How to: Make Your Hair Grow

Hello!

I've got a different kind of post for you today. I'm one of those people that always wants their hair to grow....but I can't resist having it trimmed regularly either because I hate having dead ends which always look worse on longer hair.

So I've been trying to grow that little bit longer each month and I think I've got some tips on how to make it grow longer and stay in better condition that i thought I'd share.

1) Condition, condition, condition! This isn't a new thing but its so important to keep your hair strong. My favourite products for this are Mane n Tail conditioner (post here), Aussie's 3 minute miracle and Macadamia's Deep Repair Masque. 

I use the Mane n Tail conditioner throughout the week and then the Aussie and Macadamia once per week depending on which I can afford!

2) Detangler, Heat Protection and Protein Sprays. Use as many as you like but all will help. I was never a fan for hair products as I never felt they did anything, but the detangler will help when you brush your hair and stop hair breaking as easily. I am currently using Ojon's Revitalising Mist. Heat protection sprays I have no idea about really, but apparently they do work and I think if a light covering over your hair prevents even a small percentage of it from heat  I'm all for it!

As for Protein Sprays there's only one for me and its the Label.M Protein Spray. It's lightweight and really does the job for adding an extra hit for your hair.

3) Tangle Teezer. I barely need to say any more, but I can assure you since getting one for Christmas I have never gone back and used my paddle brush since. 

It has stopped my hair breakage almost 100% and glides through my tangles without pulling or snapping any of them yet the miraculously disappear. This would be my number one tip for anyone wanting hair growth!

4) Give up the styling. For some people this is really hard. Unfortunately/fortunately for me I have to wear my hair tied up and in a bun every single day which has helped greatly with reducing my usage of heated styling. I seem to end up straightening or curling my hair twice a month now for special occasions but its made a huge difference to my hair.

Even if you could swap 2 days of beautifully styled hair for a neat bun it will help a lot. Bun rings are all the rage at the moment and for an extra bit of hydration I have covered the ends of my hair in oil before tying it up in a bun so it can hydrate itself all day long whilst I'm working!

I'm currently using Ojon's Rare Blend Oil.

5) Food. One of my favourite topics! I believe that a diet rich in protein, veg and good fats has made a huge difference to my skin and hair.

Not only is it better for yourself to eat a diet like this anyway but it will greatly improve your skin, hair, nails and general fitness and wellbeing.

Try adding in some extra oily fish like salmon, nuts, eggs, spinach, sweet potato, poultry and greek yogurt to your diet a few times a week and your hair will definitely improve from lank to full bodied and shiny.

I hope this has been helpful for you, it's made a massive difference for my hair and its now almost at waist level.....woohoo!

L xxx

Current Favourite Five

Hello!

I thought I'd go for a different tactic for today's post. I love lists and am constantly writing them.

Today's post is therefore a reflection of that and so I'd like to share with you my top 5 products that I'm currently loving. We always write about new products to us and don't mention enough the ones that we actually do use, repurchase and love to bits!

So here's my current top 5 favourites:



1: Murad's AHA/BHA Exfoliating cleanser.

This cleanser is something that I've been using for a while now. I regularly use this a couple of times a week as part of my skin regime. I normally cleanse my make up off my face and then use this afterwards as an exfoliator. I try to use this in the shower so that I can massage it in and leave it on my skin so that the acids can work their magic on my dull complexion.

The tiny beads in this help to buff my skin away with no irritation and leaves it feeling super soft.

This tube costs around £34 i think, but has lasted me over a year and I still have around half left, so it's worth every penny.

2: Label M's Protein Spray

We've mentioned this in a number of posts previously and its a god send for my long hair. I don't tend to heat treat it very often (only blasting it with a dryer normally) and only style it every few weeks for an occasion.

But even so as my hair is so long now it's taking a bit more care to keep it in a good condition.

This spray is just such a simple way to add extra nutrients and protection to my hair. It's lightweight, obviously easy to use and can be applied to wet and dry hair. It smells great, not too heavy in fragrance which I prefer and I find it really refreshing to spray on.

This has also lasted me a long time and it still feels heavy, I'd actually be gutted if this ran out any time soon!

This costs £13.25 for a 250ml bottle, but is also available in 50ml and 500ml bottles.

3: Benefit's It's Potent! Eye Cream

This product is a relatively new addition to my stash and I have only been using it a short time.

This means that when concerning long term effects I can't comment too much....

But it feels luxurious on application, has not irritated my sensitive eyes one little bit and they feel so hydrated that I'm annoyed I haven't tried it out before!

This costs £24.50 for 14.2g and from how much I've used so far, it seems it will last me a long time.

4: Aesop Parsley Seed Serum

This serum has been recommended to me many times and after picking it up for some reason it got lost in my stash.

Having rediscovered it after using up all the other serums I own it was such a relief. I started applying it morning and night and my skin drank it straight up! It feels a lot more hydrated than it was feeling when my serums 'ran out' and it hasn't been irritated by it at all, and trust me, I plaster this on.

It sinks in so fast sometimes i apply another layer, probably not ideal as it's a rather expensive product but my skin feels so much better. As the small bottle I have doesn't come with a pipette attachment it's a little wasteful as I have to pour it out, but the larger bottle seems to come with one which is much more economical.

The 100ml bottle comes in at a £45 price tag.....which is a tad on the expensive side.

It would be amazing if this was cheaper as I'd definitely pick it up again. But Aesop needs no help from me for sales as it's extremely popular; the truth is you get what you pay for.

5: Dr Organic's Coconut Hand Cream

Dr Organic is a great brand with a massive range of product in a variety of scents.
I'm a hand cream novice and am constantly having M and my mum going on at me to use them, hands can age you as everyone seems to forget about them and only concentrate on the face.

The coconut hand cream is a great product, it sinks in fast which is a must for me as I really can't deal with waiting for it to sink in. The smell is natural but not overpowering and it leaves my hands feeling smooth.
It's everything that a hand cream novice could ask for!
This comes in at £5.99 for 100ml and is an absolute bargain!

I hope you've enjoyed my top 5, I plan on doing more over the next couple of months to show you what I really am loving.
Next time I will be writing about my make up favourites if you'd like to check back for that!

What are your current favourite products?


L xxx

Review: Label.m Protein Spray and Hair Care

When I saw the latest press release from label.m advertising their new travel kits which included a protein spray I was immediately intrigued. As I was planning to have half a head of highlights applied I'd been looking out for products to help repair the damage this would inevitably cause and the protein spray sounded great. We were lucky and label.m kindly sent us a travel kit and protein spray each to test out.

I'm a big hair care fan, weekly treatments, hair oils, serums and heat protection sprays all fall into my regular hair care routine. I'm always keen to try new hair products as my hair takes a lot of styling and colour damage and always needs repairing. I was so excited to try the protein spray. The protein spray is a very light mist that can be applied through damp or dry hair. I always prefer products that can be used in both dry and damp hair as I only wash my hair every 3 days but sometimes style it everyday so always want a product that won't weigh my hair down and can be used on dry hair. This certainly does that. I also love that it doesn't make your hair so damp from spraying you then feel steam if you heat style it.

With the burst of sunshine we are currently having (maybe not the last two days but fingers crossed it returns) I also like that it protects against the sun as my hair is one thing I always forget to protect against the sun. It was nice to spritz this through my hair before heading to the beach at the weekend. 

The ingredients include wheat proteins, wheat amino acids, fruit extracts and olive oil for moisture. I love that this protects my hair without weighing down. It also brings back shine as  my hair has been left a little dull from the dye. I've been using it most days and this will definitely be a product I'll be using more. I use it one freshly washed hair before blow drying then again if I'm going to straighten it. 

It retails for £12.95 from here for 250ml. It's a huge bottle that'll last ages. This has currently replaced me argan oil.

The gentle cleansing shampoo is one that is suitable for daily use. As I'm someone who doesn't wash their hair daily I can't comment on this. It does leave my hair feeling really clean though and I didn't notice any fall out which I've found to be a problem with shampoos lately. It tends to be cheaper ones unfortunately. I do find it works best to lather it in your hands first and then apply to hair. The shampoo retails for £9.95 for 300ml which for a salon brand is a reasonable price. I'll be trying more shampoos but this one isn't for me as I prefer shampoos aimed for more moisture of colour protection. They also do organic shampoos and conditioners which I think is great and would love to try soon.

The daily shine conditioner impressed me straight away. No silicones to make my hair feel softer but not actually make it softer and it contained promising ingredients like soy proteins and soy milk. This conditioner instantly made my hair feel softer and more manageable without weighing it down. I think this would be a great conditioner for anyone who washes there hair regularly as even though it's quite a liquidy conditioner it really does work as providing moisture to the hair. The daily shine conditioner is £12.50 for 300ml which again I think is reasonable for a salon brand. Conditioners do tend to be more expensive as you use less of them.

Now the shine spray I've not had a chance to try fully as it's something I only use for nights out. It does provide a UV shield to the hair so maybe it's something I should use more. Having naturally curly hair a salt spray is something I love trying. I do sometimes find them drying or they make my hair crunchy so I only use them the day before I'm due to wash it. This one is one of the softer salt sprays I've tried for my hair and definitely doesn't leave it crunchy. It does provide amazing volume and texture to the hair though. I've been so impressed with this. I love spraying it through my hair when I've curled it with my wand as it gives it more of a messy look. Below you can see it used on more straight hair. 

The

You can see the texture and volume it has added is impressive. Please excuse my nearly naked face!! It gives hair a boost. I think this will be great added to straight longer hair to give it a natural messy look and on hair my length it looks great curly. It has also helped for putting my hair in bun rings as it adds extra texture to help it stay neat.

The mini versions are only £3.50 and a great way to try a product or to take away on holiday. The 50ml salt and shine sprays will definitely last a while and I think the 50ml shampoo and conditioner will do me at least 5 washes.

If you are lucky enough to have a salon near you that stocks label.m you can get any 4 travel sized products for £12 in a clear bag. (more details here).

So far I've been so impressed with label.m especially the protein and salt sprays. Now my Sebastian Pentrate shampoo and conditioner have run out I'll definitely be trying label.m products instead.

Thanks to label.m for giving us this chance to review these.

Have you tried a label.m products? Are you a salt spray fan?

Love M

xxx

I was so excited to hear that we would be reviewing a protein spray for hair when M told me. I've recently had a whole load of highlights put through my very dark hair. I've been having them for a while but 2 weeks ago decided to increase them from just the two layers to all the way through with the aim of eventually having a 'true ombré' where the top part of my head will then be dyed darker again.

This obviously involved a hell of a lot of chemical treatment to my hair so I was very worried the condition would worsen.... Until the protein spray arrived!

It has so many benefits I can't even begin to list them again but i can tell you that I absolutely love it. The spray is such a fine mist that I don't feel like its coating my hair like some other tacky products can do leaving your hair with a residue, this one seems to absorb into your hair and it feels so cooling and soothing. It has been great to spray after the gym, before going to work, and prepping for a night out as its so lightweight its perfect. And so far (fingers crossed) it doesn't seem to be going down as fast as I thought it might! 

As well as being great to apply it has also had a positive effect on my hair as the condition of it has improved noticeably. It does get a bit matted sometimes due to the length and lightening of it and this has decreased since using it as well as an added shine to my hair. I am hoping long term use will see these qualities improve further and my hair will look as good as Kate Middletons! 

The mini kit containing shampoo, conditioner, sea salt spray and hair spray has also been a right treat to use. The shampoo smells great and frothed nicely and the conditioner was really thick and felt so hydrating. The hairspray was so light I felt like I hadnt used enough but my hair stayed in place which was brilliant. 

Unfortunately due to my hideous allergic reaction to a spa day I am yet to use the sea salt spray which is frustrating as I love beachy waves! However if its as good as the other products from label.m I am sure it will be just as good.

Having not used a product from label.m before I am very pleased to have had the chance to try their products and think they are really great.

Have you used label.m before? What do you think of protein sprays? Will you be investing? 

L xxx

To see the wide range of products label.m offer check out their website. www.labelm.com orders over £19 get free delivery.