You've got the love.

Precisely three months ago i decided to embark on a journey of hair growth, strictly the hair on my head of course. After my lovely hair dresser announced that my shoulder length hair was simply just 'done' growing, i set out to prove her (and my stubborn locks) wrong. I decided the way forward was solving the problem deep down, completing changing my routine to conditioning it back to health, in order to stimulate growth. 

I'm rather well behaved when it comes to my hair, i religiously have it trimmed every nine weeks at my local Rush salon and it's never met a bottle of bleach either. I was however, intrigued to try a more natural approach rather than slathering my hair in chemicals - i'm looking at you Lee Stafford Hair Growth - by using products that are sulphate and paraben free.

  Let me break it down, sulphates and parabens are chemicals used within the cosmetic industry, whilst deemed 'safe' for usage, by cutting out these extra chemicals it is a more gentle, 'organic' way of washing one's hair. I'm not going to pretend that i know all the in's and out's of this chemical talk, but i gave it a whirl and had some amazing results.

My hair is definitely more healthy in appearance, in terms of shininess and being more sleek and manageable. I've also noticed a distinct lack of split-ends, something my rather thin hair battles when a hair dressers appointment is creeping up. And most importantly, the ultimate aim from this routine, my stubborn mop has grown - hurrah! Rather quite quickly, may i add.

Here are the products i bow down to:  

Liz Earle Botanical Shine Shampoo and Conditioner (bought here £7.50 each)

These two products have certainly been raved about constantly on blogs, so i decided to see what all the fuss was about and ordered myself a pair. Without the jargon of most shampoos and conditioners promising shine like no other, i was pleasantly surprised to actually see real results. It took a few weeks to kick in, but these bad boys have certainly had an astonishing impact on my hair. It wasn't until a work colleague commented on how shiny and healthy my hair looked did i realise how amazing they are.  

Being sulphate free i was worried how well they would lather, i found this not to be a problem in the slightest. Although the conditioner doesn't exactly feel moisturising in the shower, my hair is definitely soft and sleek for sure! I have gone on to purchase these products again and probably will do for the time being.

Cherry Almond Leave in Conditioner - TIGI (bought here for £5.70)

After searching high and low for a natural leave-in conditioner i finally came across the Love Planet Peace range from Tigi. I snapped it up in minutes when i saw the scent was cherry almond, its smells so yummy, i find my self having to stop myself from eating it. I'm a stickler for leave in conditioners, they add an extra surge of moisture for my ends, especially as my hair is so fine, it really needs that extra love and condition from heated styling.

 I've used all brands from the disappointing bog standard L'Oreal, to impressive yet expensive Kerastace, so i was interested to see TIGI would match up. It did so surprising well, each night i slathered a 10 pence piece amount on my ends and left to air dry naturally. In the morning my hair felt softer and tame, and three months on my split ends are no where to be seen. And that, ladies is the biggest test of all. 

Wen Intensive Hair Treatment - (bought here for £18.95)

Lastly was a hair mask by the brand Wen, of which i received as a press sample. This cucumber fresh smelling mask comes in at a rather pricey £18, but with only a selected number of brands producing natural products its clear to see why it holds a high price. 

Its important to add that I'm not fussy when it comes to hair masks, i've used all types of brands and been  fairly impressed with all results. I usually keep them for Sunday pamper nights, so every week i moisturised the thick cream in to my hair and left to sink in for 5-10 minutes. After washing out and styling, my hair was left amazingly blow-dry-esk perfect. Eat your heart out Cheryl. For such a thick mask, my hair was soft, light and bouncy. So much so, i found myself using this product every other night as it made styling a dream. Until i realised that i was quickly running out, so it was resigned to special occasion washes. Thinking back i seem to always go through this process with hair treatments, slathering it on like its going out of fashion.

Sadly my pot is no more, and however much i fell for this product, the rather high price is a complete no-no. Not when i can pick up a sachet of good old trusty Aussie for 99p, and still have similar results.

My rather long ramble on hair yet again. What products do you swear by? 

I'm trailing a styling product at the moment, so watch this space.

Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand.

First of all i must apologise for the abundance of hair posts, clearly 2011 is the year of the hair do's/don'ts. Since purchasing the Lee Stafford Hair Growth product mentioned here, i can honestly say that unless i bought this in the truckload, i don't think i would ever notice a difference. Of which firstly i can't afford and secondly, i don't think my local Boots would appreciate me rolling up in a white van really to raid their stockroom. Continuing my search for long tresses, and despite ignoring the fact that my hair dressers announced in a matter of factly way that my hair may just be done growing, i'm holding on to the thought with tightly gripped hands that if i nourish my hair and keep it in tiptop condition, it will bound to grow long. Heres hoping.

So heres the plan, let me introduce you the brand spankin' new hair routine, products that are paraben and sulphate free. Let me break it down in simple terms, sulphates and parabens are chemicals used within the cosmetic industry, whilst deemed 'safe' for usage, by cutting out these extra chemicals it is a more gentle, 'organic' way of washing one's hair. I'm not going to pretend that i know all the in's and out's of this chemical talk, you only have to look at my science GCSE certificates to know that i'm no expert.. trust me.

Botanical Shine Shampoo and Conditioner - Liz Earle (£7.50 each)

These two products have certainly been raved about constantly on blogs and in magazines, but alas i bought these with my own pennies. After receiving a sample from a dedicated Liz Earle friend, i was instantly smitten. Without the jargon of most shampoos and conditioners promising shine like no other, i was pleasantly surprised to actually see real results. However, being sulphate free these babies do no lather like your average shampoo, so i'll be interested to see how much of a squirt i have to use to give my hair a good scrub.

Intensive Hair Treatment - Wen (£18.95)

Next up is a hair mask by the brand Wen, of which i received as a press sample. This cucumber fresh smelling mask comes in at a rather pricey £18, but with only a selected number of brands producing natural products its clear to see why it holds a high price. The thick cream will definitely be a must have to use on my Sunday evening routine, i'm interested to see if it can measure up to my trusty Aussie Three Miracle.

Let It Be Leave in Conditioner - Tigi (£5.70)

After searching high and low for a natural leave-in conditioner i finally came across the Love Planet Peace range from Tigi. I snapped it up in minutes when i saw the scent was cherry almond, its smells so yummy, i find my self having to stop myself from eating it. I find a leave in conditioner is vital for my ends, especially as my hair is so fine, it really needs that extra love and condition from heated styling.

I plan to give these products a full month trial before i present my verdict, some products are pretty pricey to go au natural (such as Aveda and Wen) but the products from the Tigi line are cheap as chips online. I bought mine from Active Beauty, which has free delivery and sells good quality brands such as Burts Bees and Kerastace at very, very good prices. 

Have you used any natural products? 

Hey you, with the pretty face, welcome to the human race!

With such horrid weather, let's face it there are only so many new Spring/Summer clothes we can hoard. Yes, i understand that i pretty much desperately need that summer dress, but it's rather sad to think that it probably won't make it's debut for at least a couple of months - by then i'll of already fallen in love with about fifty other summer dresses. So for the few last weeks, many beauty purchases have been bought. This is only the beginning. 

Tangle Teezer - (£9.99)

It does what it says on the tin. The tangle teezer was, i must admit, a rather impulse purchase. Since growing my hair, the daily combat with my brush and soaking wet hair isn't fun. And when you aren't blessed with the natural thick locks, i intend not to fight them! Since purchasing the tangle teezer, what would be a 5 minute argument, is now a two minute brush. I severely recommend these rather bizarre looking contraptions, and in all honestly my hair is in so much better condition from it.

NARS nail varnish in Orgasm - (£13.50)

Not being able to wear the blush version without my pores screaming out glitter overload, i most eagerly snapped up the varnish from ASOS, with 20% student discount. This golden, peachy pink shade is the colour of my summer.

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment - (£7.00)

I don't believe for one moment that a hair conditioner can actually make your hair grow, but my curiosity got the better of me when it was on offer in Boots, two for £8. Do the math. Considering Lee recommend an 'egg' shaped handful, thank god it was on offer. I can't see many eggs coming out of one tub alone. It's a great mask and conditioner (nothing compared to good old Aussie) but really, i think i would need more than two tubs to see any kind of difference. But if does work a little magic, i will cry in happiness. 

Urban Decay Naked Palette - (£32.00)

Talk about jumping late on the bandwagon, eh? For all my non-blogger readers, the UD Naked palette, is the one palette to rule them all. Not much of an eyeshadow wearer, i have definitely been, using the word roughly, attempting to create some neutral looks. After lusting and pondering the release of this palette, then leaving it forever to purchase it sold out. Thankfully, it came back on the Debenhams site for two hours before it sold out again, sorry ladies! Although i'm sure it will be back soon enough, i can't give enough love to Virgin, Sin and Side Car.

Laura Mercier blush in shade Lotus Pink - (£19.50)

I'm pretty much obsessed with Laura Mercier, and with £10 left to spend on my Space Nk card, i barged right on in to buy this beauty. More peachier in real life, it has a really bright pow effect, very different to Deep Throat by Nars. This blush is only to be worn with the simplest of make-up, as it certainly packs a very bright punch.

Mac Pro-Longwear Concealer - (£13.50)

Not going to lie, my Studio Fix concealer is my one and only, holy grail concealer. But with all these late night, early mornings (bloody weird sleep pattens) my under-eye circles are not thanking me. This Pro-Longwear concealer, is very full coverage, so only needed for very, bad skin days. Works wonders on blemishes or dark circles, yet it literally needs the smallest amount. 

That is part of my stash i've been building up. Have you tried any of these products?

oh girl, i'm just a jeepster for your love.

Hair. How do you wear yours? We always want what we can't have, whether that be that gorgeous beach blonde and curly, the mysterious redhead with thick luscious locks, or the brunnette pixi cut? I've never had my hair as long as i have it today, it grows at an alarming slow - snail pace rate, where as usually i keep in it a shoulder length bob, i kind of let it do it's own thang, growing both my hair and my fringe out.

Now that it's got to a desired longer length, i've come to realise that it hangs heavier, hanging straight, rather than a deserted bird's next. For as long as i can remember i've been a slave to the straighteners, well i'm officially hanging those up (apart from serious cases of bad hair days and time i actually want the sleek look), i'm just gunna go with my natural locks.

I never even realised my hair had the potential to look so full of life! When you get so used to a certain routine, relying on the art of straightening, you forget what your own natural hair looks like au natural. My hair has never looked so thick, literally just letting it air dry.

Then for a twist i use my Babyliss Conical Wand, when i'm not lying - every woman/girl should own. They are twenty squid, easy to use, curls is under 5 mins then tadah..

curly vs the straight

Are you a slave to the straightener? 

I also cannot to splurge my student loan on some great hair care, any recommendations?

Kerastace Speedy Review

Over the past six to eight months i have been growing my hair, it has been a long process but to be frank, i'm bloody surprised it ever got this long! I've mostly only ever had a middle length bob, aka middle ground. My hair is annoying. Well we all want what we can't have, but my hair is quite fine. Now that summers here i cannot be arsed to keep wacking in the mousse and blow-drying, there's nothing worse than crispy moussed hair, yet on the other hand i hate the thought of 'straggly' thin rat tail hair.

What's more, my hair will never make contact with GHDS. I've only got to look at them and my hair starts splitting, i cringe when ever my hair dresser uses them, defeats the point of a trim if she's going to wack the heat straight back on! Although, i do use my own straighteners (trusty Remmingtons), but i do have to keep going back to the hair dressers every 6 to 7 weeks for a trim. And although, my hair dresser is absolutely lovely, she keeps getting bloody promoted and her prices go up each time.

Let me introduce to you to Kerastace Nectar Thermique.

This leave in conditioner repairs and nourishes styled hair, also providing heat protection.

They say:

KÉRASTASE NECTAR THERMIQUE OVERVIEW

Kérastase Nectar Thermique nourishes dry hair and protects it from thermal damage, meaning you can style you hair using heat. The Thermo-care treatment penetrates the fibre of your hair, leaving it soft and shiny.

I have previously used leave in conditioners, although i wouldn't say they made my hair greasy or heavy, they just didn't do any good either. I used a L'Oreal which i thought was fine, i also recently purchased a Tommy Guns leave in conditioner but however much i wanted to like, it just stank. Yeah it stank. Of Smirnoff Ice alcho pops, no lie. Gross.

However, after pondering on my split-ends for too long i purchased the Kerastase - which i can NEVER pronounce by the way. Well to tell you the truth, i was instantly amazed. I wash and condition my hair every night (to keep the grease at bay), then after combing through, i 'moisturise' through a pea size amount through the ends of my hair. It smells lush and refreshing, it has a weird consistency of a thick (but not too heavy) moisturiser, like it's really working into my ends. When i wake up, i have glossy, smooth hair that feels and looks healthy. It doesn't feel like my ends are stuck together, or crispy. I actually started using this halfway between hairdressers appointments, with split-ends. And usually when i straighten my hair, the split end are quite visible, even though they aren't that bad! This dramatically improves the appearance of them and when i visited the hairdresser today, she noted that my hair had hardly any split-ends! This is an all round great product, also acting as a heat protector too, which saves time and dollar dollar! I know that this won't combat all split-ends, but hey its bloody good for me!

I've trailed this product for a month to see the results, i find it quite hard to shell out on hair products which now i instantly regret, i could have saved a fortune by buying more expensive products and not needing to visit the hair dressers so often. I can also tell i'm loving this product, as i've religiously applied it every night with out being lazy.

Can i just say what a lovely weekend?

Heres me with my gorgeous Marc Jacobs sunnies, i had to show 'em off, they only get about a weeks worth of sunshine in England!

On a final, final note:

How often do you go to the hairdressers?

i religiously book my appointment, where as some of my friends just leave it until they want to go? If your wondering, i go to a RUSH salon in East Croydon, my hairdresser is a doll, she knows exactly what i want, no bullshit, just what i want! I also bought the leave in-conditioner from RUSH website, for the cheaper price of £11.50 (rather than £17.50!) here.