My Top Five Hair Products

Hi everyone! I recently wrote a guest post for the lovely charlotte from lilmisschickas (LINK) while she was away in Disney Land (lucky thing!) discussing my favourite and most used hair products and just in case you missed it over there, I thought I'd pop it up on my own blog too. My hair is something I always get asked about so here are my staple products that I use on a regular basis to keep it healthy and happy!

ghd Straight & Smooth Spray*

If you use heat on your hair, no matter how often, its so important to use a good heat protector. This Straight & Smooth spray from ghd is brilliant as it protects the hair from damage as well as helping to banish fly-aways and frizz. It only takes seconds to spritz it all over my hair before I blow-dry it and I see a huge difference in the finished result of my hair after using it.

Moroccan Oil

Ah Moroccan oil, the cult hair product amongst most bloggers. If you've never tried this glass bottle of wonder, you need to, NOW. Seriously, this stuff has transformed the condition of my hair. For reference my hair is bleach with blonde highlights so its very prone to dryness. Before I started using this product, nothing would help my hair feel soft, smooth and healthy. However, since applying one pump of this to my hair each time I wash it (around three times a week), my hair has never been so healthy. I can honestly say my hair now feels silky soft and is so shiny that you'd never know I've abused it for years with bleach. Its also helped my hair grow a LOT too. I'm now the proud owner of hair thats almost down to my waist, something I never thought I'd achieve.

Macadamia Deep Repair Hair Masque*

When I'm having a pamper in the bath, I love nothing more than treating my hair to a mask. I don't have time to do them quite as often as I'd like but when I do get chance, I slather one all over my hair and relax. However, other than being a great sidekick for bath times, they also work wonders at giving hair a deep condition. When my hairs feeling particularly rubbish, I know a good hair mask will give it what it needs to feel good again. This one from Macadamia contains macadamia oil (who'd of guessed it) which nourishes the hair, improves elasticity and adds shine. My hair is much easier to manage after using this product and silky soft too. Its also the most beautiful scented hair product I've ever used - it smells good enough to eat.

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Leave-in Conditioner

If you want to get your hair in good condition but haven't got time to apply masks, treatments and a whole host of other lotions and potions, then this convenient spray will be perfect for you. Ideal for someone with a busy lifestyle (like me), this leave-in conditioner can be spritzed over wet or dry hair within a matter of seconds and left to work its magic. I tend to spray it on my hair most evenings before bed to give my hair an extra bit of nourishment and prevent it from drying out. This one is designed specifically for blondes but I'm sure John Frieda do one for all hair types too so make sure you check it out when your next passing by Boots or Superdrug. Its super affordable and smells amazing too.

Vo5 Backcomb Spray*

If like me you're a fan of big bouncy hair, you must give this product a try. Its designed to give the hair an extra bit of 'oomph' around the crown and when sprayed onto my roots and teased with a backcombing brush, it helps to keep my hair in place and provide long lasting volume. I don't use it every day purely because it would cause a build-up and require me to wash my hair more frequently but for nights out when you want a bit of extra glamour, its fabulous.

So there we have it, my top five hair products that help keep my hair in tip-top condition and looking its best at all times. I really hope you enjoyed finding out a little bit more about each of them and have maybe found something new to try.

Have you tried any of these products? What are your favourite hair products? 

Lots of Love,

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Babyliss Pro Argan Oil Review

Following on from my last post all about haircare, I thought I would tell you about a hair product I have been loving lately. Now I'm pretty sure you have all heard of hair oils and since Morroccan oil came on the scene they have taken the beauty and blogging world by storm. I actually wanted to get my hands on the Loreal Mythic Oil as it sounded like a cheaper alternative to the pricey Moroccan Oil but whilst I was travelling to Australia, I spotted this product in the duty free magazine whilst on my flight to Singapore. When the air hostesses came round to ask if we wanted to buy anything, I decided I would snap it up. The product I am talking about, if you haven't already guessed from the pictures is 'Babyliss Pro Argan Oil'. To be honest, I had never heard of this product before but it stood out to me right away after reading the magazine summary. It sounded very similar to every other oil I've heard about so I thought why not give it a whirl? I'm always on the look out for miracle hair products so this sounded right up my street.  

I have been over in Australia for around a month now and I have been using this on my hair 2 or 3 times a week. As you all probably know, I have bleached blonde hair meaning it is prone to dryness and breakage. When using this product I apply a coin sized amount on my hands, rub my hands together and then run them through towel dried hair, particularly concentrating on the ends. As this is an oil, I try not applying too much to the top of my hair to avoid greasy roots. If I use the right amount this works wonders and leaves my hair feeling light, soft and silky. If you apply too much it will make your hair look greasy but that is inevitable when applying any oil based product to the hair. I have found that the condition of my hair has improved dramatically since I began using this product. It makes my hair feel smooth, silky and shiny and as well as improving the look and feel, I have also noticed a difference to the ends as well. It seems my dry and damaged split ends are now a thing of the past. It gives me great joy running my fingers through silky soft hair, yet! Also, I must add that this also smells lovely. I'm not sure how I would describe it but it is lovely.

I paid $30.00 for this, which works out at around £17.00 for 100ml of product. Although you may think this is expensive for a hair product, it will last such a long time that I think the price is justified. As this product is mainly found in Australia, I have struggled finding a seller in the UK. However, after doing some thorough online research (what a dedicated blogger haha!) I have managed to find it on Ebay and Amazon. I have noticed the label is slightly different in the UK but the bottle itself and size is exactly the same. The cheapest price I found was £13.14 from a seller on Ebay. They post Worldwide and delivery only costs £1.44 meaning you can get the product plus delivery for £14.58. This is even cheaper than I paid at duty free and compared with the £30.00 price tag of Moroccan Oil, I think it is fairly reasonable. If you want to check out the Ebay seller I am talking about, you can do so here. Overall, I love this product and am so glad I have found it. I will certainly be repurchasing when I eventually run out. My hair feels amazing and I really don't have any complaints about this product. Moroccan who?

Have you ever tried this hair oil or the infamous Moroccan Oil?

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend!

Lots of Love,

My Tips For Achieving Long Locks

Hello Beautifuls! Todays post is all about that annoying stuff on our heads called hair. I seem to always get asked questions about my hair so I thought I would do a 'top tips' sort of post on how I look after my hair, what I use and how I have managed to grow it fairly long. Now I am by no means saying I think my hair is amazing as most of the time it sends me flaming loopy but as I get asked questions about my hair more than anything else, I thought this would be a good post to do. My hair has always been a bit 'meh' to be honest and I have never been happy with it. When I was younger it was always that hair that never grew past shoulder length and I've never had any fancy styles. The only things I've ever done with my hair is dyed it brown and had it cut into a bob, both of which I hated by the way. However, in recent months my hair has had a bit of a growth spurt. As you can see in these very posy photo booth pictures above (cringe!) it is now around boobie length. Ever since I was around 15 I have always, always, always worn hair extensions. I have always despised my hair so much that I felt it needed that extra 'oomph' with some extensions. It is only recently that I have really began embracing my natural locks. A lot of people ask me how I style my hair into these loose waves but to be honest, this is it completely natural. If I leave my hair to dry naturally, it ends up like this. In the pictures above the only thing I have done is a bit of backcombing. As my hair has grown, the less wild it has become. When I was younger, I used to wake up looking like I'd been electrocuted or dragged threw a hedge backwards. Not a good look. The only time I really style my hair properly is when I'm going on a night out but I plan on doing a separate post on this soon. For big nights out I will usually go all out with rollers, extensions, GHD's and lots of backcombing to achieve that Chezza style hair everyone longs for. When it comes to colour, I have had my hair highlighted with bleach since I was around 13. I used to have white blonde hair when I was a child but it started turning a horrible mousey brown colour when I hit my teens. Since then I have always had highlights to keep it nice and light. I'm not one for big changes but I am going to the hairdressers next week to get it a more caramel blonde colour. I will be doing a separate post on my new hair but think Jennifer Anniston. Anyway, enough of my hair history and time for some tips on how I keep this bleached blonde barnet in good-ish condition.

These are just a few things I have done myself and find work well for me. I am not a hairdresser and probably have no clue what I'm talking about but if it can help someone out in any way I will be more than happy.

- Whenever possible, leave hair to dry naturally. This is my top hair care tip. If I don't use a hairdryer for a while my hair feels in much better condition. 

- Always use a heat protector - I find the VO5/Aussie ones work well but I have recently ordered a Joico one so I will have to see how that works out.

- Don't brush your hair too often, once or twice a day is plenty.

- When towel drying hair, don't rub but pat it instead.

- Use a wide toothed comb or tangle teezer when brushing wet hair. It will prevent hair from breaking.

- Use a deep conditioner a few times a month to stop hair drying out. You can use them more depending on how dry your hair is. I really want to try the Kerastase one.

- Get your hair trimmed on a regular basis to prevent split ends. You can even do it at home if you trust yourself with scissors.

- Use a hair oil or a leave-in conditioner before blow-drying. I have recently been using Babyliss Pro Argan oil and I love it. I have heard great things about Loreal Mythic & Moroccan oils too.

- Don't over-wash your hair. 2-3 times a week should be enough. Too much washing can strip your hair of its natural oils.

- Massage your scalp when washing your hair. You know how they do it at the hairdressers? It helps blood circulation to your scalp which can help hair to grow.

- Before getting out of the shower, blast your hair with cold water. It will close the cuticles and make it shiny.

- Use a dry shampoo between washes to keep hair looking fresh and prevent over washing.
- Try and use a defuser on your hairdryer so direct heat isn't being used on your hair. I must admit, I don't currently own one but I think its because I have been leaving my hair to dry naturally a lot lately so only blow dry when I'm in an rush.

- Give your hair a break from hair bobbles/tight hairstyles as too much pulling on the hair can cause it to snap.

- Try not using heat every day. Instead of straightening, use mousse to create messy waves or a hair donut for a sophisticated up-do.

- Don't use too many hair products such as hairspray as they can cause build up and fade your colour faster.

- Use a decent shampoo and conditioner, they make all the difference. I would recommend Matrix and Redken for high-end brands or Loreal for a cheaper option.

- Try and use hair products that don't contain silicone (my hairdresser told me this), brands like Tresemme are apparently full of it.

- Don't colour your hair too often. Especially if you are blonde. Bleach is the devil. Try and maintain colour with products for colour treated hair.

- Eat lots of fresh fruit and veg. It will do wonders for your hair. You can also take natural supplements that promote hair growth if you really do despise fruit and veg.

- Last but not least, BE PATIENT. My hair has taken years to get to this length but I find by doing all of the above I have prevented it from getting damaged which therefore helps it to grow faster. 

Even though most of you will already know this stuff, I hope it might of helped someone who is trying to get their hair in good condition and grow it. I really do know how annoying it is trying to grow hair but if you treat it with tender loving care, it will grow I assure you. I'm so glad mine is finally at a length where I don't need to bother with hair extensions and although I will still wear them when I go on nights out, I finally feel good about the condition and length of my natural hair. Yey!

Do you have any top tips or miracle products to help with hair growth?

Lots of Love,

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