accidental blonde!

My hair has always been a bit of an oddball. It can never make up its mind what colour it wants to be, switching constantly from a little bit blonde to a little bit brown to a little bit grey (especially after a dry shampoo disaster!). Its always had natural blonde highlights running through it which especially come out in the sun, which look almost ginger at times... and don't even get me started on my majorly dark eyebrows compared to hair colour!

Over the summer I was craving a bit of a change as you may have noticed from my 'I want ombre hair and I want it now!' moans all over my blog and twitter so on a whim I picked up the John Frieda Sheer Blonde Go Blonder Lightening Spray a few months back, hoping for miracle results!

On the first few applications I wasn't too impressed; it was to be applied to damp hair and then blow dried, which I wasn't exactly thrilled about as I have been on a no-heat mission for the past year! I did however succumb to a few bouts of heat to give the Lightening Spray a fair chance to work, and after about a 2 weeks there was a noticeable difference...

The spray definitely brought out the blonde in my hair, and I now have an almost ombre effect going, which was entirely accidental considering I didn't even mean to put it just on the ends- that's sloppy application for you!

The thing that worries me about this spray is the misconceptions surrounding it. Although I didn't realise it when using, this does actually contain Hydrogen Peroxide (always read the label!) and as Nikki commented on my haul post where I mentioned this, you are actually leaving bleach in your hair for 2 to 3 days at a time, which is never going to be exactly beneficial to your hair! My sister's friends who are actually hairdressers were shocked that me and my sister were using this a few times a week, and thankfully I did only use it around 6 times, stopping before it did any lasting damage!

So overall, I like this... but not the consequences. I love being a bit more blonde, and although it hasn't drastically changed my hair colour its enough of a change to quench my hair colour boredom. I wont be using this again unless I feel the need for a bit of colour revival or possible to go a bit lighter next summer?! However I am extremely wary of it, so if your thinking of trying be aware of the damaging effects this could have to your hair, especially if its fine or already dry.

Have a good week my lovelies! 

middle partings.

My hair has never been a fan of change. Difference in humidity, weather or even products can cause a major hair fail, and it is safe to say my hair is a little stuck in its ways. So when it comes to partings, its difficult to shift my regular side part in any other direction without causing a mass of messy, confused locks on top of my head!

 

*cue creepy picture of me attempting to show my parting...*

When I decided it was time for a change, its fair to say my hair wasn't exactly willing, but after a bit of a struggle, involving a hairdryer and a large quantity of hair spray, I am actually rather pleased with my 'middle-part style'. Having a rather long, thin face means generally I look like a complete idiot with a middle parting, but I find that I can just about pull it off using waves and texture in my hair, as long as there is a mountain of volume at the roots!

A while ago I mentioned I was thinking about ombre-ing my hair and jumping on the typical blogger hair band wagon, and I am still umm-ing and ahh-ing over having lovely blonde ends! I very nearly picked up a highlighting kit the other day, but chickened out... wimp. My main concern is my ends getting all dry and horrible and having to chop them all off, arghh! 

I'm sorry this post is so trivial and meaningless when there are much bigger matters going on in the UK.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the riots over the past few days, keep safe and happy!

heat free hair: volumising products!

Its no secret that I absolutely love massive, voluminous messy hair, but with fine hair this is always a challenge to achieve without backcombing the hell out of my roots. However the products below are absolutely lifesavers for me and can achieve the desired amount of va-va-voom in my hair in just mere seconds!

Lee Stafford Sea Salt Spray

This is the perfect texturisor for achieving lovely beachy waves. I generally use this on my hair after leaving it in a bun (post here) so that it has some natural wave to begin with and then spray a little of this onto my hands and scrunch at the crown and roots. It is a phenomenal product for soft waves and it smells so good I normally spray it onto my clothes as well!

Batiste Dry Shampoo (Tropical)

Batiste kindly sent me this to me to review their massive new 500ml sizes (no-more running out of dry shampoo for me!) and I have found that just a quick squirt at the roots gives my hair no end of volume, while clearing up any oily patches at the same time! It also smells beautiful and fresh for summer, win-win situation!

Got2B Powderful'

This is the best of the best in the volumising competition. I absolutely adore how easily this white dust can transform my hair from being a flat mess to gorgeous and volumised in one shake! It leaves hair a little sticky at first but makes the hair cling together so that it gives the roots a boost.

Here's me wearing the Got2B product with just a little shake at the roots...

 So thats my little round up of my favourite volumising products, a must have is most definitely the GOT2B powder as it is so cheap but so effective! Remember that when using any kind of products similar to these may leave your hair feeling weighed down and sticky the day after, so I always find it best to us these on 2-day hair!

heat free hair: soft, easy waves

Having fine, flat hair and not using heat is normally a complete disaster and my hair is very difficult to work with when I do absolutely nothing to it. Consequently, I have developed a range of different methods of styling my hair using the technique of leaving damp hair to dry into a style. There are a million different ways I use to create waves and volume in my hair, which I have posted about here and here (queue completely cringey-old post!) but this method is the one that I am liking at the moment:

After washing and towel drying my hair until its about 80% dry I scrunch in some volumising mousse (I use the Avon one) and plonk all my hair onto the top of my hair into a messy bun and leave it to dry overnight.

In the morning when taking out said 'messy bun' I am left with completely uncontrollable, scary-mary hair. One of the perils of having majorly fine hair is that it can get a little over excited and go even more crazy than regular hair! But never fear, my solution to this problem...

... is to twist my hair all over the head. Sounds strange and like it wouldn't effect the texture of the hair at all, but I find that just twisting each side of my hair a few times and then releasing tames the wild side of it down and leaves soft pretty waves...

 

So there you go, my method for heat free waves!

 

  Stay tuned for Part 3 of my Heat Free Hair series in which I'll be reviewing my favourite products for volumised hair! ♥

heat free hair; rollers.

This is the first post of hopefully many, in a series of heat free hair styling posts. As you may know, my hair has been on a major heat ban for more than a year now, and it has done my hair's health a world of good. So if your on a heat ban or just looking for ways to cut down the damage to your hair, I hope you like these posts.

First up is styling with hair rollers, as modelled by my lovely sister Sophie...

These rollers are two different sizes from Sally's Beauty Supplies. They were inserted into natural, dry hair, and in Sophie's very thick hair we used about 17 rollers, but if you have thinner/fine hair you may need a lot less. The best method of application I find is to start at the front and go down the middle and then apply to the sides, using about 2 inch sections for each roller. Leave for about 1 to 2 hours (longer for more effect) and if your feeling a bit naughty blast with a hair dryer (not that I'm encouraging breaking your heat ban, but if you do, use a heat protectant ;) and uncurl the rollers slowly from the hair so you don't lose volume.

Et voila...

...and your left with big voluminous hair.

Hope this helped in some way, and check back for more in the heat free hair series :)

how to: get long and healthy hair!

As many of you may have read in my previous 'hair journey' post, me and my hair have a love-hate relationship. I cut off a lot of my hair (to just above shoulder length) a few years ago and ever since have been desperately seeking the perfect hair growing methods to get my hair back to its original state with long flowing locks! I am by no means an expert at hair growth, but the tips I will share with you today help me personally, so feel free to try them out and good luck with growing beautiful hair!

♥ The main and most important tip for hair growth I feel is to have a heat ban. Whether it is a complete and strict ban or just cutting down on the straightener action, this will drastically help your hair to get it into good condition and consequently grow out nicely, without needing a million trims to banish those pesky split ends! I have been on a strict heat ban for about 2 years now after being a straightener addict and ruining my hair, and I now never use any heat (including hair dryers) on my hair except for the most special occasions e.g. Christmas, birthdays etc. I think this has really helped my hair to be healthy, strong and generally to grow quicker and fuller!

♥ When growing hair, a lot of the theories for quick growth is to trim the ends of the hair every 6-8 weeks. For me, this just does not work at all, as having a trim that often just puts you back to square one after your hair has finally started growing. I generally get my hair cut every 2-3 months and by using no heat on my hair it doesn't usually need any more trims than that.

♥ Of course, the old hair growth secret is just to be healthy. Fresh fruit, vegetables, and 2 litres of water a day will do no end of good with your hair growing plight! Try foods such as fish and nuts which have been linked to helping hair growth and try to avoid caffeine, excess sugar, fat and fizzy drinks which can be detrimental to your hair!

♥ Find a fantastic shampoo and conditioner which really suits your hair type to get your hair into perfect condition. Also deep conditioners such as Aussie 3 Minute Miracle will help to soften and revive your hair, making it healthier and subsequently easier to get longer!

♥ Be careful with the hair accessories you choose. Rubber bands are an absolute no-no, tugging on the hair and other heavy clips or bands may also pull on the hair and weaken it!

♥ Don't wash your hair more than once every two days, this will enable the natural hair oils to restore the hair and by washing it too often you are stripping it of these oils. Use dry shampoo as a substitute for daily washes!

My dry shampoo-ed barnet!

♥ Keep in mind that one hair can grown from 2-7 years, meaning that as your hair grows longer, a lot will fall out as it reaches the end of it's growth cycle! Some of the hair on your head may have seen up to 7 years of damage, so be gentle with your hair so that it can grow to its maximum potential!

♥ And finally the only thing that can really help lengthen those beautiful locks of yours is patience. Time is the main factor in hair growth so give your hair time and space to grow long long long!

I hope I helped in some way with your hair growing plight! If you have any other tips or questions pop them below! :)

my hair journey!

 My hair and I have a very fragile relationship.

Only recently has it reached a length which I deem suitable for my head after months and months of it being stuck at that 'awkward' length which takes forever to grow out.

About three years ago I chopped of my lovely, long hair to just above my shoulder, thinking it would make me look sophisticated and grown up, however it seemed to achieve just the opposite...

*cringe*

I absolutely hated it!

Short hair looks beautiful on so many people, however with fine, flat hair I was just not one of them! As soon as it reached my shoulder it was flicking out constantly and I wasted hours of my life straightening my unruly ends into place. All that heat on my hair did it nothing but damage and it has taken me years to restore it to its original healthy condition. Split and dry ends have plagued me all the way through trying to grow out my hair, and only recently have I discovered my miracle hair product, Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, review here.

As soon as I got the chop I knew I wanted long, luscious locks back, and my solution to this problem, influenced by my sister, was hair extensions. Clip-in ones of course, which as I was only about 13, did not match the colour of my hair one bit, oh the naivety of my youth! ;)

*Insert embarrassing picture of me in my mismatching hair extensions!*

After countless embarrassing moments of half the clips falling out at the worst times, and accidentally nearly burning them off with a soldering iron (whoops!) I eventually realised hair extensions were just not for me  and decided just to concentrate my efforts on growing my hair longer, naturally.

I've never dyed my hair (although I was considering ombre ends recently- I chickened out!) but I did have highlights a few years ago. To be honest they made no difference to my hair at all! I have naturally blonde-ish highlights in my hair and the ones my hairdresser put in for me just did not show up enough for me to even bother putting in a picture of me with them!

So after months of struggling to get it past the 'awkward' length of sitting right on my shoulders I have finally got it to a length I am reasonably happy with. Nowadays I wear it in a side parting, wavy and am on a strict heat ban to prevent any more of those pesky split ends!

I'm thinking of doing more 'hair' type posts in the next few weeks such as heat free styling and how to grow out your hair, would any of you be interested? And please post any of your hair journeys in the comments, I'd love to have a read!

a hair miracle.

A few months ago, I was in a complete and utter hair rut, not knowing what to do about my dry, lackluster, flat hair. I was even blogging out my misery at my damn hair and its rebellious way, which were driving me to the extremes, check out the post here! After reading through all your lovely ladies advise on that post, and a quick skip around Superdrug, I picked up these:

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle

This much raved about deep conditioner was the top of my list when searching for some hair therapy and after trying multiple deep conditioners in the past, this is by far the best of the bunch. I use it once a week, applying it to just washed hair for about 5 minutes and then rinsing, leaving my hair to die for soft and silky. This is a huge winner in my book!

Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance Leave-in Conditioner

This is the first product I reach for to apply on damp, clean hair to the ends, detangling my slightly knotty, unruly hair to soft and silky goodness! This makes my ends look healthier and my hair easier to control, and will be a definate re-purchase for me!

After trying out these babies for more than 3 months now, I can conclude my hair is on its way to being healed from those darn straighteners that ruined my hair years ago! Combining the use of these two miracle products and a strict heat ban keeps my damage prone hair relatively split end free, and soft and silky like no ones business!

If you are having a bit of a hair slump I would definitely recommend trying the Aussie line, I will certainly be trying more from the wonder company :)

I purchased both these products myself.

why hello Minnie...

Recently I was inspired by the amazing YouTube guru, AndreasChoice and her beautiful hairstyle tutorial here.

The look is for a gorgeous bow on top of the head, and as it was so easy and pretty, I thought it was about time I submitted myself to the 'bow hair' trend...

 

 Please excuse my terrible pictures, I'm hoping for a lovely new camera in my Christmas stocking!

As you can see I'm slightly useless in the hairstyle department, however I do actually really like the effect, very Minnie Mouse-esque!

Of course anything relating to Minnie requires bright red lips...

ELF Lipstick in Seductive + Vaseline

Crikey, I look pale in these pictures. Me thinks its time to whip out the St Moriz for a quick winter fake bake!

Who else has indulged themselves in the infamous bow hair trend?

Make A Wave

My hairs been a bit on the 'blahh' side lately as you all know, so I thought it was about time I tried some new styles to mix it up a bit.

 

So, looking through my small collection of hair stylers, I came across these...

Andrew Barton Making Waves Salon Triple Barrel Waver

 Although it may look a little too similar to a torture implement, these, ahem... interesting looking tongs are designed to create smooth, wavy waves for your hair in just seconds. With 10 temperature settings, these tongs should be the perfect tool to create salon perfect waves, ready for a night out.

After getting these for Christmas, I confess I have only used these tongs a total of 2 times, shock horror, and I had completely forgotten what the effect was.

 

So, being the the investigator that I am, I cracked them out and got waving...

 

I got a little a lot snap happy as you can see...

So girls, what do you think of this new do'?

 

I'm not too sure on it myself, not sure whether the waves suit me, so I'm thinking of maybe selling the tongs, what do you think?

Have a good week lovelies!