s actually making my days go by faster and keeping my head clear. I don’t get my normal 3 pm slumps anymore that used to make me run for the candy machine. Now, I’m taking a much needed break, getting fresh air at least 4 days a week and find that I’m much more productive on the days that I make a point to do this. I have actually scheduled this with a friend & co-worker and we are keeping each other on track and if meetings come up, we try to reschedule our daily walks for a time that works better for both of us. I know this seems very simple but it’s really working for me and I highly recommend doing this at least 4 days a week…then treat yourself to lunch away from your desk on the 5th day as a reward. Your psyche, waistline and budget will thank you!

Swapping…Instead of Buying Things New

#70 –

You can “Swap” just about anything instead of buying new. You can swap books, CD’s, DVD’s, electronic books (for Kindles & eBooks) and gently used electronics online. There are lots of different “swapping” sites out there, but one that I like is swap.com. They connect swappers and also let you know of “swapping events” in your area that you may want to take part in. There’s sometimes a minimum charge for participating in the swapping events that they promote, so check the event page for that information when you are deciding if you’d like to attend a swapping event..

Hosting your own “Swapping event” is also really fun and won’t cost you anything if you organize it yourself. I have participated and organized many clothing swaps in my day. The one thing to note about clothing swaps is making sure that you invite multiple people from different size ranges to make sure you have a variety of clothes to swap. A rule of thumb for any swaps you might organize or participate in is make sure that the items you are swapping are gently used, still in good condition, clean (for clothes, make sure they really are clean and don’t have stains or holes), and things like zippers work on pants, coats, jackets, skirts and handbags, etc…

Some people organize the swap to be fair and efficient, especially if there are many people participating, by setting everything out in piles separated by size or category and then let participants walk around and take a once over to see what’s available. Then allow each person to choose one item they like and then allow them to keep choosing one item at a time until everyone has a good amount of items selected. This can be very slow if your group is large.

Another option is to have the rule, that everyone can take the same number of items that they brought with them. I, however, like to have the swap flow more naturally and allow people to choose things they really like. Most clothing swaps aren’t hard to manage, because the clothes need to be tried on and things may be tried on several times before someone decides they love it and want to take it home to add to their closet. Whatever is left over at the end of the swap is normally donated to a local charity like Goodwill or ARC Thrift Stores so that everyone is only taking “new to them” items home. This is a great way to clean out the old and replace with “new to you” without spending a dime!

Don’t forget…It’s Spa Week this week – don’t miss out on the great Spa deals in your area!

Starting today, 10/10 through 10/16/2011 more than 700 Day Spa’s across the US are offering special spa treatments for a discount. Each Spa will most likely have one to three treatments they have designed especially for the Spa Week deal. They may offer a special facial, massage ,body treatment of some kind onail services r as the deal for the week. Each Spa will have something that is unique to their spa, depending on what part of the country they are located or maybe even offer a seasonal treat like a “Pumpkin Facial“…one of my favorites in the fall for sure! Pumpkin is a great antioxidant and also is a fantastic exfoliant, so it’s a win-win and will leave your face looking bright and ready for the winter that is coming. The intention for Spa Week, is to encourage people who aren’t normal spa goers to try a spa out and to also get repeat customers to fill up the appointment books for the upcoming months. It’s a fun thing to do with girlfriends or your spouse. Some of the spa’s may have a special on couples massage or a girlfriends day out package. Make sure you ask about these when you call to make your appointment.

Remember to check out SpaWeek.com for all the great deals in your area this week. You do deserve to take a break and get pampered any week of the year, but especially this week, since the prices are lower than normal. What are you waiting for? Check it out this morning while you are having your coffee, before you get to busy and it’s to late.

October Spa Week Specials

#74 – Pampering that you definitely deserve

Twice a year, in the Spring and Fall, “Spa Week” offers full service spa treatments for only $50 at over 700 participating spas across the United States and Canada (SpaWeek.com). Thier goal is to introduce new customers to the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and to open up the spa industry to the masses. Spa week this fall is Monday, October 10th – Sunday, October 16th. Make sure you call now to ensure you are able to get an apppointment. The spas that offer these great deals get booked fast. When you call, tell them that you would like to make an appointement for one of their “Spa Week” specials. This is a great thing to do with a friend. If you have the time, maybe plan your spa trip together and then go get a glass of wine or dinner afterward and share your spa stories with each other.

Check out SpaWeek.com for all the great deals in your area. I’m planning on taking advantage of some much needed pampering that week also and have already made my appointment at my local spa with a friend. I hope you are able to take advantage of this deal and get some much deserved pampering, as well!

Another way to get pampered on-the-cheap is to check out your local Massage School, Aesthetics Program or Beauty College (they often have nail and aesthetic programs along with cosmetology). Most students at these vocational schools need to complete a certain number of “practical” hours where they actually practice what they learn on actual customers. Of course, sometimes your services may take longer and your service may be interrupted by the Instructors when they are checking to make sure the students are performing correctly. I have gone to many-a-school and had services ranging from facials, waxing, massages, body treatments and I was even a hair model once. I got a GREAT new “do” that I would have never chosen but LOVED for FREE. The services were done by the Master Stylist who was visiting the school to teach the students how to perform the color/cut/style combo. It was very fun and I looked fantastic when they were all done with me!

Some schools will add you to their list of potential models if you’d like to be a model for a class and call you when they have a need. It’s worth asking about how to become a model if this is something on your bucket list. You normally don’t have to pay when you are a model but you will have to pay (discounted prices) for services that you recieve during “practical” hours. If you have plenty of time and don’t mind having a novice work on you, then this is a GREAT way to get pampered for pennies-on-the-dollar of what going to the Spa or Salon normally costs. So take a little time to look into some of the vocational schools in your area and then either sign up to be a model or schedule an appointment for some much needed pampering. I highly recommend it!

Fall Ideas to make money now that are worth looking into…

#75 – Cider Mills Rock!

If you live on the East Coast or in the foothills of California you definitely have stopped at a Cider Mill in the Fall, at some point in your lifetime, for some great tasting Apple Cider. If there’s a Cider Mill in your area, why not see if they need help at the Mill either selling the Cider, filling the Cider jugs or maybe even harvesting the apples that they make the cider from? You might not want any Warm Apple Cider until next Fall but what a yummy way to make some extra cash this fall when you really need it!

#76 – Local Pumpkin Patches or Corn Mazes

Again, if you live anywhere near a rural area, pumpkin patches and corn mazes in the Fall are the norm. Go see& talk to the owner of your local pumpkin patch or corn maze and ask them if they need help selling tickets, directing traffic or picking the pumpkins. Some corn mazes have concession stands and sell local goodies to their guests. And…if you make local goodies, you might also want to see if they will sell some for you. It’s worth asking…

#77 – Haunted Houses…how spooky!

Tis’ the season for Haunted Houses. If you are an actor at heart and LOVE Halloween, what a great part time job for you?!!! Here in Colorado, there are lots of local haunted houses and they are great fun. They will be busy from now until the end of October and it’s a great way to make some extra money in the evenings or on weekends. They may need ticket sellers, parking attendants, traffic directors, actors or concession help…if you aren’t into acting spooking or ghoulish, they might have another need for some help, so ask about all opportunities. If you love ghosts and ghouls, this might be the perfect part time gig for you.

#78 – Halloween Costume Stores

They are popping up in every empty storefront in local shopping centers here and are about to be busy…busy…busy. Again, if you LOVE Halloween, this might be a great part-time job for the next 6 weeks or so. They will also need help after Halloween selling the costumes at a discount to people who might want to stock up for next year and then they will probably need help boxing everything up and shipping things back to their headquarters when the temporary shop closes for the season.

#79 – Football Games

It’s Football season and many stadiums (NFL and high school) need help during home games directing people to their seats, selling concessions to the fans, directing traffic/parking, pouring drinks at the Beer cart or stadium bar. I know that the stadium here in Denver hires employees to do all of this for their “at home games”. One friend of mine is a bartender at the local stadium bar during the home games and even though it’s a long day, she makes great money, so it’s well worth her day away from her family. Check with your local stadium or high school to see who runs the concessions because that would be the company that you would need to apply with or reach out to when inquiring about any opportunities. What a great way to keep up with your favorite hometown team while getting paid!