I've had a few readers ask me to share my everyday hair styling routine here on the blog, so today I'm doing just that! A few things before we start: I'll touch on my styling products a bit below, but you can see the other stuff I use regularly (shampoo, conditioner, smoothing serum, etc.) in this post.

Also I want you to know that I wash my hair once a week or less, and I find that the best curls are on day 2 or 3 after shampooing. I know everyone's hair is different, but hair that isn't super clean usually holds curl a bit better.

My current styling favorites: Dry Shampoo | Curling Iron | Hair Spray

1. Spray roots with dry shampoo. Use your fingers to blend it in.
2. Separate hair into two halves--tie the top half up in a loose bun. Take the bottom half into three or four sections and curl each one with the curling iron. (I do this by clamping the middle part of each section with the iron and turning the iron as I release the handle, bringing more hair into the curl each time.)

1. Untie the top bun and divide that into two halves again, once again tying the top part up. Repeat curling the pieces into 2 or 3 sections this time.
2. Take the very top section that's in a bun and divide into 2 sections. Tie one side back again and separate the other into 2 more pieces. Curl them, making sure the one closest to your face gets curled away from your face (the clamp should turn the hair toward the back of your head, instead of curling in toward your face). Repeat with the last section. 

1. Once the curls are all cool, spray everything with hairspray. Use your fingers to tousle the style a bit--some people brush the curls out but I just leave them as they are (I find that after a while they get less ringlet-y and look a bit more natural, but if I brush them out my hair just gets really big in a bad way). 

Let me know if you have questions! I feel like I did a bad job explaining the instructions--I do it so often that I don't even think about it anymore. And if you have other post requests, I want to hear them! I'm planning to start sharing cocktail recipes soon, but if you have other beauty posts you'd like to see (or anything else, for that matter), please do let me know and I'll try to make it happen!

Photos by Andi Perullo for Freckled Italian.

The other day on Instagram, I got a request to share my hair care routine and products, and I loved the idea, so here we go! 

My hair is naturally very straight but it's also super thick, which I guess is a pretty good combination. I rarely wear it straight because I just don't like the way it looks on me--at the least I'll separate my hair into four sections and curl them quickly to give it a little bit of volume. At the most, I'll pin it all up and curl it in smaller sections, which lasts longer and looks a lot better. If you guys are interested, I can share a post (or video!) that shows exactly how I style my hair--just let me know!

I've been slowly going a little lighter with my color so I try really hard to take good care of it, since lifting color can really do a number on your ends. Here's a breakdown of my washing/styling routine and the products I use:

• I only wash my hair once a week, and when I do I use this shampoo and this conditioner. Once I'm out of the shower, I use this leave-in treatment from Redken and comb it through.
• If possible (and because it's so straight), I like to let my hair air dry. I style it with a curling iron a lot so I always feel like this is my way of giving it a break. I'll wash it a few hours before bed (if I go to bed with wet hair it looks crazy in the morning) or in the morning if I don't have anywhere to be for a few hours. I do always blow-dry my bangs right away, though.
• If I do blow-dry, I like to use a tiny drop of this serum to smooth it out and speed up the dry time.
• I use a 1 1/4 inch curling iron by Hot Tools to style. I've had it forever and probably need a new one soon! I like the big curls but sometimes when I'm in Roanoke I use my mom's and it's a little smaller and I think I may like the way my hair looks with that one a bit better.
• I've tried tons of different dry shampoos and I think my favorite one is this one by Dove. I had one by Redken but I didn't love it and it was a lot more expensive, so I generally stick to drug store brands as I continue to experiment and find the ones I love the most. If I run out then I'll just use good old regular baby powder--it works best if you use quite a bit before bed and then brush it out in the morning.
• I like this hair spray by Tresseme a lot, even though I should probably be using something a little bit nicer on my hair.
• This is my favorite deep conditioner. It makes your hair so soft and it smells amazing. I've been using it for years. I think you can use it once a week but since I only wash my hair once a week, I usually deep condition once a month.
• I very rarely brush my hair (I think that might be weird), but when I do I use this bristle brush that I'm pretty sure I bought at Target.

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click and/or buy something I'll make money. I only post things I use and love myself, and I value authenticity and your trust as a reader over any commissions I could possibly ever earn. Thanks for your support!

PS If you're in the mood to shop, everything on ShopBop's site is 25% off until Thursday with the code INTHEFAM. I've got my eye on some tank tops and white jeans for spring and summer! You can check out a few more of my favorites below. And if you have any other requests for blog posts, please let me know! I love to hear them and would love to share content that you've specifically asked for!

Vaseline recently asked me to talk about my beauty routine, and I am happy to do it! I'm always looking for more ways to share beauty content with you guys--so if you have any requests, please let me know! I did some hair tutorials in the past but would love to update them and include some makeup and product posts, which I'm starting here today!

As far as makeup goes, I like to stick to one thing at a time until I've mastered it. I love liquid eyeliner and mascara, and about two years ago I started learning how to do a little contouring on my face. I've always been more of a heavy-on-the-eyes girl and usually leave my lips pretty plain--I think it's because for the most part, you have to reapply it. 

That doesn't mean I'm not a lip balm fan though! Quite the contrary--you can always find me with some kind of moisturizing balm in my bag. Vaseline has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid--it reminds me so much of my mom, because she always used it as lip balm and I started doing the same as a kid, and I still use it all the time. It's not sticky at all and lasts a really long time. Plus it just does its job really well and moisturizes your lips.

In the U.K. they have Vaseline Lip Therapy in cute little tins, which Vaseline just released in the United States! They're pictured above and below and come in a variety of flavors/scents; the Rosy Lips one even has a pinkish tint that's perfect if you're like me and rarely wear lip color. (Although the Aloe one is my favorite right now--it's super fresh and is getting me so excited for spring!)

What does your beauty routine look like? When it comes to makeup, are you more of an eyes or a lip color fan? What's your favorite lip balm? 

This post is brought to you in partnership with Vaseline. As always I thank you for your support as I continue to work with sponsors. You can get your own Vaseline Lip Therapy Tin at Target!