Cruelty Free Hair Heroes

Well hello there!

The last few weeks I've been feeling pretty rubbish - the flu got me and wiped me out for weeks, and the colder weather has been playing havoc with my skin and hair. So I thought it was time to share my absolute favourite cruelty free hair products to rescue my 'do and save it from turning to straw and looking like something a crow wants to curl up in.

Batiste Dark Brown Dry Shampoo

Hello there!

I might be a little awol over the next few days as I've just got the keys to my new house! I'm so excited but also terrified, so much to do and moving out by myself is going to be SCARY.

Today's post is based on my favourite dry shampoo ever, Batiste is the best that I have ever tried and so I stick with it, for the effects and the price. Recently I picked up the dark and deep brown dry shampoo.

I absolutely love it! It works just like the normal dry shampoo, absorbs all of the grease without leaving a shed load of residue and also doesn't show up white on my super dark hair.

It's life saver for when I wake up in the morning and my hair is a greasy mess, I can normally anticipate when my hair is going to look like an oil slick and I spray my usual dry shampoo on my hair before bed. This by the way is my number one tip, always spray it on before bed and wake up with super gorgeous voluminous non-greasy hair with minimal effort!

Ever since I've had a fringe cut back in though I find that it can go greasy super fast, even the day after washing. This has been an absolute life saver in the mornings, especially when I'm in a rush for work.
Honestly even with my almost black hair I can spray this on and not even have to rub it in or brush it out, I just leave it there and it sorts my hair out all day. It's like magic!

I don't know about you but my general hair appearance is much improved since dry shampoo came along - my styling might be lazy but at least it will never look greasy!

Which is your favourite dry shampoo? Do you go for the normal, the scented, the voluminous or the coloured?

I think every one of them serves its purpose!

L xxx

Bumble and bumble Straight Blow Dry Cream

Hello there!

I've got a review for you today of a product that I really thought I wouldn't love.

Pretty bold statement to make in the second line of a blog post isn't it?

After attending a Bumble and bumble event a few months ago we were kindly given some mini products to try. The Straight Blow Dry Cream was one of them and I remember thinking 'oh great another hair cream'

I really need to apologise for that!

It wasn't that I thought it would be useless and B&b have rubbish products at all - it was just because I've tried COUNTLESS of these hair creams to no avail. They never work and end up coating my hair and making it greasier, which it needs no help doing at all!

This lightweight and heat activated balm helps to smooth and straighten hair making it sleek and more manageable. It contains a very rare gemstone blend to loosen the hairs natural curves as soon as you add heat, it also improves hair condition over time to make it softer and easier to deal with.

They say this is for anyone with curly, thick, coarse, frizzy and any other kind of unruly hair - however I have to say that mine is none of those things and that I'm just lazy with styling my hair properly.


So how do you use it? Just apply to damp hair and dry it section by section, finishing with straighteners if necessary.

Does it actually work? Here's what my hair normally looks like, this is drying it with a hair dryer and a brush:

It's a bit straggly but mostly straight apart from the ends, nothing straighteners wouldn't solve right?

The next time I washed my hair I did exactly the same thing apart from using the blow dry cream:



Can you believe the difference???

I am honestly amazed at how straight my hair is just by using this product

This could mean that I could potentially completely ditch the straighteners, how amazing would that be?!

My hair would definitely love it if I stopped using anything like straighteners and for £23 for 150ml of the blow dry cream I think this is an absolute bargain to save my hair!

What do you think? This might be the miracle hair product that I've been looking for!

Have you tried the Straight Blow Dry Cream? What did you think of it?

L xxx

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

Herbal Essences Dry Shampoo

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Only a few more days until a romantic weekend is upon us.........unless you're me and M and you're off to a Harry Potter party in place of doing anything romantic for Valentine's Day. We're too cool!

I don't know about you but dry shampoo is a big part of my life, I use it a few times a week to save me from washing my hair all the time. That way I save time and effort as well as keeping my hair looking bouncy and smelling sweet. I'm a big Batiste fan - the original is usually the best.....but after my mum bought me these Herbal Essences one for Christmas could they be replacing it?

My mum picked up the Uplifting Volume which has a Citrus fragrance and also an original Dry Shampoo with a Natural Tapioca scent.
Both me and my mum have a bit of a thing for scents - we love citrus scents and plain scents. Anything unnatural and strong is totally out of the question and I can't be going near it!

The packaging promises a 1st Day Clean feel by utilising a formula containing natural tapioca.

It works exactly as any other dry shampoo, you spray it in and work it into your roots. I like to leave it on as long as possible and if you want my number one tip.....spray it on before bed and wake up with fully revitalised hair, It works a treat and requires no brushing or the dreaded 'grey halo' effect where no amount of brushing can save you. Now that my hair is back to its natural brown/black colour this is something I am permanently scared of!

The citrus fragrance for this is perfect, it's light and not overpowering at all and I really like it. 

The natural tapioca is also a really light scent and to be honest, I find both of these better than Batiste.

These are both really great and based on this alone I would repurchase as having my hair smell like these would be awesome!

It's also great that there are no parabens or colourants - any products with less chemicals in is a winner in my books though i wonder if something else has replaced them.

The texture of this is a little weird. I feel like it does absorb a lot of oil from my hair, and therefore works well as a dry shampoo - performing the task it was designed to do. However unlike Batiste this feels like a hairspray with absorbent particles in it and so sometimes I feel like it coats my hair in unnecessary extra product and weighs it down rather than giving it 'uplifting volume'.

Overall I'm seriously impressed that Herbal Essences have created absolutely great smelling dry shampoos and I would buy them again for this alone. However when it comes to performing the task it was designed to do I feel like the extra product can end up weighing the hair down and making it look worse than it did already.

It's really a 50/50 on this one and I'd probably suggest using these if you're a gym goer like myself and can't be washing your hair every day - this product is perfect for you with a stronger scent to mask any sweat and it does absorb oil.

However for other days I would stick with Batiste where I just need the crown of my hair to look a bit less greasy to get me through another day.

Both have their place but for different reasons.

Have you tried the Herbal Essences Dry Shampoos? Which scent do you recommend?

In future when I've used these up I'm going to try out the Aussie and the CoLab dry shampoos and compare them also - dry shampoo is such a vital thing in my life for looking good that its way more than an essential now!
Are you hooked on dry shampoo for its' time saving abilities?? Do you have any other brands that you would suggest?

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

Mane 'n Tail Conditioner

Good morning!

I hope your new year has started off with a bang, I'm going hard at the gym for the next few weeks to kick start my health regime and up my fitness ready for a long list of challenges set out for this year.
Aside from that work has been so quiet I've spent all my time cleaning and moving boxes...full of paper! My shoulders and back were absolutely killing afterwards!

During my shopping trip in Liberty at the beginning of December I picked up a product that has probably made it onto many blogs over the past year but I hadn't managed to get my hands on it.

The Original Mane 'n Tail Moisturizer is a conditioner originally created for horse hair.
That's right..................horses.

Why on earth would you want to use horse conditioner I hear you think?
Well not only is this a horse conditioner but also a conditioner for humans and a leave in conditioner.

It has been recommended by many a woman for its hydrating properties and ability to help keep long hair in good condition and grow longer.

The conditioner is in a white plastic bottle with a yellow and blue label on, not the normal type of packaging for a product that catches the eye of bloggers and beauty journalists.

They claim this is an exclusive thick, rich formula to achieve longer, healthier looking hair by working 5 ways;
1) Conditions and fortifies hair
2) Helps prevent hair breakage and split ends
3) Natural oils to prevent scalp flaking
4) Moisturising against environmental effects
5) Keeps hair tangle free

All this for only £7 for 335ml which is almost 100ml bigger than your average bottle.

Having used the conditioner over the winter months when my hair was feeling rather awful, I can safely say that this product is pretty handy. It does not overload my hair whatsoever and leaves it feeling soft and manageable, it does fight tangles which I suffer with a lot with my very long hair and it is generally in a much better condition.

I would consider repurchasing this again in future once I've worked through some of my stash. I've got rather a lot to be working through for the time being but I'd recommend this to anyone with long hair that needs a boost over the colder months.

Have you tried the Mane 'n Tail range? What did you think of using a horse product?

L xxx

Everyday Favourites: Hair Products

Last week I shared my everyday make up favourite (you can read them here). Today I thought I'd share my hair products I always use.
Label.m Protein Spray* (review)
This is something I've loved since I first tried it. It's a lightweight spray that has helped improve my hair and it seems to grow a quicker while using this in combination with other products listed. This is something I'll be repurchasing. I've had it since July and use it every time I wash my hair and as a heat protection spray. I love that it's multifunctional.
Sebastian Penetraitt Shampoo and Conditioner (review)
This is my go to shampoo and conditioner. I can't be without it. As someone who majorly abuses their hair with lots of heat and dye (I'm such an indecisive person and my hair takes the brunt of it). This is the only shampoo and conditioner that helps to control my hair falling out. It can be too heavy so I tend to alternate between this and others. It's a must for damaged hair though.
Macadamia Deep Repair Masque (review)
After trying this in my hairdressers a few years ago I've always gone back to it when I can afford it. It makes my hair super soft and smooth. I tend to use it once a week. Definitely worth the money. I've not found one that compares.
Avon Advance Techniques Moroccan Argan Oil Leave in Treatment
This is my go to hair oil though since discovery protein spray and the strengthen and protect leave in treatment below I've not been using it as much. It's a really reasonable price and does a good job. It's lighter than most I've tried so doesn't weigh my hair down. A great hair oil. I sometimes like to use this as an overnight treatment if I'm going to wash my hair in the morning.
Avon Advance Techniques Strenghten and Protect Leave in Treatment
This and the protein spray are what I apply to wet hair. I love the combination of these too. My hair feels soft and smooth. It helps my dry ends and has improved the condition of my hair. It's a lotion/gel texture and has taken over from hair oils for me. I didn't expect to find a product like this I liked more than hair oil. This is now a must for me.
Are any of my hair must have products on your list?
Love M
xxx