pink hot oil hair treatment

i tried this hot oil treatment in an attempt to continue my treat-my-hair-right phase. i can't say it's been going too well and i'm in desperate need of a haircut but every little counts i suppose!

this hot oil treatment is meant to be applied to damp hair. the oil then warms up and after about 10 minutes should be washed out. i decided to boost the intensity by applying directly to dry hair because as far as i'm aware this generally gives a deeper treatment as there is no water blocking the hair shaft.

unfortunately i think i got the wrong idea with this treatment and actually the warming that takes place when the oil comes into contact with water is what does your hair good. instead this treatment didn't seem to do much for the overall look of my hair so i was quite disappointed, particularly after using a palmer's coconut oil treatment that made a visible difference. boo! :(

i do plan on trying another hot oil treatment soon but this time on damp hair as i'd like to see if the lack of results had something to do with me not following instructions or if it just didn't work with my hair. can anyone recommend any conditioning treatments for me to try?

palmer's coconut oil formula conditioning treatment

 

 i bought this as an incentive to do a much needed conditioning treatment on my hair. i've been colouring it for years now and it's really long so although i'd consider it to be quite strong hair, it's also really dry.

i love palmer's products and everything i've tried of theirs (cocoa butter products and olive butter concentrated cream which i reviewed here) has genuinely worked. this 'deep conditioning protein pack' was no exception either. 

it smells strongly of coconut so isn't ideal if you don't like coconuts but i'm a fan so enjoyed it! it's quite a full pack but i still managed to use it all up. i applied it to dry hair from the roots to the ends and then clipped it up for the rest of the day. when i washed it out my hair felt a lot softer and was much easier to comb through. after blowdrying i thought it looked noticeably healthier and a lot less frizzy and it still smelt faintly of coconuts too. yum!

i'd definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a deep conditioning treatment and i plan on getting myself a few more ready for my next lazy sunday! it's cheap too which is always a bonus. you can get it here for £1.49 per sachet.

use it up - #1

 

so this is my first ever 'use it up' post. i generally enjoy reading other people's use it up posts as i think it's good to share thoughts on products that are worthy of completely using up and potentially re-purchasing. plus, i think it's a good idea to have a bit of encouragement to actually finish products as opposed to just finding another place to store the half empty bottles.

kiehl's - 'creme de corps'. £27.

 this body moisturiser is one of my all time favourites. i was desperate to try it so purchased some last year in new york where it's a little bit cheaper and i was feeling extravagant. it feels like rubbing melted butter into your skin (in a good way), leaves your skin feeling so soft and smells really nice, but not of anything in particular. i also love the packaging. it's so simple yet effective, and i'd love to have a kiehl's filled bathroom for this reason alone. unfortunately it's £27 for a 250ml bottle and at the moment i just don't have that kind of money to be spending on moisturiser! i'd still consider it a firm favourite though and will re-purchase as soon as possible!
 

batiste - dry shampoo (blonde). £3.99.

who isn't a fan of dry shampoo? o.k, it doesn't make your hair feel great but when you're in a rush and have long hair like mine sometimes there just isn't time to wash it in the morning. i'm naturally blonde so i bought this a while ago but have since become a brunette. although technically this means i should no longer use this product, before the batiste range became as big as it is now everyone had to use the same original dry shampoo (shock) and so i figured using this on my brown hair isn't that different. it does make my hair look slightly lighter but it isn't noticeable so i'm determined to finish this up and then invest in some of the 'medium brunette' variety.

soap and glory - 'sugar crush' body scrub. £8.

i really love this body scrub and i'm not quite sure why i haven't blogged about it before. it has the signature soap and glory smell but is slightly more tangy and so is great for getting you to feel a bit more summery whilst exfoliating off any remnants of winter. i personally feel it could be a bit more grainy (i'm not sure how good this would be for my skin, i just enjoy the feeling of freshly scrubbed skin!) but i have solved this problem by purchasing a pair of these and together they give you a great body exfoliation. the best thing is is that when the scrub runs out the gloves are still there and will do the job nicely.

boots hairspray - maximum hold. £1.62.

unfortunately, this is a case of you get what you pay for. the words 'maximum hold' enticed me in but this hairspray just doesn't cut it. it claims to be unperfumed which is untrue - it still has that slightly floral aerosol smell. it also doesn't hold the hair well at all. my hair is naturally a bit wavy so it's fine for a quick mist after straightening but only managed to hold curls done with curling tongs in place for about an hour before they dropped which is a shame. sorry boots, but despite usually pulling through with your own brand products, i won't be re-purchasing this time!

hollywood beauty - argan conditioner

i've heard a lot of great things about moroccan oil, and a lot of great things about argan oil. generally i try to avoid any sort of product on my hair apart from hairspray as it makes it go greasy really quickly so i decided to buy into the craze through a conditioner.

i bought mine here for £1.99 which i now realise was a real bargain... the next cheapest place i can find is on ebay for £6.99! this argan oil conditioner smells like berries and is quite thick in consistency. it makes my hair a bit easier to comb through after washing and despite the oil, doesn't make my hair greasy which was a potential problem. 

i've only used it a few times so can't comment on whether or not it has improved the overall condition of my hair (and it's also in desperate need of a cut so i can't imagine any product could save it right now!) but considering it's cheaper than most high street conditioners, smells good and is enriched with argan oil, it's likely i'll be purchasing this again!

to beginners from a beginner: a guide to hair dye

 

                      before and after...

i'm a bit of a hair dye novice but i thought i'd share this review because i think reading about other people using home dye kits makes the task of doing your own a lot less daunting!

let me first explain my hair story to you... my hair is naturally dark blonde. when i was younger i worked as a junior in a hairdresser. of course the free cuts and colour were too good to miss so i started off with just lightening my t-section, eventually ending up with a full head of highlights, most of which were bleach. after i left the hairdresser i had to start paying full price for a whole head of highlights and pretty often too - my hair grows quickly and i can't pull off the shabby chic 'un-done roots' look!

after much umming and erring i decided to go darker. i fancied a change but also brown hair generally is a lot easier to keep up with because usually it is done with an all over tint that you can also do at home with a box of hair dye that costs £6 (as opposed to my usual £90... arghhh!!) going from blonde to brown is always a job for the professionals as it involves a pre-colour. but this is my second attempt at doing my roots and giving the colour a bit of a boost and so far so good!

i have to say, hair colour names are AWFUL. 'iced mocha'. really?? but other than that this was really easy to use and came with a long list of instructions and even a handy push-out section on the box to hold the hair dye in place when you aren't using it. i like the final colour and it's looking a lot healthier than the 'washed out' look i was apparently going for before!

so, to beginners from a beginner, here are my hair dye do's and dont's:

• don't be afraid to hover around the hair dye section for a good half an hour holding the box up to your hair and seeing if it matches. it's never going to be completely accurate but it's going to give you a good idea of what you're likely to come out with.

•  don't take your boyfriend with you to find the perfect colour. he won't appreciate it, trust me! 

• don't dye your hair just before a big night out. nothing to do with preparing for the worst (it'll be fine, honest!) it's just that hair dye really, really stinks and it takes a couple of washes to get rid of the chemically smell.

• do use a semi-permanent colour if you're worried about not liking the outcome. it will fade but remember that re-doing the colour will only cost about £6, which is a lot cheaper than professional colour correction for a permanent colour you hate. 

• do give yourself time to read the instructions and set up the bathroom ready to dye your hair. it can get messy, even with gloves on, and it may involve a bit of a bathroom clean up whilst you're waiting for the colour to develop!

• do a strand test. this involves cutting out a small piece of hair from the root (if this is done from an underneath layer of hair as opposed to the visible parting it won't be at all noticable) and testing the hair dye on it first to see how your hair reacts. the first hair dye i bought told me to leave the dye on for 20 minutes. i washed the hair dye off my strand test after 5 and it was the colour i wanted. i think if i'd have left it on the full 20 minutes my hair would've been black! 

• do take a watch into the bathroom with you and keep an eye on it. now is not the time to find out whether you can guess the length of a minute.

• and finally, do note down the brand and name of the hair dye you used in case you want to use it again. surprisingly, after 6-8 weeks even the name 'iced mocha' doesn't stand out as much as you originally thought it might.

...i hope this helps and let me know if you have any other hair dye tips or tricks! :)

h&m - hair flowers

thought i'd share these cute little hair clips from h&m. they were a birthday present from a good friend and they've done a nice job of brightening up my boring monday outfit.

i pulled my hair back into a ponytail after backcombing it with a tail comb and secured it with a clear band. after, i put some curls into the ponytail with 1" barrel curling tongs. i then separated out the curls, misted with hairspray and clipped in the flowers at the base of the ponytail. et voilà! happy monday :) xx