Hello! 

I'm working on making videos for all of my products (so you can hear what I have to say about them in-person while my shop is closed!) and I thought I'd repost these on the blog together to demonstrate how they work as a set. 

Things I forgot to say in the videos: 

Wave Spray also contains aloe vera which helps moisturize and protect hair. It also gives the water a thicker, more gel-like texture, so it's not like you're just wetting down your hair with regular water. 

Wave Pomade also makes a great eyebrow tamer and beard balm. I mentioned that it's a similar formula to a lip balm in the video, but I want to share that I do not recommend putting it on your lips. (Salty!) 

I also just want to reiterate - even though I talk about how I made these products to meet a need for myself (with my fine, straight hair that I don't want to style,) these products are great for all hair types, especially coarse and curly hair. They can also be used if you choose to heat style your hair. If I were to curl my hair I would absolutely start by misting my hair with the wave spray to add texture and help my hair hold curl. Naturally wavy/curly hair types love these products!

Anyway, I hope these videos are helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions for me!

- Stefanie -  

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A post shared by owner/creator @stefaniejgrant (@twinkleapothecary)

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A post shared by owner/creator @stefaniejgrant (@twinkleapothecary)

Hello! How's it going? 

I've been so busy fulfilling your quarantine beauty needs that I haven't had much time to blog lately, but I've been trying to stay in touch (and hopefully keep you entertained) by filming short videos for my IGTV, which I will now re-post here for those of you who living the dream and aren't on Instagram. 

Here, I'm talking about how I "style" my hair with wave spray and pomade after washing. For more info about my super low maintenance hair care routine, check out this post!

Hope this is helpful! 

 - Stefanie -

Hello, it's me again! 

I figured since I was sharing everything I do to my face, I might as well share my haircare routine too. 💁🏻‍♀️

You might notice that it's significantly more simple. I don't do ANYTHING to my hair, on purpose. 

I always thought that it was kind of silly that women were expected to spend so much time on their hair, and before I even started my own beauty brand it was my goal to figure out how to work with my natural texture (of which I have NONE,) and learn to live without blow drying, round brushing, straighteners, curling irons, rollers or any of that mess. 

Well, of course it took me having to invent my own products, but I've finally got the minimalistic hair routine of my dreams. 

Does it look perfect all the time? NO. Maybe never. (Definitely never!)

Am totally comfortable with that? YUP! 

I loooove that I spend zero time and effort on it - and I honestly don't know how I would even fit a blow dry into my schedule at this point. I like that I can throw on a beanie to take my son to school in the mornings when it's cold out without ruining my hair because there's NOTHING TO RUIN. I just brush it and get on with my work. And I don't know if you've ever been to Oklahoma City, but it is, no joke, one of the windiest cities in America. But that's not a problem for me anymore. (Yay?) 

Here's where my hair is at right now, for reference: 

(A quick desk selfie from today so you can see what I'm talking about. It's just kind of tousled and easy going. This is day 3 hair. I had a hat on earlier then I put in some of my new cocoa-rose dry shampoo to test it out. (Love!) I let it part wherever it wants to part. Somedays it's down the middle, some days on the side. I don't sweat it. 🤷🏻‍♀️) 

Texture:

My hair is fine and super straight and I have a lot of it, and at 36, my main goal is now to keep it all, lol - which means keeping my scalp clean and healthy and exfoliated and moisturized - just like my face - and of course eating my veggies, taking my vitamins, and making sure to get plenty of healthy fats in my diet. 

Color:

I am in the process of growing out my natural color (dark brown with a LOT of grays - I started getting them when I was about 21.) Up until a few months ago I was bleaching my hair platinum, but I decided to make my life even more low maintenance so my stylist matched my natural color with an all over chocolate and chopped it into a blunt chin-length bob. At my last appointment we just did a semi-permanent color glaze over the old bleached ends because I didn't want to cover up my grays or put any more permanent color on my scalp. I'll probably keep it short until all of my natural hair has gown out and I've gotten rid of the old, damaged ends, although I'm sure I will miss the texture that came from bleaching!  (I have a feeling my new wiry gray hairs will make up for it though...) 

Length:

I really love having short hair and I'm getting close to my next appointment which means I'm feeling like my hair is at that awkward too-long stage.. eh... oh well.

Washing:

When I was blonde, I was so paranoid about turning brassy that I barely washed my hair at all, however, my scalp actually likes/needs more regular exfoliation from washing, so I am trying to get back in the habit of washing more regularly. On one hand, it's difficult because I'm lazy and it's cold out, but on the other hand, I love actually being able to wash my hair as often as I want. There's nothing to avoid about my shampoo (not drying, no alcohol, no silicone or any hair-coating properties, etc...) and my hair/scalp is completely build-up free right now which makes me feel so shiny and happy and clean. I feel like my hair looks its best on day 2, and by the end of day 3 I'm like, yeah, it's about time for a scrub... 

My Salt Scrub DIY: 

Have you heard about this? A while back I started hearing about some salt-scrub exfoliating products for the scalp, so I decided to give it a shot, and OMG I love it! It really keeps flakiness at bay and makes my scalp feel so nice and fresh. I'm not big on buying exfoliating scrubs because they're so easy to DIY, so here's what I do... 

1. I keep a jar of fine-grain Himalayan salt in my bathroom for anything that needs to be exfoliated (usually my hands - I mix it with all-over oil at the sink!) You want to make sure it's a wide-mouth jar because the humidity of the bathroom can cause the salt to get stuck in a skinny-neck jar. I'm using an old Culina yogurt container - but an empty beauty butter/body butter/dry shampoo jar would be perfect. 

2. Right before I get in the shower, I pour some salt into my hand. I keep my hand with the salt in it dry/out of the water while I get in the shower and wet my hair. 

3. Once my hair is wet, I squirt some of my conditioner into the hand with the salt and mix it together to make a paste. 

4. I massage it into my scalp! At first I was worried that this would cause my hair to get really tangled or to break, but it doesn't at all. I just massage it in, all over my scalp, without working it into the rest of my hair, and 

5. Rinse it out! 

6. Shampoo and condition as usual. 

Not only does this make my scalp feel amazing, I feel like it actually makes my hair more manageable. Why? No idea. Maybe because it's extra clean? Anyway it's just good stuff. Try it sometime! 

Pulling it back: 

Listen, this is a big key to styling fine hair without heat, because pulling it back the wrong way with the wrong tools can cause major kinks and weird shapes (poufs/bumps) that you don't want. 

But, you've got to keep your hair off of your face during your skincare routine, and if you're not washing it, you've got to keep it dry in the shower, so here's what I do... 

Before my morning skincare routine/shower, I brush it with my bamboo paddle brush, then take the top half of my hair and twist it up in a top knot, clipping it with one of these styling clips. I mist wave spray over all of my hair, then I put on my shower cap and tuck in the ends/bottom half of my hair. 

(If only I looked this cute lol) 

When I say I put wave spray in my hair that day - this is usually all I did.

After my shower, I take off the cap and just kind of run my fingers through it and go - I might spray a little more wave spray in and scrunch it a bit, but usually not. If it's looking extra crazy or frizzy I'll work in a tiny bit of wave pomade, but I have to go easy on that stuff because my hair is so fine. (Wavy/curly haired people LOVE IT though!) 

At night, I typically do the same top knot with the styling clip, and then I'll simply clip back the bottom half of my hair with a styling clip on each side at the nape of my neck. Sometimes I wear my shower cap to do my nighttime skincare, but I'm usually feeling lazy and just clip it. (Why that feels easier is beyond me - it's literally the same amount of steps/effort. 😂) 

Sleep: 

I don't do anything special to my hair during sleep. I wear an eye mask, which keeps my hair off of my face, and that's it. Sometimes I wake up with crazy hair, sometimes not... I really don't care. If it looks awful I own a shop full of cute hair accessories or can always pull it back or put on a hat, you know? 

Dry Shampoo technique: 

I don't need as much dry shampoo now that I'm washing more often, but it really does help add some texture and volume on day three. I use my refillable brush and a very light touch. I let it sit/soak up the oil for a few minutes, then I use a smoothing brush - I have this one, made from cactus bristles - to remove any visible particles. (Here's another cruelty free smoothing brush option.) And yes, I maintain that the regular dry shampoo works just fine for me now that my hair is dark too. I just use a tiny amount and brush it out! 

Just for fun though, I am making a dry shampoo with cocoa powder in it for the February beauty box, so if you're one of the brunettes who's asked me to make this over the years, HI. Go get it! 

And I think that's everything I need to mention, (so many words for such a minimalistic routine, I know...) but email me if you have a question  or post it below and I'll work an answer into the next haircare blog for you! 

Here's everything I've done to my hair so far this year: 

Hi hi! 

Gosh, I've been really missing this blog lately. I just have so much to share with you all, but there's never enough time! (I'm not complaining - I'm very happy that you're keeping me busy with the making and the shipping, so more of that please. 😉) 

Speaking of time, I get lots of requests for video tutorials... 

and if you've ever tried to edit video and upload it to youtube, you know that that could pretty much be a full time job in itself. Not to mention setting up the tripod, trying to find the right angle when it's just you, running back and forth between the camera and wherever has the best lighting... 

I mean, much respect to the bloggers who make it look so easy, but I'm trying to run a handmade business over here and my hands are FULL. 

But alas, you need to know how to use the products. And apparently you need video. 

So when I got a request for a dry shampoo video the other day, I figured I'd just take you through my full morning hair care routine via instagram. And then I decided to post it here on the blog in all of its glory so we have a nice little reference.  

First of all, can I just say that for someone who has a beauty business, I feel like I am ridiculously low maintenance. I always feel a little bit embarrassed when you guys ask me how to do things because I feel like you're expecting some fancy beauty queen who looks perfect all the time and has just the right technique that's going to blow your mind... 

but I'm really just a single mom who's trying to get out the door as fast as possible in the mornings so I can get my work done. I have so many things on my mind (and so many perfumes to create!) that the way my hair looks is pretty far down the list of things I worry about. Especially considering that I live (and walk around outside every day) in one of the windiest places in America. (Rogers and Hammerstein were definitely not exaggerating about the wind sweeping through the plains, y'all.) 

I actually haven't heat styled my hair in ages. It sees the blow dryer every 2-3 months or so at the hair salon and that's it. I bleach it platinum (my one green beauty vice!) because I think my natural color is very boring and it's also in an awkward lots-of-gray-but-not-enough-to-look-cool phase... 

So the low-maintenance, no-fuss, hand tossed, let it do what it wants in the wind (French girl, maybe even?!) bed head look serves two purposes - it saves my fine, processed hair from getting fried, and saves me a lot of time in the mornings. Plus, ya know, I think it's looks alright. Haha! 

I highly recommend learning how to embrace/work with your natural texture (or in my case, lack thereof...) and find a low-key hair routine that works for you. You can always get fancy and blow it out/curl it if you're in the mood, but I've found that leaving it alone and letting it do its own thing is incredibly freeing. Also, I have a very talented hair stylist who knows how to cut my layers just perfectly because I am very upfront with her about how I style my hair. Meaning: how I don't... 

So if you're wanting to transition into a more natural look, find yourself a professional who gets you and your hair type and it'll be a whole lot easier.

That being said, here's my routine:

On this day, I was on my 3rd day after shampooing (meaning I washed my hair on Monday and captured this on a Wednesday) but the routine is the same every day on the days I don't wash my hair. I don't need much dry shampoo on the second day, and I use a little bit more on the third day, but that's the only difference. I wash my hair about 2 times per week usually. 

Step 1: Brush 

My hair is very fine and the longer it gets the more tangled it gets, so I have to detangle it first thing, and I absolutely love these wooden bristle brushes because they don't break my hair or cause static! 

2: Toss it up 

You want a high bun that's not too tight. The hair ties I have are perfect for this, or you could use a scrunchie. If you have short hair, do a half bun and leave the bottom layers down. The bun is so you A) don't get it wet in the shower, and B) to add a bit of volume and loose waves. (Side note you should totally be able to add instagram story gifs to your blog without having to upload them to youtube in 2018. If anyone knows how to do this, you're hired.) 

I oil cleanse my face in the morning (and gua sha) before I get in the shower. But more on my morning skincare routine later... 

3. Texturizing Wave Spray

For, you know... texture and waves. 

4. Grab your handy-dandy refillable brush. 

Or use a dish and an old makeup brush if you're opposed to plastic. I personally love the convenience of the brush and love that it's mess free and dispenses just the right amount of product. 

5. Apply   

This is the part where it feels embarrassingly simple and I wonder what you were expecting to see in a video... but this is it you guys. Sorry? 

6. Brush and polish (optional) 

You can stop there or your can brush it out with a natural bristle brush for more shine. I highly recommend the wave pomade to finish for more piece-y texture that actually conditions your hair. 

*drops* 🎤

✌🏼

Oh hang on - did you catch the discount code I'm offering through the end of the month? Take 20% off the refillable powder brush when you buy any dry shampoo, body powder, or translucent mattifying powder in the refill pouch! Code is NOBOTTLE

If you have questions, unfortunately I can't respond to comments below, but please feel free to hmu in the forum under lovely lady locks! 

Hope this helps! 

-XO- 

Stefanie