I’m not known for my creative hair styling.  I count it a great day if I remember to actually brush my hair after I shower.  Regardless, you’ll always see me sporting my ol’ faithful, the ponytail.  Part of the problem is that my hair can’t make up its mind if it’s curly or straight.  It does, however, know how to grow quickly and thickly.  This means I can’t get a short cut or I’ll have Sally Field’s football helmet hair from “Steel Magnolias” and if I don’t get it cut regularly it’s down past my shoulder blades within a few months.

I’ve struggled and struggled to find the right hair treatment that would allow me to let it air dry (thus allowing me a wider array of easy styling options) while still channeling the cool and sophisticated mom I’m always trying to pull off.  Last fall I read an article in a parenting magazine that suggested simple products for different hair types for busy moms.  I went out on a limb and tried the product recommended for my hair…and am I ever glad that I did.

Made by Bumble and Bumble, “Brilliantine is unique and hard to define.  It gives hair a polish and a sort of languid, slept-in, sexy look.”  That’s what it says on the little bronze bottle.  Now, I still occasionally use a light styling pomade or body-inducing hair spray just to tame the frizz if I choose to blow it dry.  However, it’s really not necessary if you just let it air dry.

The greatest feature is that it’s a cream, so it really doesn’t gunk up your hair or make it feel sticky.  The hardest thing to figure out is how much to use for your hair.  My advice is to just use it for a couple of days when you plan to be around the house so you can see if you need to use more or less.  The bottle suggests that you ‘use very sparingly’ but my hair is so thick I ended up trying a little more and found that it works better for me.  What a relief to finally find a product for those of us who can’t identify with ‘curly hair’ or ‘straight hair’ but definitely know a little something about ‘fussy hair’!