The Road to Hair Happiness

You may remember that I posted my hair commandments last month, and I am pleased to say that sticking to them has started to pay off. I’m blow drying my hair less (I’m permitted a maximum of three a week), and letting it dry naturally where I can. Where this used to end with my hair knotting itself into a helmet of frizzy curls, something miraculous has happened: it now dries soft and reasonably sleek, with a few waves that look pretty and natural, rather than crisp and tortured. It’s also been six weeks since I coloured my hair, and as I’m almost back to my natural shade, roots aren’t too great a problem. It’s probably the longest I’ve gone without colouring my hair in the past ten years. I’m impressed!

In case any of you have been inspired to take up the healthy hair challenge, I thought I’d update you on my Hot Hair product arsenal, and the things that I rely on to keep my tresses tamed.

From left to right: Aussie Take the Heat heat defence spray, HairSublim supplement, Pureology Essential Repair serum, Liz Earle Botanical Shine conditioner for dry and damaged hair, Silica supplement, Liz Earle Botanical Shine shampoo for all hair types

The Liz Earle shampoo and conditioner continue to be a big hit with me. The conditioner is so rich and certainly the best I've ever used (yep, that takes into account pretty much all the high end haircare brands). It comes out on 2nd September, and I for one can see this becoming a permanent feature in my haircare routine.

I’ve talked about both the Aussie and Pureology products before, but the Pureology in particular deserves to be revisited. I wasn’t convinced at its split end ‘repair and prevention’ claims but it’s five weeks since I had my hair cut, but the frazzled ends are mysteriously absent. Of course, the situation is probably helped by the limited heat styling, but if things continue this way, I will definitely repurchase this product. Aussie’s Take the Heat spray is the cheapest product here, but it’s also the one I wouldn’t be without. Nothing protects my hair like this, and I love it so much, I even spray my hair when I’m not heat styling it!

I’m sure that everyone who reads Lollipop26writes will have rushed to their nearest Boots when they read Laura’s posts on HairSublim and Silica. The products provide the essential nutrients required for healthy hair, and I have to say, I really feel as though my hair growth has quickened. It’s only been a month, but I’ll be stocking up on these supplements and hoping for swishy long hair by Christmas!

Image courtesy of HQHair.com

My final hair essential is Kerastase Resistance Forcintense. The pack contains three two-step treatments and is for hair that’s in need of some serious TLC (I’m talking over-processed, dry, damaged and colour treated here). I’ve just run out of my last batch, but it’s something I use at least once a month and for a few weeks after colouring. It’s £21 for three treatments, but if you have very damaged hair, it’s definitely worth the investment, in my opinion.

I’d be really keen to know about your haircare routine, and what products you can’t live without!

Dear Boyfriend, Men ARE Useless, Love The Beauty Hall

Image courtesy of menareuseless.com

My boyfriend doesn't read my blog because, in his words, he's 'not interested in girly beauty products'. That's fine, because his political blog makes me want to pluck out my eyelashes. Well, not quite, but trust me, it's not the same as reading about the latest lipstick shades!

Anyway, last night I noticed that Men Are Useless, the genius male toiletries delivery company, are following me on Twitter and this prompted me to explain to The Boy what they do after reading about them on London Beauty Queen's blog. Now, The Boy is a professional soap boxer: he loves politics, works in policy and loves nothing more than a good rant (I'm painting a bad picture, but he is divine, I promise). "Men are useless?" he begins. "That's a ridiculous idea! When have I ever run out of anything?!" Although he will never read this, here follows a list of what my beloved has run out of, and the substitutes he has found that belong to me, normally at five times the cost of his own products:

• Boyfriend ran out of Neutrogena face scrub and replaced it with my Clinique Sparkle Skin BODY scrub (yes, you read that right: body scrub. Plus he used half a tub in five days. Half a tub on a human face, I ask you...)


• Boyfriend ran out of Head and Shoulders and continued to use my Pureology Hydrate shampoo, like you can just pop to Boots and replace it, maybe even getting it on 2 for 1 if you're lucky


• Boyfriend occasionally buys a face mask sachet from The Sanctuary. Since I bought Bliss Steep Clean, he somehow finds time for a facial every week


• Boyfriend has never before been interested in eye cream, but he sure does like to use my Espa 24hr Eye Complex

Do we see a theme here? Supermarket basics vs high end luxury: the nerve of him!!! Now, I am more than happy to share the love, but as we have a joint account for our bills and shopping, I'm seriously considering using it to buy my products, seeing as he gets so much use out of them. He may not always run out of razor blades and shower gel, but I know one boy who would certainly benefit from an upscale delivery of products from Men are Useless, possibly entitled 'Men really are interested in girly beauty products: just shut the bathroom door and don't tell anyone!' Oh, and as long as I can borrow them, too!

Pureology Essential Repair - I love this stuff!

So, I managed to control myself long enough to finish 30 mins on the cross-trainer and a quick bit of pilates before running home, diving in the shower and testing my new Pureology Essential Repair range. In a complete shock situation, I am in love with this range. I loved Hydrate, but this suits my hair so much better. I tested the range's shampoo, conditioner and split end treatment. Here's the lowdown:

1. They smell gorgeous - a gentle coconut that lasts beyond the blow dry
2. It's rich and creamy, and you need a tiny amount of everything (my bottles of Hydrate lasted four months)
3. Have you ever washed your hair and had the blow dry turn out what looks like freshly cut hair? No? Me neither: until today. The plumping effect of the products has levelled the ends, and made it look like I have a lot more hair (and I had a lot to start with). This is a huge, unexpected bonus, and one that's very, very welcome
4. If it's anything like Hydrate, it only gets better with use

So, thank you, good people at Pureology: I love you even more than before!

Pureology countdown and commandments update!

I am really going crazy on the blogging today (I'm currently waiting for someone to get back to me on a report I've written so downtime is focused on blogging - woo!)

Tonight will see me breaking open the Pureology Essential Repair range, and I am so excited. My boyfriend and I are heading to the gym after work so I am holding off until we get back, although the wait is killing me! I will update you the minute my hair is dry :)

And to show that I'm not just all talk on the hair commandments, I have booked in for a split end-ectomy with the lovely Mai at Trevor Sorbie in Manchester next week. She has an amazing talent for getting rid of all the damage whilst keeping as much length as is possible, so I'm really excited to say what is, I hope, a permanent goodbye to my frazzled ends. I get my hair cut every six weeks without fail, but the damage always seem to reappear. I'll post some photos of my hair soon so we can chart progress!

A major haul!

The past two days have seen a haul of such epic proportions, it's made my head spin. Meet my new happy hair and skin care products, and a few nail polishes for added gloss!

Back row from left: Bliss Triple Oxygen face mask, Pureology split end treatment, Pureology Essential Repair shampoo and conditioner, Pureology Hydrate Shinemax, Bliss Steep Clean face mask.

Front row from left: Diptyque Olene perfume, Seche Vite topcoat, Essie Tartufo, Essie I Need a Vacation, OPI Florentine Fuschia, Diptyque Vetyverio.

Front of picture: Pureology Volume Boost range.

So far, I haven't tried any of the products but expect reviews over the next few days - I'm so excited! With thanks to the lovely Laura of lollipop26 for the tip off on beautyzone2007's ebay shop for fantastic polishes at amazing prices!

Elvive Colour Protect - Not for Dry Hair!

This is the first Elvive range I have really disliked. I loved it for the first week, and then my hair went to crispy-ville and didn’t look back. It seems wrong that I can only remember which ones I’ve tried based on the celeb ‘face’ but having used Freida Pinto (silky pink one), Jennifer Aniston (original orangey one) and Cheryl Cole (new red one), I can definitely say that this seems to be a blip in their otherwise super nourishing formula. If you’re looking for a good colour defence shampoo and can afford the outlay, opt for Pureology - review to come. Your colour doesn’t budge, and there are three ranges – Hydrate, Essential Repair and Volume – for your specific hair needs: perfect!