Beauty & Beyond:Two Products Your Hair Stylist Won't Like

Don’t get me wrong. I [heart] going to the salon. All that personal me-me-me attention. The cute little demitasse of espresso while I wait. The scalp massage that sends me to the moon and back.

But then there are those times where my roots and lack of layers might say otherwise. A busy schedule is my locks worst enemy. Well, there are some beauty Powers that Be who know this and are here to help. Shhh...don't tell my stylist.

First off is ombré. Jessica Biel, Hilary Duff, Rachel Bilson, pretty much every pretty girl in Hollywood has that look right now, right? Now you can. At home. Shocked face.

Don’t be scared. The DIY L’Oréal Paris’ Wild Ombré color kits are pretty easy and the results are…pretty. With the supplied "rake," you comb the thick easy-to-control formula through your individual strands starting between your ear and chin levels. There's really no precision here - it's like raking leaves...you just get out there and do it. Just like you did last weekend.

Because you’re doing it, you’re calling the shots (unlike that one time the stylist quietly disagreed with my request for hair long enough to wear a pony tail…no, no, no...I needed a bob...and I got one). Leave the Wild Ombré on for up to 45 minutes for super bold contrast, or just a short 25 for a slight bright.

No one is left out of this trend – there’s a formula for the lightest of blondes to the darkest of brunettes. And it's just $12.99 at drugstores.

Something else that I can’t seem to make it the salon for is my bangs. And we’ve all seen what happens when I cut bangs. OK, maybe you haven’t mostly because I wear a headband or hat for weeks.

Bango to the rescue.

With this huge pink alligator clip, you can expertly create blunt, textured and side bangs. I’ve used Bango on my daughter and even on my husband last week when for some reason the woman who cut his hair left him with wings over his ears. Aw. She thinks he’s an angel. How cute. Stop that.

The way this little clips works is a three-comb tension that holds hair tightly, so it doesn’t slip like when you try to hold it straight with just a comb. The "cutting guides" are super smart. These tiny teeth give you a textured finish when you snip along the guides. There's also has a curved and straight edge, so you can choose between choppy or blunt bangs.

The kit comes with a scissors, comb, hair clip and a how-to DVD, and is available at Ulta for $15.99.

I'm not saying that you should never go to the salon. I'm not saying that I approve of cheating on your stylist. But when the busy bug has you down, there are definitely ways to skirt around the beauty issue. Just don't go bragging to your stylist that you've found these two quick tricks. He or she might cut you.

Momtrends was not compensated for this post.