Another Instagram sensation - Sugarbear SLEEP Vitamins. These little bear-shaped vegan gummies are formulated to help you sleep. The little purple bears smell delicious, taste like berries and are SUPER-SWEET! I'm not a sweets person, but I prefer a flavorful gummy over giant capsules - there's nothing relaxing about swallowing huge pills and vitamins.

Comprised of Melatonin, Magnesium, Theanine and Vitamin B6 - These ingredients tell your body when to go to sleep, enhance natural Melatonin and promote relaxation. This list is typical for natural sleep aids.

These gummies also contain the Sugarbear proprietary Rest Well Blend - botanicals that promote relaxation and optimize sleep. Lemon Balm Leaf, Passion Flower, Valerian Root and 5-HTP promote a calm, positive mood.

Seems like these gummies are packed with everything you need to improve your mood, promote relaxation and get a good night sleep. Albeit, most of us require something a little stronger! I suffer from insomnia and have tried too many homeopathic remedies. Yes, they "help", but if I'm stressed it will take a horse tranquilizer to keep me under for the suggested eight hours. 

I do find Sugarbear SLEEP gummies beneficial for relaxation. Rather than chewing two at bedtime, I opt for two with my evening tea (a blend of chill-the-f**k-out herbs and detox tea). I find slipping in to the sheets, feeling relaxed and stress-free is most beneficial to a good night sleep. Reducing stress in your life (or coping with it better) also plays a huge role in a positive, calm mind and solid eight hours rest.

Sugarbear vitamins are fun, delicious and gorgeous shades of blue, pink and purple. Color is super important on Social Media and if a product photographs well, it will swiftly gain fans (whether or not the product is worthy).

So many people claim that Sugarbear HAIR Vitamins have changed their life. Claims that these little blue bears miraculously transformed your straw hat to a gorgeous mane are ridiculous. Gummies that contain Biotin, Folic Acid and Vitamin D will promote healthy hair, but proper haircare is necessary in the recovery process. 

While perusing the Sugarbear site for sleep vitamins, I noticed there is also a women's multi-vitamin. The bears are the perfect shade of pink - Of course, I'm going to buy them.. Sugarbear vitamins are cute, contain all the right stuff and aside from being 15 calories each, will only benefit you.

Oh and my Sugarbear SLEEP vitamins order included a mini bottle of gummies (perfect for travel) and a cute keychain. I love promo products! 

HUM is an all-natural line of supplements that include tablets, soft gels, gummies and powders. These 'beauty' vitamins have been thoughtfully developed to address lifestyle and beauty concerns. The founders of HUM believe diet alone will not address all of your beauty concerns and regular intake of targeted supplements will give you a little extra boost.

There are currently twenty-five HUM supplements sold at Sephora, ranging from cleansing vitamins, dietary supplements, skin, nails and hair vitamins, collagen boosters and sleep supplements. I initially purchased many products from the HUM lineup, but the dietary and cleanse vitamins didn't agree with my stomach. I also struggle with taking vitamins and pills, (especially the large ones), so taking four huge vitamins a day wasn't for me. I did however like the gummies, Collagen POP dissolvable tablets and Beauty zzZz supplements.

The Collagen POP tablets consist of premium marine collagen peptides and vitamin C. Combined these supplements boost skin hydration, elasticity and firmness. HUM's type one collagen (premium marine collagen), is the same found in the body AND Vitamin C increases natural collagen in the body. Of course, as we age, the collagen in our body decreases, so it's important to take supplements that encourage collagen production.

I've only gone through one container of HUM Collagen POP fizzing tablets and it's too early to say whether or not these tablets make a difference. I do however prefer dissolvable tablets over hard pills and super-sized vitamins. The taste is kinda strange and floral-like. I'm not into drinking or eating flowers, so that's a deterrent. Maybe HUM will produced a fruity flavored tablet - hint hint HUM! I will however continue to drop these dissolvable tablets in my water every other day. If anything, HUM Collagen POP tablets intrigued me and now I'm set on finding a collagen supplement suitable for me.

HUM Beauty zzZz vegetarian tablets will absolutely promote a good night sleep. I started taking these sleep enhancing tablets last year - I had so much on my mind, was stressing about life and only sleeping a few hours a night. I was exhausted all of the time and felt like a zombie during the day. These sleep supplements definitely improved my sleep habits. Thankfully, I sleep much better now, BUT once and a while I take these melatonin and B6 supplements when I'm restless.

If you're anxious and need to catch up on your zzz's, try taking a Benadryl. This allergy medication puts me right to sleep and keeps me under for hours. I'm not a doctor and am not recommending regular use, but I don't see anything wrong with taking allergy medication - you would after all take one Zyrtec a day during allergy season!

It's been almost a year since my traumatic and altogether unsuccessful hair transformation. They all (the many hairstylists) said it will take six months to recover my hair. I've been obsessively treating, cutting and babying my strands - Still, eleven months and counting.. Hair grows (it's a fact), but repairing severely damaged hair takes time - Oh, and lots of products. I'm embarrassed to say how much I've spent on hair repair solutions and vitamins.

Initially, I was skeptical of Olaplex and didn't have great things to say about this preventative treatment. The stylist who took my hair from black to orange to green to greenish-gray-yellow-blonde (YUP, that's what I ended up with), said Olaplex would protect my hair from the bleach and there would be little damage. NOT TRUE! Clearly, this stylist overestimated the treatment and was 'possibly' misinformed. I was still under the impression that Olaplex would repair my hair. I used Olaplex one, two and three for a few months after, but I didn't feel like my hair was getting better, so I discontinued the treatments.

Sometime later my new stylist explained that Olaplex is a preventive treatment, and not a hair repair solution. She said regular applications would keep my hair from being further damaged. I got back on the Olaplex-wagon. Along with intense hydrating masks and vitamins, my hair 'slowly' started to grow. My stylist includes Olaplex step-one in my color solution. After rinsing the color, Olaplex step-two is applied. In between salon visits, I use Olaplex step-three (just once). Admittedly, I've been converted and am a fan of this hair-care product.

Nutrients support hair strength, resulting in less breakage and thus healthier strands. Vitamins you should look for in a vitamin blend - A, B, C, D, K, Biotin, Keratin (your hair is made up of keratin protein), Folic Acid, Iron, Niacin, Magnesium, Protein, Zinc.. Not to mention minerals and oils that support healthy hair. Viviscal Hair Growth Vitamins are comprised of vitamins and minerals your hair needs. This supplement gets great reviews, many dermatologists sell or recommend these vitamins, and from my experience, IT WORKS! I've been taking these vitamins for about six months. I'm terrible at taking vitamins regularly, but my sporadic vitamin-popping has still made a difference.

Viviscal vitamin supplements contain Biotin, Zinc, Vitamin C, Iron, Calcium, Niacin, Horsetail Extract, Millet Seed Extract and the exclusive marine complex AminoMar (shark cartilage and Oyster Extract Powder). there are a few essential vitamins missing, but if it works, who cares. Six months of intense hydrating masks, Olaplex treatments and Viviscal supplements has made my hair stronger, a little thicker (I have baby hairs), and healthier.

WARNING - Don't trust a stylist that says Olaplex is a miracle treatment that will take your hair from black to blonde in weeks. Below are pics of my disastrous transformation. After days in the salon, fried strands and painful lesions on my scalp, I went back to black. I couldn't settle for greenish-gray-yellow-blonde, and further bleaching was not an option.

Original posts - See August 2016.