The Family Groove Fashion & Beauty

ASK A GROOVY GAL
TFG DEPUTY EDITOR AND BEAUTY DIRECTOR CHELSEA KAPLAN GIVES YOU
THE GOODS ON GETTING GORGEOUS

This winter, my hair’s become seriously flat and lifeless. What’s the best way to pump up the volume without rendering it totally sticky and stiff?—Julie, Oklahoma City, OK
		While many volumizing products do their thing quite well, a good deal of them leave hair somewhat straw-like and stiff because of the high alcohol contents, which only serve to dry out hair. If you’re looking for a little softness with your height, try a product with little or no alcohol in the ingredient list. My current favorites are Redken’s Body Full Carbo-Bodifier and Pureology’s PureVolume BlowDry Amplifier, both of which should be applied pre-blow dry, since it’s a great way to add height to your strands. This will give you touchably-soft, bouncy hair, even during those harsh winter months. ($15.95 and $19 respectively, visit www.redken.com and www.pureology.com for retail locations.

As much as I try to wear silky, satiny, pretty underwear, it’s just not for me. Do you have any recommendations on where I can get comfy cotton underwear that don’t look like granny panties?— Jeannine, Joliet, IL
	While non-lame cotton underwear may seem like an oxymoronic concept, they really do exist. While Victoria’s Secret usually stocks nice-looking cotton underwear, most of their styles come in vibrant hues and funky patterns. To completely avoid both granny and high school cheerleader territory, I recommend always purchasing your cotton undies in black, which will add a sexy, sophisticated, almost silk-like quality to your comfy skivvies. An excellent source for nice-looking black cotton panties (and all panties, really) is Gap Body, the Gap’s intimates outpost. Though Gap Body retail stores aren’t as plentiful as the garden-variety Gap stores, their online boutique stocks all their underwear styles, and also offers tons of sale items as well. Check out the ultra-comfortable low rise stretch cotton bikinis in black ($8.50 each or three for $6.66 each, wwwgapbody.com). They sit low enough to not peek out from your jeans, but high enough to insure that no one will warn you to “say no to crack.” You can’t go wrong when sophisticated meets comfortable.

I’m getting ready to take a Spring Break trip to the beach. Once and for all, is it okay to clean swimsuits in the washer and dryer, or is there a better way to care for them?—Tria, North Caldwell, NJ

Chlorine, salt and sand can be rough on your swimwear, and considering how much cute swimsuits cost these days, it’s definitely worth the extra time and effort that it takes to care for them appropriately. According to the experts at Laraine’s, a swimwear institution in Mooresville, North Carolina, you should never, ever wash your suit in a washing machine. The washing machine will break down the suit’s Lycra and/or spandex fibers, which will cause it to lose its elasticity, shape and possibly even its color, not to mention and ruin the bra cups that are sewn into many swimsuits. Instead, just gently hand wash your suit after each wear with a mild soap solution made especially for swimsuits (I love The Laundress’s Swimwear Care, which is $18 at www.thelaundress.com). Hang your suit indoors to dry. Much like the washer, the sun and the dryer are both the laundress swimwear

hard on the Lycra and spandex in your suit, and will speed fading of your suit’s color. The ladies at Laraine’s also recommend that you try and give your swimsuits at least 24 hours to dry before reusing: “The spandex is a memory yarn, so the swimsuit needs the 24 hours to go back to its original shape,” they explain.

In addition to following the aforementioned washing and drying instructions, to keep your suits in tip top shape, be careful where you sit, lay and lean when wearing them. “Pool sides and many decks are rough so you don't slip,” the ladies at Laraine’s say. “They may not feel rough to the touch, but your suit will find them rough. They can run and pick the bottom of your suit or the front if you’re leaning over the edge. Take the extra second to sit or lay on a towel. Your bathing suit will last longer and you'll be happier.” Additionally, when possible, sunbathe before you swim, because the combination of sun and water will hasten the breakdown of your suit’s fibers and color. Lastly, limit your hot tub use as much as possible. Hot tubs are extremely hard on swimsuits and will destroy them quickly, explain the experts at Laraine’s, noting that both the bromine chemicals used in hot tubs as well as the extreme heat will fade and stretch your suit. Therefore, if you like it hot, take a dunk, but don’t wear your favorite, pricey, suit—and make sure you wash and rinse it very well immediately after you come out in order to remove all the chemicals from the fabric.

Need a good laugh? Click here to read all about Chelea's life with child—and one on the way—in her blog, “I'm Somebody's Mother?”