Woman in Real Life

Sun, sand and surf - summer is synonymous with outdoor fun. But summer fun also means perspiration, chlorine and harsh UV rays, and it isn’t always kind to your hair. Don’t sweat it! Colour specialist Sterling Williams, an artistic educator for Matrix Canada, offers up these fixes for four common summer hair woes.

1. Damaged, Dry Hair

Time spent in the blazing sun can lead to dry, brittle hair, split ends and frizziness. To minimize damage, allow your hair to air-dry rather than using hair dryers and other hot styling tools. “Embrace your natural texture,” Williams advises. The less-is-more approach applies to washing hair too. “I don’t feel like anybody needs to wash their hair every day,” she says. “It’s not necessary and it’s not good for your hair.” Wash your hair two to three times per week. Apply a leave-in conditioner or primer to towel-dried hair. “Look for a product that adds both moisture and UV protection,” Williams says. Use a hydrating hair treatment once a week to replenish lost moisture. Use silk scrunchies and a silk pillowcase to reduce friction and minimize breakage of hair strands.

Hair Helper: Maurizio’s Hydrating Hair Mask helps restore moisture and shine to damaged hair.

Summer is officially here and it's time to bring on the salads! Pasta salad, green salad, noodle salad and, of course, rice salad. I envision a summer of stocking the fridge with neatly stacked clear containers full of all kinds of easy-to-make, healthy salads to grab on the go. Off to the beach? Have a sesame noodle salad at the ready. Pop it into a cooler with a refreshing spritzer, a variety of fruit and a batch of homemade Coconut Date Brownie Bites and you'll be ready for a picnic at the beach or park. Because, if you're anything like me, preparing for a day trip is all about the food!

How do you feel about summer winding down? I confess it saddens me. Summer never feels quite long enough. I'm fine with returning to the routine of school and work. I just think it would be great if it were warm enough to hit the beach after school or have a gathering on the deck with some fruity summer cocktails, just for maybe two more months. As the end of summer approaches, I always think about whether we did everything we planned to do.

With fall beckoning, my desire to bake has returned with a vengeance.

In my opinion, a sweet, tasty fruit crisp is the perfect end-of-summer dessert. The fruit filling still says "summer," but the warm, baked oat topping is a definite tribute to fall.

It's Insta-Friday again...time to share a look at our family cell phone photos from the past week (or two in this case).

Everywhere you look, summer seems to be winding down. Children have gone back to school in some areas. People are talking about wanting to wear sweaters again. (Not me.)

What I Ate Wednesday is here again! Can you believe it is the middle of August?

I am once again sharing some highlights from my last week of eating.

Last night, we decided to try making maki sushi for the second time. We found it easier to roll this time. We had the same fillings as last time, along with sautéed mushrooms. The mushrooms made for a yummy filling!

My husband also made miso soup this time, with chunks of soft tofu in it. It was delicious, and even the kids enjoyed it. They are fairly picky eaters (mostly the girl) but my son loves vegetarian sushi and my daughter is enjoying it more and more each time we have it.

With temperatures soaring, I don’t feel much like hanging around the stove for too long.

The first day that my daughter wore the poncho, her bff came over for a visit. She had just come from a tea party birthday celebration and she was all dressed up. I snapped these photos while the two of them were playing (until they got tired of my picture-taking and told me to stop).

 



They had a serious case of the giggles and I got a lot of blurry photos.

 

Here’s where I told them to get the giggles out with their silliest possible faces (above). After that, they gave me a couple of calmer shots.