grooming

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pantene. The opinions and text below are my own.

I think we can all collectively agree that wintertime is the worst, especially in NYC with its wild, ever-changing weather patterns and harsh, bleak conditions. Let’s just say winter is more of a foe rather than a friend especially when it comes to our hair. That dry air, those brutally cold temperatures. Ugh. It’s a sad sad day for all hair types. In these conditions, our hair needs a little extra TLC! They say the best defense is a good offense so why not get the best product to combat these dire circumstances. I’ve started to use Pantene Nutrient Blends Pure Clean and Clarify shampoo and conditioner and let me tell ya, my hair feels better than ever!

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Throughout the colder months of the year I tend to let my hair (and beard) grow a bit longer than usual. Call it a change up or sheer laziness, but it just makes sense to me to cut it short in the summer and let it grow and do its thing during the colder months. Now here’s my dilemma with that: since my hair is a bit longer I tend to put my pomade and hairspray in there to set it in place and make it look presentable. This leads to my hair looking oily and a bit greasy at times. Pantene’s Pure Clean & Clarify shampoo and conditioner actually helps remove oil and styling build-up and makes my hair feel softer and healthier. The collection is free of fragrances, silicones, parabens, dye, and mineral oil which is rare to see in hair products. I love that the product is fragrance-free because a fragrant product usually includes ingredients that can cause scalp irritation. The shampoo has a blend of pro vitamin B5 and antioxidants and work to purify hair of free radical impurities. The conditioner, having those same vitamins and antioxidants, has absorbable and restoring lipids that replenishes hair with moisture to leave hair refreshed and replenished.

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Over the years I have done a full 180 when it comes to my hair health. Admittedly, I used to wash my hair every day. Every. Day. How wild is that? I grew up thinking my hair needed to be cleansed daily but really all I was doing was stripping these lovely locks of all their nutrients and leaving my scalp extra dry and my hair way too greasy for its own good. But now I wash every 4-5 days, which is why it’s so important to have a shampoo that removes build-up. I’ve come a long way and am very meticulous when it comes to picking out the best and safest haircare products. I’m so happy that I discovered this new Nutrient Blends Collection from Pantene. Safe, effective products from a known brand! The collection comes with other shampoo/conditioner options like The Miracle Moisture Boost with Rose Water & The Hydrating Glow with Baobab Essence. All 3 collections offer care for whatever problems your hair is facing this winter and you can find them at Walmart!

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of GLEEM. The opinions and text are all mine.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we? There I was a mere 8 years of age in my childhood bathroom, kicking and screaming as my mother loaded (what seemed like) a mound of toothpaste on my toothbrush. Back then? Oral hygiene? Never heard of it! I absolutely HATED brushing my teeth- from my childhood up until those teenage years. I hated the act of doing it, hated that minty taste, the whole process was awful in my honest opinion. THANKFULLY over the years that drastically changed. Honestly I am happy that I got that first cavity from not brushing my teeth frequently. It taught me that if I didn’t then there would be (severe) consequences. After that first one, I brushed every day morning and night without hesitating or being forced to. I just recently went to the dentist for a check-up and was told I had a cavity on one of the teeth far back in my mouth. Another wake-up call! Now it’s time to get down to business. The business of the electric toothbrush. GLEEM has introduced a sleek and stylish alternative to those department store toothbrushes that is both effective AND affordable.

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Fairly new to the scene, GLEEM sought to create a better brushing experience for the consumer. They designed it specifically to “make your smile shine.” The toothbrush is battery operated, has a replaceable brush head and comes in either black and white. You know when the dentist tells you to brush for 2 minutes straight and you’re all like “yeah yeah yeah” well, the toothbrush actually has a built-in timer that pulses every 30 seconds for an accurate two minute brushing. So now you can go back to your dentists and brag to him that you do in fact brush for the full two minutes. Genius!

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GLEEM has made brushing much more enjoyable which will make your next dentist visit a breeze! The toothbrush is priced at $25 and can be found online and soon – at your local Walmart retailer.

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Brushing (clap) made (clap) easy! 

Are self-love and self-care interchangeable? I would like to think so. The place where I started to appreciate my body, the way I looked, and began to love myself was the same point I started treating myself the way I should be treated- not just mentally but on the outside as well. Yes, of course beauty is from within but it doesn’t hurt to care for the stuff on the outside while you’re at it. Your body is something that should be celebrated and something you should be proud to occupy. Might as well work on its upkeep! Some people might see it as vanity but that’s their issue to deal with, not yours. It’s your body and if it makes you feel good to put a moisturizing cream on it then go for it. Your skin will most certainly thank you in the long run. I have recently found a few products from Cremo Company that make my body feel oh so good!

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I started growing my beard in 2014 right after I graduated college. I never realized how patchy it was until just recently. No, it’s not SO noticeable but looking in the mirror everyday I of course notice it. I found Cremo Company’s Beard Thickening Cream and have seen tremendous results. The cream is light-weight, not greasy, and helps my beard look thicker and fuller. It reduces the patchy look and makes me feel a lot more confident when I shave a bit shorter than normal. You only need a nickel-sized amount each time you apply and can repeat daily or more. You’ll see a real difference in no time!

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When I do grow my beard out I don’t really have to worry about it looking patchy in places because the longer hairs usually fill in the patchy parts. The thing I DO have to worry about is it looking unruly. I sometimes look like Tom Hanks from Castaway. Awful, I know. To keep it looking tame and manageable I usually use Cremo Company’s Mint Beard and Scruff Cream which shapes and softens the facial hair and makes it easier for me to style it. Most importantly, it also helps the dreaded beard itch which comes from growing your facial hair out. The cream helps moisturize and soothe while adding shape and style.

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Let’s take a moment to talk about self-care for your hair. Back in the day (high school and college) I used to wash my hair daily. It looked like a mop back then and was oily after 3 hours out of the shower. I never knew the damage that could be caused from washing my hair every day. I also was using a shampoo not fit for the type of hair I had. I recently made the switch to Cremo Company’s Thickening Shampoo which smells of eucalyptus and juniper. It gives my thin hair so much volume and leaves it looking and smelling so amazing!

Time to try out Cremo Company for yourself and show that body some love!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of ARC. The opinions and text are all mine.

“Show your teeth!”

“Smile big for the camera!”

“Why don’t you ever open your mouth when you smile?”

The amount of time I’ve heard each of these phrases growing up is pretty much immeasurable. People asking me to smile or smile wider and with my teeth. Plain fact was I hated my smile. Not the shape of my teeth or the way that I looked when I showed them, but the coloring of them. As a kid I hated brushing my teeth and would find any opportunity to get out of doing so. The plaque build-up turned my teeth a yellowish color and it seemed irreversible. Trying any and all tooth whitening toothpastes on the market, I ultimately gave up. When I got into the whole influencer business, it became so easy for me to color-correct my teeth and not think twice about taking steps to correct them in real life. At events I would still be extremely self-conscious of my smile and how my teeth looked. Always wondering if people were secretly comparing my Instagram-worthy teeth to my real-life ones. Crazy, right? Luckily, I have found a solution to my whitening woes! I never considered whitening my teeth with a product as an option before. ARC is a safe, effective, and no-nonsense at home teeth whitening kit that you can find at your local Target!

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With ARC I started to see results in just 3 days! How insane is that?! ARC uses both whitening strips and LED Blue Light technology to get that little extra lasting boost of whitening. The whitening strips have no ‘extra’ ingredients like some of the other companies (pomegranate seed, charcoal, lavender, lemon juice) that virtually have no positive effects and just sound helpful. ARC only uses ingredients that are proven to whiten teeth.

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The steps are super simple too! Each of the packets comes with an upper and lower whitening strip. Put them both on your upper and lower level of teeth and let sit for 30-minutes. Go read a book, work around your apartment, cook some food. You might even forget that you have them on! For the last 5 minutes add the LED Blue Light and put in in your mouth. The blue light emits a specific wavelength targeted to weaken the chemical bonds of the teeth stains. This in turn makes the treatment that much more effective. The light works for up to 28 treatments for an even brighter and smile!

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I am now feeling more confident than ever about my whiter smile and am not afraid to show it in public. I’m also color-correcting my teeth less and less because there’s now no need to! Every smile has a story to tell and my smile story just got even better 🙂

If you asked me two or three years ago what grooming products I use I would look at you completely dumbfounded and said “None.” The only thing in my medicine cabinet was toothpaste, a toothbrush, and some hairspray. That’s it. Needless to say I have come a longggg way since then. I learned that I need to take care of my body now because, yes, I am getting older much to my dismay. Taking care of my body not just on the inside but what’s on the outside as well. I’m not just talking about my skin, but about the stuff the lays on top of that skin. You guessed it, my hair and my beard. Both extremely important to me and to my brand image, upkeep of these two parts are essential. That’s where Cremo Company comes in!

Let’s tackle the most important aspect of myself (in my opinion) – my hair. I like to think my hair is, in itself, its own person with its own mind that does its own thing no matter what I try to do to it. Goes this way when I want it to go that way – I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. All I want it to do sometimes is just to stay in the place that I left it. I have searched for a pomade that will help me in my quest and I have found it. Cremo’s Barber Grade Styling Cream is the perfect solution for my unruly hair. As a nervous habit, I run my fingers through my hair so I chose the medium hold with a medium shine. With a tiny amount of cream, this product is sure to have a long-lasting effect on your luscious locks.

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Confession time!

For so so so many years I have been using the shampoo I use for my hair on my beard.. I know this is completely wrong and I sincerely apologize. I have learned from my mistake and have started to take care of my beard the way it should rightfully be taken care of. I have started to use Cremo’s Beard & Face Wash – Reserve Blend in the shower and what a difference it makes! My beard feels soft and a lot less prickly thank goodness. I also suffered from severe redness under my beard for quite some time and ta-da no more redness! After the shower, I use Cremo’s Beard Oil – Reserve Blend to restore its natural moisture and keep it smelling fresh. It also alleviates that itchy feeling that can come with having facial hair.

I switch between the oil and the Beard Balm – Reserve Blend which I mostly use to style my beard due to it having a mind of its own sometimes! My beard grows in a complete clockwise direction forcing me to use both the cream and the brush to train it to go in the right direction. Most of these things I didn’t even know before I started using these products! Cremo’s Reserve blend products can be found on their website, in select Target locations or on Target.com.

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Thank you Cremo Company for teaching me the correct way to treat my hair and my beard! Be sure to follow Cremo Company on YouTube via this link for helpful tips and tricks on all things mens grooming & on their Instagram page!

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Photos by Jon Williams & Loren Kennedy