Mommy With the Good Hair

In the suburban jungle of the grocery store aisles, you can quickly identify an overwhelmed mom by her stripes.

Whether it’s dark roots from a lack of touch-up time (guilty) or gray hairs caused by kids who stick rocks up their noses and use the stairs as a Ninja Warrior obstacle course (super guilty), parenting stress often rears its head on top of our own.

But mom of three Erica Conway Harriss discovered a way to get moms out the door faster, while boosting their confidence at the same time. With her Saving Grace hair powder, a dry shampoo and root touch-up in one, you can look pulled together in seconds—even sans shower—and even space out time between salon visits. Made in small batches with natural, high-quality ingredients, this timesaving hair product has become a go-to for moms and stylists nationwide.

Having the ability to ditch a daily wash to focus on more important things? Where do we sign up! For Erica, that also means quality time with her kids, her role as a county board member, and some well-deserved time for herself. Here, she shares her secrets for fitting in some me-time.

PURGE THE PEER PRESSURE

“I think there’s a lot of pressure on moms to look good. Sometimes I’ll roll out of bed into my yoga clothes and head out the door so it looks like I was exercising. The truth is, people may look like they’re always pulled together, but that’s just not real life a lot of days. We only have 24 hours, and who wants to spend them getting ready? If someone can save a half hour to an hour on their hair with Saving Grace, that’s an hour they can use on other things.”

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

“If you don’t schedule time away, you’ll never get away. My husband and I are vigilant about date nights and set them up on our calendars. If you wait for extra time to sneak one in, it won’t happen. You have to plan for it. I do the same for other things, like our church small groups, getting together with girlfriends, and playing tennis.”

GIVE YOUR KIDS A ROLE

“I was a little nervous at first about the amount of time it takes to run a business. In the past, I organized and handled everything for my kids, but they’ve become more independent by the nature of the beast. Looking back over the past year and a half, I’m proud of how my kids have learned to do some things for themselves. I think finding a good balance is a gift for your kids. It’s time to get rid of that mom guilt and be proud of what they’ve learned.”

LEARN WHEN TO TAKE A BREAK

“Because Saving Grace is focused on great customer service, I could easily work until three in the morning. I have to make myself quit working at various times throughout the day so I can focus on my family. Even when you’re away from home, you’re constantly getting phone calls and messages and texts. You have to realize you’re never going to be ‘finished’ with everything you have to do—sometimes you just have to unplug to catch your breath.”

Saving Grace products can be found at select salons and boutiques nationwide and at www.savinggracehair.com.

Nicole Plegge

St. Louis mom Nicole Plegge is a lifestyle and pop culture blogger for a number of online publications. Besides working as a freelance writer and public relations specialist (in addition to raising two daughters and a husband), Nicole spends her days searching for her misplaced car keys and hunting for her other shoe. Her biggest regret is never being accepted to the Eastland School for Girls. Follow Nicole on Twitter @STLWriterinIL.