Got something awesome everyone needs to know about? A really rad singer? A wicked new book? New goodness from an old band? Email your “The Know” ideas to Jill@collegecandy.com or tweet me and I’ll pass them along to everyone right here, every week. Make your kindergarten teacher proud and share!

Here’s the truth: There are a select few of us who are blessed with naturally straight, never frizzy, takes-no-effort-to-look-good hair. And usually it’s those same biatches who are also blessed with Gisele legs, a killer metabolism and big, perfect boobs. God bless them.

But for most of us, making our hair look good (especially in these humid summer months) takes time.
And hair tools (which usually result in burning our finger or forehead).
And hair products (which are costly. And if we use too much we look greasy, and if we use too little we look like we are trying to sport a fro).
And more time (we all know the re-straightening-the-hair-one-last-time-before-we-head-out-the-door routine).

It’s no wonder we walk to class with our hair piled on top of our heads; I know for me, making my hair look like it came out of a (very cheaply made) Pantene Pro-V commercial takes time, people. And in the morning, I ain’t got that. Or at least I’m not choosing to have that when my bed is too comfortable to get out of just yet.

But that’s all changed for me. I recently underwent Keratin hair therapy and let me tell you folks: Life. Freakin. Changing.

For those of you with curly hair, wavy hair, thick hair that takes forever to straighten, hair that poofs up in the humidity, hair that is unruly, you get the picture… this is the answer for you.

It takes three hours (and three days of no washing, ponytails, bobby pins or working out), but my hair has never felt softer. I may have done this during the most humid week in Chicago history (I mean seriously, I’ve sweat in places I didn’t know one could sweat) but still, no poofy, frizzy, ’80s looking hair. My hair dries in half the time and I only need to flat iron it if I want it to look REALLY good. Plus, it still holds a soft wave if I want it, so it’s not like those Japanese straightening things that limit you (and look like a hot mess growing out).

The best part: it will last just like this for 3-4 months before it rinses out.

Honestly folks, while this treatment may be pricey (Groupon and other local deal sites often feature salons offering discounts), think about the time you are going to save yourself. And the energy. And all that heat ruining your precious tresses every day. And most importantly, think about how good you will feel in class knowing your hair looks less like a knotty mess and more like amazeballness.

And I know you always want To Know about looking amazeballness.

Ahhh summer! Time for margaritas, BBQs, shirtless boys…heat and humidity. While summer’s one of the best times of the year for everything else, it’s not so great for your hair and makeup! But don’t worry, you can beat the heat!

I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve to help make the heat and humidity more manageable. I can’t guarantee that your hair won’t frizz, but I can guarantee that it will take a little longer to do so!

A pill that can do that? Sign us up!

Last week we found out about a pill made of alcohol. Our excitement over the potential to skip the calories and the burning sensation in the back of our throats were almost too much to bear. We thought, “This is the best thing to ever happen to us college girls.” Which was true.

Until now.

It seems like geniuses everywhere are coming out of the woodwork and shoving all sorts of awesome into teeny, tiny pills. The newest venture we are freaking out over?

A pill that can take your hair from straight to curly (or vice-versa!).

That’s right; scientists at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research have found out that the trichohyalin gene is responsible for creating curls. Now that they know this, treatments can be developed to make hair curlier or straighter, and the scientists are in talks with a major cosmetic company in Paris to bring them to the masses. Read More »

Every girl has a love/hate relationship with her hair.  If her hair is straight, she wishes it were curly.  If her hair is curly, she wishes it were straight.  Frizz is constantly on the attack and there are never enough bobby pins.  Yet, our hair can either make or break a look, so we spend hours planning, executing, and perfecting our style.  In my case, that usually ends in sweat, blood, tears and an even frizzier mess than I started with.

After yet another such ordeal this past weekend, I came up with a brilliant idea – shaving my head.  It’s perfect.  There are literally hundreds of reasons why I should (and a couple why I shouldn’t, but I say my boyfriend can take a chill pill and worry about his own hair).  Here are just a few of the wonderful benefits of shaving your head:

Fabulous Hat Opportunities -  I have come to adore hats.  Never before I have I seen so many fabulous hats just wandering the streets.  We have fedoras, cloches, berets, slouchy knits, and even pork-pie hats.  They are the perfect accessory and also do a wonderful job of keeping your head warm…which is only useful if you have no hair.  Plus, if you shave your head, you don’t have to worry about an awkward hat hair situation when you remove said fabulousness.

Wig Potential – Kind of like a hat made out of hair, the wig is an awesome way to accessorize yourself.  Just grab and go!  Make sure to go the natural hair route, unless you’re specifically going for that cheap-anonymous-bachelor-party-stripper look.  Which, since Samantha Jones rocked it in Sex and the City, I fully condone. Read More »

There’s nothing I love more than summer, and sometimes my hair agrees.  I love the waves that salt water puts in my hair, and the fact that I can just throw it up and go out.  But what I don’t love is the greasiness and frizziness that accompanies the excessive heat.  If I’m not looking over-gelled like Danny in Grease, then I have a minor fro going on comparable to a clown.

Shockingly, neither of these are good looks.

But what am I supposed to do? If I let my hair go naturally, it blows up Monica-Gellar-goes-to-Hawaii-style. But if I add product, my hair becomes a slick, oily mess.  One summer problem would be enough; dealing with both of these can be tricky.  Luckily, I’ve devoted lots of time to fixing this problem before the heat sets in this summer and I’ve found some products that can help tame these heinous summer looks.

Control the Oil:

Shampoo: Oily hair is actually caused by an oily scalp.  Your scalp produces sebum (oil) and it transfers to your locks.  So when you are looking for a shampoo to combat the oil, you want one that will control the root of the problem.  Shampoos labeled “Sebo-control” are designed to remove the oil from your scalp, like this shampoo from L’Oreal. After lather/rinse/repeating with it, I’ve noticed that the grease stays away longer, especially when hair is straight.

To Condition or Not to Condition: If your hair is only mildly oily and you want to condition, make sure you don’t condition the roots of your hair.  If your hair is especially oily, condition only twice a week and just apply a small amount of conditioner to the ends. Read More »