Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Protective Primer

Hey there!

If you've read our recent post about the Smashbox, Ojon and Bumble and Bumble event in Boots then you will also know that we were really impressed with the products we were shown.

I've been working my way through my stash recently but I'd also been looking for a hair product, preferably a spray that could cover the requirements of a heat protector and also a leave in conditioner. Did such a thing exist? Well I found this little beauty on the shelf:

The Bumble and Bumble (Bb) Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Heat/UV Protective Primer was something that stood out to me from the shelf; the neon coral is one of my favourite colours and seeing as it was in a spray form I just couldn't resist!

There are 2 sizes of this product available in store,the 250ml bottle costs £19 and there was a smaller bottle available too. On line it shows up as a 60ml bottle costing £7 but I'm pretty sure in store there was a smaller size for a larger price - it's a little confusing!

The protective primer is sold as a sublime pre-styler for a total transformation of your hair.

The product is infused with six featherlight oils to soften, detangle, defrizz, tame flyaways, ease styling, and protect against breakage, heat and UV all in one go.

That's quite a claim really isn't it?

It's therefore claimed to be for people with dry, coarse or brittle hair - mine is definitely dry so I figured it would be worth a go for me!

You need to apply this to damp hair before styling, using the spray was super easy and it creates a mist rather than dumping a load of product onto your freshly washed hair. As I've mentioned many times on the blog I don't use many hair products aside from hairspray when I curl my hair, I don't find they work well with my hair and give much of a positive effect at all. Some oils have been ok, but can seem to coat my hair rather than actually penetrate it and do some good.

So far though, this one has been an anomaly!

Spraying this on my hair after washing and before drying is such a simple thing but it makes such a big difference. My hair feels so much smoother and in much better condition after only a week's worth of usage.

Even though it's just a spray I can't believe how different this product is from so many others I have tried before it. It's supposedly for dry, coarse or brittle hair. My hair is dry from being so long but it isn't generally coarse or brittle, and it can easily become greasy from applying products to it, no matter how 'lightweight' they claim to be.

This spray has genuinely had such a great effect on my hair that I would definitely consider trying out more products from Bb, I will certainly be making a wishlist in time for my birthday later this month!

Have you tried products from Bumble and bumble? What's your favourite?
Do you prefer spray type products or serums?


L xxx

Lush H'Suan Wen Hua Hair Treatment

Happy Friday lovelies!

On a recent trip to Lush in Cardiff for a blogger event I was won over by the sound of the H'suan Wen Hua hair treatment; although I have absolutely no idea how to say it!

This hair treatment claims to improve the condition, lustre and combability of hair; it's protein rich and nourishing containing ingredients used for centuries to help strengthen hair.

It contains free range eggs, bananas and avocados along with a myriad of oils.

It did concern me that it also contains alcohol and SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) which can damage your hair by drying it, but when I asked the assistant in store she explained that the treatment can be so thick that it is necessary for them to be present to help remove it from the hair or it would never come off. This is understandable and hopefully the positive effects will outweigh any effects of the alcohol and SLS.

So as in the image above you apply this treatment to dry hair for 20 mins before washing and conditioning as normal. I normally think of this too late and don't have 20 minutes spare but I've been trying hard to actually use the things I buy and have made special effort to get my hair in good condition for being cut and dyed.

The treatment is thick and cream coloured, with a strong smell of cloves. To be honest i wasn't a huge fan of the smell but it wasn't too overpowering so I put up with it! I'm not one of those people who like strong fragrances at all, I'm that person who likes the 'fluffy towels' or 'clean cotton sheets' type candles so cloves really aren't my thing!

That said it was easy to apply, if a little cold feeling and I pottered around setting up my shower and getting my clothes out for afterwards whilst it worked its magic. It rinsed off really easy and then I shampooed and conditioned as normal.

I really liked this hair treatment, I'm not sure I'd rush to repurchase as it's quite expensive for the £9.75 price tag for what was three applications worth. My hair is very long so it is quite a lot when you compare with other hair treatments which cost around £5 for the same size tub.

It's really nice to know that the ingredients are 100% natural and I know you pay more for it but still, it is something that i have to factor in to my choices nowadays.

If money was no option though i would repurchase because I liked the results, my hair was shinier and appeared to be in better condition. it also felt stronger too and after more applications I'm sure it would improve quite a lot. 

I'd definitely recommend the H'Suan Wen Hua hair treatment, though maybe for individuals with longer hair there may be a cheaper alternative? Who knows, I'll have to investigate!

Have you tried this hair treatment? Which is your favourite? 

My hair needs more suggestions asap!

L xxx

Korres Coloured Hair Shampoo and Conditioner

Morning!

I seem to rarely buy or try hair products, I'm quite lucky that my hair is quite pliable and does what I want it to without much hassle. however it has become very dry after a long summer and lots of highlights. I've been dying it back darker recently and hopefully less of the stripping effects of highlights will also help, but after seeing these Korres shampoo and conditioner on offer at 2 for £10 at Waitrose I snapped them up for a try.

I chose the set for coloured hair containing Sunflower and Mountain tea.

The designs of the bottles are quite simple and standard, its a little confusing to have so many languages on the bottles but it's an international brand and I don't see why more brands shouldn't do this. Although the bottles are standard in design they do feel quite substantial so they won't break easily if you drop them in the shower, like I seem to do all the time!



The shampoo feels quite thick to use on the hair and lathers up easily, this is probably due to SLS being present which is confusing again as Korres are a 'free from' brand and do not use many chemicals that other brands do. Having said that, my hair felt clean but not 'squeaky' and it didn't matt together which it can do with shampoo that is drying.

I can't comment on it's colour protection as mine has faded since being dyed anyway, as it will with blonde hair being changed back to dark brown! But my hair did feel clean and I'd use it again.

The conditioner was also very nice, it was hydrating and felt thick and moisturising on the hair and scalp. My hair felt a lot smoother and silky after drying so it clearly works and I've enjoyed using it.

I also like that Korres list on the sides for each product what the formula facts are including everything that it doesn't contain and who it is catered for.

Having said all of this....finding out that at full price these products are £10 each I wouldn't say that these were worth that. The 2 for £10 was a great deal and I've enjoyed using them as a treat, but I couldn't justify spending £10 on them each as they're just no different to a lot of other shampoo and conditioners that I've tried.

Have you tried products from Korres? What is your favourite? 

I've heard their lip butters are amazing but I've got so many eos spheres to get through at the moment I don't need any more!

L xxx

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

Review: Area H2O

Hey lovelies

Thought I'd do a double post for you today as I've just got back from staying at my parents so I've had a chance to try out a product I was sent again.

Whenever I visit or stay at my parents house I find my shampoo and conditioner leave my hair feeling dry and not as clean. It always gets dirtier quicker too. When I saw some tweets about Area H2O I was instantly intrigued. Area H2O have looked into the minerals that are more abundant in the different types of water and how they effect the way shampoos and conditioners work with these minerals present. 

Area H2O have developed a range of shampoos suitable to the type of water you have. These shampoos have been formulated to remove the mineral deposits which are left in the hair from reactions between the shampoo and water.

The shampoos I use where I live is medium/soft and I've not had any problems with the shampoos and conditioner I use and my hair stays clean for 3-4 sometimes even 5 days. Where my parents live is a hard water area and I was noticing my hair was dirty the next day after washing it.

When I was contacted to ask if I wanted to try Area H2O I straight away said yes and selected the hard water and coloured hair type to try for when I was at my parents. At the beginning of the month I went home for a week so I could test it out properly. I had a really busy week at home and washed it 3 times. I was also home last weekend so used it again while I was there.

I was warned hair can feel dry after shampooing the first few times. Personally I didn't notice this. Having highlighted hair my hair always feels dry after shampooing then feels great again after conditioner.

I really liked the light texture of the shampoo and found it really lathered up to make my hair feel like it was getting a good clean. I also didn't notice loads of hair coming out which I keep noticing when I use cheap shampoo lately. All of the products are colour coded depending on the water type. This makes it easy if like me you spend time between two different types of water and can easily differentiate between the two.

The conditioner was even better than the shampoo in my opinion. It's a great thick conditioner which I love as I feel like my hair is getting the treatment and nourishment it needs. It didn't leave my hair greasy and washed out easily. I also like that the conditioner comes in a squeezy bottle so it's easy to get the product out. I find some tubes hard to get thicker conditioners out.

I love the concept of Area H2O and that it has been developed with the water type in mind. I've really enjoyed using the hard water variety and will continue to use it at my parents house. My hair stayed cleaner longer using it and that's what I really liked.

I really want to try the one for medium water next and will be ordering some when I run out of my current shampoo. It retails for £17.50 for the two which is less than I usually pay for shampoo. I usually pay £23. It comes in soft, medium and hard water types and for normal and coloured hair.

Do you notice a difference between different water types? Is Area H20 something you'd consider?

Love M

xxx