In a few days, I will be flying out to Cincinnati for #cascadebloggerday and I am still in the process of packing and making sure everything is in order before I leave. It is going to be a busy week since I will be gone for three days and when I arrive on Friday afternoon, the family and I will be checking into the Eaton Chelsea for a weekend stay. While I'm used to the hustle and bustle of being on the go as a full-time teacher and mother of two, I still manage to find myself in some pretty embarrassing, utterly mortifying "oh, no!" hair moments. And I'm not referring to that pesky whisker that grows persistently beneath my chin.

One of the things I love about summer is being able to wear tank tops and shorts. Having to keep up with shaving my legs is something entirely different. I swear, it's like my hair follicles are on steroids. I often use a razor in the shower but do so without wearing my glasses. This makes it particularly challenging to shave my legs without missing a spot. Or three. I often rely on the sense of touch to feel for any stubble because if I didn't, I would develop a hump on my back from leaning over to within inches of my legs in order to detect any defiant leg hairs. Sometimes I am in such a terrible rush that I give my lower appendages a quick once-over with my razor and cross my fingers they look presentable enough. That's if I even remember to shave my legs at all. 

While I love teaching primary grades, there have been more than one instance of those dreaded "oh, no!" hair moments that have taken place in a primary classroom. These are the times when I sit on the teacher chair surrounded by little eager children crowding around me on the carpet. I cross my legs and assume my professional teacher pose when all of a sudden I notice a row of dark, conspicuous, unshaven leg hairs. Right there, at the exact eye level of my young, inquisitive students. Perfect! It's a good thing I wear closed toed shoes because I probably forgot to shave my big toes, too. (Oh, come on! Like you've never had to do that!) And don't think it goes unnoticed in the older grades. Let's just say, while modelling the action for "Levez la main!" I may or may not have elicited outcries of terror with my Amazonian underarms... 

The good news is I now have a handy Venus Snap portable razor that I can keep in my purse to help tame those spontaneously crazy hair growths. The mini handle is easy to grip for control while shaving and fits conveniently in a cute little compact that slightly resembles a Venus fly trap. It is interchangeable with all Venus blade refills and comes with a single Venus Embrace 5-blade cartridge. In essence, it's #InASnap smoothness on the go.


I will be taking my trusty Venus Snap with me on my travels this week but I won't be the only one who gets to say goodbye to "oh, no!" hair moments. As a P&G mom, I am giving away a Summer Hair Care Survival Kit to one of my readers, which will also help you say, "#GoodbyFlyaways". This giveaway is valued at approximately $45 and includes:

• Gillette Venus Snap with Embrace – $13.99
• Gillette Venus Spa Breeze cartridges – $21.99
• Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Waves Enhancer Spray – $4.99
• Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Waves Crème Pomade – $4.99

There's a new hair smoothing treatment in town. And they call it Kerasilk.

Goldwell Kerasilk.

Earlier this month, at a VIP launch party hosted by Haartek Salon in Toronto, Goldwell introduced the first customizable long-lasting hair smoothing service - Goldwell Kerasilk Keratin Treatment. Guests in attendance were among the first to witness the incredible transformations. We watched first-hand as salon stylists worked steadily to apply the two-component system on different women, each of whom had hair with varying degrees of curl and damage.

The process involves selecting Keratin Shape and Keratin Smooth according to client's desired shaping and smoothing results. For instance, the client can select maximum smooth to reduce frizz and minimum shape to keep the curl. After the client's hair is washed, the hair is sectioned off and the balm is then applied and allowed to sit for 15 minutes. The hair is then blown dry and flatironed. After a final wash, the Kerasilk sealing serum is applied to seal the KeraShape technology and minimize scent. After a final blow dry, their hair was transformed from frustrating to fabulous. The photo below demonstrates the drastic difference.