Emergency Hair treatment

         Aussie 3 minute miracle reconstructor and shine serum

These are my holy grail hair products. Whenever my hair is extremely dry I use this reconstructor and leave it on my hair for 3-5 minutes and my hair is transformed. It smells amazing. I sometimes use it on all my hair when I want to give my hair a deep treatment, I also use it a few times a week just on the ends of my hair.

I use the shine serum on  my hair when its straight. I'm not really a fan of hairsprays except for Loreal Elnett, as many other hairsprays I've used always leave my hair sticky or flaky. I would definitely recommend trying the Aussie range, it definitely tames my curly hair when its wet.

Happy Hair Days Updated review!

                        Happy Hair Days Glossing conditioner

I did briefly mention this product however I wasn't able to offer too much feedback as I hadn't used it yet. But now I've finished the bottle I can comment on it.

Things I love about the product:

* The bottle, its a nice little bottle, easy to use and doesn't spill everywhere.

*It cleans and clarifies

* It makes my scalp and hair feel soft, clean and fresh



Cons

 * For me the only thing I can say is that I'm not too keen on the smell, and that's not because it smells unpleasant, but I'm very sensitive to any sort of smell, so sometimes it can be slightly overpowering, but apart from that I love this product, and if I can find it again I will be repurchasing.

Extra information about the product

* Lemongrass and basil scent

* No parabens

* No sulfates

* I managed to buy it for £1!!!

Monochrome Madness!

                                                                       Monochrome Madness

If you are aware of the trends for S/S 2013,  Monochrome is one of them. Whilst I appreciate the trends, it doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to run to the shops to try and find something that is monochrome. I had a look through one of my wardrobes and have already collected a few pieces within the last year which I can wear. The high street shops in particular have picked up on this trend so I'd just thought I'd show you a few key pieces that I have which I could perhaps wear. Best of all I managed to pick up these items in the sale for a great price, and is definitely what I call savvy shopping!.

 1.)  Marks and Spencer Autograph black and ivory tuxedo blazer
      Originally £69, I managed to get it for £2!!!!!!! Crazy bargain, one of my best buys from 2012 * No longer available on the website but there are similar jackets available from other shops. 
 


2.)  Black and white bodycon dress from H&M
     It only retailed at £3.99 absolute bargain! * This particular dress isn't available anymore, however I know H&M have another dress similar to this when I last checked, the good thing about H&M is they do have various dresses at different price points.    



3.)  Dogtooth Jersey jacket from Primark.
   I bought this for £7 * Its a nice jersey fabric and will make a nice summer jacket. * Its very good quality, good lining and nice gold buttons *

Media and Beauty

This is just a quick post, but when we think about fashion and beauty we are constantly bombarded  with images of celebrity's or even people who are deemed to be good looking.  I personally don't think that media affects my thoughts about how I look, or my self esteem and I don't feel I have to conform to what society believes it to be good looking or beautiful.  I'm not really swayed by people in the media because as many of us know, pictures are airbrushed and people don't look how they do in the magazines.


I personally would like to see more people in the media who are themselves and are comfortable with how they look without all the artificial enhancements. Surely instead of caking your face in makeup you should think about alternative ways to look after your skin, because when you are literally painting on a face  of makeup your not happy with your own skin.  Again its the same with hair, most celebs or public figures tend to wear extensions, again there is nothing wrong with that, but surely you have a problem with your own self if you can't go out the house without your weave.

I think the message that should be sent especially to young girls is that, you can only be you, and embrace that you are who you are, if there is something you don't like about yourself ( because we all have our own hang ups), try and think of all the positives you have, and if its really that serious then you always have the choice to change what you don't like.  What we perceive as our own imperfections other people may not even notice. You don't need to be self conscious about going out make up and weave free, you are perfect just the way you are. You can certainly do things to enhance yourself but never try to cover up who you really are.

My 10 Top fav shops

 So heres a list of some of my favourite shops I like to use online, the majority of them are clothes shops, but some of the other shops are where I like to purchase beauty items and perfume from.



1. ) Urban outfitters

2.) Rare London

3.) H&M

4.) Marks and Spencer

5.)Bohoo

6.) Apricot

7.)Everything five pounds

8.) zara

9.)Boots

10.)The perfume Shop

Pros/Cons of Extensions/Weave

If anybody is thinking of getting extensions or a weave, I will list some pros and cons of my experience with them, hopefully this can be helpful, but I must stress DO NOT NEGLECT YOUR HAIR UNDERNEATH!

Pros

Increased my hair length
Wearing extensions allowed me to rest and grow my hair. After bleaching my hair blond, my hair was damaged, the edges of my hair were short, so I got extensions to give my hair a break. I managed to grow my hair past my shoulders but after I had grown my hair  to a certain length, I no longer needed them.

Easier to manage
When I had my extensions in there is no denying that they were extremely convenient when you have lectures to go to, you can just shower and go straight out the door. However because at that time I had no interest to look after my hair, I didn't realise that my own hair was easier to manage once I got the hang of it.

Cons

Cost

The price of getting extensions installed plus paying for the hair itself soon adds up. Now I look back three years later I can't believe I spent the amount of money I did. The ironic thing is that my own natural hair is longer than any weave I've had so I was spending unnecessary money when I had my own hair.

Time consuming

Its not only time consuming to sit for hours to get your hair done, but just the maintenance of wearing extensions can be tedious. You have to make sure that you look after it, and look after your hair underneath. There is no point wearing extensions if underneath them is a hot damaged mess. It is very easy to spot and see people who spend alot of money on their weave but neglect  their real hair. This is totally apparent when they have dry and damaged leave out, eaten out edges, and to top it off some of them don't even do anything about it. It can be a daunting process wearing your natural hair, but honestly, nothing is better than washing your own hair, having a clean scalp and being able to tie it up in a bun.


Just to add a little disclaimer, it is up the individual what they choose to do with their hair, and I do recommend extensions if you want to grow your hair and switch up your style now and then...why not? , I have used them and they do help to grow your hair and give your hair a break, but just don't neglect your real hair.  It does really baffle me that some people are  so  insecure about their  natural hair that they can't step out the house without a weave/extensions in?

Length Check Jan 2013

                                                                     Length Check Jan 2013

So here's a pic of my hair in January 2013, I will be doing a length check in July 2013. I plait it into a fishtail braid just to get an accurate length. To me it doesn't matter how cute my outfit is, if my hair isn't on point it really does spoil my whole outfit, thats why I'm extremely focussed on making sure my hair is healthy and looks healthy. Hair is like an accessory so make sure you make the best of what you have.

My own hair story

Ok so if anyone has looked at my blog so far, alot of the things I post about are related to haircare. Why?

Many years ago, when I was younger I used to have really long hair, then I went through a phase where I didn't use to look after my hair, I bleached it blond, dyed it brown, then back to black, red , black again and then black cherry. So that's alot of colour.I don't really use heat on my hair so the main damage came from bleaching.

What is my hair texture?

I'm  mixed so I have a mixture of two types of hair, when my hair is wet it is extremely curly. I do not relax or chemically straighten my hair, the only thing I do is colour my hair.My hair isn't coarse in texture its fine when its wet. However when its dry my hair is alot thicker, and can be prone to dryness if I don't look after it.

What am I trying to achieve with growing my hair?

The main thing for me in the first couple of years I started growing my hair was health, and I do feel that after nearly three years, my hair is very healthy, it isn't damaged and has grown alot. My hair three years ago was just above shoulder length, it was blond and quite frankly resembled the texture of straw rather than hair. Now my hair is halfway down my back and it strong soft and healthy, I am hoping to grow my hair to waist length if possible.

What am I hoping to achieve in the future?
This blog is to help me document my own hair growth. I also  hope it can help others if they want to look after their hair.

Finishing products, serums and styling

 Organix coconut milk anti breakage serum

This is an anti breakage serum by Organix. I have been purchasing this for years. The coconut smell isn't too overpowering and it does what it says on the tin. I tend to use this when my hair is damp and dry just on the ends of my hair as these are oldest and most fragile parts of the hair. Its available at Boots for £5.99 and is really worth the money.Organix have a good line of products, I have tried the penetrating argan oil serum and also use it  as an anti breakage serum.

 Inecto pure coconut glossing spray
 
As you can see I have used alot of these. Its a coconut oil glossing spray which provides a great finish. When these run out I keep the bottles and make my own hair products. I don't use alot of this, its more for a sheen on the hair.

 Charles Worthington Shine polish

This has been a surprise find for me, I didn't think it would do much for my hair but its a really great product. I only use it on my hair when its straight because when my hair is curly it doesn't really take well to finishing products. However when its straight it has a shiny finish as the product states and the texture of the product  binds so well with my hair that its soft and holds a style in place. The bottle is very small but its definitely something I will be buying again.

Pantene ice shine serum.

As you can see this is a little bottle of pantene shine serum, and as you can guess it smells just like pantene!.  I purchased this really to carry in my bag when I travel just in case the ends of my hair become dry and they need an emergency top up of moisture. It does give your hair a shine, however I have to admit for me the smell of pantene products can be overbearing for my personal taste so I only use a bit at a time, but its a nice little serum to keep handy.

A couple of conditioners...

 Dove Heat defence conditioner

So I tried this Dove conditioner which is a heat defence conditioner. It smells really good and on the first two times I used it, it made my hair feel really soft. However on the third time I used it I seemed to have a lot of excess shedding. Now I'm not sure if that's because my natural hair is very curly and it didn't react well to it, but I haven't used it since. Everyone's hair is different therefore it is important to trial products. The main reason this product appealed to me was because of the heat defence. I don't blow dry my hair but I do straighten it about 5 times a year, so I will definitely be looking for products that have a heat defence in it, so I can use it next time I straighten my hair.

 Gum Hair Salon argan oil conditioner

This has been my staple conditioner for the past month. It smells amazing, it has a thick consistency which provides adequate moisture for my hair. It is reasonably priced at £2.99 so I will continue using it for now, until I try another product.

2013 Shampoo

                                                               Hairtrition Shampoo

So, I have been using this for a couple of months now, and its great. It smells really good, it makes my hair feel really clean. Its sulfate free  and a colour protect shampoo, also it doesn't dry out my hair. I managed to purchase a salon size bottle so hopefully it should last a while.It has alot of nutrients to keep the hair in good condition. Thumbs up so far!

Kleenex facial cloths

                                                                           Kleenex facial cloths

I randomly picked these up when I was shopping, I've never seen them before but they are really handy and much better on the skin than a flannel or a cotton pad. I tend to use these when I get in from outside just to clean my face because the impurities on your skin build up even when you've only been out for a while. So I use them  just  to stop dirt from building up in my pores. They are quite large and soft and reasonably cheap for under 70p.

Neutogena Wave

Neutrogena Wave

This is a power cleanser, with small exfoliating pads which attach to the end of it. I really like this as it tends to cleanse more deeply then if you did it by hand. Again its small enough to take when travelling and seems to be working. On the first use my skin doesnt feel as rough and definitely feels softer. I will continue using this over a few months but so far so good. I'm very much trying to look after my skins condition as I don't really wear any make up except for mascara, as I don't like the feel of make up on my face for hours, so hopefully this will improve the condition of my skin.

Body Shop face brush

                                                               Body Shop face brush

This is  perfect for exfoliating the dead skin off your face, I tend to do it a couple of times a week, and let my skin recover. Its perfect to take with you when travelling and its relatively inexpensive at £3.99

Another new product for 2013

Happy Hair days conditioner

Here is a new product I managed to find at Home Bargains in the UK. It was only a pound and I have yet to try it, but its something I will be using in the future once my current conditioner has run out. The conditioner I am currently using is Gum Hair Conditioner with Argan oil, it smells amazing and the smell lasts for days. Its super conditioning and is one of my favourite products to use, plus its a snip at £2.99 from home bargains, its also available online. 

I will review this again, once I have actually had a chance to use it, but I am just putting the product out there to help those if they are looking for products to try, and they don't want to spend too much money.