With a brief stint as a bottle blonde and some serious sun + salt damage, my hair has been through a lot this year. I recently made the switch back to my natural color and I'm taking much better care of these locks lately.

Learning to love my hair has been a roller coaster ride and at almost twenty-seven, I still haven't figured it all out. I have what I think it a pretty strange texture (I went from seriously curly before the big hormonal shift that is motherhood to stick straight when clean but wavy after getting caught in the rain) and not a lot of patience for styling. Earlier this year I bleached myself to hell and back for some pretty rose gold strands but ultimately jumped ship when I stopped recognizing myself whenever I'd pass a mirror. Add in a penchant for products that look pretty on my beauty shelf and you've got yourself a picky costumer. As a self-proclaimed hair minimalist (I very rarely use heat tools, have never actually met a brush I like and strive to do as little to my hair as humanly possible), I've been struggling to find a good routine.

Enter: Playa, the range of California-crafted products that are equal parts unfussy (making them perfect for my low maintenance ways) and effective. I've been loving the range lately and thought it might be time to introduce you to what's quickly becoming my holy grail of texturizing salt spray. Playa is made with love in a beachfront space in Venice (oh how I miss California!) by Shelby Wild, a former fashion stylist that embodies California cool to a T and Kristen Shaw. It's a "one and done" solution to all my hair care woes, smells like coconut, sea salt and all of those Beach Boys lyrics that have somehow permanently ingrained themselves into my subconscious and the Endless Summer Spray is single-handedly responsible for getting me through an every-third-day hair washing schedule. 

INSPIRED BY @PLAYA

disclaimer: While products were graciously sent to me by Playa, I was not asked to share or review them. As always, thank you for supporting the brands that make Hazel + Scout possible.

You guys, it's October! It's officially my favorite time of the year and though I'm still figuring out a way to navigate Fall in a place that never cools off, I'm so excited to live vicariously through all of those festive 'grams you're inadvertently sending my way. I'll be dreaming of pumpkins and crunchy leaves all season long...

Autumn is going to be about rich hues and reliable pieces (like breezy tops and short dresses), rearranging spaces (we traded in our dining table for a desk so that I can have a dedicated work space and I'm pinning all kinds of desk inspiration) and new adventures. This Fall is especially busy because after almost a decade away from school, I get to experience some of that turn-of-the-season excitement. I've officially returned to school and am working on finishing my degree in Liberal Arts... talk about a new challenge. I'm looking forward to learning how to balance a new workload with everything I'm currently getting into.

Speaking of new work, I'm beyond excited to announce that I'm officially a lifestyle contributor at the Glitter Guide! I can't wait to connect with you in a space I've loved following for years and I hope you'll check out my posts there. I worked on my first article last week and it's something I've been wanting to write about all year... I'll share as soon as it goes live.

p.s. Stay tuned for the monthly playlist and a bunch of new stuff in the coming weeks. Happy October!

images via

In light of the horrific domestic terrorism that took place in Las Vegas yesterday, everything I had planned for the blog seems completely trivial and inappropriate. The act is being called one of the countries biggest mass shootings in history and I cannot begin to fathom all of the ways that the people affected (both directly and indirectly) are suffering. I'm so devastated for the injured and the families of those who lost their lives in last night's tragedy and my heart is so incredibly fatigued from waking up to terrible news so often recently. How is this where the human race is at? With all of our advanced knowledge and technology? Why are we not doing a better job of preventing this kind of senselessness?

While I know we must continue to trudge forward, today feels like a day for mourning and I'm not sure that I have it in me to proceed business-as-usual. If nothing else, I pray that this event has opened everyone's eyes and created a call to action. We must take a stand and vote for gun control. We must protect the lives of our loved ones. We must de-stigmatize mental health and self care. This cannot continue to happen. People like Stephen Paddock cannot continue to slip through the cracks, have access to dangerous weapons and then be billed in the media as a "country music lover who lived a quiet life before the massacre". We need to look terrorism in the face and call it by its name.

Though we may feel powerless today, there are ways in which we can help Las Vegas:

Call your reps and demand a stricter gun control policy. These types of atrocities will keep happening until policy changes.
Donate money to the Red Cross or organizations local to Las Vegas.
& If you're in the area, donate blood.

As always, I am here for conversation and eager to hear your thoughts. How can we move forward? How can I help? What do you think about everything happening in our country?